Outrunning Villainy

Chapter 5: Down by the Riverside

Chapter 5: Down by the Riverside





The following afternoon, Engrid walked over to Andrew and Evan’s house to brainstorm how they were going to proceed for the evening.


“I’m not sure if all of us should go.” Engrid began, sitting down on the sofa in the living room, “We would be too conspicuous.”


“Who do you think should go?”


“Just Andrew and me. And we’ll take his car. A black Pathfinder will blend in better than a white Lincoln. We both have cell phones so we’ll be able to call if we get into trouble.”


“I’d rather go with you,” Evan stated, “Even if I just guard the car.”


“No, if the car is going to get stolen, I’d rather it be empty than have you get carjacked in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night. I’d hate it if the police found your dead body in a river a week from now.”


“I’d hate to read about yours in the newspaper.” Dora spoke from the open doorway, “Engrid, if you two go out there by yourselves you’ll get yourselves killed. I know you want to help, I’m just not sure this is the best way.”


“We’ve got to find her. The police do what they can, but they have their hands full as it is. As concerned citizens, we should do this. I’ve made up my mind, Andrew and I will go on this mission. The rest of you stay home. You can stay here together if you want to and wait for us to call with an update or get back from the trip.”


Myrtle appeared in the hallway behind Dora. Dora turned and explained Engrid’s decision. She wasn’t too pleased with it, but there was little point in discussing it once Engrid’s mind was set on something. Engrid and Andrew changed into their homeless clothes, got into his black Nissan Pathfinder and left the remainder of the group standing on the front porch watching them drive off into sparking sun of an October afternoon.


“I hope they’re going to be okay.” Dora said, worried as they drove out of sight. The rest of the group concurred.





                                                 #





Engrid and Andrew drove up on front of the homeless shelter at 5:28. Joyce was watching from a barred window and moved to meet them at the door.


“I figured you’d be back.” Joyce smiled at them.


They took their seats in her tiny, cramped office once again. This time, there was another chair- a metal folding chair for Andrew- Joyce had been expecting them and was prepared for their arrival.


“So,” Joyce began, “You’re looking for Amanda Riverside.”


“Yes. We’re still looking for her. We took your advice and went home last night and we’re returned to see what else we can find out.”


“That’s good. It’s better to get an early start. Let me start by saying that I hope you can help her. So many of these kids get into trouble- it’s nice to see normal, honest citizens going out of their way to help. So, word on the street is that Amanda’s been getting into drugs. It’s not that uncommon with this population but that’s why you won’t find her in any shelters. There’s a group of homeless addicts who gather at night around Milford Park, down by the river under the 17th Street Bridge. The reason I specified 5:30 is that you do not want to be down there after dark.”


“So, we just go down there and ask if anybody’s seen her?”


“That’s basically how it works. These folks don’t have permanent addresses or phone numbers, so the best you can do is try to track them down manually. She might not be there, who knows. This might be a wild goose chase but it’s the best shot you’ve got to find her.”


“Then I guess we will take what we can get.” Andrew said, rising to leave.


“Given the ease of your manner, I’m guessing you have a permit for it, but I would leave the gun in the trunk of the car.”


“You have a gun!” Engrid blurted out, looking wild eyed.


“It’s licensed and I’m fully trained in using it,” Andrew replied coolly.


“I’m sure you are Mr. Garrison, but you don’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble. If they see it or see the outline of it in your jacket, you can get attacked. It’s better just to leave it in the car- in the trunk in case you get pulled over or come up on a checkpoint.”


Andrew smiled, his eyes politely saying ‘no.’ Considering where they were going, he wasn’t about to part with his sidearm.


“Trust me, Mr. Garrison. I know what I am talking about. I have my master’s in social work, I’m an LISW and I’ve been working with the homeless population my entire career- spanning over thirty years. Please don’t get yourself in over your head.”


“I’m a trained CIA operative and I’ve been involved in missions on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. I’m not letting my sidearm off my person.”


Joyce wasn’t going to get into a pissing contact over this, so she just leaned back, “Just don’t shoot anybody. The CIA has no jurisdiction in South Carolina- you are acting as a private citizen, I am the one acting in a professional capacity here. If this were Azerbaijan, I’d say go ahead.”


Andrew again smiled politely and turned to leave. Once outside Engird lit into him, “Why in God’s name did you bring a gun? We don’t need a gun. Guns don’t solve problems you fool, they create them.”


“Guns can solve problems.”


“No they don’t. The only problems they might solve are the ones that guns created in the first place.”


“If someone attacks you Engrid, that’s the end of them. If someone attacks you Engrid, I will not let them walk away.”


“My life is not more important than theirs.”


“To me it is.”


“I don’t care what you think about it, we’re not taking the gun. We are leaving it in the trunk of the car, just like Joyce said we should.” She shook her index finger at him.


“I’m not leaving it.”


Engrid stopped dead in her tracks. “I am not going any further as long as that gun is on your person. I will watch you stow it in the back of the Pathfinder and I will watch as we leave to make sure you do not pick it up again. Am I clear? I know I haven’t been very forceful with you thus far in our relationship Andrew, but a gun is one thing I will not tolerate being around.”


“What if one of them has a gun, you know they might. If we aren’t armed, then we’re dead. If we are armed, we at least have a fighting chance.”


“I’m still not moving. Andrew, I’m serious.”


The two had a bit of a staring contest. “Okay.” Andrew conceded, “I’ll put it in the back of the Pathfinder.”


