Shifting Sands - Chapter 63 - 04/27

[A_Pale_Spirit]

Happy to see another chapter!

Excellent writing like always. I chuckled at Zack's attempts at lying lol. Definitely looking forward to more like usual!

[CDfm]

Great chapter again.  Poor Zack just can’t catch a break.  It shouldn’t take long now for Kelly to be informed of his whereabouts.  He might get lucky and have the Officer call his dad but I am sure she will find him.  
Just for your information, she would be going 10 6 to deal with the child.  Meaning she wouldn’t be available to take other calls.  10 75 is severe weather.  The 10 97 is correct.  Meaning, Arrived at the location. 
Looking forward to seeing how things work out for Zack now. 

[007specialk]

Great Chapter very well written but-  the suspense is killing me!

Thank you for the updated story.

[Little Sherri]

11 hours ago, CDfm said:

she would be going 10 6 to deal with the child.  Meaning she wouldn’t be available to take other calls.  10 75 is severe weather.  The 10 97 is correct.

Thanks! I found a chart that showed some of these codes, but evidently they vary. They sure have a lot of codes!

13 hours ago, A_Pale_Spirit said:

I chuckled at Zack's attempts at lying lol.

He's tired and he's in over his head but he's doing his best to manage the situation. But, yeah, poor guy, this has not been his best summer. 

[Little Sherri]

Chapter 60 – Cornered

[7:00 PM]

Kelly’s phone binged and a notification dropped down from the top of the screen, causing her to swipe out of the social media app she was using, and over to her text messages. It was someone named Martha, which caused Kelly to furrow her eyebrows for a moment.

Right… Chris’s assistant. What the hell does she want?

Martha: Chris and I are going into a dinner meeting, so I wanted to follow up by text, I hope you don’t mind. Has there been any further news about Zack?

Kelly thought about what she should say in response. They knew he was in the downtown hospital, and he was a lame child on a scooter – surly to God they would be retrieving him momentarily.

Kelly: They know where he is. He’s safe. Tell Chris to concentrate on his meeting. I am handling this.

Martha: Let us know if you need help with anything.

Kelly rolled her eyes and decided not to reply. Help? From Los Angeles? Sure.

She got up off the bench she’d been waiting on, eyeing a coughing child suspiciously. She rapped on the mirrored glass of the security office. After a beat too long, the invisible door opened again.

“We haven’t heard anything further, ma’am. I will let you know as soon as we do.”

“Well, can someone give me a ride to the downtown campus, then? Apparently I need to do your jobs for you.”

“The shuttle stops running at six, ma’am. You would have to take a cab.”

“Fantastic. You’re doing a great job. Do you at least have a pen? Can I leave you my phone number?”

Kelly’s heels clicked as she strode away from the security office without looking back. She opened a rideshare app on her phone and tapped in the name of the downtown hospital, while making her way towards the main entrance of the hospital. While she waited for a white compact car to pick her up, she looked back and forth along the curb lane, spotting the sign for the shuttle bus that was no longer running, the one Zack had fled in.

Little bastard. This was supposed to be a relaxing week at the cottage, not a game of hide and seek in the city.

 

_________

 

[8:00 PM]

After doing prolonged battle with suburban traffic headed into the city for the nightlife, the rideshare vehicle pulled up in front of the downtown hospital, finding a spot along the busy curb. Pedestrians streamed along the sidewalk, some of them looking dressed for the theatre, and some looking like they’d recently been released from prison. Kelly looked up and down the street, and shuddered.

What the hell does Zack want down here? It makes no sense.

She walked up to the entrance of the hospital and was greeted by the security guard standing there, who waved her by. His job was not to keep people who looked like her out of the lobby. She rolled her eyes as she walked past him. Doing a great job here, too.

Kelly saw the information desk and was going to approach the young man behind it, in his square glasses, but then she saw an overweight female security guard making her way across the lobby towards what she realized was the security desk, so Kelly veered that way, catching her just as she was about to reach across the desk.

