Free Save the Date by Jenny B Jones Page B

watching some suspicious activity at abandoned houses.” The detective handed Marinell a napkin from his desk drawer. “Heard some yelling and screaming and they went to check it out. Seems your girl here made the mistake of setting up camp in a house some druggies had already claimed.” He regarded Marinell over the rim of his glasses. “Unless she’s working for them.”
    “I told you I don’t do drugs. I don’t sell drugs. And I never met those people in my life.”
    Tapping a pen to his desk, the detective continued. “Our pharmaceutical-loving friends were trying to forcibly remove her when my men came up on the scene. Things were about to get ugly.”
    “What were you doing there?” Lucy asked.
    “I’m interested in architecture.” Marinell studied the toe of her scuffed Nike. “It looked like a nice house, so I was just checking it out.”
    “It’s a condemned hovel barely fit for rats,” Benningfield said. “She had a sleeping bag with her. A bag of clothes. Backpack.”
    “And I want my backpack. If I lose my school books, I’m dead meat.”
    “If you hang out in drug houses, you won’t have to worry about any book fines.” Picking up his stained Carbs Are My Friend coffee mug, the detective took a slow drink, somehow managing to keep one intimidating eye on his captive.
    “Why weren’t you at school?” Lucy asked.
    Marinell answered with a shrug.
    Lucy had been shocked when Morgan told her Marinell had been an honor roll student until her fall semester. Many girls who came through Saving Grace struggled academically. How could you care about your GPA when you didn’t even know where your next meal was coming from?
    “Marinell says she’s going home with you, Miss Wiltshire?”
    “You told me to call if I needed anything,” Marinell said. “I mean, I did have plans to stay at the Hilton. But I seem to have run off and left my American Express.”
    “Of course you can stay at Saving Grace,” Lucy said. You just can’t live there . “I though t you were staying with friends.”
    Head bent, Marinell flicked at her bendy straw. “I might’ve exaggerated just a bit.”
    “She’s free to go now. We have no reason to keep her.” The detective stood up, gathering some files. “But we also don’t want to see her here again. Marinell, you were lucky this afternoon. Those guys could’ve hurt you if we hadn’t come by when we did.” He gave a curt nod and then left them alone.
    The lights above hummed and flickered. It was a dismal place, and Lucy was ready to leave.
    How many ways can you twist me in two, God? I can’t bring her in just to kick her right back out in a few months .
    “Marinell, you should probably know that the home has encountered a funding problem. We don’t know how much longer—”
    “Look, I won’t be much trouble. You told me I could stay. If you don’t want me there, just say it.”
    Behind the fear, there was strength in those dark brown eyes, something Lucy hadn’t had at Marinell’s age. Tomorrow would just have to take care of itself. Because today this girl needed help. “You’re wanted, Marinell. You are very much wanted.”
    “Well, okay then. I guess I’ll go.” She held up an empty juice box. “But can we stop and get some more of these?”
    Thirty minutes later Marinell stood in the center of her new room. “This is all mine?”
    “Yep.” For now. Come September Lucy might have thirteen girls camped out in her own spare bedroom.
    In the quiet of the room came the unmistakable sound of a growling tummy.
    “When’s the last time you ate?” Lucy glanced at her watch. It was well after three.
    “Last night I guess.” Marinell sat on the bed and grinned. “I had one of those sixty-nine–cent burritos from Taco Hut. You know what, that is a really good value too. Who needs a dollar menu when Taco Hut only asks for sixty-nine cents?”
    “Let’s grab you something from the kitchen. We can make a sandwich and maybe even find some