         “Good,” Engrid resumed walking towards the car in preparation for departure.


         They got in and drove off towards 17th street hoping to find Amanda before it was entirely too late to rescue her. Andrew got off the freeway and drove down toward a park near the bridge where they might find a parking space. The park was quite large with green grass, rolling hills, and large hardwood trees shading the land along the river’s edge. During the day, it was a beautiful park that was used for lunches and leisurely strolls by the occupants of the nearby office parks and apartment complexes. By night, Engrid shuddered to think what went on in this same park.


         Sitting in the safety of Andrew’s black Nissan Pathfinder, Engrid renegotiated their situation with herself. What on earth had they gotten themselves into? Was this really worth the risk? Were they going to be able to do some good for someone else or succeed only in harming themselves and getting into trouble?


         “I hope this is a good idea,” Engrid commented, staring out at the open park.


         “Me too. I just hope this isn’t a wild goose chase. What do we expect to do if we find her? I doubt she’d throw open her arms and welcome us.”


         “Why not?” Engrid hadn’t considered the possibility that Amanda would reject their offer. After all, her best interest was their primary focus.


         “She has no idea who we are or what we’re really up to. She might think we’re trying to kidnap her, turn her into the police, sell her spleen on EBay, we could be up to almost anything.”


         Engrid looked astonished, “I hadn’t thought of that. If she does, what will we do?”


         “If she won’t come with us, there’s not much else we can do.”


         “I wonder if Joyce could help. She’s been working with people all her life.”


         “I think that if Joyce could help she would have already. She doesn’t seem like the type to just sit by and do nothing.”


         “That’s true. Well, all we can do is try. If she says no…well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Until then, the plan remains in force.”


         “Agreed,” Andrew opened the door and stepped out.


         “Andrew,” Engrid said, “Sit back down for a few minutes.”


         “What’s the matter?”


         “Nothing’s the matter. I just want to do something before we go out there. I don’t see anyone, so we’ve got time.”


         Andrew was curious about what Engrid was really talking about, so he sat back in the driver’s seat and waited for her to continue.


         She looked at him, “I want to pray about this before we start.”


         He didn’t know quite what to say, “Um…okay.”


         She reached into her purse and pulled out a small book.


         “What’s that?”


         “It’s a Bible, Andrew.”


         She opened up the book and showed him the yellowed pages. It had a metal cover with a big dent in it, the paint long ago worn off.


         “Where did you get that?”


         “My brother…” She didn’t explain further. She sat looking at the text for a few minutes but did not say anything. Then she read a couple of passages to him.


         She closed her eyes and bowed her head. Andrew followed suit and closed his eyes and waited. She remained silent. He opened one eye and looked at her, wondering what she was waiting for. She inhaled quickly, sat up, and opened her eyes.


         “Time to go.” She opened the door and stepped out.


         “That was it? I thought you were going to pray.”


         “I did.”


         “Oh. But you didn’t say anything, other than read some from the Bible.”


         “I didn’t say anything to you…but that doesn’t mean I didn’t pray.”


         “Why did you want to do that?”


         “You brought your weapon, I brought mine,” she said, slipping the Bible back into her purse and sliding it under the seat.





                                                           #





         Evan, Dora and Myrtle were still standing on the front porch worrying about what Andrew and Engrid were about to get themselves into, when another car engine approached from the other direction. It was a little green sports car. It whizzed past Evan and Andrew’s house and slid to a stop in front of Myrtle’s abode.


         “Goodness gracious, what does he want?” Dora wondered aloud.


         “I don’t know, but I can’t believe he had the nerve to show back up here.” Myrtle scowled. “Should I go confront him or should I stay here until he leaves?”


         Dora just shrugged, “I don’t know. Whatever you think is best.”


         “I don’t feel like talking to him.”


         “Then stay here, Mom, he doesn’t deserve a second glance from you.”


         The three watched and waited as Dylan hurried up the pea gravel pathway to Myrtle’s front door. They waited and waited until about five minutes had passed by and he still hadn’t returned to his car and left.


         Evan spoke, “Dora, walk across the street and see if you can see what’s going on.” Engrid’s house was blocking their view of what Dylan was doing at Myrtle’s house.


         Dora walked down the steps and went across the street like she was going to the McKelvey’s old house. The older couple had moved to Dallas a few months ago to be closer to their son who was a CPA in the metroplex. She hurried purposefully up the steps to their house and knocked on the door. Of course no one answered, so she nonchalantly stood on the porch. The house was far enough away from Myrtle’s not to attract Dylan’s attention but close enough that Dora could see a fair amount of detail. Not that there was that much to see. Dylan was sitting on the steps twiddling his thumbs, obviously waiting for Myrtle to return home. Her car was in the driveway so Dora figured it must be obvious to him that Myrtle wasn’t too far away. Unless he thought she was inside and was just ignoring him- not that anyone could blame her for that after the spectacle he’d made of himself the night before.


         What Dora couldn’t have known was that Dylan saw her the minute she crossed the street. In fact, he’d seen the three people standing on the porch of the house two houses down when he drove by. He knew precisely where Myrtle was at that moment. He also knew that they would have recognized the car driving by and him walking up the pathway, so he knew they knew where he was at that moment. What he wanted to know was whether or not Myrtle would come to him or would she make him chase her down. After almost 10 minutes had passed, he had his answer. She wasn’t coming to him. He watched Dora on the porch of the house across the street out of his peripheral vision. He didn’t want to tip her off that he knew she was there. He watched her as she looked toward him and then looked toward the second house down the street where the others were standing. He knew that Myrtle and Evan were still standing outside getting information from Dora.


