Runaways by V. C. Andrews
The dispatcher laughed with him He glanced at Lieutenant Mathews, who was eying him suspiciously, a look of disgust on her face.
"That's what makes me a good foster father," he told her. "I understand teenagers. I was one myself." He laughed again before turning back to the dispatcher. "Is there anything else for me to do?"
"No, you've signed everything. They're all yours, Mr. Tooey."
"Yes," he said nodding at us, "they're all mine. Lucky me. Come on, girls. We've got a long ride home and lots of explaining to do on the way?'
He stepped forward and we started toward the front door. Butterfly had her head down and clutched Crystal's hand so tightly, I could see her fingers turn white.
I glanced back at Lieutenant Mathews. For a moment I thought she was going to say something or ask something and stop us from going with Gordon, but she hesitated and he stepped between us.
"Go on, Brooke," he said, his eyes fixed coldly on me. "You know the way."
I caught up with the others and we left the sheriff's office. Gordon's station wagon was parked right in front.
"You three in the back," he said to Raven, Crystal and Butterfly. "You ride up front with me," he ordered.
We all got in and Gordon quickly started the engine and pulled away. He said nothing until we were well on the road.
"Well now," he began, "I guess you all had quite a time of it, quite a time." He glanced at me. "I know you had to be the driver, right, Brooke?"
Instead of answering, I turned and looked out the window.
"You could have all ended up in jail, you know. I did you all a big favor and I expect a big favor in return," he said. He poked me in the shoulder with his long, right forefinger and I jumped. He looked back at the others. "You made up a phony map too, and sent me on a wild goose chase. Very smart, girls. I can see I have some real geniuses on my hands."
He drove in silence for a while before lighting a cigarette and leaning back.
"Okay, girls, we're pretty far away from that sheriff's office now. I had to go to the pound to claim my car. I signed it out and drove away. Then I stopped to look for something I had left in the car and guess what?" He turned to me and smiled. "Go on, guess, Brooke."
"You're not scaring me, Gordon," I said, filling my face with as much defiance as I could muster.
"I'm not scaring you? Oh. Okay," he said and then he slammed his hand down on the dashboard so hard, I thought he had cracked it. After that he hammered it with his fist, not once, but three quick times. The whole car shook. Something in the glove compartment rattled. I half expected the windows to shatter. It was an impressive display of physical violence. Everyone screamed, including me, only mine was inside. My heart was thumping and my throat felt like I had swallowed a lump of coal. Butterfly was crying and Raven, brave, defiant Raven had her head down. Only Crystal looked like she had regained her composure the moment Gordon stopped.
Gordon sat back again, calmly, looking so relaxed, it made me feel what had just happened was in my imagination. He was a madman, I thought, which made him even more dangerous.
"You want me to scare you?" Gordon asked me. "Is that what you want, Brooke?"
"No, Gordon," I said.
"Good. Because if I have to scare you,get even angrier than I am now and I just don't know how I can be any angrier and not tear you all into little pieces," he said in a voice so controlled, his teeth were locked together as he spoke.
"What do you want from us?" Crystal asked in her composed demeanor.
"What do I want? I want what's mine, Crystal. I want what you found under that seat. Where is it?" he asked.
"We didn't find anything under the seat," Raven cried.
He pointed at her in the rearview mirror.
"Don't treat me like a fool, Raven, or I'll start on you first. Or," he said with a cold smile, "do you want me to stop the car and pull the little one out and ask her? I know she'll tell me everything, won't you, little one?"
Butterfly's face turned a shade redder than rose. Crystal put her arm around her quickly.
"We discovered it by accident," Crystal declared. "We were looking for loose change and we didn't even know what it was at first."
"Loose change?" He smiled and shook his head. "Okay. I'll buy that. Then what?"
"Once we realized what it was, we got scared and we stopped along the way and buried it," she said.
"You buried it?"
"We didn't want any children finding it and we didn't want to be stopped with it on us," she continued.
He looked thoughtful for a moment and then he slowed down and turned off the road onto the shoulder and stopped. After he took a puff on his cigarette, he spun around. "Where did you bury it?" he asked. "Or are you going to tell me you forgot?"
"No, I remember where," Crystal said firmly. She barely blinked
I looked at her and raised my eyebrows. How could she say that? What would happen if we took Gordon to the actual place and he saw we had dumped the bag?
"Okay, okay. You'll show me then," he said.
"I won't be able to find it in the dark," she said. Night had begun to fall rapidly now. The cloud cover kept any moonlight from illuminating the highway.
Gordon stared at her, but Crystal still didn't wince. Good old Crystal, I thought, when it came to Gordon doing mind games with her, he was definitely outmatched. He sat back a moment and thought.
"Okay," he said. "Okay. We pull into the first motel for the night. Tomorrow, we find what's mine and then, I'll tell you what, girls. I'll let you run away again, only this time I won't report you. How's that? Raven? That make you happy?"
"Yes," Raven said, her eyes glowing with pain and rage. "It does."
"Fair enough. I get what I want and you get what you want," he said.
