Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RACHEL
After two weeks of dodged phone calls, arguments, and refusing every resource I tried to offer them, I no longer believed Frankie’s parents were just overwhelmed.
They didn’t even pretend to try to do better.
Just came up with an excuse about needing to work and dodged me for a few days until I managed to catch up with them again.
It was frustrating, and I found myself gritting my teeth as I tried once again to call Frankie’s mother and got her voicemail. Frankie deserved so much better than this. It was like her parents didn’t even care.
It didn’t help that Frankie was still struggling in school.
My meetings with her teachers had been enlightening, if not a little upsetting.
Frankie’s teacher said that Frankie was bright, but struggled to pay attention in class and needed to be escorted to the bathroom or there was a possibility she’d wander off.
She’d made several attempts herself to call Frankie’s parents to discuss the issue, but her parents never answered and the one email the teacher got back basically said while Frankie was at school, she was the school’s problem and they needed to deal with it themselves.
The only bright side was that Mojave continued to show up.
He didn’t need to, he had no obligation to show up for Frankie, but it’d become a habit to look for him under the tree across from the school doors when I arrived to pick up Frankie.
He was always there, even on days when I could tell he wasn’t feeling his best.
I left a voicemail message for Frankie’s mother, asking her again to call me back, but when I hung up, I knew she wouldn’t answer.
Not even me mentioning the case being opened about them had done anything to make them change their ways.
They just complained that I was asking too much and that Frankie was fine.
Setting my phone on my desk, I groaned, rubbing my hands over my face. This was more complicated than I thought it’d be.
“Everything alright?” Ted asked from where he was playing with a toddler in the play area.
The little tike wasn’t going to be with us for long, his mommy had gotten into an accident and was in the hospital.
His daddy was a long haul trucker. He was on his way, but across state lines and they didn’t have anyone else to pick up the boy until he got back.
He’d stay in our office until his daddy came to pick him up and we’d provide the family with resources for future incidents so they wouldn’t have to worry so much.
I adored easy cases like that. It made me feel better that the toddler was so loved and the family only needed a little support in a difficult time.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I resisted the urge to shrug. Mojave and Frankie did it so often I was picking up the habit. “I’ve got a kid skipping school, getting into fights, and wandering around town alone and two parents completely uninterested in parenting her.”
“How old is she?” He queried, accepting a toy from the toddler and giving him a small smile.
“Seven.”
That made him look up, a deep frown on his face. “Hold on. What?”
I nodded. “I know. Its behavior I would expect from a preteen or teenager, not a seven year old girl. She first showed up on my radar because the president of the local MC told me she’d started following around one of his members and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.”
Ted’s expression turned grave when he asked, “Did anything happen?”
“No,” I answered quickly. “Luckily the guy she chose to follow is a really good guy. Former marines, good protective instincts. At first, he was just walking her home when he realized she was there, but when he found out she was being bullied and afraid to walk to school and back, he started showing up to escort her. Now she’s with him more than she’s with her parents most days. ”
“Good man,” Ted agreed. “No family connection?”
“None,” I answered with a sigh. “I don’t want the parents to keep relying on him, they need to step up themselves, but asking him to stop would only wind up with Frankie being alone for hours again. The parents have shown no inclination they are willing to step up whatsoever.”
It was disheartening. I’d had cases where the kids had absolutely no one.
Jasper and Isla came to mind, both parents died in an accident and no family was willing to step in to care for them until Zero agreed to help.
That was a desperate situation. Frankie had two parents, and according to my investigation, plenty of grandparents and aunts and uncles.
But when I spoke to them about giving the parents a hand, the extended family had much the same mindset as Frankie’s parents did.
They needed to handle their issues themselves, a lot like Frankie was expected to do at seven years old.
It didn’t take a genius to see where the mindset came from.
Shaking my head, I checked my watch and grabbed my purse. “I need to go. Frankie has conferences today and I want someone to show up for her.”
I wasn’t sure if Mojave would be there, he’d been a little quiet lately, and I was worried he was getting tired of taking care of someone else’s kid. I wouldn’t blame him if that was the case. He’d done plenty without needing to. But if he wasn’t there, I could show up for her at the very least.
Maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised that Mojave was waiting for me when I showed up at the school.
He hadn’t missed a day showing up for Frankie since he promised he’d walk her home.
But with how odd he’d been acting, I thought conferences would be outside his purview.
I figured he’d show up after they were done to walk Frankie home.
