Nikki and I walked into a small room with heavy draperies over the windows and an overabundance of furniture, a decorating style that seemed counterintuitive to Mrs. Weatherly’s ability to maneuver her walker around the place.
I wasn’t concerned about maneuvering around the place; I was concerned about feeling claustrophobic, a sensation I experienced in dark enclosed spaces reeking of cigarette smoke.
“Could I offer you something to drink?” Mrs. Weatherly asked as Nikki and I sat down on a floral-colored sofa.
When we declined her offer, she settled herself into a worn leather recliner, leaving her walker within easy reach.
She gestured in the direction of Max Taylor’s house and shook her head. “What a sad situation. I couldn’t believe it when Max passed away so suddenly. Then, to hear his son was killed on practically the same day.” She shook her head again. “Such a heavy burden for that little girl to bear.”
“That’s why we’re here, Mrs. Weatherly,” I said. “We’d like to see Eleanor. I was good friends with her father, although I doubt if she’ll remember me.”
She waved her hand toward the rear of the house. “She’s in the guest bedroom. That’s where she stays most of the time.”
I stood to my feet. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll go back and see her now.”
“Oh, sure. Help yourself. It’s the second door on your left.”
Nikki asked, “Would you like for me to go with you?”
“No, if you don’t mind, I’ll go talk to her first.”
Nikki didn’t look all that enthusiastic about being left behind, but she nodded and said, “I understand.”
* * * *
As I made my way down the dark hallway, I asked myself why I didn’t want Nikki with me when I spoke to Eleanor for the first time. I couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer.
Perhaps it was because I had no idea what I was going to say to her. Perhaps it was because I had no idea why I was here in the first place.
I’d prayed about it before ever placing the call to the social worker, and even though I didn’t understand why, I had no doubt I was supposed to make that call.
Now, here I was.
I paused outside the closed bedroom door and prayed again. “God, what am I doing here? I don’t know anything about kids. I don’t know how to talk to kids. I have no idea what I’m doing. Please help me.”
My prayers were never masterpieces of grand oratory, but I never felt they went unheard. More often than not, I felt the opposite. In fact, I had the sense the words themselves hardly mattered. Even if I had a lousy way of expressing it, I believed God knew what was on my heart.
I knocked on the door, two quick light taps.
“Come in.”
I turned the handle and walked in the room.
The first thing I noticed was sunlight streaming through the window in front of me. The heavy draperies had been pushed aside, and a straight-backed chair had been propped against the fabric to make sure they stayed that way.
The second thing that drew my attention was the tiny, blond-haired girl sitting in the middle of the bed. She was wearing a pink sweatshirt with some kind of glittery stuff on it and a pair of blue jeans. There was an open book in her lap.
She cocked her head to one side and said, “Do I know you?”
“No, we’ve never met. My name is Titus Ray.”
“My name is Eleanor Taylor. Are you here about my dad?”
“Yes, I guess I am. Do you mind if I sit here?” I asked, pointing to the foot of the bed.
“No, I don’t mind. What do you mean you guess you’re here about my dad? Don’t you know why you’re here?”
“Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m not exactly sure why I’m here. I believe it’s because I worked with your dad, and he told me so much about you that I just had to meet you.”
“Were you with my dad when he got killed?”
I nodded but didn’t say anything.
I couldn’t say anything.
“Did you know my Pepaw died too?” She looked down at her book. “I’m all alone now.”
“No, that’s not true,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re not alone, Eleanor.”
Her eyes lit up for a second. “What did you say?”
“You’re not alone, Eleanor.”
“That’s what my daddy told me when my mommy died. He promised me I’d never be alone. But now, he’s gone too.”
“I’m sure that makes you very sad.”
She looked up at me and nodded. “It makes you sad too, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does. It definitely does.”
“Is that why you’re here? Did you want me to know you’re sad?”
“I’m sure that’s partly the reason.”
I gestured over at the curtains. “Did you do that?”
She nodded. “It was too dark in here.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
I saw Eleanor glance over at the doorway. When I turned around, I saw Nikki standing there.
“I just came to check on you,” she said.
“Come on in. I’d like you to meet someone.”
I walked over to Nikki and took her hand. “Eleanor, this is Nikki.”
“Hi, Eleanor. I’m pleased to meet you.”
Eleanor stared at Nikki without saying anything for a few seconds. Finally, she said, “You’re so beautiful; you could be a fairy princess.”
Nikki sat down on the bed next to her. After brushing her hair away from her face, she placed her arms around her and gave her a hug.
“I’m not half as beautiful as you are,” Nikki said.
Eleanor’s sad face turned into a smile.
“Am I going home with you now?” she asked.
Nikki and I looked at each other.
“Didn’t someone tell you your grandmother’s coming to take care of you?” I asked.
Eleanor nodded, “Yesterday, a lady named Ms. Brooks told me my grandmother wouldn’t be here for a while, and that I’d have to go live with a different person until she got here. She said Mrs. Weatherly can’t take care of me anymore.”
