Fire and Rain

by Andrew Grey

  “Let me call him. Can I use this number?”

  “Sure. I have them in sight. Right now they’re standing under one of the bank awnings on High Street. They’re dry for now, but the guy looks about ready to collapse, like he’s had about all he can take…. Shit.” Kip saw the guy slide down the wall and end up in a heap on the sidewalk, the youngster still in his arms. The little kid was crying as Kip approached.

  “I’m okay,” the older kid said, and he tried to get up but ended up sitting on the sidewalk with the kid curled in his lap.

  “Jos, open your eyes. Don’t go like Mama.” The younger kid began to cry, and Kip lifted him into his arms.

  “It’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you,” Kip told him as he gently rubbed his back. The guy got to his feet but wobbled and seemed drunk, except there wasn’t the faintest scent of alcohol on him. “I’m not going to hurt you either.” Kip took his arm with his free hand and led him to the car. “Just get inside. It’s warm and we can talk. I’m not arresting you, and I won’t hurt you. I promise.” It took him a few minutes to coax Jos into the car, and once he was seated, Kip placed the boy in his arms. Kip left the door open and popped the trunk, grabbed a large umbrella, and held it over all of them.

  A call came in and Kip explained that he was already busy. He heard one of the other patrols take it. Then he opened the front passenger door and grabbed one of his bottles of water. He handed it to Jos, who opened it and gulped like he was dying of thirst.

  “When was the last time you ate?”

  The guy shrugged at him, eyes blank and a little vacant. Kip got a package of peanut butter cheese crackers that he kept in his bag and handed them to Jos. He looked at the food in disbelief and then opened the package, handing the first two to the kid before eating one himself. The kid nibbled while Jos finished three of the four pieces in three bites.

  “Feeling better?” Kip asked, and Jos nodded before sharing the water with the kid, who had finished his crackers and was looking around for more.

  “Yes. Thank you. Can we go now?” Jos asked as he finished the bottle of water.

  “Just take a few minutes to rest. I’ve called a friend, and he’s seeing if he can help you with a shelter for the night.”

  Panic rose in Jos’s eyes. “I need to go,” he said, lifting the kid into his arms. “I’m not letting anyone take Isaac away from me. He’s my brother and I’ll take care of him. Those vultures will only put him with strangers, and I just need a chance to get on my feet.”

  “No one is taking anyone,” Kip said. “Donald is a friend of mine, and he’s trying to find you a place to stay. He can help you if you let him.”

  Jos shook his head. “I’ve heard the stories. I know what those people do.” He held Isaac tighter and shifted him farther from Kip, probably in case he tried to take him. Kip had no intention of taking anyone anywhere other than to a place that was safe and dry and where they could get food and any help they needed.

  “No one is going to take Isaac away from you. I’m just trying to help,” Kip said. His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

  “Every shelter I called is beyond full,” Donald explained. “I tried to call in favors, but it did no good. I can give them some supplies if you can bring them to the house. I can also give them a good meal.”

  “That’s a start,” Kip said. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He hung up and then called in to Dispatch to explain what had happened and where he’d be. His call was acknowledged, and he was given permission to do whatever he could.

  “Nothing, huh,” Jos said, and he began sliding along the seat to get out of the car. “No one has been willing to help.”

  “The shelters are full, but my friend said he’ll help you with supplies. He can also give you a good meal.”

  Jos stood and shifted Isaac away from Kip. “And what does your friend want for his help? My mouth? Maybe my ass? No, thanks.”

  Jesus, how long had they been on the streets? And what had happened to him? Jos was a combination of bravado and tough guy mixed with the fear that shone in his eyes.

  “No,” Kip said. “Donald works with child services, and he can help you. He cares enough to have me bring you by his house and to cook for you and Isaac. So if you want a good meal, then come along with me. If you don’t, then you’re free to go.”