“Hey, I’m hoping you can help me – I had security at the children’s hospital call you earlier. I’m looking for my son, Zack Fischer – he’s eleven, riding a scooter, has a broken ankle. Ring a bell?”

The lady let out a grunt. “That’s your kid, is he? Well, it’s good to have his name. He came through here maybe an hour ago – he took off when I tried to get his attention. I’ve been running around the building ever since. Can’t figure out where he’s got to. He has to be somewhere. Was there someone he was coming here to see?”

Kelly squinted at the winded guard. “He took off, did he? On his scooter? With his broken ankle?”

The guard’s face hardened. “Yes, ma’am, he did. Long, smooth hallways in buildings like these. He was able to get some momentum. As I was saying, would you happen to know why your child came to my hospital this evening?”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter why he’s here, what matters is where he is right now. I’d assumed you’d have sorted that out, being on the security team in a big city hospital. Have you searched all the floors? Locked the exits?”

It was the guard’s turn to roll her eyes, although she resisted doing so. “Ma’am, hundreds of people come and go from this building every hour. We have not locked any doors. We did conduct a search of the public areas, which are the places he could have gotten to, without a pass. Nobody has seen him on any of the floors. If you want to take this search beyond that scope, I would suggest that you call the police. I can do it for you, if you like – we have a direct line, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

The guard could almost hear Kelly changing gears, as her voice lightened up and her eyes opened wider. “No, no, no, we don’t need to involve the police, I’m sure they’re very busy, and Zack isn’t a criminal, he’s just a scared child who’s tired of being poked and prodded. Could you maybe have another look around? Or ask one more time if anyone has seen him?”

The guard raised her eyebrows and tilted her head. Kelly’s abrupt change in manner was curious, but she didn’t have time to think about it – there were lots of other issues to attend to, besides this runway kid.

“I’ll announce a Code Yellow – a missing patient – on the PA system, and describe him. If any employee has seen him, they’ll call the security desk. Can you describe him in detail? He’s wearing blue pajamas or something, correct?”

“A blue romper, yes. He’s eleven, about four feet and a couple of inches tall, blond, his scooter is silver.”

The guard walked around and down a hallway, reappearing a minute later inside the security office. She picked up a telephone and dialed a few digits, and then there was a chirp that echoed in the wider lobby, emanating from the ceiling.

“Attention, attention, code yellow, all floors, code yellow, all floors. Subject is a male child, eleven, riding a knee scooter, blond hair, blue one-piece outfit. If you have seen anyone matching that description, please call the main security desk.”

She hit a button on the phone, and the message repeated two more times.

“While we’re waiting to hear if anyone has seen him, do you maybe want to go over and talk with Reese in the information booth? He was chatting with your son before he took off.”

“Oh? I’d like that, yes.”

Kelly turned and walked purposefully towards the information booth, elbowing her way in front of the desk from the side, rather than waiting behind the lineup of three people, all standing behind an elderly Asian man who was inquiring as to where the radiology department was, but seemed to actually have an appointment for an MRI, which was on a different floor.

“Excuse me, hi, Reese? Sorry to interrupt – this is important. You spoke with my son earlier, and he’s missing. Can you tell me what he said to you?”

Reese looked at Kelly, and then directed his gaze back at the gentlemen. “Sir, MRI is not on the same floor as radiology. You need to go to the basement, B2 – take the blue elevators. Turn right and follow the green dots on the floor – they go directly to the MRI front desk.”

The man nodded, but still seemed confused, and shuffled away, giving Kelly a sideways glance.

“Excuse me, REESE, we are talking about a MISSING CHILD here – can I get some assistance please? Or would you rather be interviewed by the police?”

Reese took a step back. “I’m not going to be yelled at, lady – I’m a volunteer here.”

“Listen, Reese, I didn’t mean to raise my voice. You can understand this is stressful – a young, injured child is missing. It would be good to know what he said to you, and what you told him.”

Reese’s face thawed a couple of degrees, and he walked back up to the desk. He pulled a sticky note off of the counter next to the phone, turned it, and stuck it back to the counter in front of Kelly.

