Guarding Red Riding Hood

by Rita Hestand

  Daniel wondered about the kid and why the girl was so adamant about taking him. This wasn't in the plan. Harry would be mad. But right now, he couldn’t contact Harry. He knew it would be two or three weeks before he could let Harry know about this situation. It just got better and better. Every time he took one of these assignments there was some kind of surprise along with it. This time it was Tony, Joe's kid!

  "Is the kid anything to you?" Daniel shot her a quick glance.

  "Yes, he's my student." She replied with a clipped voice.

  "Your—student?" He frowned and glanced again at her. He hadn't wanted to look at her because she was so gorgeous. He knew better than to get involved with this lady. First she was a Senator's daughter, and second, he was paid to protect her. And then there was the kid!

  "Yes, my student. Who did you think he was, my son?" She chuckled. "Why don't you tell us more about who you are and why we're suddenly going with you now?"

  "I'm an undercover cop for the police department, here in Corpus Christi. I was assigned to find you, pick you up and hide you out until the raid was over and the trial starts."

  "What raid and what trial?" She questioned, confused.

  He glanced at her and saw the blank look on her face.

  "Your boyfriend's." He told her.

  "My—boyfriend? Who would that be?" She asked with a bewildered glance.

  "Look, we don't have to play games miss. We know all about you going missing with your boyfriend. But since you’re a Senator's daughter, we were to pick you up and get you to safety. Per your father's instructions."

  "My father again. Okay, but who's my boyfriend?" She kept asking.

  "Joe Beaton, of course." He shook his head. "You really take the cake, playing so innocent you know."

  "You think Joe Beaton is my boyfriend?" She broke out in a laugh. And she kept laughing at the assumption.

  "That was the assumption, yes!" He glared at her for contradicting his facts.

  "That's priceless." She laughed. She turned her head and shook it, "No, that's not an assumption, it's an insult."

  "I fail to see what's so funny." He frowned.

  "Look, you want to know the truth?" She asked.

  "It's none of my business." He snapped.

  "Fine." She clammed up.

  He looked at the kid in the mirror again, he was grinning too.

  He shrugged and kept driving. He wondered what the joke was all about, but he'd find out later. Right now, getting out of this area was on his agenda.

  Before he got to the cabin he stopped. "We've got to get some supplies. We're going to the nearest Walmart. And I want you two to pick out some food, and some games and stuff to entertain yourself for a while. And you'll need generic clothes too."

  "How long a while?" Her eyes widened.

  "As long as it takes, Miss."

  Chapter Three

  Using his own private GPS, he found a Walmart and pulled into the parking lot. He turned now to look at them both, after he scanned the parking lot.

  "Now, we stay together, and we get what we might need for two to three weeks. Understood?"

  "Two or three weeks? Are you insane?" She protested.

  "Now is not the time to throw your fits. Now, do we understand each other? I have no choice in the matter, and neither do either of you." He informed them with a tight control on his anger.

  "Yes!" She spat at him. "I understand. But I'm certainly not agreeing to all of this."

  "I'll make a note of that. Good. Now let's go. And don't cause any commotion in the store. We don't want to draw any special attention to ourselves. And above all, don't look directly into any security cameras."

  Tony nodded, he seemed to understand this much better than the lady and Dan appreciated his cooperation.

  They walked in, got a basket, and Dan told Tony to get another basket they would need it. Tony did as he was told.

  They walked around the store.

  "Alright dear, pick out what you will need." Dan tried to sound sweet but knew he didn't come off that way. He was gritting his teeth all the way.

  She firmed her lips and tried to smile.

  They went to the toy department first. "What are we doing here?" She asked sarcastically.

  "Getting some games and things to do while we are on vacation dear." He informed her. "Pick out some things Tony."

  Tony smiled, "Sure. He picked out several board games, some playing cards and chips for poker. Some cross words puzzles and she picked out some books to read."

