CHAPTER FOUR
Fallon
DARKNESS HAD DESCENDED BY THE TIME I DROVE THROUGH The Meadows.
There was a wide array of dwellings—everything from cabins and manufactured homes to trailers and RVs.
There was also a wide array of care. Some houses were kept with pride and attention to detail—fall mums and decorations for Thanksgiving dotting the lawns and front steps.
Others had broken-down cars and trash in the yards, and it didn’t look like anyone had taken care of the homes in years.
I saw at least half a dozen vehicles in the distance, gathered around a trailer at the end of the street, including a few sheriff’s department vehicles, an ambulance, and Noah’s sedan. My stomach sank when I saw Dr. Avery’s SUV.
I forced myself to sweep my surroundings, Kye’s voice in my head. “Always know what you’re walking into. Eyes on every angle so you’re not surprised.” While he hadn’t been willing to train me in self-defense, he had drilled the rules into my head.
I took in the residents’ various reactions to the presence of law enforcement and emergency personnel. Some stood out in their front yards, looking concerned. Others looked pissed off that someone had infiltrated their oasis. Still more only peeked out of blinds and from behind window coverings.
A group of young guys wearing baggy jeans and tank tops or T-shirts despite the temperature being in the mid-forties gathered in one yard, talking animatedly and gesturing at the sheriff’s department presence with clear annoyance.
We needed to keep an eye trained there. But I also needed to watch the man who sat stone-faced, viewing the action like a hawk.
It wasn’t always the people you expected.
Sometimes, the quietest ones held the most danger.
I parked my hatchback next to Noah’s sedan, and my vehicle made that sputtering noise again. I didn’t have it in me to worry about it at the moment because I’d seen the gathering behind the trailer: a group crowded around a picnic table.
Still, I forced myself to take in my surroundings again.
This time, it wasn’t to look for threats.
It was to try to read the story the Jensens’ home told.
The trailer was dilapidated. Siding peeled in places, and the paint was dingy.
But I saw where someone had tried to put the siding back into place using nails and duct tape.
The front yard was full of long grass and rusted lawn furniture that likely hadn’t been used in years.
There were no fall decorations or signs that kids lived in the area at all.
Until I looked past the trailer and into the backyard.
I could see part of it from my vantage point and realized that someone had cleared an area to put in a swing set.
The equipment was simple but looked as if it had been cared for and used often. It had a slide with scuffs and two swings with worn seats. Someone here cared for these girls, and I needed to know who.
I climbed out of my vehicle and reached for my bag and coat before locking my car.
I pulled my jacket on and headed for the huddle in the backyard.
I recognized Dr. Avery by his white hair as I approached, spotting an EMT holding a bright light so the physician could see what he was doing.
The moment the sight came into focus for me, I nearly stumbled.
The oldest girl, who I knew was Hayden, had an angry gash down the side of her face that Dr. Avery was meticulously tending, with what looked like liquid stitches. The girl, only fourteen, didn’t even flinch as he held her flesh together. And all the while, she held little Gracie in her arms.
Gracie clung to her sister like Hayden was her lifeline.
The little girl’s eyes were rimmed in red, and tearstains streaked her cheeks.
An invisible fist squeezed my heart. Next to them sat a girl who looked to be about ten or eleven.
She didn’t have dark hair like her two sisters.
Hers was red, and freckles dotted her nose.
They stood out because of how pale she was.
An officer had obviously given her a jacket, and she clutched the edges of it like a vise.
“Fal.”
Noah’s voice shook me out of my heartbreak. “Sorry,” I croaked.
Pain streaked his face, too. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I should’ve pushed harder. Made a second pass. But everything checked out—”
“Don’t,” I said, quickly squeezing his forearm. “We’re here now. Let’s do what we can. Do you know what happened yet?”
He shook his head. “We wanted Hayden to get treated first. We tried to get her to go to a hospital, but the girls lost it at the idea of being separated.”
Of course, they had. My stomach churned, and nausea rolled through me. “It’s better to keep them together as much as possible.” But I knew that would be a challenge if they entered the system. Keeping two siblings together was tough. Three would be even harder.
“Dr. Avery got here about twenty minutes ago. He’s almost done. Once he is, we can talk to them. A neighbor called it in. Heard the screaming and glass shattering. Crying.”
