I smother a laugh. “No, no. It’s nothing like that. Well, I don’t think it is. I need help with finding someone.”
He narrows his eyes and gestures for me to go on.
“You know Carson Howe? The teenager who works for me?”
“Yeah, I know Carson. He’s a good kid.” He nods, steepling his fingers. “It’s so sad, what happened.”
“Yes, exactly.” I nod, sliding forward in my chair. “And here’s the thing; he has no living family. It was just him and his parents. I’ve filled out all the paperwork I could and registered for the classes, but I need to keep him out of the system until I get approved to become a foster parent. I can’t let him be sent off to live with strangers, Chief. That wouldn’t be right.”
“I understand you care for your employee.” The chief eyes me, as though trying to gauge what my actual interest is in Carson, and I can’t help but feel a little offended, but also relieved. The more people Carson has looking out for his best interests, the better. “But you must realize, even if I knew where he was right now, I couldn’t tell you. He’s in a vulnerable position. I’m sure you get that.”
“You’re absolutely right, Chief. But like I said, I’m taking all the proper steps, and I will be a foster parent soon. There has to be something we can do to keep him nearby until that happens.”
“Even if you become a foster parent, there’s no guarantee that he would be placed with you. He’s almost of age, isn’t he?”
I nod. “He turned seventeen not that long ago.”
“Then he might end up in a group home until his eighteenth birthday.”
“We can’t let that happen,” I say a little louder than I intend to. Worry for Carson is making me careless. Yelling at the chief of police in his own office isn’t the best idea. “He has people here who care about him. I care about him. Wade cares about him. We will do everything we can to keep him here with us.”
Seeing that I won’t be deterred, Chief Woodcock releases a heavy sigh, leans forward in his chair, and grabs a pen. He pulls a business card from the holder on his desk and proceeds to write on the back of it, before passing it to me. “This is who you’ll need to call. Her name is Gloria, and she’s the social worker who deals with all child welfare cases coming out of Tuft Swallow, and a few other surrounding areas. If anyone can help you track him down, it’s her. If she doesn’t answer, keep trying. She’s a lot busier than you would think.”
I huff a relieved breath. “Thank you, Chief. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
He gives me a non-committal nod. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but it’s good that Carson has someone who cares as much as you seem to. I don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but his parents were worthless nobodies if I ever saw some. You didn’t hear it from me, but we’ve been called out to their place on more than one occasion, and it’s amazing to me it took this tragedy to get Carson out of that house. If it were left up to his parents, that place would have been a rundown shack. Carson is the only one who did anything to make that house a home.” His eyes get serious as he stands. “And it didn’t escape my notice that most of the time the only food in that place was from Wings and Pizza. It was kind of you to keep him fed like that.”
My eyes get a little misty as he confirms my earlier suspicions. Carson only ate what I fed him. I’m extra thankful that I started sending him home with food after every shift, besides what I made him eat every time he showed up for work. He’s still too skinny, but I can work on that when he comes to live with me. I know I can’t make up for the life that he’s lived so far, but I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure the rest of it is a thousand times better.
I don’t trust my voice to hold out, so after another quick thank you to Chief Woodcock, I say goodbye and leave hisoffice. I’ll give myself a few minutes to calm my emotions, but then I’m calling this Gloria person.
I may not have Carson with me yet, but I will do everything I can to make that happen. Because no matter how much I said I didn’t want to look after a bunch of kids, I can’t think of anyone more deserving of care than him. And strangely enough, I can’t bear the thought of anyone taking care of him but me.
After walking back to Wings and Pizza, I’ve calmed down enough to give this Gloria woman a call. I’m not letting Carson stay with a stranger any longer than absolutely necessary.
Without bothering to turn on any lights, I sit at my usual table and dial the number the chief gave me, prepared to leave a heartfelt message explaining my situation.
Imagine my surprise when I hear a short, business-like, “Glorian Freeman,” come through the phone.
I stutter a moment after the shock of getting a real person instead of a voicemail service. “Oh, um, yes. Hello. My name is Tina Falcone. I own Wings and Pizza in Tuft Swallow?”
Why did I say that like a question? It’s not like owning a restaurant will help me in this situation.
“How can I help you, Tina?”
To the point. I like her already. Now if she can help me find Carson, I’ll like her even more.
“I’m hoping youcanhelp me. You see, I’m looking for someone and Chief Woodcock mentioned you might be able to help me track him down. Carson Howe?”
The other woman hesitates before answering. “I’m acquainted with the young man. But I’m afraid I can’t tell you more than that.”
I blow out a breath. Maybe I don’t like this woman after all. “Carson works for me at the restaurant,” I say, hoping that will grant me some leeway. “I’ve been calling and texting him sinceI heard about what happened last night, but I haven’t heard anything from him yet.”
“He doesn’t have his phone. He said he dropped it last night. At the house.”
Shit. If that’s what happened, he won’t have a phone at all. And I doubt this social worker will be able to get him a replacement. But I bet that’s the kind of thing a guardian would take care of.
“I’ll go to Spitz Hollow and pick him up a new one today. Just tell me where to find him and I’ll deliver it myself.”