  "Good, now let's buy some clothes and incidentals, like toothpaste and comb and brush and toilet paper. Stuff we have to have. If you need some clothes we can get some jeans and t-shirts for the two of you. I'll need some too." He smiled.

  She did most of the picking here, but he picked out some cereal he liked and some steaks and hot dogs. While Gabby picked up some things she could cook. When both baskets were pretty full, they headed for check out.

  The checkout lady saw they had two baskets full and rolled her eyes. "You guys must be on vacation or something."

  "That's right we are. Never been where we are going so thought we'd load up on some stuff that would entertain us."

  "Good idea. But I'm surprised you didn't hit the electronic aisle." She chuckled.

  "Trying to get away from all of that for a while." He nodded.

  "I gotcha." She chuckled. "Doing the same thing with my kids." The woman smacked her gum and kept ringing up the items.

  It was late when they finally wound into a little grove where a cabin lay nestled amongst the pine and oak trees scattered about. The big orange sun was setting in the western sky against a faraway background of a beautiful lake. It looked peaceful and Dan began to relax a little. Just getting away from the city was a blessing in his books.

  It was a log cabin, and quite fancy so Gabby was shocked that a cop could afford such a luxurious place. After all this was no run of the mill little shack. It had three bedrooms, a full size kitchen and a living room to die for.

  Daniel turned the lights on so they could see to get around the place, then checked on the patio for firewood. There was plenty already stacked so he proceeded to build a fire, it was chilly out. It was the end of October and the temperature was dropping every day. Thanksgiving was just some weeks away, but he was sure he wouldn’t' be celebrating. A brief memory of a fun Thanksgiving with his family floated through his mind. He sure wished they were here instead of these two.

  "Okay, this is your home for the next three or so weeks, so make yourself comfortable. There's a bedroom for each of you, so pick the ones you want. The only hardship is sharing one bathroom." He told them not even looking at them as he lit the fire.

  "You know I'm getting pretty tired of men making me stay somewhere I don't want to stay." She insisted with a slight air of arrogance.

  Dan knew she'd assert that arrogance too, after all, she was a Senator's daughter, wasn't she?

  "Well excuse me lady, but I think your protection is just a bit more important than your comfort right now. You'll go home when it is safe to go home and we won't be discussing when for now."

  Both of them looked around the place, at the kitchen which was open to the living room, then they went down the hall and checked out the bedrooms. Gabby put her stuff in one, and Tony found the one on the end was empty, leaving the only other bedroom in the middle.

  "This place belongs to your boss or something?" She quipped as she came into the living room.

  "No," He told her simply.

  "I just didn't know hideouts were so nice and comfy." She frowned at him.

  She didn't like his answers, obviously. "I'm beginning to wonder if you are really a cop."

  "What difference does it make, it's better than that stuffy old apartment you were locked in, isn't it?" He turned around, got up from the front of the fireplace and procured a badge from his jean pocket.

  "Satisfied?" He asked roughly.

  "For now." She started to wal
k away when he tossed it to her to inspect.

  She looked at it strangely.

  "Okay, so you are a cop!" She acknowledged, tossing the badge back to him. "But this place must have cost a fortune."

  "It's paid for," He told her. "And don't worry about the cost."

  "By the government?" She asked.

  "You ask a lot of questions lady. And I'm not here to answer them. I'm here to keep you and that kid safe, and that's the only reason I'm here. Just for your information, I'm not any happier about being here than you are. For now, I'm as much a prisoner as you are."

  "You're belligerent aren't you?"

  "Only when someone drills me with questions."

  "So do you have a family at home that you are anxious to get back to, is that why you are belligerent?"

  "Look," He came close now, but he wasn't smiling. "The less you know, the better. Now do you understand?"

  "You are very aggravating." She huffed.

  "So I’m told." He frowned at her.

