* * *
20
Tony was caught off guard by her surprise attack. Rita’s fingers curled into claws and went for his eyes. I spun us around and caught Rita around the waist. Her fingers bit into my back. She screeched. “Let me go! I want to kill him!”
I could feel her heart racing. Tony moved behind her to control her rage. “Come on, Rita. Take it easy.” His voice was calm. He got her arms in his and pulled her back away from me.
I caught the flash of color and reached for the baggie in her pocket. It was filled with tiny green pills. I tucked them in my own pocket and grabbed Rita’s arm. My fingers found her pulse. “Tony! I can’t even count it. I think she’s crashing. Give her to me. You need to call 911.”
His face went pale. He passed her off to me and dug the phone out of his pocket. I managed to cradle Rita in my arms and get her down to the ground. Her body was shaking. Other students began to gather around us. Tony grabbed one. “Go to the office. Get help!” He continued to talk to the 911 operator over the phone.
Rita began to gag. My first aid training came back to me. I turned her to one side and a foamy mass ejected from her mouth. Many students swore and backed up. Feet were running in our direction. Nurse Kern pushed through the crowd. She carried a medical bag. “Oh my goodness! What happened?”
I glanced at Tony. He shrugged. I struggled to hold the withering form of Rita. “She came down the hallway and started screaming. I caught her and she threw up that.”
Another commotion in the hallway signaled the arrival of the medics. Nurse Kern had managed to get a blood pressure. She turned to a medic. “It’s way too high and her pulse is racing.”
The medic slipped on gloves and pulled Rita from my arms. “We’ll take it from here.”
Tony helped me up and pulled me away from the scene. I turned into him and transferred the baggie from my pocket into his hand. He glanced down at it and shut his eyes. “Oh no. Not her, too.”
Dr. Marsh pushed through the crowd. Nurse Kern took his arm and pulled him away. I watched them head toward the gym. I pulled Tony around the crowd. “Come on.”
I paused at the gym door and pointed to it. Tony glanced through the door. I could hear their voices. I leaned closer. Nurse Kern sounded like she was crying. “This is terrible. That poor girl.”
Dr. Marsh sighed. “Getting the meds right on a new patient is tricky.”
“This isn’t right. You said you had changed the dose on that one so it wasn’t so strong.”
“I did. How many of the pills did you give her?”
Nurse Kern sobbed. “She was having so much trouble this morning that I gave her five extras in a baggie to get her through the morning. She promised she’d only take them if she needed them.”
“Did you find the baggie on her?”
“No.” Nurse Kern sobbed. “What if she took all of them? Oh, Fred. This isn’t fair to them.”
“Helen, you know I’m just trying to help these kids. All of them are on state medical insurance. It doesn’t cover these meds. Look how many we’ve helped these past couple of years.”
She gasped. “And what about the ones that have died?”
“I did the best I could. There was no way to test blood chemistry. That’s why I started with such small doses. I can’t help if the kids take more than you gave them. Besides. Things will be better with this new batch. I’ve dropped the doses even more.”
Voices echoed from the other end of the hallway. Tony pulled me away. I’m not sure I could have moved on my own. I was stunned. We ended up by the back entrance to the student parking lot. I leaned into him. “I can’t believe it. He actually thought he was helping them.”
His arms encircled me. “Now I’m glad I didn’t take you to the nurse. Oh, man. I need to call my boss.” He pulled out his phone. I listened to him explain things to Captain Pierson. He finished his call and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He glanced at his watch. “You kind of missed second period. I hope that little dragon doesn’t get mad at me.”
I buried my face in his chest. “It will be okay.”
Tony kissed me. “Let’s get you up to math class. Maybe we can catch Davy before he goes in.”
We got up to the math wing as the first bell of the set rang. We waited by the remains of my old locker. It was still blackened and doorless.
David came down the hallway and paused when he saw us. He came over. “What’s going on?”
“Hey, Clueless. Well, for starters, Rita just dropped from a drug overdose in the lower hall. Second, the big party between Marsh and Kern is going down at his lunch hour.”
David looked lost for a moment. “Uh, he has first lunch, just like we do.”
“Wonderful.” Tony looked down at me. “I’ll have to sneak you some lunch. I want you safe with Bob while this is all going down.”
I leaned into him. “Do you trust him?”
Tony winked at me. “I’ve worked with him for a couple of years. Absolutely.”
“Oh.” I would have never guessed the old janitor was an officer. But I supposed that was the point. I looked at David. “Are you ready for Math?”
He glanced around. “I’d rather not piss Kevin off again so I’ll just sit on the other side of the room.”
Tony chuckled. He waved at Kevin who was getting his books from his locker. He made a couple of hand signs at him.
Kevin grinned and signed something back. David frowned. “Gee, thanks.” He moved into the classroom.
Tony chuckled and led me to the door. “I’ll see you at the end of class.” He kissed me.
I kissed him back. “Be careful.”
“Always.” He let me go.
I managed to focus on class. We got into a debate on the value of certificates of deposits over stock investments. By the end of the period I was glad that I didn’t have either. I glanced over at David. He looked absolutely ill.