I nodded, taking in each blow of information but desperate to get to the girls. Gabriel was hovering nearby, and Beth Hansen, who’d just been promoted to sergeant in the department, sat opposite the sisters. Gabriel gave me a chin lift as I approached. “Fallon.”
Hayden’s gaze instantly cut to me, assessing the newcomer. All the while, she didn’t move an inch.
I sent her a smile and a nod but didn’t get any closer. I wouldn’t until Dr. Avery was done. I didn’t want to put any more stress on Hayden while she was compromised. Instead, I hovered nearby.
“All done, Miss Hayden,” Dr. Avery said and straightened. “How’s your pain level?”
“It’s fine,” she said quietly. Gracie gripped her tighter.
Dr. Avery’s mouth thinned into a hard line. “I’m going to give you some Tylenol and ibuprofen now, but I’ll also write you a prescription for something stronger in case you need it.”
“I can get it filled for her,” I said, using that as my excuse to move in.
“Fallon,” Dr. Avery greeted. “Good to see you. How are Arden and those babies doing?”
My sister was a few months along, and her stomach was just starting to swell. I smiled at the doctor. “I tried to see if they’d kick at their favorite aunt today, but no dice.”
Dr. Avery chuckled. “I think it’s still a little early for that.”
Gracie’s head lifted from her sister’s shoulder, her eyes searching me out. Recognition from the various school events I’d attended for Keely flashed across her features. “Miss Fallon?”
“Hi, Miss Gracie. It’s so good to see you.”
Gracie’s lower lip trembled, and I had the sudden urge to break something. Hayden’s gaze narrowed on me. “Who are you?”
I lowered myself to the picnic bench, and Noah sat beside me. “I’m Fallon. And this is Noah. We work with the state and look out for the best interests of kids when they need some additional support.”
“You mean you work for CPS.” Her gaze flicked to Noah. “You were the one checking into us before.”
Noah’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “That was me, yes.”
“Miss Fallon is Keely’s aunt,” Gracie told her sister.
Hayden’s eyes widened a fraction. “Cope’s sister?”
I knew she and my hockey star brother had made a connection during the hockey camp he’d taught, but it was clear there was hero worship in her whiskey-colored eyes. “One of many,” I said. “He talked a lot about you. Said you have a killer wrist shot.”
Pure pride filled Hayden’s expression, but she quickly covered it. “When can we get back in the house?”
Noah and I shared a look, but it was Noah who spoke. As an investigator in the Child Protective Services arm of DHS, his role was to examine all the angles. “Can you tell us what happened, Hayden?”
Her gaze slid to the side. “It was an accident—”
“No, it wasn’t!” the redhead burst out. “She threw the glass at your head.”
“Stop it, Clem,” Hayden hissed, then looked at us. “It was an accident. It slipped.”
Clementine glanced at Noah. “Mom slapped Hayden because she said she sassed her, and then she tried to come for me, but Hayden got in the way. Mom was so mad she threw her glass at her.”
“She had a little too much to drink. It was an accident,” Hayden gritted out.
Gracie started to cry again, her tiny shoulders shaking. “Please, Hay Hay. I don’t want her to hurt you anymore.”
The anymore had my hands fisting at my sides. This hadn’t been the first time.
Clementine’s eyes filled with tears. “What if she hurts you worse next time?”
Hayden’s mouth pressed into a thin line, and I saw a weight in her eyes that no fourteen-year-old should be shouldering.
“Ms. Jensen is under arrest. We’ll be taking her to the station shortly,” Gabriel cut in.
I knew he meant to comfort the girls, but I saw real fear slipping into their expressions at his words.
Noah nodded, looking up from the notepad he was scribbling in. “We’ll talk about next steps once we have all the facts.”
“Next steps?” Hayden’s voice cracked like a whip. “You can’t separate us.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to keep you guys together,” I said quickly.
“You’ll be staying with a foster family for the next few days to start.
We’ll take it one step at a time. And you can tell me if something doesn’t feel right at any time.
Okay?” I kept my voice as gentle as possible, but I knew my tone didn’t lessen the heaviness of my words.
The girls were all silent. The younger two looked terrified, and Hayden’s face had gone completely blank.
I leaned forward, my arms resting on the picnic table.
“I know this is really scary. But my number-one priority is making sure you’re safe.
I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen.
I will also listen to anything you tell me.
What you want and don’t want. What you think is best for you.
And I’ll make sure the judge hears that, too.
It’s my job to be your microphone. Okay? ”