Brian Freeman - The Cold Nowhere

‘This one’s not an ordinary case for you,’ Steve said. ‘I get it.’

‘You’re right.’

‘So what are you going to do about her?’

‘Legally, she belongs with the Greens. They’re her guardians, but I want to find out what’s going on in that house before I drop her back there. Dory’s still not an option, and I’m not comfortable putting her in the hands of the child protection system until I know whether she’s genuinely in danger.’

‘You may be taking on more responsibility than you realize, Jon. We’ve both seen kids like this. No matter what you do, Cat may run away again. Teenagers like her do stupid things, and sometimes they pay the price.’

‘I hear you, Steve. Really.’

‘I hope you do, because I was waiting to tell you the most important thing. It’s urgent that she change her behavior immediately. No drugs, no drinking, no smoking, no fighting, and a better diet. I want her back in to see me this week. She and I have a lot to talk about.’

Stride closed his eyes in frustration. He knew what Steve was going to say, but he asked anyway. ‘Tell me.’

‘Cat’s pregnant,’ Steve said.

Cat’s skin glistened as she emerged from the bathroom, wearing a silk robe that Serena had left behind. Her hair was wet. The gold chain around her neck sparkled as it dangled into the swell of her chest. Her body carried a floral smell of soap and shampoo that wafted through the cottage. She saw him on the leather sofa and smiled at him, and as it had before, the warmth in her smile made him melt. She planted herself next to him with her feet tucked underneath her body.

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘For what?’

‘For helping me.’

Her head sank into his shoulder, as if they were father and daughter. Her familiarity unsettled him. It was too quick, too strong. She had invested her dreams in him in the space of a few hours, and he wasn’t ready for it.

‘Did Dr. Steve tell you?’ she said, with a tiny frown. ‘I’m going to have a baby.’

‘He did.’

‘I suppose you think I should get an abortion.’

The word sounded cold and jarring out of her lips. Abortion .

‘I would never tell you that,’ Stride said, ‘but you’re also very young to have a child of your own.’

‘I know. Mom was young, too. Not as young as me, but young.’

‘There’s always adoption.’

Cat shook her head. ‘Give up my child? I won’t do that.’

‘Well, you still have a little time to think about those things. You’re not far along. Right now you need to get healthy and stay healthy. That’s the best thing you can do for your baby.’

She looked up into his eyes. Her own eyes were big and brown. ‘Will you help me?’

‘I’ll do what I can, Cat.’ He added, ‘Do you have any idea who the baby’s father is? Do you have a boyfriend?’

‘No boyfriend,’ she said. ‘I think I know who it was, though. There was a guy a few weeks ago, and he had a problem with the condom. I remember his face, but I don’t know his name. He was a tourist. I bet he wouldn’t be happy to see me again.’

‘We can try to find him.’

‘I don’t want to find him,’ Cat said.

‘He could be forced to pay child support. That would help you.’

‘No, if he knows about it, he can take her away from me. I know who wins and loses, and girls like me always lose. He’d take her away, or he’d make the court take her away, and I want to keep her.’

He heard steel in her voice that reminded him of Michaela. He liked her toughness, but he was a realist about the economic odds she faced. A street girl having a child rarely ended happily.

‘I visited the ship,’ he told her. ‘I talked to the men at the party.’

‘Did anyone see who chased me?’

‘No.’

Her face fell. ‘Oh.’

‘I found your knife in the cargo hold where you lost it.’

‘That’s good. See? It happened just like I said.’ She added, ‘Can I have my knife back?’

Stride shook his head. ‘I need to keep it as evidence.’

‘Oh. Sure. That’s okay, I already-’ She stopped.

‘You already what?’

Cat shrugged. ‘Nothing.’

Stride studied the teenager’s face. She looked away. Her legs unfurled, and she pulled a foot nimbly into her hand and flecked red paint off her toenails. He eyed her boots on the floor. ‘Give it to me,’ he said.

‘Huh?’

He got off the sofa and dug inside her boot. The first boot was empty. In the second, he found a medical knife, its blade swathed in gauze. He tightened his fingers around it and frowned at Cat, who grew teary. ‘You stole this at the clinic.’

She bit her lip and nodded. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘I don’t like the idea of you carrying a knife,’ he said.

‘I already told you. It’s for protection.’

‘Is that all it is?’

‘Sure, what else?’

‘Have you ever used it?’

Cat tugged her robe tighter across her body. ‘No! What are you saying?’

‘I was wondering if you’d ever been with someone where you felt threatened.’

‘Not like that,’ she murmured, but teenagers were bad liars. She was hiding something. He sighed and sat down next to her again.

‘Listen, Cat, if I’m going to find out who’s stalking you, or if you’re in any danger, I need to know what’s really going on in your life. You have to tell me everything.’

She nodded earnestly. ‘Sure, yes.’

‘You said this started three weeks ago with someone outside your house. Is that right?’

‘Yes. Well, sort of.’

‘Did something else happen before then?’ Stride asked.

‘Not really. I’m not sure. The thing is, I heard that somebody was looking for me. One of the street girls, Brandy, told me about it. Brandy’s a real head case. Crazy eyes. I saw her down near the graffiti graveyard and she cornered me before I could get away. She told me someone was asking around about me and I better watch out.’

‘Did she say who?’

‘No, I figured she was just messing with me, you know? Then, a week later, I saw someone at the house. That’s when I started to run.’

‘How can I find Brandy?’ Stride asked.

‘Talk to Curt. He knows where all the girls are.’

‘Curt Dickes?’

Cat nodded. ‘Yeah.’

‘You shouldn’t hang out with him.’

‘Oh, Curt’s not so bad. He’s greasy but funny. When I need something, he helps me out.’

‘That’s not the kind of help you need,’ Stride said.

‘Yeah, I guess.’

Cat climbed off the sofa and Stride gestured at the spare bedroom, where he’d put a few bags from Target with new clothes in. ‘Why don’t you go get dressed? I want to talk to the Greens and check out the area around your house. You can come with me.’

Cat froze. She crouched in front of the sofa with her hands on his knees and shook her head frantically. ‘Don’t make me go back there! Please, I don’t want to!’

‘I’ll be with you,’ Stride said.

‘No, just let me stay here. I’ll be fine.’

Stride watched the pleading in her face. It was as if he’d suggested putting her in a cage. He didn’t tell her his real concern, which was that she would be gone when he returned. Without someone watching her, she would become a runaway again, lost somewhere in the wind.

‘Okay, listen,’ he said. ‘There’s a young woman house-sitting one of the mansions down the Point. Her name’s Kim Dehne. I’ll see if you can hang out with her while I’m gone.’

‘I don’t need a babysitter.’

‘Kim’s not a babysitter. I’d just feel better if you weren’t alone. You’ll like her.’

Cat twirled her hair around her fingers. ‘Yeah, okay. Sure. Whatever.’