Mr. Craig also glanced at him. “Mr. Jensen. Are you feeling all right?”
David just shook his head. He covered his mouth with his hand. The other students around him jumped out of their seats and backed away.
Mr. Craig hurried over. He scribbled out a fast hall pass. “Go directly to the nurse’s office!” He handed the pass to David and helped him to the door.
The bell rang a few minutes later. Tony was waiting for me. He was grinning. “Was his act good?”
I slipped my arm around his waist. “Good enough that everyone around ran for cover.”
Tony laughed. He guided me toward the library. “I know you usually stop at the locker first but I need to be there to back up Davy. The Captain and his buddies are waiting in the wings.” He handed me something. “I smuggled something from the lunch room for you.”
I could feel the grease seeping out through the layers of napkins. “Oh, goodie.”
He hugged me. “I just want you to be safe.”
We turned the corner into the library wing. Something made me tense. There was a strange smell. I stopped.
Tony almost tripped over me. “What’s up?”
I didn’t have time to answer. I saw the movement coming out of a doorway across from the library. I saw the intent. “Kokutsu Dachi!”
Tony moved into a back stance. He’d been paying attention in class. “Erin, look out!”
I was already in motion. I twisted, leaning on Tony for a fulcrum, and delivered a kick with each foot as I rotated. The first impact was to his face and the second to his shoulder. He went down. More appeared from the corners of the hallway. “Looks like he brought his friends to the party.”
“Damn!” Tony moved his hand toward his pocket.
The rush of movement behind him sent me into motion. I blocked the knife thrust and brought my other hand down on the arm that held the weapon. The guy shrieked as the bone snapped. “We need to retreat.” I pulled Tony back the way we had come. The others began advancing on us.
Tony tried to put himself between me and the gang. We got to the co
rner and I discovered there were more coming from both directions of the hallway. One of them stepped forward. “Burns!”
Everyone froze. Tony turned and focused on the speaker. “What do you want, Streak?”
“The Man isn’t happy with you. You asked for a deal. He gave you a taste and then you backed out. Bad business.”
Tony flattened me into the wall behind him, shielding me from the oncoming attackers. I used the moment to catch my breath and center myself. I studied them, looking for the weakest link. I found it. I leaned forward. “Break third from the right.”
Tony nodded slightly. “Let Erin go and we’ll talk.”
Streak glanced at the injured gang member. “I don’t think so.” His voice was low and menacing. “She owes me.”
Tony sank into a fighting stance. I slid to the right and went after my target. I slammed my open hand into his chest. He went flying backwards into the lockers. Tony took out the guy who’d been standing next to him with a round house kick that caught him in the chin.
Mayhem broke loose. The others came at us. I grabbed Tony, swung him toward the opening, and used the momentum of the turn to plant my foot in the closest one. His body jerked backwards and collided with Streak. I pulled Tony forwards. “Come on. Head for the office!”
We got to the stairwell and Tony grabbed me around the waist. “Hang on!” We slid down the railing to the next floor.
I could see them following. “Keep going!”
Tony launched us down the next railing. We landed on the main floor and ran toward the office. I could see uniformed officers, guns ready, leaning against the wall, focused on the office window.
Tony whistled. “Macamier! Behind us!”
The lead officer changed his point of focus, bringing the gun up. Tony grabbed me and pulled me down to the floor. We skidded to a stop near the office door. The gang members realized too late what they had just run into. The officer motioned to his fellows. “Secure those kids!”
Tony looked at him as he helped me up. “There are four more in the hall on the third floor that will probably require medical attention.” He glanced at the window. “Come on.”
We went inside as Captain Pierson put handcuffs on Dr. Marsh. Another officer was asking questions of David. Nurse Kern was already in cuffs.
Captain Pierson turned and looked at us. “What are you doing here?”
I realized this had put Tony in a bad spot. I turned to Principal Granger. “I’m sorry, sir. We’ve come to explain why we had to fight with some other students in the hallway. I’m afraid that at least four of them are seriously injured.”
The principal’s brows went up. “What? Mr. Burns, do have an explanation for this?”
Tony’s face turned red. “They attacked us in the hall!” His voice rang in the office. “What were we supposed to do, let them knife us?”
Captain Pierson turned to another officer. “Go get a body count.”
Principal Granger frowned. “Mr. Burns, here I’d thought you had made a marked improvement.”
I put my hands up. “Sir, I was the one who did most of the damage. And Tony is right. They had knives. We were just trying to protect ourselves. There were a lot of them and only two of us.”
He shook his head. “Ms. Dawson. This school is not a fight club. You’ll sit for detention next week during lunch.” He turned to Tony. “Mr. Burns, I’ve given you plenty of warnings. Consider yourself suspended. Effective immediately.”
Tony sagged against me. “I’m sorry.” He looked across at David, whose face was pale. David managed to nod.
An officer stepped into the office. “Captain, we have the No Names in custody. The medics are here dealing with several of them. At least three will have to be transported to the hospital.”