“He wanted to talk to his dad, and he needed a pair of scissors for some reason. He left a message for his dad, and then we went over to emerge for the scissors. Some lady called back and asked for him, and then there was a man on the phone, but then the kid took off when security started yelling at him.”

“And that’s it? What did the man on the phone say?”

“He asked if he could speak to security, so I told him to dial back into the switchboard and ask for them.”

“And which way did my son go when he took off?”

Reese pointed around the side of the desk toward a hallway off the back of the lobby. “He went down that hall.”

“Where does it go?” Kelly asked.

“Everywhere, basically – to the elevator banks, maintenance, the admin offices. You can get anywhere in here from there.”

“Is there a back exit?”

“Not really – there’s loading docks back there, and emergency exits, but the public entrances face Roosevelt and Forty-Second.”

Kelly turned without thanking Reese and fast-walked back over to the security desk. The guard was already watching her walk over, and was waiting for her questions.

“If someone goes out an emergency exit, does it sound an alarm?” Kelly asked.

“At the door itself, yes, but not a wide alarm – people go through them all the time, to get out to the loading docks and the trash compactors.”

“Do you have cameras out in that area?”

“Not all over it, but we cover the gate to the area.”

“Can you check them? They checked the cameras at the Children’s hospital for me.”

“That system is much newer – ours do record, but, checking them is a laborious process. You’d have to call my supervisor if you want someone to do that, and I pretty much guarantee you, she will request that you have the police ask.”

Kelly swore under her breath. “Have you heard back from anyone as to if they’ve seen him?”

“Two people called, both from places adjacent to the lobby. They saw him at the same time I did. Nobody on any of the floors has called.”

Kelly looked at her watch: 8:12 pm. She felt herself in the crosshairs of an unfolding crisis that she was losing control of.

[A_Pale_Spirit]

Happy to see another chapter!

Great writing as always. Also as always, leaves me so curious what's going to happen next.

I can absolutely mentally picture Kelly's character and the annoyed hospital volunteer lol.

[D503]

Kelly's allowed to be frustrated here, but she just does it so naturally! 

[CDfm]

Wow I actually missed this for two whole days.  I can’t believe that given how much I am enjoying this and looking forward to new chapters. 
Obviously the Police haven’t tried contacting anyone yet.  I still hope Zack is able to get the police to contact Dad rather than Kelly.  At this point Kelly seems to be feeling the pressure.  Loving that at least. Zack is still caught and will eventually be returned to Kelly but I hope she sweats some first. 
I will do better at watching for anything new. 

[Little Sherri]

Chapter 61 - Off the Radar 

 “You want me to what? Drive into the city – now? It’s after eight, Kel. The girls are diapered for bed. Elaine is twelve – I don’t know how comfortable I am leaving Sam and Maddy with her while I drive for ninety minutes, to what, scour Seattle? Looking for one kid? That’s nuts. Call the police. That’s who you need.”

Kelly pulled her phone away from her ear, to get’s Kim’s hectoring voice our of her head for a moment. She needed to think, damn it. Chris was in Los Angelas at some ritzy restaurant, thinking that the situation was well in hand. Calling in the police would inevitably end up involving him – wouldn’t it? Or, could she keep him divorced from the situation? She chuckled at her choice of wording. Divorced. No way.

“You’re right, Kim – you’re right. I can’t drag you all the way back here – there’s no point. I wasn’t thinking. I’ll ask security to call the police.”

“I’ll pack the kids up and come out there first thing tomorrow morning, Kel, wherever you are, and I’ll help you as much as I can, if you haven’t located him by then. But I think you will have. He can’t have gotten far.”

“Thanks, Kim, I’ll keep you posted.”

Kelly hung up on Kim. She looked across the lobby at the security desk, but decided to walk over to the information booth instead. Reese had no lineup in front of him and seemed to be packing textbooks into a backpack.

“Is there any place around here to get a coffee and a bite to eat?” she asked him.