"What about Louise?" I asked. "I thought her heart was broken when we left."
He glared at me.
"She'll get over it. She always gets over it," he said.
He put the car in drive again and started away.
"I know you girls aren't fond of me. That's okay. I never asked to be a loving foster parent. That was all Louise's idea. It was never easy running that place when it was a rooming house. Her parents treated me like the hired help, never a son-in-law. When I got out of the navy, I had skills. I was worth something. It wasn't my fault the place fell apart. Customers stopped coming around and there wasn't any money. Then Louise came up with the foster home idea. Sure, I went along with it, but having you creatures around all the time hasn't been a ball, exactly. I don't apologize for taking advantage_ of an opportunity. That's always been my motto, girls, take advantage of an opportunity."
He laughed and glanced back at Raven and then at me.
"You girls have guts. I'll say that for you. I think we understand each other now. We're going to get along just fine. There," he said seeing a neon sign flashing an advertisement for a motel. "We'll rest up and tomorrow, we'll part friends. Okay?"
None of us said a word. He took the exit and headed for the motel. I gazed back at Crystal.
Now what? I wanted to ask, but that would have to wait until later.
Gordon acquired two rooms for us, but when we pulled up to the doors, he turned to us and said, "I know what you girls are like, so here's the deal: one of you stays the night with me."
"What?" Raven asked, a cold look of terror on her face. "Stay in a room with you?"
"Don't get me wrong. I just want one of you where I can see you. I know the rest of you won't run off on me that way. You girls stick together, right? All right," he continued looking at the three of them and then at me, "who's it gonna be?"
Crystal looked absolutely terrified, even more so than Butterfly. I was afraid for us all, afraid of what he might make us do.
"I should probably take the little one in with me," he said. I could almost hear Butterfly's terrified scream.
"I'll stay with you," I said quickly.
He smiled.
"Fine. Let's get a go
He opened one room for Raven, Crystal and Butterfly and the other for himself and me.
"Can I stay with them for a while?" I asked him.
"No," he said. "I don't feel like having to worry about it. Just get in there and get to bed. The rest of you do the same and no monkey business, hear? Move!" he ordered and everyone jumped.
Raven took my hand.
"I could change places with you, Brooke. I can handle him better," she said, glaring at him.
"It's all right," I said. "I'll be fine, Raven. Thanks. Take care of Butterfly," I told her and then I went into the room.
Gordon took something out of the back of the wagon and followed right after me.
"Go on, use the washroom first," he
commanded when he entered.
I went to the bathroom and when I came out, he had the television going and was lying on his bed. He was also sipping whiskey from a pint bottle.
"Didn't you bring your nightie along?" he asked when I pulled the blanket back on my bed.
"I don't sleep in a nightie," I said.
He smiled, his eyes fixed on me in a way that made me very nervous. I tried not to show it. With Gordon, it was always best to appear brave and undaunted. He was the sort who pounced on weakness and took advantage of kindness and innocence.
"Who's idea was this running off, huh? That Crystal come up with the plan?" he asked finally "No," I said. "It was my idea."
"No kidding? Where the hell did you think you would all go anyway? Who's waiting for you with open arms, huh? Who?" he demanded.
I turned sharply to face him.
"No one's waiting for us, Gordon. We just wanted to get away from you and Louise and that whole scene back there. You complain how it hasn't been a picnic for you. Well, it hasn't been one for us either. We know you and Louise are not going to make it easy for anyone to adopt us. That's a dead-end for us, so we decided it was better to leave."
"And steal my car!" he screamed, making his face even uglier than it was. "Why my car?" He pounded his chest so hard, I heard the thump and actually thought I felt it myself. He's a time bomb, I thought. "I got people depending on me back there, people who are very angry at me because of you. Why didn't you all just get on a bus? No one would have cared then, believe me."
I lay down again, shivering. If I said the wrong word, did the wrong thing, there was no telling what he would do in response. Anyway, I thought, he was right. It was a mistake to take his car. He wouldn't have cared otherwise and we might have gone all the way. Then again, it would have been easier to catch us on public transportation.
"Crystal says you buried it. Is she telling me the truth? Huh?"
"Yes," I said.
"I better find that tomorrow or there will be hell to pay, Brooke. If you're all lying to me, you're going to be sorrier than you ever were living back at the Lakewood and even sorrier than you would be going to jail. Trust me on that," he threatened. "Did you hear me? Did you?"
"Yes," I said.
My heart began to pound again. I wished I could speak with Crystal and see if she had any plan for tomorrow. How far did she think we could lead him and what would happen when we finally stopped?
I heard him get up and then pause by my bed so I opened my eyes. He was staring down at me in the strangest way. It was as if he was trying to decide something and he was being pulled in different directions.
"So, you ever been with a boy?"
I closed my eyes.
"I guess that's a no," he said. "You're a virgin. I bet you wonder about it every night, huh? I bet you lay awake in that bed of yours and think about what it's like. Maybe you pretend, huh? Huh?"
