Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(84)

He pushed the door open gently. The house was dark inside because the blinds and curtains were drawn. In the light from the open doorway he could see two young children sitting on the sofa in a sparsely furnished living room. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Deputy Pierce from the sheriff’s department.” He got closer and crouched to get to their level, sitting on the heel of his boot. “How long have you been by yourselves?”

The little girl shrugged. “Since right after school. Arnie’s the principal of our school.”

“Ah,” Stan said. “You call your dad Arnie?”

“He’s not our dad,” the girl said, slipping an arm around her brother, pulling him close to her. “He was our stepdad for a little while.”

“I see. Do you know where I can find him now?”

She shook her head.

“What’s your name, honey?” Pierce asked.

“Danielle,” she said, tightening her arm protectively around her brother. “This is Trevor.”

“Nice to meet you. Do you mind if I look around a little bit?”

Again, she just shook her head.

So Stan did a quick inventory. Most situations like this were real easy to figure out. If the house was filthy, the kids thin and hungry and the food in short supply, it was a no-brainer. This was a little weird. The house was immaculate, even the kids’ beds were made up. It was dark; all the blinds were closed, very little food in the fridge…Absolutely no clutter. With two little kids? No clutter? He checked the back door—another padlock. The locks…This was just plain scary.

He went into the kitchen to call his sergeant and explain the situation. “The kids seem to be okay, but I have a real bad feeling. The scene is too controlled, the blinds all closed, the doors locked from the outside and it’s creepy clean—no toys or anything lying around. The kids are weird, just sitting on the couch like they were told to stay put. They’re clean, but scared. My kids? If we were out of the house for a couple of hours, they’d have the place torn apart. You know? I want to bring ’em in, get CWS involved. Something about this is too off. Well, the locks—right there we’re looking at some serious endangerment. Neglect and endanger—” He stopped and listened. “Okay, I’m bringing them in.”

He went back to the front room. He crouched again. “Kids, I want you to go find a couple of things to take on a possible overnight. A toothbrush. Pajamas. Clean clothes to put on in the morning. Anything special like a teddy bear or blanket or pillow you can’t be away from. Maybe a book or toy that’s special. Can you do that? Do you need my help? I have kids—I could help.”

Silent, Danielle shook her head. She got up from the couch very stoically, and pulled her brother along behind her. They went to their bedroom and Stan just stood up and sighed. They’d done this before. Packed their own bags.

While the kids were in their rooms, a car pulled up out front. Stan went to the doorway and was standing there when a big man got out of his dark SUV and came to the door. “What’s going on? Where are my kids?”

“They’re packing up a bag, Mr….?”

“Arnold Gunterson. Packing a bag for what?”

“I’m taking them to the police department, sir. We have a big problem with the locks on the outside of the doors, trapping the children inside, unsupervised.” Stan shook his head. “You can meet us at the sheriff’s department and talk to the social worker from Child Welfare Services. I’m not going to cite you right now, but—”

“This is my house, my kids—what business is this of yours?” he asked hotly.

“It’s neglect and endangerment, Mr. Gunterson. You can’t leave minor children alone in a building, locked in and trapped.”

“They weren’t trapped,” he growled. “I had to make sure they didn’t open the door for anyone dangerous!”

Deputy Pierce lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head. “Would that include firefighters and paramedics? Mr. Gunterson?”

“Okay, fine—not a good idea. That won’t happen again.”

“We’re going to the sheriff’s department substation. I’ll have to write up a report,” Pierce said. “You can meet us there. Give you time to make up your story.” Pierce stepped aside so he could escort the kids to his patrol car.

It was impossible to ignore—both kids backed up when they spotted Gunterson.

“Okay, look, Deputy,” Arnie said. “I apologize. I can see where you’re coming from here, that wasn’t such a good idea. I give you my word, I’ll be much more careful. We’ve been through a lot, the kids and me, and I just wanted to be sure they were safe from their crazy mother. That’s all. I—”

“You can explain all this at the station, Mr. Gunterson,” Stan said. “I’ll take the kids in the squad car and you can meet us there.” Stan put a big hand on Danielle’s shoulder and urged the kids around their stepdad.

“This is a mistake,” Arnie said. “Let them be, you’re scaring them. You want a report? I’ll bring them!”

“I don’t think so, sir,” Pierce said, urging the kids toward his vehicle.

A silver PT Cruiser rushed up to the house, screeched to a stop and a woman jumped out of the driver’s side. Both kids immediately shot across the lawn to her, yelling, “Mama!” She fell to her knees and caught them, holding them. A man got out of the same car and came around the front to approach Stan, his hand out.