         Dylan got up from his perch on the top step of Myrtle’s house and walked back down the gravel path to his car parked by the curb. Once on the curb, he made a sharp turn and headed down the sidewalk rehearsing what he was going to say to Myrtle before he did what he’s come here to do. Dora’s eyed widened, the subject was on the move. She motioned for Evan and Myrtle to go away. They got the message and hurried into the house, quickly closing the door and scooting into the interior of the house away from the windows. Dylan appeared around the corner of Engrid’s house. He was closing in fast. Dora hurried off the porch so he wouldn’t come over there when they didn’t answer the door. She hid, squatted behind an unkempt azalea bush and watched. Evan and Myrtle were hiding in the kitchen, the curtains closed and the lights off.


         The doorbell rang. Evan and his mother cast uncertain glances at each other. There was a period of silence before the doorbell rang again. They still did not respond. The doorknob rattled. It turned. Dylan pushed the door open and stepped in.


         “Hello? Is anybody home?” He took another step, deeper into the interior.


         “I know you’re in here. Evan? Myrtle? I want to talk to you. It’s important.”


         Evan whispered, “God, he’s in the house. Is he crazy?”


         Myrtle whispered back, “Yes.”


         “We need to hide better.” Myrtle stated.


         Evan pointed and tiptoed over to the pantry. The pair slid into the tiny pantry and slowly closed the door just as Dylan appeared in the kitchen doorway.


         Myrtle couldn’t imagine what was going through that man’s head. Was this a hate crime in progress? Was he here to murder mother and son? Was he here to murder her while Evan was forced to watch? She needed to stop watching Law and Order: SVU late at night. The thoughts that ran through her head were chilling. Somehow Dylan sensed their presence. He walked around the room a few times, scanning for any signs of their presence. They were here, he just knew it. He took a step closer to the pantry door. Myrtle threw open the pantry door and confronted him.


         “What do you want? Why are you here?”


         “Myrtle, sweetheart, don’t be mad at me.”


         “Don’t be mad? How dare you say that to me? I thought I was falling in love with you. How could I be so blind? You are a cruel, vicious man and I want you out of my life.”


         “Myrtle…”


         “You heard her,” Evan stated firmly, stepping forward from his mother’s shadow, “Get out of my house.”


         “No,” Dylan replied coldly.


         “Dylan, you will leave my house right now,” Evans voice shook slightly but it was firm.


         He extracted the small pistol from his jacket pocket.


         Evan and Myrtle looked on in horror. They had trapped themselves in a corner. Dylan was between them and the door, there was no escape. Their fate was sealed.


         The voice boomed, “This is the police, you are surrounded! Come out with your hands up.”


         Dylan wheeled around and looked out the window. There were police in riot gear stationed in front of the bougainvilleas along the side of Engrid’s house. He figured there were probably some stationed out front too.


         A profanity slipped his lips.


         “I ought to kill you both right now!” He waved the gun around frantically.


         Evan’s cell phone jingled in his pocket.


         “Give me that!” Dylan demanded, putting out his hand.


         Evan slipped the phone out of his pocket and handed it over.  Dylan looked at the LCD display. Dora was calling. He flipped it open.


         “What do you want, you ^*$(@?”


         Dora was taken aback at being called such a nasty name, but she brushed it off. “I know you’re up to no good in there. You’re better off just to give up now.”


         “What are you- the police negotiator?”


         “Yes.”


         “Well I want a million dollars in unmarked bills and a helicopter.”


         She dripped the sarcasm, “I’ll get right on it.”


         “I am not talking to you. I don’t talk to dykes- especially nasty, saggy old ones.”


         “I’m what you’ve got. This is Deerfield. Everybody’s got a gun but the town’s a little short on negotiators. This is the land of ‘shoot first and ask questions later.’”


         “So?”


         “So, if you plan to get out of this alive, I’d suggest you put the gun down and walk away. If you hurt Evan or Myrtle, I’ll kill you myself- if it’s the last thing I do.” She gripped the phone and pressed it tightly to her ear, the tension evident on her furrowed brow.


         “You’re so old you’ll probably drop dead anyway,” Dylan hissed in reply.


         “Possibly, but if I go out of this world, I’m taking you with me. I’ll drop you off in a place a little warmer than where I’m headed.”


         “Yeah right. Everybody knows dykes and fags burn.”


         “Hmmm. I doubt it. If they do, that’s not the reason why,” She smiled politely, knowing that her smile transferred over the phone lines.


         “I guess you’re the expert.”


         “On some things…now, put the gun down and come out of the house.”


         “No,” He said it coldly but with less resolution than when he said it earlier.


         “Then I guess we’ll just have to come in and take it from you like a little kid’s toy since you won’t be an adult about this.”


         “You can’t do that. I’ll kill them both,” His voice cracked slightly, he glanced wildly around the kitchen to see if he could tell what they were up to.


         Just as he realized what was going on, there was an instant of shattering glass and Dylan dropped to the floor. He’d been struck in the head with a rubber bullet. It didn’t kill him but it knocked him completely unconscious. Dylan lay motionless on Andrew and Evan’s kitchen floor. Evan and Myrtle stood in shock as police poured through the front door tramping on the hardwood floors and thick rugs with their heavy boots. Several officers stayed in the hallway, others went room to room looking for anybody else that might be in the house, while two went into the kitchen to retrieve the perpetrator from his spot sprawled on the kitchen floor.