“At this hour, everything in the building is closed except the vending machines. You’ll have to walk for a bit – everything close to here requires reservations. But there is a shawarma and bagel place on Forty-Second St, a few blocks over. If you turn right out of the main exit, and right again, you’ll see it on the North side, eventually. You might want to take a cab at this time of night. I’m not sure when they close.”

Kelly walked back out the front entrance of the hospital, ignoring the security guard who opened the door for her. She surveyed the streetscape, brightly lit below a dark night sky. The main streets seemed friendly, populated, alive, but Kelly knew that the back alleys and sides streets would have a different feel to them, shadowed and empty.

Zack is going to stick to where it’s well lit, if he’s left the building.

She turned right and headed up the main street, feeling almost under-dressed in comparison to the theatre goers and dining crowd that were filing past her. The night air was cooler, but not cold, typical for the Pacific Northwest. At least it wasn’t raining. She turned right again at Forty-Second, and walked for a couple of minutes, scanning the storefronts and parking garages for any sign of a kid on a scooter. Eventually, she gave up on a foot search, and waived at the next cab she saw, rather than using the rideshare app again.

A tan Toyota Camry with a taxi sign on top of it pulled up to the curb, pointing the wrong way, and she opened the back door, and dropped onto the vinyl bench seat, which was mismatched with the cloth front seats.

“Turn it around, please, and head East – I’m looking for a little sandwich shop on the North side, a few blocks over.”

The driver looked exasperated, and hesitated for a moment, before resetting the meter. He wanted to pick up over where the crowds were, hopefully someone headed out to one of the hotels by the airport, or right downtown, not some lady trying to save herself a ten minute walk. But, it would be a quick run. Maybe she’d tip well, in deference to the $6 fare it would probably add up to.

He pulled a sharp U-turn and headed East. The buildings got shorter and the storefronts got dark, and then there was a rectangle of light, spilling onto the sidewalk, which he knew to be the kebab shop she was likely looking for. He cut across the opposing lanes and parked facing the wrong direction, hoping that not making her cross the street when she disembarked would please her.

Kelly eyed the meter, which showed $6.30.

“Do you take American Express?” she asked the driver.

The driver sighed audibly.

 

________

The restaurateur had begun cleaning his counters, in preparation for winding down. He didn’t get much of the post-club drinking crowd, this far up from the main drag, so he usually shut down at nine o’clock, although it was entirely at his discretion. He thought again about the strange kid on the scooter.

He was running away from something.

Alerting the cop to the boy’s situation had been the right thing to do; wading into it himself was potentially dicey – a lone child, approaching a man – a foreigner – later in the evening… what could he do? Anywhere other than in front of a group, it was potentially dangerous. He’d been a teacher in his homeland, back in another life. He knew where people’s minds went. He would have had to toss the kid back onto the street when his last customer left.

Shaking his head, he sprayed sanitizer onto a stainless table. Then, he saw a car pull up in front, facing into oncoming traffic.

 A cab. Maybe he was going to get some drinkers after all.

Instead, a tall, well-dressed woman with long blond hair, and a cold face, pulled his door open, and strode up to the counter. He put his rag down and walked over to greet her.

“Hello, welcome. Can I get you something? We close at nine, but I can still make anything on the menu…”

“Of course you’re closing,” Kelly said in an irritated tone. “Do you have anything vegetarian?”

“Our falafel is vegetarian – you can have it in a wrap, or on rice, or, I can put it into a salad.”

“Fal..afall… yeah, no. Something normal. Just put vegetables into a wrap for me. Do you have cheese?”

“Of course we have cheese – what type?”

“Something low fat. And light mayonnaise, or light ranch. Do you have that?”

“Regrettably, no, no light mayo, no ranch of any kind. I do have a garlic sauce that is light in taste…”

“No, it’s fine, just the veggies and cheese in the wrap. Heat it up for me – you can do that, right?”

The man smiled and shook his head slightly. “Of course,” he said. He turned around to retrieve a pita from a lidded stainless-steel bin.