"Leave me alone, Gordon. We're going to do what you want tomorrow, so leave me alone," I pleaded. His voice was softer, but darker and he was beginning to frighten me even more.
"You have a period like every other girl, don't you? You ever think about having babies?"
The tears were hot and heavy under my eyelids. I kept them closed and tried not to sob.
"I could show you," he said. "I could show you what it's like better than any teenage boy can show you. Just like that," he said snapping his fingers. "It's different with a real man. Experience is important when it comes to things like this."
I didn't move. I didn't open my eyes, but I sensed him drawing closer. I felt my body tighten up. I wished I could turn myself into a ball and roll away. When his fingers touched my hair, I jumped up and pulled the blanket around me with my knees against my chest.
"Stop!" I screamed.
He stood there, gaping at me, his eyes wide.
"If you touch me again," I said, "I'll scream so loud it will bring the manager or people from the other rooms. I swear I will. Then they'll call the police and we won't show you anything tomorrow."
He stood there, wavering a moment, his eyes opening and closing.
"Take it easy," he said. "I'm not that desperate. But you just passed up the best thing that could ever happen to you, girlie."
"That's not true! I have a boyfriend and someday I'll marry him."
He laughed. Anger replaced fear, rage rushing over me, making me feel like I was bathed in blood. If he came toward me again, I vowed, I would scratch out his eyes. He saw something in my face and backed down some more.
"Ahh," he groaned. He wavered, took another drink from his bottle and looked toward the bathroom. "I'll be right out. Don't you even think of going anywhere," he said, pointing that long finger at me as if it were a knife.
The heat receded from my face and I relaxed again. I knew I wouldn't fall asleep tonight. I would be up all night just in case he tried something. Crystal, Crystal, what are we going to do? We should have taken our chances with the police. How can we protect Butterfly? We can't protect ourselves.
He stumbled when he stepped out of the bathroom and then cursed. I didn't look directly at him. He went past my bed and I kept my back to him, but held my breath. The television droned on, the light flashing on the wall above me.
Suddenly, I felt him grab my right arm. I started to scream, but he put his hand over my face and brought his own smelly mouth close to me. My stomach did flip-flops and I almost threw up the burger I had eaten at the sheriff's office.
"I'm not touching you," he growled. "But I ain't taking no chances. I want to get some sleep tonight and I know how sly you girls are. Don't you scream, Brooke," he warned, "or I'll pound this fist right through your face," he threatened, holding his mallet of a hand above me. He released his grip on my mouth and I held my breath. I felt him twist my wrist around and then I saw him tying a small rope around it.
"You ain't going to sneak out on me," he muttered. "This here," he said as he tied his knot, "is a sailor's knot, an eight," he bragged as he turned and wove it around my wrist.
After he was finished, he wrapped it around his own wrist a few times and returned to his bed.
There was just enough slack for me to turn over if I wanted.
"What if I have to go to the bathroom?" I asked him.
"You went. You'll hold it in until morning now," he said. "I want some sleep, so shut up."
He took another long drink on his bottle, nearly emptying it, and then he lay back and closed his eyes. I gazed at the knot. It was tied so tightly, it was worse than handcuffs, I thought. Frustrated, I lay there with my eyes wide open. He never turned off the television set. Programs changed until it was one of those late talk shows. When I looked at him again, his eyes were shut tight, his arm dangling over the side of the bed.
He moaned in his sleep and tossed and turned a little before he started to snore. I wondered about the girls. Did Crystal and Raven have to join with Butterfly again in the next room? Were they all lying awake, just as terrified of what would come tomorrow? What plan could Crystal possibly have concocted?
I looked at Gordon again and then decided I had to try something. Slowly, m
Finally, I had the rope off his wrist. I gathered it up and wound it around my waist. There was no time to try to get it off my own wrist now. I tiptoed across the room to his jacket and took out the station wagon keys. He turned again, mumbled and then threw his arm over the side of the bed as it had been before. I waited and listened, holding my breath. His snoring was regular and deep.
Moving as though I were on a shelf of air, I crossed to the door and slowly turned the lock until it snapped open. I thought the tiny noise might wake him, so I watched his eyes. The pupils moved beneath his eyelids violently, but he didn't open them. He continued to snore. I opened the door only as much as I needed to slip out and then I did so, closing the door softly behind me. My heart was racing so fast, I had to catch my breath.
It was very late and quiet. Only one other room had lights on and the office was dimly lit. I went to the girls' door and knocked softly, hoping they would hear. I waited and then knocked again.
"Who's there?" I heard Raven whisper.
"It's me," I said.
She opened the door quickly and I slipped in. Crystal and Butterfly were in one bed. They had the blanket clutched to them and looked at me with wide, surprised eyes. I indicated complete silence.
"He had me tied to him," I whispered and showed them the rope, "but I got the rope off him when he fell asleep."
"Tied to him? Oh, Brooke," Crystal said. "We've been so worried about you."
"He's crazier than he was, Crystal. I don't know what he'll do tomorrow. I took the car keys," I said holding them up. "We can get away," I said.