         Dora took off for the door as soon as the police breached the entrance. She hurried past an officer. Since she was involved in the negotiations, she was allowed to pass. Dora bounded up the front steps, as fast as a 93 year old can bound up the steps, and headed for the kitchen. When she appeared in the doorway, Evan and Myrtle were still hugging each other tightly, looking at what was happening in front of them. As Dora came into the kitchen, a gurney appeared in the doorway and Dylan was loaded onto it and whisked away.


         “Are you okay?” Dora asked.


         They released the death grip they had on one another and breathed a small sigh of relief that the situation was over. Myrtle grabbed the back of a chair to lean on while Evan leaned up against the wall for support.


         Myrtle replied, “We’re fine. We’re just shaken up but we’re not hurt, thankfully.”


         Dora’s shoulders and forehead slackened with the relief of knowing that it was over and everyone was okay.


         “Do you think we should call Andrew or Engrid and let them know what happened?” Evan asked.


         Dora thought about it for a moment, “I don’t think so.”


         “Engrid would be mad if something happened and we didn’t let them know.”


         “Okay,” Dora conceded, “We’ll call them but we’ll only say that Dylan was here but it didn’t go well and he left.”


         “I guess that’s technically true,” Evan admitted.


         He went into the living room and retrieved his cell phone from the end table by the sofa. His hands were still shaking as he tried to punch the buttons to call his honey, Andrew.


         It went straight to voicemail. For whatever reason, his cell phone was off. He tried calling Engrid but she didn’t pick up either. Her phone rang so it wasn’t off, but she wasn’t answering. Neither was answering, that was not a good sign.


         Evan’s face fell, “You don’t think Dylan paid them a visit before he came here do you?”


         “He wouldn’t have had time, he drove up just as they were leaving.”


         “That’s good. It means he couldn’t have hurt them.”


         “Unless he had help.”


         “What do you mean?”


         “What if a friend helped him- he came here while the other caught up with the others- that way neither group would have a chance to warn the other.”


         “I doubt it,” Dora said, “This seems more like a crime of passion, besides, he had no way of knowing what we were up to. He didn’t know we were out looking for his daughter. You didn’t say anything to him about it, did you Myrtle?”


         “No. I haven’t talked to him since that fiasco of a dinner gathering.”


         “Good. Then that means the others are fine and it’s just a coincidence that they’re not answering their phones.”


         “They probably just left them in the car.”


         “That wasn’t smart of them, if they get into trouble they won’t be able to call for help.”


         “Do you think we should go try to find them,” Myrtle asked.


         “No, we have no idea where they are. We’re better off here until they contact us.”


         


                                                 #





         Engrid and Andrew walked along the edge of Milford Park along the banks of the Saluda River, waiting to see if anyone else came along. This didn’t seem like that seedy of an area, but perhaps once darkness had completely fallen more nefarious looking characters would appear. Engrid wondered if the presence of two outsiders, clearly not homeless themselves might be keeping people at bay.


         “Perhaps we should come back a little later. I don’t think anyone’s going to come out as long as we’re here,” Engrid commented.


         “I guess we could do that. I don’t see anybody.”


         They turned to head back to the car when they heard footsteps. They were muffled by the soft grass, but they caught Andrew’s ears. He put up his hand to gently block Engrid’s return to the car.


         “What is it?” She asked in a whisper.


         “I hear something.”


         Engrid strained to hear what Andrew was talking about. She squinted, thinking she might see something up ahead, behind a large oak tree.


         A voice from beside them startled both. Engrid and Andrew jumped and Engrid let out a little yelp. The man standing beside them certainly did not look homeless. He was dressed in a gray sweater and wore a long black coat and black dress slacks and wing tipped shoes. His face was a little pale and drawn, his eyes dark and shadowy but otherwise a decently attractive looking man. Engrid just stared at him for a moment.


         “May I help you with something?” He asked, not threateningly, but with an edge.


         Andrew and Engrid were so flustered and startled, neither said anything at first. Then Andrew picked up, “I don’t know. Are you familiar with the area?”


         “Are you lost? I help lost people.” He smiled, revealing perfectly straight, white teeth.


         There was something disquieting about the man. It could have been a leftover from being startled by him, but Engrid sensed something else about the man. There was something sinister about his presence.


         “Actually, we are not lost,” Engrid began, “But we know someone who is.”


         “Perhaps I can help. Who’s lost?”


         “A girl named Amanda.”


         “Amanda?” He turned the name over in his head. “I don’t think I know her.”


         “Hmmm,” Engrid didn’t trust this guy one bit, “That’s too bad.”


         “Is there anything else I can help you with?” He asked.


         “No, no I don’t believe so. That was all we wanted.” Engrid started to leave. The strange man stepped in front of her and blocked her path.


         “Please get out of my way,” She smiled politely, her insides terrified.


         “No. I don’t think I will. You have no business here.”


         “Yes, we do. We must find Amanda before it’s too late.”


         He smiled back, his dark eyes boring into her, “It already is.”


         Andrew looked puzzled. The man tensed. She stepped forward and shouted commanded the man to step out of her way. It was bold move for a little old lady two thirds his size.


Andrew wasn’t sure what was going on. Each time she said it, she took another step forward and the man backed up a step. Finally, after four times, he turned and walked back behind the tree. He didn’t come back.


         Engrid started walking towards the river.


         “What was that about?”


         Engrid didn’t reply to him, she only kept walking.


         “Who was that man?”


