“I do nothing to her that I haven’t to any other child,” she said. “I care. I’m doing my job.”
How was it possible that by doing her job this happened?
She should have remembered he accused her of calling social services before. It was right around the time the rock went through her window and she never put the two together.
“It’s not your job to be nosy. The rock didn’t scare you. This was the last straw.”
Clay took a step forward. “You think spray painting my door is going to make me not care?” she asked.
“We’re done here,” Clay said, moving her to the side.
“Go in the house,” Ford said. “We all need to talk.”
Clay still had his arm around her and escorted her back up the front steps. The red paint was pretty much dry, her porch ruined.
Her landlords were going to be pissed over this too. They’d probably raise her rent on top of it.
“I’m going to have to move,” she said.
Clay swung her up and over the letters so she didn’t have to step on them. She saw Karl watching everything, then going back into his house, his door slamming hard.
The last thing she wanted was to be talked about.
“Why?”
“If my landlord doesn’t make me pay more for my troubles, then my neighbors are all going to be talking about me. I can’t stand that.”
“You did nothing wrong,” he said. He sat on the couch and pulled her under his arm.
“I feel like such an idiot. Looking back, the timing was there every time something happened with Macy, then something happened to me. But I didn’t report him. All I did was make one phone call to his house that Macy was hungry and the kids were picking on her for being dirty.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” he said. “Aren’t you the one that told me you can’t understand what is in everyone’s head?”
“I know,” she said, sniffling. A tear escaped. Maybe it was the aftermath of it. “I don’t want to be afraid to help kids in need or do my job.”
“Then don’t be,” he said. They turned when Ford came in.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“He had a knife on him,” Ford said. “Between his blood alcohol level and driving here, the weapon, and damage to the property. Plus he’s got priors. He’ll go away for a bit.”
Hearing about the knife wasn’t what she expected. “Was he going to hurt me?” She watched Clay and Ford share a glance. “Tell me. I want to know everything. Don’t keep it from me.”
“He said he was hoping you opened the door. Or came out to see what was going on. He was making enough noise for it.”
She shook. “If I didn’t have the camera I would have. I wouldn’t have known what was going on and would have opened the door to find out.”
The thought of being attacked in her home by a guy with a knife made her tremble with a deepening haze glossing over her eyes. The heat hit her spine and she was covered in sweat immediately. Clay’s arm tightened on her more.
No. She would have been better off not knowing that information.
“It didn’t come to that,” he said. “And don’t let your mind do that to you.”
“It’s hard not to,” she said. “I don’t want to not be able to stay here.” She was sobbing. “But now I’m scared. I’m not sure I can go through the door without thinking of him there.” She barely got over the flies and dead fish there not long ago.
“It’s healthy to be scared and aware,” he said, his fingers stroking her arm. “But now it’s gone. Don’t let the fear overrun you. Don’t let it consume you. Remember what you told me? Don’t pretend to know what is going through someone’s mind.”
He pulled her to his chest and held her tight as she cried on his shoulder. She turned her head when she heard the door open and saw Ford leave.
