Chapter 23
At four o’clock Saturday morning, Macy’s eyes popped open. What was all that awful banging? Her heart skipped a beat and she sat up. Someone was at her door.
Grabbing her robe, she was down the stairs in a moment. Through the peephole, she could see a police officer on her step, flashing blue lights from his parked car lighting up the nighttime blackness. She pulled open the door. “Yes, officer?”
He removed the black ball cap he was wearing and showed her his I.D. “There’s been a break-in at your store, ma’am. The Chief would like for me to take you down there.”
She nodded. “Give me a few minutes to dress.”
***
“That would be him, ma’am. Do you recognize the boy?”
Boy was right. He was nothing but a child. What were they thinking, arresting him? “No officer, I don’t know him. And why does he have on handcuffs?”
“Just procedure, ma’am. He will be OK.”
Macy glanced out at the street. She had called Scott, but told him not to come. She didn’t want him to wake Sammie. Still, she wished he was there. You’re starting to rely on him too much, she warned herself.
***
The police station waiting room was cold and stark. It was definitely in need of a decorator. Just a picture or two hung up would help the space. She guessed the walls were painted Artic White, and the black trim reminded her of soot. She shivered and wished she had worn a warmer jacket. The bright lights hurt her eyes and every time someone opened the double glass doors, a blast of cold hit her face.
She was still sitting there, teeth almost chattering, when the glass doors opened and Scott came inside. He was wearing old jeans, and a red flannel shirt. His blond hair was tangled and pushed up under one side of the blue ball cap on his head. He spotted her at once.
“Where’s Sammie?” she asked, going to meet him.
“I dropped her next door at Mrs. Miller’s house,” he said. “She’s like a grandmother to Sammie.”
She swallowed. “Oh, Scott. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to come down here.”
He shook his head and pushed the ball cap back from his forehead. “She’s fine. And I wanted to. You need me, Macy. At least I hope you do,” he grinned.
She felt herself blush, then remembered why they were there. “I don’t know what they’re going to do to him, but that boy needs some help. I saw him. He’s just a kid. And he looked scared. I’m afraid they’re going to charge him for all that damage at Wally’s place. I know it wasn’t him.”
He nodded and gave her a quick hug. “You just sit down and I’m going to talk to someone I know.”
She went back to her cold chair and watched as Scott disappeared down a hallway to her left. The long narrow space, lit with fluorescent lights, made his blond hair look almost purple as he disappeared from sight. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer that whatever Scott said to them would somehow work in favor for the young man in custody. He looks so young, Lord. Please comfort him.
A few moments later, a young officer came from behind the desk with a cup of steaming coffee. “I thought you could use, it ma’am,” he said, handing the Styrofoam cup to her.
Macy nodded. He looked as young as the boy they had arrested. Was his mother aware of what a dangerous job he had? She sighed. She must be getting old if even policemen seemed young. “Thank you very much. It’s a little cold out here.”
He grinned. “If you’ll move over to that far corner,” he pointed, “there’s a heat vent. It’s quite a bit warmer.”
“Thank you. I won’t waste any time in getting over there.”
He laughed and went back to the front desk.
She had finished half of her coffee when Scott returned and headed toward her.
“Are they charging him,” she blurted, before he could speak.
He nodded.
Macy wanted to cry. “He looks like he’s about twelve years old,” she said, forcing her tongue against the roof of her mouth, lest she start sobbing.
“Let’s sit down.” He took her coffee and put it on a side table, before taking her hands. He took a deep breath, his eyes locked with hers. “He’s not twelve. He’s seventeen. His name is Jordan Day. Seems his mom was about to be evicted from their apartment, so she ran off with her boyfriend a few weeks back. Didn’t leave the kid anything. He’s been sleeping in the back of that store. He picked the lock into your shop and took money to eat on. Fixing things when he was able to, to make up for taking the cash. A few months back, he signed up to join the army next spring, after he graduates from high school. He was just trying to hang on until then.” He paused. “They are suspicious that he might have been the one that broke into the leatherworks shop, but I’ve been talking to them. There weren’t any fingerprints, so they’re thinking he wore gloves.”
Macy shook her head. “We’ve got to do something. We can’t let them charge him with causing all that damage. They’ve just got to know it wasn’t him.”
He nodded and put his arm around her, pulling her back in the seat beside him. “We’re going to do our best to help him. I’ve already talked to Chief Roman, and she’s going to talk to the judge. We’ll get it worked out.”
But would they? She was always hearing about the justice system gone wrong. Someone, a vandal and thief had broken into Wally’s business. Whoever that person was, he or she needed to be caught. But what Jordan needed was someone to care about him. She could still see him back in her store, when she’d first arrived with the officer. The boy’s dark eyes had been full of fear. She had wanted to rush over there and put her arms around him, assure him that everything would be all right. But, maybe it wasn’t going to be all right.
“Chief Roman has already called Judge Waker, that heard most of the juvenile cases in the county. He has agreed to have a special hearing in the morning, since there are no more scheduled court dates until after the New Year. Until then, they’re going to keep him here. It’s only a few hours away, and Social Services is closed for the night.”
“They’re going to keep him in a cell?”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “They’re going to let him sleep on the couch in the lounge. Someone will stay in there with him.”
It was probably the best they could hope for. “So, tomorrow?” she said.
“Ten o’clock. Now, let me take you home so you can change clothes. I’ll go home and change, and we can go to breakfast before the hearing.”