My Name Is Venus Black(83)

But Leo doesn’t want to play his cello. He wants Tessa not to cry. The way Tessa is acting makes Leo afraid. Tessa is always trying to make Leo use feeling words. So maybe if he tells Tessa how he feels, she won’t make him go with people he doesn’t know.

“I’m scared,” he tells Tessa. “My feelings are scared.”

“Oh, Leo,” she says, trying to catch his eyes. “Me, too.” But she still keeps crying and she still keeps putting his clothes in the suitcase.

Leo sits on the edge of his bed and starts to rock hard, maybe even rocking number three, which is supposed to be only for emergencies. But Tessa lets him rock as hard as he wants. So maybe this is an emergency. When people make you go where you don’t want to go.





How am I supposed to just sit here? The detective and his partner—I can’t remember their names—said to wait in the squad car. Not to come in. But this is driving me crazy.

I look at my watch. I was supposed to call Piper today. Every Friday at 4:00 P.M. she waits for my call, and then she can’t think of what to say but she never wants to hang up. This time she’ll miss the call, but when she hears why—that I found Leo—she’ll be so happy.

It’s been almost fifteen minutes since the dark-haired man—Tony—pulled up in the black truck and hurried into the house. I can’t sit here in this police car for another minute, not knowing what’s going on. What could the cop do to me anyway? Arrest me for not minding him?

I have my hand on the door lever when another police car with flashing lights pulls up in front of me. How many cops does it take? Then I have a moment of panic. What if something went wrong in there? What if the kidnapper pulled a gun? What if Leo is hurt?

Two cops quickly exit the cruiser and head into the house. By now neighbors are standing outside their homes, staring. I feel so conspicuous. It probably looks to them like I am being arrested. Finally I get out and stride to the front door. I can hear voices; the door is open half an inch, and so I just go in. I see one of the policemen putting cuffs on the Tony guy.



The dark-haired girl—clearly his daughter—is crying.

“Call Uncle Marco right away, honey,” this Tony tells her. “Don’t worry. It will be okay.” The girl is the first to see me standing there in the entry. She wipes her eyes. Lifts her chin in a way that suggests…what? She is clinging to her pride, fighting to stay composed. I’m struck by her beauty, her petite features, and her large brown eyes.

“I told you to wait in the car, Ms. Black.” It’s the first officer, looking affronted.

“I didn’t want to wait in the car,” I tell him. “I wanted to see who kidnapped my brother.”

“We didn’t kidnap him!” the girl cries out. “We didn’t! We took care of him after his dad abandoned him.”

“Tessa,” says the Tony guy. “Stop now, honey. Don’t talk. Just make sure Leo’s okay.” He says this as they’re leading him out the door. I step aside. This Tony guy looks at me as he passes, his eyes pleading for something from me I know I don’t have. Mercy? Forgiveness? Help?

“Ms. Black, let me take you to your car,” says the cop whose badge reads DETECTIVE CUNNINGHAM.

“What about Leo?” I ask. “I want to see him. I’m ready to take him home.”

“That’s not possible yet,” he tells me. The Mexican girl is listening closely to our conversation. “Officer Pinkerton here will wait with Leo until the folks from children’s services arrive. We’ll need to interview Leo.”

“Children’s services?” I can hardly believe my ears. “But I’m his sister! I can take him. Right now!”

“This is policy, ma’am.”

“Policy?” I’m yelling at this point. “He’s got mental disabilities. You can’t just interview him! You can’t take just take him!”



Detective Cunningham ignores me and grips my arm firmly. “I’ll take you back to your own car, miss, and then you can follow me to the station. We’d like to talk to you some more. Get your mother on the phone, too.”

“I’m going to check on Leo,” says the Mexican girl, leaving the room.

“You’re going to let her see Leo? Why can’t I see Leo?” I object. I’m dumbfounded.

“He’s not cooperative, ma’am. We need to wait for the experts. He has to be checked. You can see him, absolutely. But we can’t turn him over yet….”

And then I finally get it. Leo is probably afraid. Terrified, more likely. Police. He must have awful memories. I can’t bear to imagine the scene that is about to unfold all over again. Strangers grabbing Leo. Putting him in a strange car and taking him to a strange place.

Only this time, he’ll cry for the Mexican girl, not me.

I just know it.



* * *



—

TONY IS SITTING in an interview room at a police station, being questioned by two detectives. He’s already told the story from start to finish as best he can, but Detective Cunningham keeps asking Tony the same questions over and over. Somehow, the plain truth is not good enough for him. The other cop, a Detective Torres, is the quiet one. Tony could be wrong, but he seems somewhat sympathetic.