  Jos got out of the car and wrapped the mostly wet blanket around him and Isaac. Then, without another word, he began shuffling down the sidewalk. Kip knew there was little he could do and was about to get back into his cruiser when he remembered what he’d found. “Jos, is this yours?” he asked. He grabbed the chain and hurried down the sidewalk. Jos turned and his eyes widened. He set Isaac on his feet and patted his pockets. Then he extended his hand, and Kip placed the chain into it.

  “Thanks,” Jos said and lifted Isaac into his arms again before hurrying off down the sidewalk. Kip didn’t know what else to do for them. He picked up the phone once he got back to his car and called Donald.

  “They decided to go their own way,” Kip said.

  “Okay,” Donald said with resignation.

  “It doesn’t surprise you?”

  “No. Many of the people on the streets are suspicious of everyone. They’ve been hurt too much. Some of them have mental issues that, if treated, would allow them to function more fully, but they don’t get it and fall further and further from the rest of society. You helped them and that’s all you can do short of bringing them in, which would have been even more traumatic.”

  “What about Isaac, the kid?”

  Donald sighed. “That’s the tough point. You could turn them in, and then child services could put him in foster care. Truthfully, there’s no easy answer there. You end up taking the child away from the family, and then the path for reconnection can be nearly impossible. You made a decision, and I’d say you might have made the best one for now. I don’t know.”

  “Well, thanks for being there,” Kip said and disconnected the call. Then he pulled out into traffic and back on patrol. But Jos and Isaac weren’t far from his thoughts as he continued his shift.

  After answering another call that turned out to be an older lady scared that someone was in her garage, Kip ended up chasing away a feral cat and helping close up a hole in her garage door to keep it from coming back. She thanked him profusely and even offered him coffee, which he declined.

  The rain had stopped by the time he left, and Kip was looking forward to the end of his shift. He called in to tell them he was free and decided to make another pass through town. He drove down Hanover and turned west on High in the square. After going a block, he turned left onto Pitt and cruised slowly, watching the sides of the street for anything unusual.

  The last house on the first block had been empty for a while, so when Kip saw activity outside, he slowed to a stop. A small figure stood at the side of the porch. Kip recognized him as Isaac and pulled the cruiser to a stop. He got out, forgetting his hat, and hurried up to the porch. Isaac stepped back until he was pressed to the wall of the house, holding his blanket, panic in his eyes, a thumb in his mouth.

  “It’s okay. Where’s Jos?” Kip asked.

  Isaac blinked at him a few times and then pointed to the side of the house.

  Kip was about to walk around the side when he heard a scuffle of some sort. He called in for backup and then turned to Isaac. “Can you sit over there and make yourself really small?”

  Isaac nodded and backed away in the corner of the porch, practically curling into a ball. The scuffing sound came again, followed by a muffled cry. Kip pulled his gun, slowly making his way around the corner.

  Two figures were beside the house, and one had the other pressed to the wall.

  “Stop right there!” Kip shouted and raised his gun.

  “There’s nothing to see here,” a gruff voice growled back.

  “Police. Step back and get on the ground,” Kip said.

  “It’s nothing, officer. My
boy and I were just having a conversation.”

  Kip wished he could pull his flashlight, but he didn’t want to break his concentration. “Then let him speak for himself. Is that you, Jos?” He heard a mumble, but that was all. “Let him go. Now!”

  “He and I were just having a little fun.” The voice was softer now, but Kip wasn’t buying it.

  “I said back off. I can hit a fly at this distance, so I’ll have no problem putting a bullet in your ear. Get on the ground, arms and legs out where I can see them. Now!” Sirens sounded in the distance, and Kip was relieved that backup was on the way. He saw the guy looking in various directions. He was starting to panic now. Kip knew the signs; he was looking for a way out. “You move, you die.”

  The man released Jos and slowly got down on the ground. Kip saw Jos reach down and realized he was pulling up his pants. Jesus Christ, he hoped like hell he’d gotten there in time. The other man’s pants were in place, so he prayed he had. Other cars pulled up, and Kip saw that Jos looked about ready to spook.

  “Isaac,” Jos said softly.

  “He’s fine. He’s up on the porch. He told me where to find you.” Kip got his cuffs and clasped them on the man. “Stay there.”

