The car stopped and its driver, a uniformed policeman, still looked to Shad like the officer could be a recent graduate from the police academy. Initially this had created some concern for Shad, but he told himself to get over it. This man had been trained for handling such duties, and besides, Shad had plenty of familiarity with the fact there also were folks out there who looked younger than they really were.
The two men nodded to each other, and Shad asked, “So how did it go?”
“Simms was cooperative although it was obvious he didn’t like it at all.” The officer glanced toward his front-seat passenger, an older woman in civilian clothes who was getting out on the other side of the car. His voice lowered a bit. “Little girl’s eyes have been big as saucers the whole time.”
Shad nodded again and watched the woman open the back door of the vehicle.
“Here you go, sweetie,” She said in a kindly voice as she stooped toward the passenger. “This is where Mr. Delaney picks you up and you get to go see your mom.”
The social worker fumbled for a minute with the child restraints while continuing a friendly though one-sided conversation with the occupant. Shad moved around the car to her side and watched as she helped the five-year-old girl step out of the sedan.
Charissa Simms immediately locked her gaze upon Shad as she stood beside the vehicle. Before he habitually shifted his own gaze away from hers, Shad noticed that Charissa’s eyes were so dark they were almost black. Her long brown hair cascaded halfway down her back in loose ringlets except for locks on the sides of her face that were pulled back with a blue bow. She wore red shorts and a white, collared blouse which seemed to suggest Charissa had been dressed as a statement of how well-taken care of she had been for the last month and a half. Even though Shad was looking more at her mouth, he could see Charissa’s attention shift to the day pack. As she started to look up again, Shad offered a gentle smile and lowered himself to one knee before the child.
“Hello, Charissa.” He set the day pack on the pavement and offered his hand to her while briefly meeting her gaze again. “I’m Mr. Delaney.”
Charissa glanced at his hand and slowly extended her own as Shad continued. “This is all a little spooky, huh? I bet you’ve got all kinds of questions.”
Charissa’s hand settled in his, and Shad gave it a quick and gentle squeeze. She spoke as he released it, her voice soft and quiet. “Mom’s alive?”
The nature of her question made him want to shift into his more analytical ego, but Shad tried to keep it balanced with his social self. “Oh yes, she’s alive.” The analytical personality flexed some muscle. “Has someone told you otherwise?”
Charissa continued to scrutinize him as though still trying to decide whether Shad was friend or foe. “Dad said she’s dying.”
That wasn’t a lie. What concerned Shad more was just how Charissa’s father was relaying this information.
“The sickness your mom has ... it doesn’t change how much she loves you. She wishes she could’ve come to St. Louis with me, but since she couldn’t, she sent this for you instead.”
Shad picked up the day pack and offered it to the girl. With her gaze never leaving his face, Charissa gingerly took it from him.
“Your mom packed all kinds of goodies in there for you.” Shad offered his best version of a reassuring smile. Then he decided to imply a new concept Charissa was going to need to adapt to. “Your Uncle Eliot and Aunt Tess put some things in there for you, too.”
Eliot Weller was supposed to be here with Shad today, but he was a veterinarian and received an emergency call concerning a prize brood mare this morning. Thus Eliot was unable to meet Shad at the train station in Jefferson City, and Shad had been forced to show up alone for Charissa’s scheduled pickup. Having never done this sort of thing before, Shad was a little more than annoyed by Eliot’s absence. Although he usually preferred solitude, Shad had learned to value someone else’s company whenever he was thrust into new situations.
Charissa didn’t say anything as she studied the day pack without opening it. Shad stood again while the woman was taking a small blue suitcase from the car’s back seat.
“I’ll take that.” Shad offered.
After settling some final details with the officer and the social worker, Shad thanked them and guided Charissa toward the playground area of the park as the patrol car drove away.
“We have about half an hour before we need to go to the train station.” Shad set his carrying case and her suitcase on the first bench they approached. “Have you ever ridden the train before?”
He already knew the answer, so when Charissa shook her head it was the response Shad expected.
“You want to play on the playground while we wait?”
The girl only stared at him in response.
Shad sat next to the cases. Charissa remained standing at the other end of the bench. Her day pack was sitting on it although she still gripped the top strap while never removing her gaze from him.
Now that he was getting back into something more familiar, Shad drew a cleansing breath and offered another reassuring smile to Charissa. This would be much easier for the girl if Eliot were with him to provide her with somebody she knew. Too bad he didn’t have the option to pull his wife Dulsie out from her job to tag along. Dulsie would still be a stranger to Charissa, but at least Dulsie had a winning personality and a shared gender with the child. If nothing else, Shad was certainly more at ease whenever Dulsie was around.
“Or would you rather talk about what’s going on?” Sure, he was trying to obtain additional testimony, but Shad also recognized the value of allowing Charissa to speak her concerns.
Charissa’s grip on the pack tightened for a second, but then her eyes seemed less wide. “You don’t look like a lawyer.”
Shad’s response was deadpan. “I’m traveling in disguise.”
He was conscientious of speaking the truth, even in jest. Shad had purposefully worn tan slacks and a sage, short-sleeved, button-down shirt because a suit might be intimidating to the child. He also didn’t want to look “official” to others as he (and Eliot, originally) escorted Charissa back to her home. Besides, Shad hated wearing suits and welcomed any opportunity to eschew them.
The girl seemed to consider his answer for a minute before speaking again. “How much money you gonna make?”
If ever there was a question he hadn’t expected her to ask, that would be it. It was Shad’s turn to stare at Charissa with some bemusement before he responded.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Dad said you’re hauling me away only because you figured out a way to make a bunch of money.”
Demetri Simms’s evaluation fell in line with what most people, Shad included, thought about lawyers. But Shad’s motivation for tackling a situation other attorneys had dismissed had nothing to do with money and everything to do with ... justice. And it had been his thirst for justice that had driven him to this occupation. Distilling the complexities to the level of a five-year-old, however, wasn’t going to be easy.
“I’m not here for the money.” Shad leaned forward, propped his elbows on his knees, and rested his chin on clasped hands. “I’m also not hauling you away. I’m taking you home.”
Charissa regarded him with unwavering wariness. “I don’t have a home back –” She seemed to reconsider her choice of words but couldn’t settle upon an appropriate substitute quickly enough. “– home.”
“Did somebody tell you that?”
Charissa finally stopped looking at him and lowered her head to study the day pack. Her slender, tanned fingers kneaded at the hanging loop on top.
Had she been coached, or more likely threatened, not to say too much? The last thing he could risk was pushing too hard, which luckily Shad was better at catching himself when working with kids than adults.