“Understood. Thank you Mr. Frasier.” He turned to Tony. “Well, Mr. Burns. You might as well come with us. We’re going to need a statement.”
David detached from the group by the health room and pulled me out of the office. “Come on. Did you get a chance to eat lunch?”
I felt sick. “I think I dropped the grease burger in the hallway somewhere.”
He put his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go down to the lunch room and see if we can get you something edible.”
One of Tony’s boys who called himself Rugby was just coming out of the cafeteria when we got there. He gasped. “What are you doing with Tony’s lady?”
I lost it. I turned to David and wept on his shoulder. He put his arms around me. “Don’t worry, Erin. He’ll be okay.”
Rugby looked lost. “What happened?”
David pulled me gently into the lunch room. “Tony got suspended. Excuse us but I need to get Erin some lunch. I promised Tony I’d look out for her.”
I managed to swallow down a little. David walked me to Soc-Ec. Rebecca was just coming to the door. She gasped when she saw me. “Erin! Are you okay? I heard they attacked you.”
David passed me off to her. “Keep an eye on her.” He patted my hand. “I’ll see you after class.”
I tried to focus on the class. I didn’t have my books or my paper. Ms. Green was understanding. David was at the door when the bell rang. He walked beside me to Lit class and sat next to me. I felt numb.
Professor Linton came down the row and knelt next to my desk. “I heard what happened. Will you be okay in class?”
I glanced at David. “I’ll manage. I apologize that I don’t have my paper finished.”
He smiled. “It’s okay. I know you. You always catch up fast.”
I listened to the discussion of the dance and the fight that didn’t happen. I wished Tony and I had been that lucky. I felt bad for the people in Weedpatch camp. I know what it was like to be manipulated by outside forces.
David walked me down to gym class. “Erin, be careful in class. Okay?”
I could hear the concern in his tone. “Thanks, David. I’ll see you later.” I walked into the gym.
Heather was standing by the door. I braced myself for a harsh comment. She came up and gave me a hug. “Are you okay? I heard what happened at lunch. I was really worried about you.”
We walked into the locker room. “I’m just frustrated with Principal Granger right now. It wasn’t fair for him to suspend Tony. He was just keeping me safe.”
Heather hugged me. “And he did. I’ve heard those No Names are nothing but trouble. They are the ones who should be suspended.”
I helped the team work on their routines for the competition that weekend. They were all amazingly supportive.
Ms. Addison called us all together at the end of class. “Some of you may have heard what happened to Rita this morning. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition.”
Many of the girls gasped. I tensed. I hadn’t even thought about her since this morning. “How is she?”
Ms. Addison smiled. “She will be in the hospital for a few days but the doctors are hopeful that she will make a full recovery.”
I was relieved. One of the girls suggested getting a card for her. It gave me an idea. “Anyone have an old tee-shirt? I think Rita could use a dragon.”
Jill grinned. “I have one in my locker.” We changed back into street clothes and Jill gave me the tee-shirt. “What kind of dragon are you going to draw for her?”
I usually looked at people when I was drawing personal dragons. “I’ll have to find a picture of her.”
Heather grabbed something from her locker. “You can use this. My mom took it at the last meet.” She handed me the picture of her and Rita.
Thanks. I’ll give it back when I’m done.” I put the picture and tee-shirt in my backpack.
David was waiting for me by the gym door. He directed me toward the parking lot entrance. “Diana called me last period. She wants to meet you in her office. I can give you a ride.”
I didn’t know what to feel. “Thanks.” We rode in silence. David escorted me into the building. He opened Diana’s office door for me.
&nbs
p; Tony stepped out of a corner and pulled me into his arms. His kiss was deep. He finally broke it. “I was so worried about you. Did everything go okay this afternoon?”
“Did you get in trouble?”
Tony laughed. “Are you kidding? We just wrapped up two major drug rings. They found enough ice on most of the gang members to get their paroles revoked. And Dr. Marsh and Nurse Kern are a done deal. Davy caught them in the act.”
David was standing by the door frowning. “If Pierson sees the two of you…”
Tony scowled at him. “Will you drop it? The case is done! He can’t say squat.”
Diana came out of the office. “Tony’s right, Nicky. Erin is well beyond the age of consent. If she wants to go out with Tony, that’s her business.” She looked at me. “Right now, you and I have some other things to discuss. The DNA results came back.”
My throat went tight. “And?”
Diana smiled softly. “Claire was your mother.”
If Tony hadn’t been holding me I might have ended up on the floor. He hugged me. “You always knew that, Erin.” He kissed me.
Diana cleared her throat. “But it also means that we need to be in court tomorrow. There are some things we need to go over. I’ve been working on putting a history together. I need you to go through it and make sure I haven’t missed anything.”
I glanced up at the clock. Tony chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll call Max. You do what you need to with Diana. He’ll understand.”
It took almost an hour for us to get through everything. David dropped us off at the dojo. “Does this mean I have to come pick you up?”