  “But it’s wet,” he grumbled.

  “Get up and it’s resisting arrest. I’ll start by tasing you. That should be a delight.” Other officers came into view, and Kip holstered his gun. Thank God one was Red. He told them what was going on and asked them to lead the suspect to the car. Red was reading him his rights clearly and carefully just before they put him in the car.

  “Good thing you got here fast,” Kip said to Red.

  “What about the other one? Did you know there’s a kid on the porch too?”

  “Yeah. I encountered them during that homeless call I had earlier at Hansen’s.” Kip looked over at Jos, who was doing his best to comfort Isaac, who held on to him and whimpered.

  “Do you think the bruiser got to him?”

  Kip wasn’t going to shiver in front of his colleague. “I don’t know. I hope to hell not. Jos’s sole concentration seems to be on watching out for Isaac, and I think if he thought it would keep Isaac safe, he would do just about anything.”

  “Well, go find out. Because if we want to keep this piece of work off the streets, we have to have something we can charge him with other than trespassing. We’ll take him in and get him settled in a nice dry cell. Maybe with him gone, you’ll get something out of him.” Red motioned with his head to Jos, who stood with Isaac in his arms, singing the same lullaby he had before.

  Kip slowly walked over to where the two of them stood. “Jos, what happened?”

  He didn’t answer, standing taller and staring Kip down. Of course it didn’t work, and Kip simply stared back and repeated the question, adding a fierceness to his tone until Jos began to shift from foot to foot.

  “Are you going to follow us around all night?”

  “If I have to. Now tell me what happened.”

  “I am not his boy,” Jos said defiantly.

  Kip waited for him to continue, but he didn’t. “What’s his name?”

  “Tyler Adamson, but I don’t know if the name’s real or not. He laid claim to me about a week ago, and I’ve tried to keep Isaac and me away from him. I did good too, until he found me a while ago.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Kip asked.

  “You mean did he manage to fuck me? No. You were in time to stop that.”

  Kip suppressed a sigh. “Did he hit you or grab you?”

  “He pushed me against the house. That hurt. He threatened to hurt Isaac if I didn’t do what he wanted. Said he’d cut his… you know off. The guy’s a pervert—likes guys and girls, or so I hear, but wants it rough and likes them unwilling, if you know what I mean. Word on the street is that the more they fight, the more he likes it.”

  “Okay. I need you to come to the station with me so you can tell me what happened. That way I can keep him in jail.”

  “What about your friend? Is that offer of food still good? Isaac’s really hungry, and….”

  Kip would make sure they ate. That wasn’t optional now, as far as he was concerned. “Here’s the deal. I’ll make sure you both eat all you want. You need to tell me what happened so I can get your statement.”

  “Then we can go?”

  “Then you need to show up at the police station tomorrow morning so you can identify this Tyler Adamson and formally press charges. I have enough for assault, attempted rape, and I’ll see if I can add some more once I have your statement.” Kip stepped closer to Jos. “You have to trust me. I’m not going to hurt either of you, and if you let me, I’ll try to help.”

  “Why?” Jos shot back. “Nobody does something for nothing. Never has, never will.”

  “Maybe I’m doing it because I don’t want Isaac sleeping on the street. Isaac’s relying on you to take care of him. Are you going to give up a chance for him to be warm and comfortable?”

  “Okay, fine. I’ll go with you.”

  Kip nodded and checked the time. His shift was just ending. “Then let’s get you in the car. I need to take you to the station so I can punch out and then get my car. I’ll call my friend so he can help you. Donald is a good man, and he said he can give you some things for Isaac—clean clothes, things like that.”

  “You’re really going to help me?” Jos asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And you don’t want nothing?”

  “No. I don’t want anything from you other than your honesty. Now let’s get in the car so we can get you two fed and then find you a place to sleep, okay?” Kip motioned to the cruiser, and Jos helped Isaac and then got into the backseat without another word.

  Kip drove to the station and transferred Jos and Isaac to his car. Then he went inside, clocked out, and left for the night, calling Donald as he went. “Is that offer of dinner still on?”

