Spare Change (Wyattsville #1)(32)

Without looking up, Ethan Allen shook his head

“Fix him a grilled cheese,” Scooter said, “with home fries, and a slice of blueberry pie. Matter of fact, bring two slices, I’m gonna have one too.”

Mahoney and Sam Cobb gave their orders then Bertha limped off. As soon as she out of earshot, Scooter started in with a barrage of questions about what had taken place at the Doyle farm. “You got any suspicions as to who it was?” he asked eagerly. “What about clues? Eye witnesses?” When Bertha set the food down in front of them, Scooter ignored the pie and gulped down the black coffee as he leaned in to hear every last detail of how the investigation was progressing. When it seemed there was no more to be told, he asked “What about the boy? What’s gonna happen to him?”

Mahoney answered. “I don’t know,” he said, “right now, we don’t know of any relatives. Ethan claims there’s a grandpa, but he doesn’t know the phone number.”

“The kid’s lying up one side and down the other,” Sam Cobb, who had a sharp-tongued manner, said. “He knows plenty of stuff he ain’t telling.”

Ethan felt his heart explode with the force of an overblown balloon and a rush of air whooshed from his mouth. He started coughing so furiously his face went blue as the pie.

Mahoney reached over and thumped a heavy hand against the boy’s back, at the same time giving Sam Cobb a look of disgust. “Back off,” he said, “the kid’s got enough troubles. So what if he can’t recall his grandpa’s phone number right off. Tomorrow, we’ll try again, huh, Ethan?” He slid his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “For now, we’re gonna let him bunk in over at the stationhouse.”

“He’s just a kid,” Scooter said. “Kids ought not be sleeping in the jailhouse.”

“It’s too late to make any other arrangements tonight,” Mahoney said, “tomorrow, we’ll try to locate the grandpa, but, if nothing turns up…”

“If nothing turns up?” Scooter repeated in an angry voice. “What? You’ll have him live in the jailhouse, like some sort of criminal?”

“Of course not. He’ll probably go to Holy Trinity.” Mahoney shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to look away from the boy as he spoke. “Nobody wants such a thing to happen, but we don’t have a choice.”

“Holy Trinity?” Scooter sputtered, “You’d cart Susanna’s boy off to the orphanage?”

“There’s no choice,” Mahoney mumbled apologetically, “it’s the law.”

“Well that ain’t gonna happen!” Scooter slammed his fist down so hard the butter dish bounced from the table and fell to the floor. “There’s no way in hell, I’d allow Susanna’s boy to sent off to an orphanage!”

“Pop!” Sam Cobb stammered.

“Don’t Pop me! We got plenty of room at our house. Emma won’t mind caring for another boy, she misses having a youngster around.”

Ethan looked up, his eyes were popped out like giant blueberries, “Oh no,” he said, “Mama would never want that! She always told me not to be a bother to people.” The thought of being bundled off to an orphanage wasn’t half bad; a boy could survive at an orphanage, he could wait it out until there was a chance to escape. But getting turned over to Scooter—Ethan gave a quick glance at the man’s hands and knew beyond a smidgen of doubt that in such a situation he was good as dead.

“You ain’t no bother!”

“But, I wanna spend the night at the jailhouse. Ain’t nobody I know ever done an exciting thing like that!”

“Ain’t nothing exciting about sleeping on a rock-hard cot,” Mahoney said with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “You’d be a lot better off at the Cobb’s.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Scooter said. “I owe your mama. Susanna would want me to make sure you’re taken care of!”

Ethan could feel himself being boxed in. His right eye started twitching something fierce and beads of sweat rose up on his forehead. It was obvious what Scooter’s plan was; he’d make it appear he was being real friendly, then when nobody expected it—pounce! Ethan had to find a way out. First he considered the possibility of sneaking out through the back door but that wasn’t much of a plan because Mahoney would never allow him to go wandering off by himself. Then there was the chance he could break and run, but the probability was, even if he ran faster than he’d ever run before, he’d not make it to the door.

Mahoney, who’d right off accepted Scooter’s offer, suggested they could drop the boy off on their way back to the station, if Emma wouldn’t mind.

“You needn’t bother,” Scooter replied, “Leave him here. I’ll be heading home in a few hours, he can ride with me.”

The boy’s heart came to dead stop; he knew for certain he wouldn’t make it to the house once Scooter got hold of him. ‘He just up and disappeared,’ Scooter would claim as he served up a plateful of suspicious looking meatloaf. Nope, if he wanted to go on living, Ethan had to make a move right now! Mustering up every bit of acting ability he had, he nonchalantly stretched his arms in the air and yawned, then started telling how tired he was. “I’d surely appreciate it,” he sighed, “if I could get to bed early ‘stead of waiting around.”