Tony helped me out of the car. “Nope. Mom is coming to pick us up tonight. Are you going to school tomorrow?”
“No. I’m going to call in sick tomorrow. I want to be there for Erin in court.”
Tony waved at him. “See you then.”
Classes were already into the second afternoon set. Tony and I both changed quickly. I found Max with a combined class of different ages. He looked relieved to see me. He called the class to attention. “Now, the younger students will go with Roshi Erin and continue working on the Single Whip.”
Tony followed along after the class. He leaned close to me as the students took their places. “Which art is this?”
“Tai Chi.” I clapped my hands. “Let’s begin at the end of the Push and go forward.”
Tony did his best to follow along. By the end of class he was helping several other students with the technique.
The third class was a little more challenging for him. Max assigned me to Philip’s Karate class. They were all fairly advanced students. We began working through Heian Sandan. Tony was struggling with Kiba Dachi. The horse stance was used several times in this kata.
Near the end of class, one of the other students came up to Tony. “I can see you’re struggling with that stance. It helps if you turn your toes slightly outward.”
I grinned, remembering how one master had described the pose to me. Picture yourself sitting in a saddle and kicking the horse with your heels. Tony had figured it out by the end of class.
We ate dinner and Tony started toward the locker room to change. Max called to him. “Why don’t you join us in class tonight? I think some of the things we’re going to cover will help you.”
Yan scowled as Max walked toward the classroom. “Burns doesn’t belong here at all. Why is Max inviting him into the master classes?”
Tony started to back away. He looked at me. “I don’t want to cause a rift within the ranks. Maybe I’d better sit this out.”
Steven took his arm. “Not a chance. Max is the Sensei of this Dojo. It’s his right to ask you to join this class.” He turned to Yan. “You need to let go of the past. Can’t you see how different Tony is now? He’s earned his place here at the dojo.”
Yan seemed amazed. “You’re actually sticking up for Burns, after all the things he did at school?”
Linda moved toward Yan. “You’re not paying attention. I saw how much Tony has done to help Max.” She looked at Tony. “As far as I’m concerned, I hope you decide to continue here. I watched you help several kids in various classes. You really made a difference for them. That’s the mark of a good junior master.”
Tony looked down. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”
We all pulled him to the classroom. By the end of the evening, everyone except Yan had worked with Tony on one skill or another. We stayed to help Max clean up the dojo. Max grinned at Tony. “Looks like you could have a place here at Inyo Dojo.”
Tony sighed. “I just don’t know where I’m going to be. Thanks to Erin, we’ve wrapped up this case at Hamilton. I have no clue where I’ll be assigned next.”
Max slapped him on the shoulder. “Wherever life takes you, you will always have an open door here.”
Tony shook his hand. “Thanks, Max.”
We went out and found Gloria waiting at the curb. We got into the back seat. I leaned forward. “I hope we didn’t make you wait too long.”
Gloria grinned. “Not at all. I just got here a few minutes ago. I was in court all day with my case and had wrap-ups all evening.”
Tony leaned back and closed his eyes. “You, too? I wonder where they’ll plant us next.”
Gloria headed for the house. “I’ll find out tomorrow. I have to go into the main division meeting. I’ll let you know.”
We made up the bed and changed. Tony tucked me in and crawled in beside me. I rolled over and rested my head on his chest. His steady heartbeat was comforting.
He gently tilted my chin upward. His lips found mine and I forgot how nervous I was about the next day. He finally broke the kiss. “Whatever happens tomorrow, there’s one thing that won’t change. I love you.”
I touched his face. “My heart to your heart. That’s what Fusan used to say. Love is centered at the heart, the source of the body’s blood.”
He put his hand on the center of my chest. “My heart belongs to you.” His voice was thick with emotion. He enclosed me in his arms. I could feel the dampness on his cheeks. “There is no one else.”
I woke not really remembering falling asleep. Tony was still wrapped around me. Gloria was moving around quietly in the room. I glanced up at the clock. Is was past seven in the morning. I hadn’t slept that late in a very long time.
I started to get up and Tony tensed. He looked around then relaxed. “I think it’s okay to sleep in this morning. Diana called and excused you from school. You don’t have to be to the courthouse until nine o’clock.”
“I know. I’m just not used to sleeping this late. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”
Tony chuckled. “It’s the watchdog in me.”
I leaned over and kissed him. “You don’t have to get up if you don’t want to. I’m just going to do a set of Tai Chi and take a quick shower.”
He rolled out of bed. “Tai Chi sounds like a great way to start the morning.” He took a stance just slightly behind and to the side of me. I could feel his movements next to me. The Chi flowed between us. It was powerful.
Gloria watched quietly as she sipped her coffee. When we finished, she got up. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone do that. I’m impressed Tony. You’ve really caught on.”
He picked up a cup and poured some coffee. He motioned to the bathroom door. “You can go first. I’m going to dump some joe into my gut.”
I wrinkled my nose. “How can anything that smells that good taste so awful.”
They both laughed. Tony put his free arm around me. “I suppose it’s really not that good for me. I’m going to have try some of the tea you drink. The stuff you had last night smelled amazing.”