  "I'm an only child, hence the overprotective father." She chuckled. "You know, I realize my father was anxious about me, but there was really no need for all of this. I've managed to take care of myself, so far. And Mr. Beaton never bothered me, really."

  "Really?" He shot her a sardonic look. "That's kind of hard to believe. Since the door was bolted shut from the outside. Only what I can't figure is why you weren't happy to be under protective custody. He also had the windows obviously nailed down. You were trapped in that place. What are you into bondage or something?"

  His words must have made sense and she sighed heavily. "I could explain, but why bother, you aren't explaining anything to us." she stood up and followed him to the kitchen where he began putting the food away. She watched him with such interest but didn't offer to help.

  "You were locked in that apartment, weren't you?" He asked not even looking at her.

  "Well, yes…" She began wondering where this was leading.

  "And if he's not your boyfriend, what the hell were you doing there?"

  She clammed up tighter than a drum.

  "So what were you doing in his apartment, in the first place?" Daniel reasoned.

  "Look," She went to the sink and poured herself a glass of water after she found the glass in the cabinet. "It's all very simple."

  "I'm sure it is," he set several things in the refrigerator. "So go ahead, explain away. Looks like I got all the time in the world."

  "Tony," she turned and found Daniel very close and staring, "Is my student." She moved just a tad away from him. A little too close for comfort, the man was handsome, she'd give him that. In a strange way. Not so much handsome but virile. An alpha man, evidently, she surmised quickly.

  "Your student?"

  "Yes, I'm a teacher. You did know that didn't you?"

  "Okay, I can buy that. But it doesn't begin to explain why you were locked in the man's apartment." He came closer again. "You weren't forced to go to his apartment."

  She went back to the living room and taking her shoes off, she curled her feet under her on the couch. "Tony used to come to school with black and blue marks all over him. But he only managed to show up about three days a week. I was constantly sending him to the school nurse. I reported it to my principle. She said she'd look into it. I don't think she ever did. I sent him a letter for a teacher's conference, he didn't respond."

  Dan listened with interest, but he didn't want her to know he was filing all this information away in his head, so he tried to look preoccupied.

  Finding her story interesting he followed her into the living room now and sat at the other end of the couch, "Go on." He was a bit nervous as to how this was going so he stuffed himself with potatoes chips, and kept his air of not-giving a damn up. The rougher he seemed, the more she wouldn't like him. And as pretty as she was, he couldn't afford for her to like him.

  "He was expelled several times. He was constantly in the nurse's office. So I took it upon myself to go to speak to his father since the nurse nor the principle could get through to him. And when I threatened him with Child Protective Services, he seemed resentful and he wouldn't let me leave. So I've been his hostage ever since. He hasn't mistreated me or been cruel in any way except he wouldn't let me leave. Th only thing me and Mr. Beaton have in common, is Tony. I am not nor ever have been his girlfriend."

  The room got quiet as Dan assimilated her story.

  "You mean you weren't there of your own free will?" He asked, his frown more confused than ever.

  "Only at first. I had no idea he'd force me to stay."

  "Do you know anything at all about Joe Beaton?" He asked.

  "Well, I know he's an overbearing father who sometimes beats Tony, who sometimes locks Tony up for a while….and…" she stopped wondering if she should admit this. She decided not to.

  "You're a little on the naïve side aren't you? You walked right into it. Why didn't you let the principle or someone in charge handle it?" He looked at her in her nice fitting jeans and sweatshirt. She was gorgeous, and her hair, was lovely, so very red, and it was natural too, he could tell by the coloring of her skin, so white.

  "Did you know he's a known drug dealer?" He asked simply.

  Her mouth shot open and she shook her head, her eyes went wide and innocent. "No, I had no idea…until…" She'd gone too far; she'd have to admit it now. "Until this morning when I went to try to find the paper I've been trying to get him to sign. I happened to look in a couple of drawers to see if he might have put it in one of them and found a whole drawer full of zip locked white powder of some kind. I quickly surmised it had to be some kind of drug. But there was a lot of it. More than I could imagine."