         “I don’t know and I don’t want to find out.”


         Andrew didn’t say anything else. He just followed behind her, casting glances over his should to see if the eerie man was still following them. As far as he could see, there was no one there. Engrid came to a stop at a bench facing the riverfront. She turned around and stared into the darkness that had fallen since they left the Pathfinder at the top of the hill. The warmth and safety of her home seemed so far away. She longed to have this finished so she could go back there. She felt very vulnerable and unsafe out here, even if Andrew was a ju-jitsu master. What lurked out here might not be defeated by martial artistry.


         “Why won’t you tell me what just happened back there?”


         “It doesn’t matter. We’ve got to find her. He may have been right, it may already be too late, but we’ve at least got to try.”


         Andrew looked around. There were a few more people milling around down by the bridge pilings.


         “Should we go down there?” Andrew pointed in their direction.


         “Yes,” Engrid stated simply and walked off.


         Andrew followed her, the hard pit in his stomach tightening. The encounter with the strange man further up the hill had left him ill-at-ease. Engrid relentlessly pursued the small huddle of people.


         A few of them looked up, noticing the approaching people. They glanced back down. Their scratchy beards and unkempt clothes were a giveaway that these were homeless people. It might be stereotypical, but truthful at the same time.


         Engrid reached the perimeter of the group and stood quietly. Andrew came up behind her. He stood very close, to make sure that if anyone made a move to harm her, they would have to go through him first. She stood there a few more minutes, not speaking to anyone. She attempted to make eye contact, but got politely rebuffed. No one was interested in idle conversation this evening. She suddenly loudly blurted out, “Amanda?”


         Everyone looked up and stared at her. She repeated, “Amanda! Are you here?”


         The huddle group continued to stare at Engrid. Mental illness was not uncommon in these parts, so most folks just thought she was another little old lady who’d fallen off her rocker. Amanda was probably a child or grandchild who died years ago.


         Engrid started walking around, calling out Amanda’s name. Someone stood up and approached her. “Who are you looking for, honey?”


         Andrew stayed close behind, watching the old woman’s every move.


         “Amanda. Do you know her? Have you seen her?” Engrid asked.


         The old woman looked sympathetic. She cooed, “I’m sure she’s find honey. Have you had anything to eat?”


         Engrid thought about it for a moment, “No, I haven’t.”


         “Well come over here. You can have the rest of my meatloaf.”


         “Oh no, no. I’ll get something later. You go ahead and eat it.”


         “I’ve had my fill; you need it more than me.”


         Not wanting to be rude, Engrid agreed to the woman’s offer. “My name is Dianne Howard. What’s your name?”


         “Engrid…Engrid Matthews.”


         “It’s nice to meet you, Engrid. Who’s your friend over there giving me the evil eye?”


         “That’s my friend Andrew. He helps me.”


         “How does he help you, dear?” The old woman was still talking to Engrid as if she was a little girl, not as a fellow senior citizen.


         Engrid smiled over at Andrew. “He bails me out when I get in over my head.”


         “That’s good.” She patted the back of Engrid’s hand, “It’s nice to have someone looking out for you.”


         “Do you have anyone looking out for you?”


         “Oh heavens no,” the woman smiled, “After my husband’s cancer and funeral, I was flat broke. He was 87 years old so he didn’t have life insurance or anything like that. At that age, it was just too expensive. We didn’t have any children and I’m the last surviving member of my siblings. I thought I would just die and go be with my husband and my parents and family, but so far I haven’t. So far, God has seen fit to keep me here.”


         Engrid cast her eyes to the ground. This poor old woman had no one to turn to in her final years. She felt guilty that she had a beautiful home, children and grandchildren, and neighbors who were like family. Her life seemed like a fulfilling dream as she was listening to Dianne’s story.


         “Aren’t there shelters or things like that that you can go to?”


         “I suppose so. They fill up pretty early though. Lots of kids and working folks stay there. I figure they need the beds more than I do. I don’t do much during the day. Come to think of it, I don’t do much at night either.”


         “Where’d you get the meatloaf?”


         “There’s a soup kitchen not far from here. A bunch of churches run it and provide food four or five nights a week. I go there most of the time.”


         “It’s very good.”


         “I think so too. It’s my favorite meal of the week. They have macaroni and cheese too, but I already ate that.”


         “I’ll have to go there sometime.”


         “We can go together if you want. I stay here under this bridge piling most of the time.”


         “I would love to, but I am looking for someone.”


         “Amanda.”


         “Yes.”


         “At first I thought you were just another old woman with mental problems, but I see now that you’re not. I have heard of a girl by that name that sometimes comes down here and sometimes she’s in the railroad switchyard. She’s fallen in with a bad crowd from what I hear.”


         “I’ve heard that too but no one will tell me what kind of trouble she’s in.”


         “I don’t know either.” Dianne looked out over the rippling water of the river. “Dope would be my guess. Actually, I saw here down here not too long ago. She looked bad.”


         “Bad how?”


         “Sad. She looked pale; her face was all sunken in like she hadn’t eaten in forever. She had that distant, haunted look people get in their eyes when they get burned.”


         “Burned?”


         “By too much drugs. It burns your brain. Don’t you remember those commercials?”


         “What commercials?”


         “Oh you remember. The guy with the frying pan…he holds up an egg and says, ‘this is your brain’ and then he cracks it into the frying pan and says ‘this is your brain on drugs.’ I know you remember those commercials. They were on TV all the time for years.”


         “Oh yes, I remember those.”