I headed for the bathroom. “I’ll make you some later.”
When I finished, Tony got cleaned up. Gloria volunteered to drive us to the courthouse. “It’s raining cats and dogs out there.”
Tony pointed to the water around the steps. “And there’s a poodle now.”
&nbs
p; His humor lightened my mood. I walked in beside him. It didn’t surprise me at all to see my grandfather in the lobby. I felt Tony stiffen beside me and put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I’m not afraid of him.” And I wasn’t.
Gloria leaned toward Tony and dropped her voice. “You know, if he makes an issue, you could always marry Erin and solve the problem.”
Both Tony and I stop and stared at her. Tony managed to suck in air. “Seriously? You think the court wouldn’t raise a flag over that one?”
I was stunned by the idea. I had only known Tony for a month. I didn’t doubt my feeling for him but did people really talk about marriage that fast?
Diana came up to us and broke the tension. “I’m sorry about him. This is a public area and I can’t do anything about his standing out here but I do have a room reserved for us.”
It shook me out of the daze. “It’s not a problem.” I hugged Tony. “Can you hang out with me until we go in?”
He hugged me back. “Absolutely.”
I ignored my grandfather’s stare as we started to walk past him in the hallway. There was another man standing next to him. He looked younger and nervous. He stepped up to me. “Erin?”
I paused. “That’s me. What can I do for you?”
He looked like he wanted to cry. “We’ve been searching for you for so long.” His voice broke and a tear trickled down his cheek.
I felt sorry for him. “I apologize for what my grandfather has put you through. I hope you find your real daughter someday.”
My grandfather’s cheek twitched. “I’m so sorry for what my daughter did to you.”
“I’m not. My mother was the most loving and devoted mother anyone could have. Doesn’t it even bother you that your actions caused her death? She was your daughter.”
His face went tight. “She wanted nothing to do with me when that vagrant got her pregnant. I tried to help her but she pushed me away. When she stole you from the Gordon’s, I was devastated and stopped thinking of her as my daughter. She had become a criminal.”
I shook my head and looked at Tony. “Someone didn’t look in the mirror this morning.”
He put his arm around me and pulled me down the hallway. “Some people recreate history in their minds to justify their actions. I’ve seen it before. Dr. Marsh kind of did that, too.”
David met us by the door of the room. He hugged his sister and turned to Tony. “I need to talk to you for a few minutes. Streak is trying to turn the story and his parole officer wants some extra details.”
Tony hugged me. “We’ve still got an hour before you have to be in front of the judge. This shouldn’t take too long. We’ll be back.” He kissed me and walked away with David.
I went into the room with Diana. It didn’t take us long to review everything. She had all the original documents with her in sealed cases. She started going through her notes one last time. I sat down in one of the chairs and pulled Grapes from my pocket. I was glad that I’d brought it. I started reading the next chapter. The waste of all the fruit really bothered me. I’d seen something similar when we lived in a small town in Wisconsin. The farmers had been paid more money to plow their crops under than it would have cost to harvest them.
Tony and David came in about five minutes before summons. Tony frowned and dropped into the chair beside me. “Hey, Girlfriend. What’s with the sad face?”
I shut the book and leaned on his shoulder. “This chapter just really disturbs me.”
David shrugged. “Then don’t read it.”
Tony shook his head. “You forget, Erin has to keep up with her homework. Unlike us, she’s stuck in Hamilton Hell.” He looked over at me. “What’s the issue?”
“The farmers have all of this fruit on their trees but the market is crashing. Children in the camps are starving to death but instead of giving the fruit to the people, they destroy it because they can’t make a profit.”
David leaned on one of the chairs. “That’s the way it is in corporate business. They sacrifice something considered to be less important to gain profit for the stock holders.”
Tony growled. “That doesn’t make it right.”
David sat down and faced him. “Tony, you’ve got to let that case go. It’s been over a year. I can’t even imagine what you went through on the street but I can see what it did to you. Maybe you need some counseling.”
Tony pushed up from the chair and stalked to the corner of the room. He faced the wall. “David, you don’t care. That’s the problem.” He spun around. “You don’t give a damn about people in the real world. I lived with the homeless for four months. I experienced the hell they faced every day. Steinbeck hit the nail on the head with Grapes. The worst of it is, nobody got the message. It’s still like that, even worse sometimes.”
I got up and went to Tony. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly. I didn’t say anything. He eventually relaxed and clung to me, sobbing lightly.
A bailiff came to the door. “Erin Dawson? Your case is up.”
Tony sighed, wiped his eyes, and let me go. “That’s your call.”
Diana and I walked to the courtroom. I could feel her nervous tension. I glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t gotten a call back from my star witness. He was flying in from L.A. I just hope his flight was on time and he doesn’t get stuck in traffic.” She proceeded me into the courtroom.
Tony and David went in and sat next to Gloria. Max and Susan were there. Max gave me a reassuring smile as I passed by. We took our places at the table across from my grandfather, Mr. Hart, and Mr. Gordon. I glanced over at my grandfather. Something David had said struck me. My grandfather was sacrificing me for something. But what was it?