 

________

 

[8:30 PM]

Kelly sat down at a table, distracted, then stood back up. “Give me some water with the wrap. Not from your tap – something closed. Flat or sparkling is fine.”

The man looked over at her, gave her one nod, and then went to a fridge behind the counter, selecting a lime-flavoured sparkling water, which he then placed on the counter, with a napkin beside it. Her wrap had been carefully folded into a paper sleeve, and was in a sandwich press, warming up.

Kelly strode over to the counter and snatched the water and the napkin.

This lady seems upset, even erratic. Hopefully she finishes her snack in peace, and departs.

Kelly sat back down at the table, just as her phone vibrated.

Martha: Are you with Zack yet?

She grated her teeth.

Kelly: He’s fine. I know where he is. Very kind of you to ask. I am handling this.

Martha: Please let me know when he is available to speak to Chris. Chris would like to talk to him.

Kelly grimaced and flipped her phone upside down. She picked up water and held it in both hands, as though trying to draw inspiration from its cool exterior.  

What do I do?

A couple of minutes passed, and then the man walked over from behind the counter, and positioned a plate with her wrap on it, in front of her.

“Do you need anything else, madam?”

Kelly barely looked up, and then shook her head.

 

___________

[8:45 PM]

The restauranteur wiped down his countertops, hoping that the lady eating at his table might be finished soon, so that he could close up. He heard her shoes tapping across his floor, and wished  that they might be carrying her to the door. But then, the blond lady snapped her fingers behind him. He paused, waited a moment, and turned his head.

“I have a question for you – is there much else open around here? Any malls or arcades or other restaurants?””

He examined the woman in front of him, and considered replying why do you ask? But then he thought better of it. I want to close shortly, and I do not want to spend a great deal more time in this lady’s company.

“Most of the businesses that are still open are over in the entertainment district, which is by the hospital. If you proceed back the way you came in your taxi, you will come across an intersection…”

“Yes, yes, I know where that is!” Kelly said, with a note of irritation. “I don’t need you to direct me to the hospital – that’s where I came from. There’s nothing else around here? A movie theatre, perhaps?”

The proprietor raised his eyebrows and tightened his smile, but did not erase it entirely. “There is a sports bar up the street, I think that it is still open?”

“I’m not looking for a bar,” Kelly snapped. “I’m looking for a public place, a concourse, a, I don’t know, a department store, something walking distance from here.”

“I think you need to look around the hospital area for something like that. You won’t find any department stores downtown, but, many of the hotels in that area have lobbies and restaurants, and there is also a twenty-four hour drugstore near the hospital…”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “I get, I get it, everything is over by the hospital.”

Without saying another word, she walked towards the door, and gave it a shove, letting it swing shut in her wake. He looked over at her table, and saw that the parchment paper he had enveloped her wrap in, was balled up on the floor next to her chair.

 

 

__________

 

Kelly strode quickly along the street, looking for another cab. At one point, she could swear she saw the same tan Camry come by, but when she waved, it sped up. She felt that she had come to a decision as to what to do, but the more she pondered it, the more her certainty bled away.

I have to get back to the hospital, and ask security to call the police. I can still tidy this up. And deal with Zack.

She pulled her phone out, to try the rideshare app. At the same time, her phone buzzed again. Martha.

Kelly swore under her breath and kept walking. She decided not to reply, instead concentrating on not missing the left turn she had to make in order to get back to the hospital. The walk back took her several minutes, and as the hour got later, there were fewer people walking the streets to get somewhere, and it seemed like, for some of the souls she walked past, the streets themselves were their destination.

Finally, she made the left onto the arterial street that fronted the hospital, and she was once again approaching the security guard at the entrance. He stepped aside and held the door open for her without asking any questions, which was exactly what Kelly expected of him.

The population of the lobby was thinning out, but there were still people talking on their phones or looking about, trying to determine where they needed to go within the labyrinthine structure.

As there will be all night. Hospitals don’t close.