         “Well, it’s not too far from the truth.”


         “I didn’t think Amanda had been on the street long enough for that to happen.”


         “It doesn’t take long. There’s a guy who is down here a lot who gets the kids hooked on that stuff. It’s not just pot or anything like that- it’s the hard stuff that nearly kills them. Then he convinces them to do all kinds of things- robbery, assault, all kinds of bad stuff.”


         “Is he dressed in a long, dark coat and a gray sweater?”


         “Yes! How did you know that?”


         “I ran into him earlier.”


         “Oh dear. I guess that means he’s here tonight.”


         “Maybe not. I think I got rid of him. He probably thinks Andrew is a cop.”


         Dianne scoffed, “There’s no getting rid of him. He’ll be back as soon as you leave.”


         “Hopefully not.”


         “That man is pure evil. He kills those kids just as sure as he puts a gun to their heads.”


         “I’m sure he is evil too. I hope he doesn’t get anyone else hooked.”


         “He will. He can spot the easy marks. I guess that’s why he’s never bothered me. He knows I’ll never touch dope with a ten-foot pole. I just wasn’t raised that way.”


         “I’m glad of that.”


         “I don’t want to fall victim to sin and miss the eternal reward. At my age, that would be like getting tackled on the one yard line.”


         “I know the feeling,” Engrid said, “You’ve worked hard to live a good life all yours days and you don’t want to throw it away at the last minute.”


         “No, I don’t. I’m glad you understand. But those kids are throwing away their whole lives, Engrid. I’ve lived my life but they’re just getting started when they get destroyed. I mean 13-14 year old kids. How they ended up out here in the first place is beyond me.”


         “There’s no telling I guess.”


         “Not really- once they get burned, who knows if they’re telling the truth or not? You don’t know if their honest or crazy as they come.”


         “That’s a real shame,” Engrid stated, looking out over the riverbank.


         “It is…it really is.”


         “How many people come here at night?”


         “I don’t know. This is a about as big as the crowd gets. Once the shelters fill up, they come here. At least this way you get to talk to people and it’s not quite so boring and lonely.”


         “I guess that’s one good thing.”


         “Yeah, but groups like this tend to attract…undesirables.”


         “Like the guy in the black coat you mentioned earlier.”


         “Prime example…I have no idea what his name is or I’d report him to the police.”


         “I wish you could.”


         “But he’s sneaky. He’ll just appear out of nowhere. Scare you half to death. Then he disappears just as weirdly as he came.”


         “That is odd.”


         “That man’s the nearest thing to a devil I’ve ever met.”


         Engrid didn’t reply to that last comment.


         “Where is the railroad switchyard from here?”


         “I’m not telling you.”


         “Why not?”


         “It’s even more dangerous than here. Mostly nice, decent folk stay here, the people down at the rail yard are not to be messed with by the likes of you. My advice- if you really want to find her, stay here and wait for her. She’ll turn up sooner or later. Hopefully…”


         Engrid didn’t like the sound of that ‘hopefully.’ She knew enough to know that it might be too late. She hated the thought that Amanda may already be dead…or beyond helping.


         “I’m going to go over and talk to Andrew and maybe a couple of other folks. I’ll be back in a bit,” Engrid said.


         “I’ll be right here all night.”


         Engrid got up and walked over to where Andrew was standing down near the water’s edge. He’d kept an ear out and made sure that Engrid stayed within earshot. Andrew was staring out at the twinkling city lights on the far side of the river. Engrid walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.


         “How late do you think we should stay?” She asked.


         “I don’t know. I called Evan to make sure everything’s okay and to let him know that we’re alright.”


         “Good.”


         “Anything happen on their end?”


         “Not really. He said that Dylan came by and Myrtle sent him away. That was it.”


         “Hmm. I’m surprised he came back. I’m not sure what he expected to happen.”


         “I don’t know either. Some people just can’t let go.”


         “I suppose to a degree we’re in that category.”


         “But in a good way.”


         “That remains to be seen.”


         Engrid looked quietly across the river too. “Apparently, there’s also a rail switchyard where Amanda goes sometimes.”


         “We’re not going there.” Andrew informed her.


         “I know. It’s too dangerous. I agree with that.”


         “I’m glad I don’t have to talk you out of it.”


         “Andrew, I don’t know about this. I’m starting to have doubts.”


         “Like what?”


         “Well, what do we expect to do when we find her? If she’s as bad off as Dianne says, then we might not be able to help.”


         “We can get her the help she needs. We aren’t professionals in this department, but I bet Joyce can put us in touch with a rehabilitation place that can help.”


         “That’s a good point. We can do that. We can help simply by making the connection.”


         “See, there’s hope after all.”


         “Unless she’s already dead…”


         “Well, then at least we tried.”


         “Small consolation…”


         “I know.”


         “But I guess God doesn’t call us to succeed, only to trust and try.”


         “I suppose.”


         The pair stood in silence for a few minutes listening to the rustle of small ripples brushing over the sand of the shoreline. Somewhere off the in the distance, they heard a large fish jump and splash back into the water. They were broken from their reverie by shouts from behind them.


         “What’s happened?” Engrid asked. She heard splashing from out in the river.


         “I’m not sure.” Andrew replied.


         One of the older men came up to Andrew and said, “You’ve got to help, someone’s jumped off the bridge.”


         “What?”


         “Someone jumped off the bridge. Can you swim?”


         “Yes, I can swim.


“Can you hear the splashing?”


         “Yes.”


         “Then you’d better hurry.” The man pointed out into the dark waters.