The preliminaries seemed to go on forever. We had a different judge this time, a lady. The Honorable Sarah Gallagher looked at all the pieces of evidence carefully. Diana kept checking her watch. It finally came time for people to begin testifying. My grandfather took the stand and explained what he believed his daughter had done. Mr. Gordon took the stand and explained things from his perspective. Even the private investigator who had been there when my mother was hit by the bus testified. He claimed that my mother was mentally unstable.
Diana cross-examined each person, asking general questions to fill in certain details. I listened carefully to each individual. My grandfather sounded tired, Mr. Gordon sounded hopeful, and the Private Investigator sounded uncertain.
When Mr. Hart acknowledged that he had no more witnesses, Diana called a lady forward. She asked the lady to identify herself for the court. She cleared her throat. “I’m Jenna Bowman, head of records for Valley Hospital in Las Vegas.”
I glanced at the table across from us. The three men reminded me of a set of See No Evil. Ms. Bowman confirmed that my mother had two weeks of prenatal care there before I was born and that I spent several days in the neonatal unit because of newborn jaundice.
Mr. Hart tried to twist things but Diana called David to the stand and he confirmed that the footprint on my birth certificate was indeed the same one on the bottom of my foot.
The final blow to their defense came when Diana called Dr. Lester Minke to the stand. He was from Tacoma General Hospital. “I did both the DNA test on Claire Dawson and the one on Erin Dawson. I certify that there is no doubt of genetic relationship.”
Judge Gallagher looked over the stand at my grandfather. “This is definite proof that Erin Dawson was indeed the daughter of your daughter, Claire Dawson. The question that all of this raises is why you would torment your own daughter, to the point of death, over this falsehood.”
Diana glanced back. A man had entered the room and stood by the back doors. He nodded at her. She looked relieved. Diana turned to the judge. “I believe I may have the answer to that.”
The judge looked at a list on her desk. “Is this your late witness?”
“Yes, your honor. It is.”
He came forward and was sworn in. Diana asked him to identif
y himself. “I’m Detective Gregory Owens of the Los Angeles Police Department.”
Judge Gallagher’s eyebrows went up. “Detective?” She looked back at Diana. “Proceed, please.”
Diana squared her shoulders. “Detective Owens, could you please explain Mr. Harmond’s connection to Mr. Gordon and his missing daughter?”
Mr. Harmond kidnapped Mr. Gordon’s daughter after Claire Dawson refused to give up Erin for adoption and disappeared. Mr. Harmond had already drawn up an adoption contract with Fernando Lopez, a convicted drug lord in Los Angeles. He did attempt to grab Claire and Erin in Las Vegas but Claire left.”
Mr. Gordon looked shocked. Mr. Hart looked confused. My grandfather’s face was unreadable. Diana nodded. “How did Mr. Harmond know about his granddaughter’s birth?”
“Claire had been keeping in contact with her mother, Emma Harmond. She had obviously been sympathetic to her daughter’s situation.”
The judge glanced around the room and nodded. The officers beside the doors moved over to block them. She looked down at my grandfather. “Mr. Harmond, do you realize the statement that has been made against you?”
He looked lost. Mr. Hart cleared his throat and stood up. “My client has no comment at this time.”
Mr. Gordon looked ready to cry. He turned to Mr. Harmond. “Then where is my daughter?”
Detective Owens held up a hand. He looked at the judge. “May I, Your Honor?” She nodded at him. “Mr. Gordon, detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department raided the estate of Fernando Lopez late last night. Your daughter was recovered and she is currently in protective services. I’ll do everything I can to reunite you and your wife with your daughter.”
The room broke into noisy murmurs. The judge banged on her desk with a wooden hammer. “Due to the statement of this detective, I’m calling for the arrest of Mr. John Harmond. Will the day officer please come forward?” My grandfather didn’t even resist.
David leaned forward and handed Diana a note. She glanced at it and nodded at him.
After they had taken my grandfather away, the judge looked at Diana. “It seems your case is no longer an issue, councilor.”
“Your honor, there is still an issue concerning the custody of Erin Dawson. It seems there is some new information that has just come to my attention. If we could have a ten minute recess so I can review this new information?”
“Absolutely.” The judge banged the hammer on the desk. “Court will recess for ten minutes.”
Diana led me to a side room. Tony, David, and Captain Pierson all came in as well. Captain Pierson was grinning. Diana sighed. “All right, Nicky, what’s the big surprise?”
Tony came over and hugged me. “Brace yourself for this one, Baby. It’s a shocker!”
David looked back at the captain. “Well, this one is all yours.”
Captain Pierson pulled out a stack of folded documents. “James Dawson is still alive.”
My knees went weak. “Where?”
The captain glanced at his watch. “He should be here in about fifteen minutes.”
Tony was holding me up. He kissed the side of my head. “I told you it was good.”