“Mojave?”
He was unmoving, almost like a statue, his full attention on the doors of the school.
I’d almost think he didn’t notice me approaching if I didn't know just how aware he was of everything around me.
His gaze flicked in my direction for a second before returning to the school, his brows furrowing as he stared at the closed doors.
“Is something wrong?”
He shook his head, but seemed uncomfortable. Maybe he was nervous? His usual interactions with Frankie were friendly but distant. This would be a bigger step than maybe he was comfortable with.
“You don’t have to go in if you don’t want to,” I offered. “You can wait for us to be done with conferences before walking Frankie home.”
Again, he shook his head. “Promised Frankie I’d be there. I’m good.”
He said that, but he seemed stiff and uneasy as the school doors opened and a good portion of the students poured out.
Only those with early afternoon conferences would stay.
The rest would return with their parents later in the evening.
Frankie’s teacher had tried to offer Frankie’s parents one of those evening slots, but they never responded to her emails.
Which was when she called me. I agreed to be there since I wanted an update about how Frankie was doing, and asked for an earlier time slot because I knew Frankie wouldn’t be happy with the idea of coming back after she’d already left.
Once the majority of the students left, I touched Mojave’s arm, bringing his attention back to me. “Ready?”
He glanced down at my hand, then at me, and let out a breath, nodding once. He hovered by my side as we walked through the halls to Frankie’s classroom, and only seemed to settle when her teacher ushered us inside and Frankie popped out of her seat, running to Mojave and grabbing his hand.
“You came! Come on, I want to show you my desk!”
He let himself be dragged away while I gave my focus to the teacher, offering her a hand to shake. “Ms. Judith. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You as well,” Ms. Judith agreed, shaking my hand. “I’m glad someone is showing up for Frankie. I’ve not gotten a single reply or visit from Frankie’s parents all year.”
Neither had any of her past teachers, unfortunately.
We were nearing the end of the school year too.
I was a little worried about what Frankie would do all day during the summer.
I didn’t think her parents had any form of summer camp or activities to keep her out of trouble for the three months she was out of school.
“And look! This is what I drew in art today!” Frankie said excitedly, practically bouncing at Mojave’s side. “I did it the way Killian taught me! See! See!”
Ms. Judith’s gaze shifted to Mojave and then back to me. “Is that one of her parents?”
“No. Mojave is… a guardian of sorts. Frankie’s parents entrusted him to watch over her after school until they got home so she wouldn’t be by herself. He’s just here for Frankie. Your meeting is with me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He’s one of those bikers, isn’t he?
I heard that recently one visited the middle school.
Apparently he was a big hit with the students.
If they keep showing up and doing right by the children, then you’ll not get any complaints from me.
At least someone is showing up for Frankie.
She looked downright dejected at the thought of no one coming.
It wasn’t until I told her you’d already called to confirm that she perked back up. ”
The relief I felt that not only I showed up, but Mojave did as well, was all consuming.
It obviously meant a lot to Frankie. She was bouncing around, clinging to Mojave’s hand and dragging him over to where her work was pinned to the wall and then to the class pet to introduce the two.
I smiled softly at the pair, following Ms. Judith to her desk and sitting across from her.
“So, as I’m sure you’re aware, we’ve had some issues with Frankie this year,” Ms. Judith began.
“She’s a bright girl and always finishes her assignments, but she’s in a hurry to do them and often makes mistakes merely because she doesn’t take her time.
” She offered me one of Frankie’s assignments that was half scribbled like she’d done it in a hurry.
“I’ve noticed an improvement in math, though, which is wonderful.
She told me someone named Killian taught her to use art to understand it better? ”
“That’s right,” I agreed, accepting the next assignment and pointing at the circles in the corner. “He’s another member of the crew. He gave her a visual reference. It seemed to help.”
Ms. Judith raised one eyebrow. “Will the motorcycle club be opening a tutoring business? They seem eager to help the students learn.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “They take care of their own. Their kids are part of that, including kids under their care. I think you’d get more chaos than actual learning if you put them in a room with a bunch of kids. I’ve met them. Some of them are just big kids themselves.”
Ms. Judith seemed amused by the thought.
“A lot of men are. Well, whatever they’re doing, it’s having an effect.
Now, if they could also help us get through to Frankie that kicking and hitting aren’t appropriate ways to handle conflict with our peers, I think we’ll be well on our way to a better outlook for the rest of the year. ”