  “What happened?” Donald asked. “And yes. If they need it, you know I’m there. I’ll see what I have. Bring them over. Carter is home, so he can help too.”

  “Thanks,” Kip said as he got to his car. Isaac fussed as they rode, and Jos did his best to soothe him, but he couldn’t be soothed. Kip figured he was hungry. When he parked in front of Carter and Donald’s house, Donald met them and ushered the three of them inside.

  “I have food heated up, so come to the table.”

  “This is Jos, and the little one is Isaac,” Kip said. “He’s Donald and this is Carter,” Kip added as Carter came down the stairs. Isaac stayed plastered to Jos’s legs, staring up at the newcomers. “Alex is in bed, I’m sure.” Donald and Carter’s energetic little boy was a little older than Isaac.

  “Yes, and he’ll be disappointed that he missed someone he could have played with,” Carter said.

  “Are you hungry?” Donald asked Isaac, who nodded. “Then come with me. I have macaroni and cheese. Do you like that?” Isaac nodded again and looked up at Jos. “I also have some soup, and I made some sandwiches, so come to the kitchen.”

  Jos took Isaac’s hand and led him to the table. Donald helped Jos put Isaac in a booster chair and then set a plate in front of him. Isaac looked at Jos once again and then began to eat. Donald gave him a sippy cup of milk, but Isaac barely stopped shoveling food into his mouth to notice. Jos sat next to him, and Donald brought him a plate of food as well as a bowl of soup.

  Kip sat down, and Donald brought him a sandwich before sitting down next to Carter.

  “Will you tell me your full name?” Kip asked. He wasn’t sure Jos would, but he hoped rescuing him and helping feed him and Isaac would go a long way.

  “Josten Applewhite,” he answered between bites.

  “How did you end up on the streets?” Donald asked Jos.

  “Got kicked out.” He barely paused to talk before going back to eat.

  Kip shared a glance with Donald and Carter, ate his sandwich, and accepted a cup of coffee, watching both Jos and Isaac eat.

  It wasn’t lo
ng before Isaac began to tire. He ate a large amount of food for a boy his size and drank two glasses of milk. Once he was done, he began falling asleep in his chair. Jos lifted Isaac out of the chair, setting him on his lap, and Isaac put his arms around Jos’s waist and his head on Jos’s chest and fell asleep. Soon Jos had eaten his fill too, and he sat back in the chair.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  Kip was pretty sure Jos was very close to reaching the end of his rope.

  “You’re welcome,” Donald said and then excused himself.

  Kip shared a glance with Carter, who nodded, and Kip followed Donald out of the room.

  “What should I do?” he asked Donald quietly in the hall. “I can’t put them back out on the street, but all the shelters are full to bursting.” He hoped Donald would offer to let them stay here. But they had Alex, and Kip wasn’t sure they even had room.

  “It’s nearly midnight. I suggest you take them back to your house and put them to bed for the night. They need a chance to rest. I’ll come over in the morning and see what I can do to help.” Donald led Kip to a small room off the living room. “Here are some pajamas that should fit Isaac.” Donald grabbed a grocery store reusable shopping bag and began putting some things inside. “I’ve got clean clothes and things for him, as well as some other supplies you’ll need. If you don’t use it, bring it back.”

  “Thanks. What about Jos?”

  “I’ll let you help him. He’s closer to your size.” Donald grinned and handed Kip the bag. “They’re both dead on their feet, so take them home, put them to bed, and I bet you won’t hear a peep out of either of them for hours.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Kip said and took the bag before returning to the kitchen. Isaac was still asleep, and Jos seemed about ready to fall asleep as well. “Come on. I’m going to take you home so you can both get some sleep.” He helped Jos to his feet and carried the things.

  “Thank you,” Jos said to Donald and Carter as they left the house.

  “You’ll need a booster seat,” Donald said as he rushed to the car and got it installed for Isaac in the backseat. “Can’t have you breaking the law, Officer,” Donald teased. He stood back as Jos got Isaac strapped in and then got in next to him.