         He heard someone yelling for help from out in the river. He kicked off his shoes and waded out into the river. Fortunately it was a pretty slow moving river, so the person wasn’t being carried downstream very quickly. He dove in and swam as hard has he could out to the middle of the river. Engrid strained but she couldn’t see what was going on out in the darkness of the river. She reached in her pocket but was dismayed to remember that she’d left her cell phone in her purse under the seat in the Pathfinder. She couldn’t call the police for help, Andrew was on his own.


         “Does anyone have a cell phone to call the police for help?” She asked.


         No one replied. She could hear the splashing of Andrew swimming out in the water. She had to do something to help. She hurried off in the direction of the car. She took a half dozen steps when she remembered that Andrew had the keys in his pocket. Once again, he was on his own. She looked around, she thought she heard sirens. How did the police find out what happened? Maybe someone in the on-looking crowd had a cell phone after all.


         She went back over to the water’s edge and tried desperately to see what was happening. Thanks to the twinkling lights on the far shore, Andrew was able to see the silhouette of a person further out. He was closing in fast.


         “Swim towards the shore!” He shouted, his lithe body moving swiftly though the water.


         The arms kept flailing and the voice was sputtering. Andrew swam harder; he was getting farther from shore and closer to running out of time. He wasn’t sure how many times the person could go under before drowning.


         Engrid stood nervously on the shore, hoping that Andrew wouldn’t drown in the river trying to rescue someone. She mentally kicked herself for leaving her phone in the car.


         Andrew reached the person and grabbed the wrists and brought the person up into a hug so he could get a firmer grasp. It was a young girl, her eyes wide with fear.


         “I’ve got you!” Andrew said, beginning to paddle with his feet back towards shore. He managed to drag her out of the water and onto shore just as two paramedics made their way down the hill with their equipment in tow. One was a tall thin guy with sandy blonde hair while the other was short, chubby and wore glasses.


         “Is she breathing?” The tall one asked.


         “Yes, she’s breathing. She’s a little shaken up but she’ll be fine.”


         The paramedics stopped their frantic pace now that they knew she was conscious and lucid. “We should take you up to the ambulance and run some tests. You took a pretty nasty spill off that bridge. That’s a long way to fall.”


         Engrid stooped down next to the girl, “Why did you fall off the bridge?”


         “I don’t know,” She shivered, the October night air was crisp and the soaking wetness from the river didn’t help. The bespectacled paramedic produced an orange blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.


         “You don’t know? What’s the last thing you remember?”


         “I was walking across the bridge to come here. Something happened and I stumbled and fell over the railing.”


         “What happened?”


         “I don’t know. Something scared me I guess. I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”


         “It’s okay now -as long as you didn’t try to jump.”


         “No, I didn’t. I fell. It was an accident.”


         Engrid stood up. The short paramedic stooped down where Engrid had been and put his hand on her shoulder, “What’s your name?”


         “Amanda.” She replied.


         Engrid’s eyes bugged out. “Amanda Riverside?”


         “Yes…how did you know that?”


         “We’ve been looking for you.”


         “Why?”


         “Your dad told us what happened and so we came to find you.”


         “I’m not going back home.”


         “You don’t have to,” Engrid assured her, “But you shouldn’t stay out here either.”


         “I don’t care. Go away…all of you.” She wrenched her arm away from the paramedic and tried to stand up. She stumbled a bit.


         “Amanda, you need to come with us for just a few minutes. We need to run some tests to make sure you are okay.” She eyed them cautiously. She was settling back in after the panic of falling off the bridge and the shock of flailing in the cold water wore off. Her mind had been crystal clear there for the first moments in months. Now it was starting to fog back in again.


         “It’s okay,” Engrid said soothingly, “It’ll be fine. You don’t have to go back to your father’s house if you don’t want to.”


         “I’m not going there.”


         “That’s okay.”


         “I’m not going with you either!” She screeched.


         Engrid was stunned at how strongly Amanda had reacted to not going with her.


         “But we can help you.” Engrid said.


         “No you won’t! You’re going to kill me- just like they are!” She pointed at the paramedics. They knew what was probably happening. She was on something.


         “We’re not going to hurt you. We only want to help you.”


         “You have to come with us,” The tall paramedic said.


         “No!”


         Engrid took a step back. Things had taken another turn for the serious. She didn’t understand what was happening. Amanda was determined not to go with their her or the paramedics.


         “Can you release her into our custody after you finish your tests?”


         “No. We can’t do that now.”


         “Why not?”


         “We have to take her to the county general detoxification center.”


         “Why?”


         “She’s on drugs- cocaine most likely, possibly some other things. We won’t know for sure until we run the necessary tests.”


         “I’ve heard that she was.”


         “Then you should also know that we cannot release her into your custody unless you are a licensed medical professional. Are you?”


         “No. I’m a retired math teacher.”


         “Are you?” He looked at Andrew.


         “No. I’m an investment advisor.”


         “Then I’m sorry but we have to take her with us. We legally cannot turn her over to you even if you were family.”


         Engrid was discontented to accept that decision, but she had no choice.


         “Where is the detoxification center?” She piped up as they turn to escort Amanda up the hill to the waiting ambulance.


         The tall paramedic turned and looked at her for a few moments. “Ma’am, no offence, but that’s not a place for you. Find a comfortable place and try to get some sleep.”


         “None taken, but there’s no way I can sleep until I know she’s okay.”


         “Fine. Do you have a car?”


         “Yes.”