There was a knock on the door and Detective Owens came in. “I just wanted to thank you guys.” He looked at Tony and David. “You’re Palmer and Kinslow, right?”
Tony grinned. “That would be us.”
There were so many questions still going around in my mind. “I don’t understand why my grandfather did all this? And why did he start eleven years ago?”
“Because that’s when your grandmother died. She loved you and your mother. She had changed her will without her husband’s knowledge to make you the primary beneficiary with your mother as your proxy until you turned eighteen. The month before your grandmother died, John lost a lot of money in a business deal. He borrowed from Lopez, expecting to be able to pay him back from your grandmother’s death benefits. But he couldn’t touch the money. It was yours.”
Tony shook his head. “So he went after Claire, trying to make her crazy, so he could claim her mentally unstable and take over the funds.”
I sagged against Tony. “How did he find us?”
The detective dropped a thick envelope on the table. “Your mom and grandma had been keeping in touch. There are letters and pictures in there that we confiscated from the Harmond household when we raided it yesterday.”
Tony snapped his fingers. “But something must have pushed Lopez into play. He went after Erin himself.”
Detective Owens nodded. “He was tired of Harmond’s games of cat and mouse with Claire. He figured if he had Erin, he could get even more money out of the deal than he was owed. And he needed it.” Owens grinned. “And thanks to you two I had enough to bust him last night as the big drug deal went down.”
There was a knock at the door and a bailiff entered. “Time is up. Please return to the courtroom.”
Diana handed him a document. “Could you please give this to the judge?”
We went back into the courtroom. Max and Susan were still there. Tony went and sat next to them. David and Captain Pierson sat right behind us. The judge came in and called the court back to order. She glanced at the sheet and looked up at Diana. “Seriously?”
“He’s on his way.”
A different person now sat across from us at the desk. The judge looked at him. “Well, Mr. Osten, this may be fast.”
The doors opened behind us and I turned around. A man walked in. The breath caught in my throat. I recognized him from the pictures in my mother’s envelope. Even after seventeen years, my father still looked like the handsome young man my mother had married.
The judge motioned to him. “Mr. Riley, could you please call our late-comer to the party?”
One of the bailiffs came forward and led my father to the front of the courtroom. He paused and looked around. Our eyes met. He gasped. “Claire?”
I shook my head. “Erin.” We gravitated toward each other and I ended up in his embrace.
I have no idea what was going through the minds of anyone else in the courtroom at that moment. I only knew what I was feeling. I was in the arms of my father for the very first time. It felt right. The tears cascaded down my cheeks.
He gently pulled back. His eyes were dripping, too. “You look just like your mom.”
The judge cleared her throat. “Thank you for joining us, Mr. Dawson.” Her voice was thick with emotion. She dabbed at the corner of her eyes. “Well, there is certainly no doubt that this is Erin Dawson’s father.” She stood up and looked at me. “Miss Dawson, you are hereby relinquished from state custody to the custody of your biological father.” She banged the hammer on the desk. “Case closed and court is in recess.”
I turned back to my father. “What happened?”
“That’s a fair question.” He looked around. “Is there anywhere we can go to talk?”
Tony came up. “Mickey says it’s lunchtime and this one needs to eat.”
I grabbed his hand and introduced him. I introduced my dad to everyone, Max, Susan, Diana, David, Gloria, even Captain Pierson.
The captain shook his hand. “We’ve actually spoken on the phone. Tony is right. Lunch is in order. Why don’t we take this party to the diner?”
Tony laughed. “Why not?”
We all left the courthouse. My father looked at the drizzle falling. “I came in a cab. I don’t really know my way around.”
Max smiled. “Not a problem. You and Erin can ride with us.”
We regrouped at the diner. Tony and David spoke to the waitress and she pushed a couple of tables together back in one corner. Detective Owen also joined us. He shook my dad’s hand. “I think I have some papers for you to sign. Since Erin is still a minor, you’ll have to act as proxy for her estate funds.”
My dad looked confused. “I feel like I missed something.” Detective Owens filled him in while everyone ordered. My father looked at me. “Is it okay with you?”
“Of c
ourse it is.” I watched him sign the document.
Detective Owens handed me a thick folder. “You can pretty much go to college wherever you want now.”
David grinned. “So how much is she worth?”
“About four billion.”
Everyone sat in stunned silence. Somehow I remembered to breathe. “As in dollars?”
Tony put his arm around me. “I got a feeling that’s what he means.”
The waitress started bringing food. Tony guarded me while I ate. If someone tried to talk to me, he wagged his finger at them. “Wait until she’s done.”
My dad chuckled. “How long have you two been going out?”
David looked horrified. Tony just grinned. “Long enough for me to know her pretty well.”
I leaned on his arm and looked at my dad. “He’s really a sweet guy, honest.”
My dad smiled. “I trust your judgement. Your mom raised you well.”
My throat tightened. “So why didn’t you come back?”
His face fell. “I was MIA in Iraq for almost 6 months. I spent a few more in a base hospital before they finally let me come home for a visit. Harmond had told me that Claire had gone into early labor when she’d been told of my death and that she’d lost the baby and died herself a few days later.”