“I have a feeling you’ll be more comfortable somewhere else,” Nikki said. “You must be tired of this place.”
Eleanor wrinkled up her nose. “I hate this place. It’s stinky, and Mrs. Weatherly never talks to me.”
I immediately pulled my cell phone out of my pocket.
“You ladies stay here and visit. I need to go make a phone call.”
As I left the room, I heard Eleanor giggle. “He called us ladies.”
Nikki said, “He says funny things sometimes.”
* * * *
When I walked by the living room, I waved at Mrs. Weatherly and told her I’d be out on the front porch making a phone call if anyone needed me. She mumbled something about it being cold out there, and I resisted the temptation to say something about it being stinky in here.
I sat down on the porch stoop and keyed in Ms. Brooks’ phone number. She picked up immediately.
After identifying myself, I said, “My fiancée and I are here at Mrs. Weatherly’s house in Falls Church visiting with Eleanor Taylor. Could you give me an update on locating her grandmother?”
“There’s been no change since this morning, Mr. Ray.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Why? Has something happened?”
“As I’m sure you’re aware, Eleanor is not living in the best of circumstances right now.”
“I understand what you’re saying, and that’s the reason we’ll be placing her in foster care tomorrow afternoon.”
The next words that came out of my mouth surprised me, although I had a sense they were inevitable, planned for me ages ago—an eternity ago.
I said, “I’d like to offer an alternative.”
“What kind of alternative?”
“My fiancée and I would like to request temporary custody of Eleanor Taylor until you locate her grandmother.”<
br />
Ms. Brooks was quiet for a moment. “I don’t see that as a viable alternative, Mr. Ray. Our foster care families have to be thoroughly vetted. We have very strict guidelines, and we only accept families with the highest recommendations. Of course, you could always begin the process, but it would take months before you were approved, if at all.”
“Here’s the thing, Ms. Brooks. I don’t want Eleanor to spend one more night at Mrs. Weatherly’s house, so I’m—”
“That’s not really up to you.”
“—so I’m about to make some phone calls to expedite the process you just mentioned.”
“Suit yourself, Mr. Ray, but we don’t make exceptions to our vetting process.”
“I’ll get back to you shortly.”
* * * *
The next call I made was to Carlton. It wasn’t until after he answered the phone that I remembered he’d said something about having a meeting with the DDO.
I usually tried to avoid talking to him after he’d had any kind of one-on-one meeting with the DDO, and I certainly wouldn’t have thought of asking him for a favor after such a meeting.
Now, I was about to do both.
Strangely enough, he sounded upbeat. “Hi, there, Titus. I’m surprised to hear from you. I thought you and Nikki would be out enjoying yourself.”
“And I thought you might not be in the best of moods after your meeting with Deputy Ira.”
“The meeting got cancelled. What can I do for you?”
“Would you mind doing me a favor?”
Carlton listened without commenting while I told him about meeting Eleanor Taylor and the social worker’s plans to transfer her to foster care until Lisa Redding could be located.
When I told him Nikki and I wanted temporary custody of her until her grandmother arrived, I was surprised to hear him say he liked my idea.
“I thought you might try to discourage me,” I said. “You know kids aren’t really my thing.”
“You’ll do fine. Anyone who can bond with a dog should be able to handle a child. Now, tell me about this favor you need.”
“There’s a ton of red tape involved in getting custody of Eleanor, so I need your help to cut through it.”
“Give me a number. I’ll see what I can do.”
I gave him Ms. Brooks’ phone number and told him what she’d said about their vetting process and what they required in terms of recommendations.
“This won’t be a problem. I’ll take care of it.”
He did.
Except, not in the way I expected.
* * * *
While I waited for Carlton to call me back, I walked over to Max Taylor’s house. I figured since he’d had to call an ambulance when he’d gotten sick, he might have forgotten to lock all his doors when the EMTs picked him up to transport him to the hospital.
Although I found the front door locked, I walked around to the back, where I got inside the house through the back door.
There was still enough daylight outside that I didn’t have to turn on the lights in the kitchen, and unlike Mrs. Weatherly’s house, there were no heavy curtains over the windows.
I barely spent any time in the living room, and I only glanced in the study and the den.
Even though I saw evidence several generations had been living in the house together—a video game controller in the den, a wooden cane over a doorknob, an exercise machine in a corner of the study—I was surprised at how neat and tidy everything was.
The bedrooms were located on the second floor, and that’s where I headed next. There were four of them, and I did a quick walkthrough of each one, ending up in Eleanor’s room.
There was no mistaking whose bedroom it was.
The room was pink—bright pink.
There were pink walls, a pink bookcase, a pink bedspread, and a pink hammock hanging from the ceiling. The bookcase was crammed with books, and on the top shelf were individual plastic letters—shaped like pink neon lights—spelling out Eleanor’s name.