Kelly walked purposefully toward the security desk. The woman in the yellow shirt was still in there, making notes on a pad of paper as Kelly walked up. She looked up, and Kelly thought she saw a bit of anticipation in her face, and not just irritation.

“Hi, I was just going to call you,” she said to Kelly, before Kelly had a chance to speak.

“I was going to page you, as well,” Kelly responded. “I take it you’ve heard something about my son’s whereabouts?”

The guard nodded. “One of my colleagues reported hearing from a staff member that an emergency exit had been opened briefly, not long after your son left the lobby. I took the liberty of asking my supervisor if we could pull the tape from the loading dock gate at the back of the property. I didn’t actually view it myself, but I am told that a child on a knee scooter went past the gate some time ago. We believe that he is off the property.”

[CDfm]

Well the pressure is on now.  I think that Kelly is really starting to feel it now as well. A few more messages from Martha could be enough to push her over the edge.  You can tell she knows what she is doing is wrong because she is so reluctant to contact the police.  Most people are very quick to contact the authorities for help and she is just the opposite. 
This story still has me on the edge of my seat and craving more.  

[A_Pale_Spirit]

Another great chapter.

Kelly's character is perfect, she's like the personification of nails on a chalkboard.

As always looking forward to more.

4 hours ago, CDfm said:

Most people are very quick to contact the authorities for help and she is just the opposite. 

Not sure that that's completely true, at least not in the US recently, especially with events in the last couple years in many communities where cops have done more harm than good. Then again, Kelly's character definitely doesn't seem like the type of person to feel that way anyway, so your point is legitimate in the story's case.

[Tracey]

If Kelly was thinking straight she would have asked the kebab shop guy if he had seen Zach, all boys go looking for food ad a priority. 

[Little Sherri]

On 4/8/2024 at 6:35 AM, Tracey said:

If Kelly was thinking straight she would have asked the kebab shop guy if he had seen Zach, all boys go looking for food ad a priority. 

I actually started writing in that direction, then had to change course, because it accelerated this act in the storyline - if Kelly had found out that Zack was already in police custody, her hand would have been forced. 

[Little Sherri]

Chapter 62 – Small World  

[8:35 PM]

Zack looked around from inside the black vinyl and plexiglass cave that was the backseat of the police SUV. Driving through the city in the back of a police car had felt weird; he felt as if people were looking at him and wondering what he’d done to end up in the back of a police car, on a Friday night, even though the glass was tinted, and logically, he knew the people glancing at the cruiser as they rolled past, could not see him.

It was interesting to note him to note that the roads seemed to open up in front of them, even though they didn’t have any lights or sirens on. No, by all means, after you, Mrs. Cop, thank you for not pulling me over…

Zack’s eyes widened as the SUV made a right turn up a short driveway, and then through a gate that opened automatically as they approached it. They were going into the back parking lot of a large police station. There were US, state, and city flags arrayed on tall poles in front of the building, and the surroundings were brightly lit. There was a parking area behind the building, surrounded by heavy, black fencing, that they pulled into.

There seemed to be dozens of police cars parked side by side, all backed into their spots, looking ready to go. Many of them were the same SUV that they rolled up in, while others were cars, and a few were large pickup trucks. Zack had never seen so many emergency vehicles in one place.

Officer Riley backed into an empty spot close to the building, which was a vast expanse of grey concrete, interrupted by black glass windows that you couldn’t look in through. She got out and opened Zack’s door, then went around behind the SUV and opened the hatch, before returning with the damaged scooter, and then extending a hand to Zack so that he could slide down off of the tall bench seat and put his injured leg on the cushion.

Officer Riley let him wheel himself out of the way of the door, then said “Wait for me Zack, sometimes people zip out of this lot pretty quickly, don’t go out into the driveway without me.”

She took his left hand in hers, and did a careful sweep of the lot, before leading him at a relaxed pace towards a set of glass and metal double doors. Other officers were streaming both past them, into the building, and out of the building towards them. Some of the officers nodded or said hello to the lady he was with, while many of them swept him quickly with their eyes.