         “Then you can follow us. Come on, Amanda.” He gently ushered her away, but she turned aside from him. There were a few misty tears forming on the corners of her eyes. She pulled free and took off running. The paramedics gave chase. She flew up the hill with the speed of a panicked jackrabbit. She sailed almost effortlessly around benches, trees, other homeless people coming to stake their claim to riverfront property. The paramedics were losing ground. Two paramedics in their 40’s were no match for a lithe 14 year-old with narcotic stimulants in her system. Engrid, being 89 was even slower than they were. Andrew took the lead in the pursuit of Amanda. The look of sheer, unadulterated panic in her eyes made Engrid’s spine tingle. She had no idea what was going on inside that young girl’s mind.


         Andrew ran faster. Amanda ran faster. She kept looking over her shoulder to keep track of her attacker. She was convinced that they were going to kill her. The unnamed man had warned her that they would. He was the one who sold her the drugs. He was the one who approached her during her first night in the homeless encampment. He’d warned her then that these people might come. How did he know it would be a young guy and an old woman? The man must have been psychic or something. If he knew who was coming, she’d better believe him when he said that they only wanted to kill her. She kept running. In her mind, she was running for her life. Andrew was gaining on her. Engrid was falling further behind, her elderly legs tiring of the uphill battle towards the street where the ambulance and the Pathfinder sat silently waiting. She stopped altogether and put her hand up against a tree to steady herself. She watched Andrew vanishing into the distant darkness. She thought she heard a dark voice in the night say, “I told you it was too late.” She started moving again, she wasn’t succumbing to some unknown voice. She just wouldn’t let that happen. Amanda was depending on them not giving up on her.


         Amanda looked back over her shoulder and tripped over a tree root sticking out of the ground. She fell fast and hard onto the ground. The soft grass lessened the blow, but it still stunner her. She tried to get up, but Andrew was close enough to pounce. He tackled her back to the ground. She wiggled and writhed trying to escape her would-be murderer. While she was fast and agile, Andrew beat her in brute strength. He managed to hold her down until the paramedics were able to inject some sort of tranquilizer into her system. The writhing and wrenching slowed as the drugs took their effect. By the time Engrid arrived on the scene, Amanda was already strapped down onto the gurney. Engrid sought to refuge of the bench at the bus stop about 20 yards away from the ambulance doors. She flopped exhausted onto the bench and stared off into space. The whole energy expenditure of the evening was taxing on her weary bones.


         As the paramedics were attending to the now unconscious Amanda Riverside, Andrew joined her on the bus stop bench.


         “I guess we have to go to the detoxification center,” Engrid said, “But I’m so tired all I want to do is go home and go to bed.”


         “I’m taking you home. We’ve done all we can tonight. The doctors and nurses at the detoxification center can take better care of her than we ever could.”


         “But she should have someone besides a medical professional there when she wakes up.”


         “I’m sure they have a chaplain. Engrid, we’ve done everything we can.”


         “We didn’t really do anything.”


         Andrew sat silently for a few moments. Then he spoke, “Yes we did. We saved that girl’s life tonight.”


         “How? We rescued her from the river…then we caught up with her so the paramedics could do their thing. Neither of those things would have happened if we weren’t here. She probably would have drowned in the river and even if she got out, she would have outrun the paramedics and who knows where she’d be now if it wasn’t for us.”


         “So, you did a lot. I’m just a fat old woman who didn’t do diddly squat.”


         “Perhaps I contributed to the effort, but I wouldn’t have been anywhere near here if it weren’t for you. I may have done the physical part, but you’re the one who made it possible.”


         Engrid pondered that for a moment, “I guess you’re right. We did what we came here to do. Now, let’s go home and get some sleep.”


         “I think that’s a great idea. How about I drive us home?”


         Engrid nodded tiredly, and stood up. She shuffled over to the Pathfinder and crawled into her seat. She stared silently out of the car window as they drove down the quiet, deserted streets of midnight Columbia.


         Andrew wanted to ask her again about the unknown man who they encountered in the park. He wanted to know why the man had such an eerie feeling about him. Was it just the circumstances of the evening, or was there something else to it? But he was too tired to ask and Engrid looked utterly exhausted.


         He dropped her off at her house and then coasted down to his own driveway and parked. Evan was sitting on the porch swing as Andrew came up the stone pathway from the driveway to the base of the steps.


         “So, what happened? Last I heard you were standing by a river talking to homeless people. Were you able to find her?”


         “Yes. We found her. She’s at the county detoxification center now. She’ll be okay I hope.”


         “Wow! I really didn’t think you’d find her. That’s great.”


         “She kind of found us…in a roundabout way.” Andrew said cryptically.


         “What do you mean?”


         Andrew recounted the whole story of Amanda falling off the bridge, rescuing her from the river, chasing her and having the paramedics take her away.


         “Before you go inside, there’s something I need to tell you.”


         “What’s that?”


         “Well, remember how I told you that Dylan came by and mom sent him away?”


         “Yes.”


         “Well, there’s more to the story than that.”


         Evan proceeded to recount the story about Dylan and the gun and the rubber bullets and the swat team. Once he finished regaling them with his brush with death, they just sat in shell-shocked silence.


         Andrew took Evan’s hand in his and they continued to sit quietly in that porch swing. They’d both had a rough day and all either wanted was to sit on the porch swing and be comforted by one another’s presence.


         “I’m ready for bed,” Andrew announced and stood up.


         Everyone went to bed and tried to forget the traumas of the day.