I was shocked. “He lied to you.” I closed my eyes.
Tony pulled me close. “Hey, remember to breathe.”
My father took my hand. “I’m so sorry, Erin. I made the mistake of believing him. I finished out my term of service and when I got out, my uncle offered me a job in Lake Tahoe. I met a lady there, we fell in love, and got married.”
“Do I have brothers or sisters?”
He grinned. “Three brothers and a sister. She’ll jump for joy when she hears about you.”
We all laughed. I looked around the table at the faces of the people who had become my extended family. “I don’t really want to leave. I know Hamilton has its issues but I’ve kind of gotten used to it.” I looked at Max. “And there’s the dojo.”
My father squeezed my hand. “Maybe we can find a way for you to stay, at least until you graduate. Then I’m hoping you’ll at least come home and visit.”
“You’d let me?”
“If that’s what you want. I’m not sure how I’m going to explain all this to Grace and the kids.”
Max looked at Susan and she nodded. He looked at us. “Erin is welcome to stay with Susan and me. We were actually discussing the possibility of taking her in if she would have stayed in the system.”
My dad spent some time talking to Max about the arrangements. He shook hands with Max. “It sounds like it will be a great opportunity for Erin. And it will give me time to get things smoothed over with the rest of my family.” He hugged me. “Maybe you and Tony can come and visit for Christmas? We help run a small ski chalet in the mountains above Lake Tahoe.”
I looked at Tony. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been on skis.”
He looked surprised. “I haven’t since I was ten. My brother almost dumped me off a ski lift at White Pass. That was it for me.”
My dad grinned at him. “I’m an instructor. I can help you get the snow back under your feet.”
Gloria excused herself. “Sorry, kids. I have a meeting to get to.”
Captain Pierson looked at his watch. “I do, too. Good luck to you, Erin.”
Tony looked at the time. “It wouldn’t do you any good to go to school now. Classes would be over by the time you got there.”
Max stood up. “James, why don’t you and Erin stop by our place so you can see where she will be staying?”
I glanced at Tony. He kissed me. “You go ahead. I’ll see you at the dojo in a while. Davy and I have some paperwork with our names on it.”
My dad and I got the grand tour of Max and Susan’s apartment. I’d have my own room for the first time in my life. He came with us to the dojo. He was fascinated by the different martial arts that I had studied. “Can I sit in and watch your classes?”
“Sure, Dad. I’m just going to go change.”
When I came back, Tony was talking to him. I could tell something was up. He pulled me into a bear hug. “I’m not going to be able to workout tonight and probably not this weekend. I have to help Gloria pack up stuff.”
“Why? Where is she going?”
“She’s been assigned to a school as a teaching assistant to try to crack a drug ring going around the staff. They think it may be connected to one in the student body so I’m being transferred in as her delinquent son. Just my luck. I have to play the bad boy again.”
I hugged him. “I’ll miss you in school.”
He buried his face in my neck. “I can’t come back to Hamilton anyway. Granger kicked me out.”
Max put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re still welcome here.”
Tony looked up and didn’t let me go. “I’m glad to hear that. Thanks, Max. But it will probably just be weekends while I’m working this case. It’s way up in Bellingham.”
“That’s so far away.”
He kissed me. “I know. I wish it wasn’t.” I walked with him toward the door. “When do you have to leave?”
“We have to move into the new apartment on Sunday and I start a new school on Monday.”
My eyes burned. I melted into his chest to hide the tears. “I’ll miss you.”
He pulled my head up and kissed me deeply. “I’ll miss you, too.” His voice was husky. He held me for a long time. “At least I know you’ll be safe here.”
Ryan and Amy came in. Amy came to my side. “What’s wrong?”
I glanced at Tony. “He got kicked out of Hamilton and his mom took a new job up in Bellingham so Tony can only come down on weekends.”
Ryan traded handshakes with Tony. “That’s a bummer. At least you’ll be able to be here for a couple of the Junior Master classes.” They went off to change.
I glanced at the clock. “My students will be here soon.”
“I know and I have to go. Gloria is waiting on me.” We walked outside and stood in the entry. He kissed me one more time. “At least I won’t have to worry about the girls bugging me at my new school.”
“Why is that?”
He grinned. “Because I’ll just tell them that my girlfriend is the Dragon Lady of Hamilton High.”
* ~ * ~ *
About Lady Li Andre
Lady Li lives in the Pacific Northwest. She spends her summers on the coast exploring rocks, trees, and tidepools. Winters are reserved for writing and teaching. She has been writing for over 35 years.
This story was written for Anna, who is facing challenges in her life. We all face challenges. They make us who we are.
If you have enjoyed this book, please share it with others. You may also enjoy other books by Lady Li Andre:
Eternal Knights: Dark Predator
Eternal Knights: Shadow Dancer
Weaver Wisdom
Writing the Journey
A Place Called Kalaloch
View book trailers on YouTube – search for Lady Li Andre channel
Have a great day! ~ Lady Li Andre
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