The police and First Responders couldn't enter the house because of the dog. They needed me inside. I told Brian that I would be fine and there really wasn't anything that he could do anyway. He went back to our house.
I returned inside and held the dog's leash tight while corraling him and the little girl into the back room where the small black and white t.v. set flickered. I closed the door, leaving it open just a crack. I sat down on a small couch and the little girl sat down on the chair next to me. The room was dark except for the glow of the t.v. set. I could hear the police enter the house from the side door. They were discussing the best way to bring the stretcher inside. They directed the paramedics to enter through the front door. The noise of their work disturbed me some. I didn't think the little girl should overhear what was being said and the things that were happening. Keeping one ear turned toward the activity, I focused on distracting the child, who kept glancing at the door.
I asked her what her name was, slightly appalled at myself that I hadn't found that out yet. She told me that her name was Kayley. I told her that was a very pretty name. I introduced myself as well, and then asked what her dog's name was. "Reggie," she said, "Mommy named him and he loves mommy very much."
I told her that I could tell since he was being a very good guard dog. Reggie was sitting at my feet while I stroked his back. Every few moments he would hear a noise he didn't like, mainly male voices, and he would leap to his feet again. My soft murmurs were enough to calm him down.
I asked Kayley how old she was. "Five." She said proudly. She told me that she had an older brother but he was staying with their grandma. That information didn't seem to line up with what I knew already, but I didn't press the issue. I asked her how she found her mommy in the kitchen. "I was sleeping on the couch but then I woke up and went looking for my mommy." "And she was on the floor?" I asked, wanting to have a clear picture in my head. She nodded. I kept talking to her, trying to keep her distracted. Every question I asked or story I told her about my own children seemed to return somehow to the her own mother. Kayley was overly attached for a five year old. In the back of my mind, I wondered how many times she had been in this situation.
The lack of commotion in the other room caught my attention. I heard a guy say something about a little girl being here. I called out then, saying that she was in the back room with the guard dog. The police officer came near the door and asked if anyone had contacted a relative to come get the child. I told him that the grandmother was on the way. He wanted to know the contact phone number for the grandmother so I handed him my cell phone through the crack in the door. He said the number was nearby and the grandma should be arriving soon. He asked me to make sure the house was locked up before I left. And then everyone was gone.
At 2am, my mind flittered to the fact that I was sitting in a strange house in the middle of the night, with a child I did not know, holding a leash to a dog that wasn't exactly friendly. I wanted to be used. No one else had come to see why a little girl was screaming in the street. No one else even opened the door or fluttered a curtain. I was there. I was placed there....right there. At the house across the street from the little girl who stood screaming for help...for me...in the middle of the night. He was using me mightily. Little 'ole me comforted that child who had seen too much for such innocent eyes. That I had no doubt of.
I slowly opened the door and peeked around to make sure there wasn't any lingering officers for Reggie to attack. The coast was clear. I let go of the leash so Reggie could do his thing and secure the area. My hand was sore from gripping the leather so tightly. I walked to the kitchen. I am not sure exactly why, but a voice in the back of my head wanted to see if the things I had seen earlier were still there. Or had I imagined them? The room had been rearranged slightly. There was a step stool in the middle of the floor. I had overheard the paramedics digging for any medications the lady may have been taking, so I attributed the sudden appearance of the step stool to their rummaging through cabinets. There was a skillet full of uncooked eggs on the stove. I checked to make sure all the burners were turned off. I felt the oven door to make sure that hadn't been turned on either. All the knobs were off.
The money was still everywhere, though. A box of jewelry with bills sticking out of the top sat on the back burner. A shoebox with a stack of cash was on the kitchen table next to a purse spilling forth ten and twenty dollar bills. The other things were gone though. I pushed it to the back of my mind. Kayley was standing in the kitchen doorway.
"When will my grandma be here?" She whimpered uncertainly. "Soon," I told her,"She is on her way right now." I put my arm around her and turned her away from the kitchen. "We should pack some things to take to grandma's house, right? Where are your clothes, sweetie?" We began searching for some clean things for her to pack. That was when grandma arrived. I introduced myself. She was very apologetic for keeping me awake. She fussed at Reggie for jumping on her, then moved absently around the house. I am not sure what she was doing. She was not that old...she couldn't have dementia. I snagged her attention back to the reason for her being there. "I have been trying to find some things to pack for Kayley." She nodded but went into the kitchen.
That was when a police officer popped back inside the house. At least the lady had the presence of mind to grab Reggie's leash. The officer spoke to the grandmother, asking about her daughter's past medical history. While that was going on, I took Kayley to find a bag for her things. It wasn't easy, but we found one and shoved a change of clothes into it. I handed Kayley her coat to put on as well. "She has a history of seizures....and a metal rod in her back. But that is all." The grandmother told the officer. I silently sighed in relief. Perhaps I was mistaken. Perhaps what I thought I saw was something else.
I checked the front door to make sure it was locked. The grandma was heading for the door with Kayley, who was clearly relieved to be leaving. "Do you think you should take her purse?" I asked, and pointed to the purse laying open on the kitchen table. The woman seemed taken aback but nodded and retrieved it. I locked the side door behind me and helped her get Kayley and Reggie in the car. She thanked me again for staying with Kayley. I told her my name again and my house number in case she needed anything else. And then they were gone.
Standing in the snow, out in the cold night, I said a prayer for Kayley. And for her mother. God moves in mysterious ways...but they are only mysterious to us. Every once in awhile we get a glimpse of how He moves, and in those moments.....well, I know I am blown away.
Four days later: Brian leaves the house with Lena to go to the park. A police cruiser pulls up and the officer gets out to talk to Brian. I watch the scene from inside the house. I was doing laundry and just happened to walk by the window. After a few minutes, the cop gets back in his cruiser and drives off with the siren on. Brian proceeds to the park with Lena. Of course, I am anxious to know what happened. Did the officer have news about the woman? Was she okay? I sent Brian a text to see what was up. He said the officer just wanted our phone number and would be in contact with him later. He didn't give any details about the woman who had been carted off by paramedics.
The officer didn't call Brian. He called me. That afternoon he called because he had a few gaps in his report that he needed to fill in. He asked if the little girl came to my house to get me. He used this wording with Brian when identifying him on the street earlier that day. Brian had told him that I had heard the little girl and went out to her. I told the officer the same: that I heard her and went out to see what was wrong; she told me that her mom was on the kitchen floor and wouldn't wake up. I told him about the dog and how I stayed in the back room. He said that he was glad to have the identity of that person filled in and that I would be listed in the report.
"We are looking into this. There is an investigation going. We don't let things like that slide here." He added.
My stomach dropped. Ah, the feeling of disappointment. My instincts had been right. My eyes had not deceived me. The elastic band on the counter, the needle case, the bottle of pills spilled across the floor. No, I knew. But I wanted to think better of the situation. I wanted to think better of this mother.
I asked if the lady was alright. He said that she had been released from the hospital. Then he added, "Don't worry, the people handling the estate have taken care of it and you won't be seeing her around anymore." I had noticed that the car was gone. They had kicked her out. No more squatting at dead grandmama's house. His tone said it all: the riffraff was gone. I wanted to ask more: What about the little girl? Where were they now? Were they getting help? But the officer implied that the little girl would probably be taken away, then he stated that since there was an investigation he could not say any more, and they would be in touch with me if they needed me for anything in the future of the case. Great! Did that mean I will have to testify? Be called as a witness?
**Note: Names have been changed and certain details were omitted due to the delicacy of the matter.
(Brian's name was not one of them.)
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