Next to the letters were various trophies—golden figures with outstretched arms and swirling skirts—which, according to the engraved inscriptions, had been awarded to Eleanor Taylor for outstanding dance performances.
I pulled out a couple of books from the bookshelf. The first one, The Mysterious Benedict Society, was about four smart kids who were sent on a secret mission. The second one, Spy School, was actually about a kid named Ben who was recruited by the CIA to catch a bad guy.
I didn’t spot any dolls anywhere, although there were a couple of stuffed animals lounging on her pink metal desk. A gigantic poster of the solar system was hanging above the desk and sitting underneath her window was a mid-size telescope attached to a tripod.
In the bottom of her closet, I found a suitcase.
After unzipping it, I stuffed it full of clothes from Eleanor’s closet, the block letters from her bookcase, the dance trophies from her shelf, and as many books as it could hold.
A few seconds later, I walked out the back door of Max’s house and placed the suitcase in the trunk of Nikki’s rental car.
The moment I slammed the lid shut, my cell phone rang.
It was Ms. Brooks.
* * * *
She began by apologizing. At first, I had difficulty understanding the reason behind her apology, but, after a moment or two, I finally realized she wanted to make sure I didn’t think she’d been rude or disrespectful when we’d spoken earlier in the day.
After assuring her I had no ill feelings toward her, and, on the contrary, I admired her professionalism, she said, “I’m calling to let you know I’ve just signed the emergency certification giving you and Nikki Saxon temporary custody of Eleanor Taylor.”
“That’s wonderful news, Ms. Brooks. Does that mean we can take Eleanor with us now?”
“That’s right. I’ll give Mrs. Weatherly a call when we get off the phone and let her know what’s going on.”
“Do you need anything else from me? Address? Phone number?”
“Oh, no. I have all your information right here. The White House just faxed everything over to me.”
I was too stunned to say anything for a moment.
“Are you still there, Mr. Ray?”
“Yes, I’m still here.”
“Is everything all right?”
“To be frank, I was surprised to hear you say you’d received everything you needed from The White House.”
“Naturally, the fax wasn’t from the President himself. I didn’t mean to imply that. It was from Ms. Pack. She’s the one who called and asked our office to expedite your approval.”
“Sasha Gail Pack contacted you.”
“When we talked earlier, you should have said something to me about your connection to the President.”
“My connection to the President? Well . . . ah . . . it’s not something I like to—”
“I completely understand. Ms. Pack explained everything to me. In fact, we had a very enjoyable conversation.”
“I imagine you did.”
“Anyway, everything’s all set now. I’ll be in touch with you in a few days to see how things are going with Eleanor.”
The moment Ms. Brooks said goodbye, I called Carlton.
He was unavailable.
Chapter 47
Sunday, December 13
As I sat at Dulles International Airport waiting for our flight to Oklahoma City, I looked over at Nikki and Eleanor standing a few feet away from me in front of the floor to ceiling windows.
Eleanor was explaining to Nikki about all the activities taking place on the tarmac. She sounded very knowledgeable about the subject.
Despite the trauma of attending her father’s funeral the day before, Eleanor looked happy—almost as happy as she’d been when the three of us had driven away from Mrs. Weatherly’s house on Friday.
Once we’d arrived at The Meadows, and Millie had allowed her to have as many cookies as she’d wanted, I’d taken Eleanor into the living room and
asked her to sit down on the sofa so we could have a “grownup discussion.”
“You don’t need to call it a grownup discussion,” she said. “Why don’t you just say you want to talk to me about something important?”
“Okay. I want to talk to you about something important.”
She sat down on the sofa with her legs dangling off the edge. “Is it about my future?”
“In a way I guess it is. I wanted to let you know you’ll be flying to Oklahoma with Nikki and me on Sunday.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s where we live. Nikki and I live in Norman, Oklahoma. You’ll be staying in Norman with us until your grandmother comes to get you.”
“Do you have a bedroom for me at your house?”
“I have plenty of bedrooms at my house. You can choose whichever one you want. Nikki has extra bedrooms at her house too.”
“Why do you and Nikki have two houses?”
“Nikki and I aren’t married yet. Once we get married, we’ll only have one house.”
“When are you getting married?”
“In a few months.”
“I hope I can still live with you after you’re married.”
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I moved on. “Since it’s Christmas break, you won’t be missing any school, but, after the holidays, if you’re still in Norman, we’ll get you enrolled in school.”
“What about my friends here? Will I ever see them again?”
“Well, maybe. But I know there are lots of kids your age at Nikki’s church. I’ll bet you’ll be able to make friends with some of them.”
“I’ve never been to church before.”
“Your daddy told me he was thinking about taking you to church.”
I immediately regretted bringing Jeremy up, but before I could change the subject, she jumped off the sofa and ran over to the window. “There’s a big dog in the front yard.”
I walked over to the window and knelt down beside her. “Oh, that’s Frisco. He belongs to Millie and Arkady.”
“Do you have a dog at your house?”
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