  Daniel visibly jerked at that statement.

  "In his drawers?" Dan looked shocked.

  "Yes." She admitted.

  "What did you do?"

  "Well, what do you think I did! Nothing…I wasn't even supposed to be in his room. The fact that I saw that scared me witless." She rubbed the leather from the top of the couch, admiring the feel of it.

  Tony came down the hallway looking for everyone. "Hey, you got cable. Neat!"

  "Help yourself Tony, and there's a tub if you want a bath, food in the kitchen." He smiled at the boy.

  "Thanks, this place is nice, dude!" The kid smiled for the first time.

  Daniel looked at him differently now. Black and blue marks every day, only attending school part time, and the teacher investigates it? Wow! No one would believe this story; he wasn't even sure he did. Maybe she was feeding him a line. Trying to throw him off track. It wasn't really his business. His job was to take care of her until Harry called.

  Tony grabbed some chips and took them to the room he picked out. He laid across the bed and watched TV. They could faintly hear it from the living room.

  "So…you're not in love with Joe Beaton, you're trying to help his kid?" Daniel surmised. "That's all?"

  "That's the size of it. But in doing so, I'm sure I've probably lost my job, and made my father angry. And now I suppose I'm witness to the fact that he is a drug dealer. Tell me, who's idea was it that I was in love with Joe?"

  "Your father's I suppose."

  "Have you seen Joe Beaton before?" She almost laughed?

  "Never had the pleasure."

  She laughed. "He's not exactly Brad Pitt."

  "So you like Brad Pitt do you?"

  "Not really, but most women do."

  When he sat trying to piece all of her puzzle together she glanced at him.

  "That sounds like my father, jumping to conclusions. Well, that's not the case and I'm a first year teacher at Glen Rose Elementary school so, I've probably already lost my job." She said on a sadder note. "And I didn't want to lose it. But I also didn't want Tony coming in with black and blue marks every day either. I was worried about him and no one seemed to be doing much. I took it upon myself to help him if I could. I did tell a fella teacher I was going to check it out, so it wasn't like I didn't tell some
one. There are so many at that school that need help, but Tony sort of stood out as needing it the most. I had sent Tony home with a teacher's conference note, but he never responded to that either. The man wouldn't come to the school, nor respond to a request for a conference, and the kid was suffering. I'm not the kind to stand around and watch something like that. I was afraid for Tony."

  "Well despite the fact that your father didn't have his facts straight, you are in danger, and so is the kid now too. You know and have seen too much, and the kid is gone so there is trouble all the way around it. The cops are about to raid Joe's place, when they do, he'll be arrested, which means I'm glad the kid is here and won't see it. But you might be a witness in the trial and have probably seen things you don't even know you've seen since you have been there. So you are in danger. I'm sure he will know it when he sees that you are both gone. I'm here to see that nothing happens to you…or the boy." Daniel told her.

  "And I have no choice in the matter?"

  "No ma'am. None!" He told her frankly.

  When it got too quiet she looked at him, "For how long?"

  "I have no idea, to tell the truth." Dan didn't look directly at her. This kind of news was never received well, and he wanted to avoid a confrontation right now.

  She looked thoroughly disgusted and put out. In some ways he understood that, but this was merely a job and he was doing it to his best ability. "So is there a wife and kids at home, waiting for your return?"

  He chuckled aloud, "Not hardly. I got family but no wife or kid. My family is used to me not being home for days at a time. Oh and by the way, my kid sister is a teacher too. Only she doesn't go visiting fathers, at least as far as I know she doesn't. Maybe I should ask her about that." He seemed to be thinking about it.

  "What grade does she teach?"

  "Seventh grade, science mostly. And my oldest brother just got married and his wife teaches kindergarten. So why are you teaching in a low income district? I mean you are the daughter of a Senator. I'm sure you could have your pick of schools."