Zack again felt self-conscious about wearing the lightweight, damaged romper over a bulky, crinkly diaper, in front of the phalanx of young, serious men and women who were crisscrossing the lot in all directions. He felt like a toddler being led through a college campus, and he pinned his eyes on the ground in front of him and shrank in closer to the officer he was following, as much as the contraption he was straddling would allow.

Officer Riley gave Zack’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay, buddy, you’re not in trouble. We just need to figure out what’s going on with you…”

She was interrupted by her radio cracking to life. “Twenty eighty-two, do you still require EMS to attend?”

The officer stopped walking, and turned to examine Zack, who kept his eyes focused downward, as though there was something terribly interesting about the handlebars of his scooter.

“Adam, I’m just going to run my hands over your arms and legs and back – tell me if anything hurts. Are your only injuries your knee and your hands, outside of your cast?”

Zack nodded as the officer did a gentle sweep of both his arms, and then each of his legs, bending over to allow her to manipulate his ankles. Finally, she swept a hand down his back, immediately noting the plasticky smoothness of his underclothes, which commenced halfway between his shoulders and his waist. She did not let on that she’d noticed anything.

“Did that hurt at all?”

“Nope,” Zack whispered, as more officers filed past them on their way in or out of the busy building.

She felt my diaper. She knows.

“Well, I think we can tidy that knee up with a first aid kit for now, so maybe we’ll save ourselves the wait for a paramedic.”

She picked up the radio. “Twenty eighty-two, negative, no need for EMS to attend.”

“Roger, twenty eighty-two, social services is waiting for you in the front reception area.”

The officer’s eyebrows went up. “Well, Adam, tonight is your lucky night; I thought we were going to spend a couple of hours twiddling our thumbs and getting to know each other before social services got here. Do you know what social services does?”

Zack shook his head.

“Let’s get inside and I’ll tell you.”

Zack allowed himself to be led by Officer Riley through the black-tinted doors, and into a small lobby with a desk built into one side, behind which stood another police officer.

An officer who guards the officers, Zack thought.

Officer Riley spoke to the officer behind the desk, then wrote in a binder for a moment, and then there was a buzzing behind them, and another glass door, this one clear, unlatched and swung robotically open. Zack followed officer Riley through a maze of brightly lit, busy hallways, until they entered a room through a tan-coloured doorway marked “Interview 4.”

Inside the room, there was a round table with a half dozen chairs around it, and then a sideboard with pads of paper and pens on it. She led Zack over to a chair and then pulled it out so that it would be easier for him to sit down on it. She held his hand as he shifted his weight off the scooter and pivoted to sit on the chair, then she rolled the scooter to the side.

“I’m going to go find the social worker, and a first aid kit. I’ll be right back. If anyone asks you who you’re with in the meantime, what you going to say?”

Zack squinted for a moment, then whispered “Officer Riley.”

“Correct! And hopefully by the end of this conversation, I’ll know who I’m with, too! Don’t try and go anywhere – you need a card to swipe out of this place. I’m not going to lock you in here, but, you won’t get past the end of the hall if you decide to go exploring.

Zack looked across the room at his banged-up scooter, which he would first have to hobble over to, without crutches or a hand from someone.

“I won’t go anywhere,” he said in a low voice, and then he yawned, partly out of fatigue, and partly out of stress.

“Do you want a drink, Adam?”

Zack nodded, and then the officer left the room. Zack rotated his chair slowly and carefully, so that he faced into the dark, woodgrain plastic table, and then he put his head down on his arms and closed his eyes.

_________

 

The door opened with a loud mechanical sound, startling Zack, who jerked his head up off his arms and looked around.

I fell asleep.

Officer Riley walked back through the heavy door, one which, Zack noted, could be locked from the outside but not from the inside. Beside her was another woman, slightly older, probably about Kelly’s age, he judged. She was dressed in jeans and a sage green woolen sweater, and she had a light complexion, curly brown hair that fell to just above her shoulders, and she was wearing red framed glasses. Behind the lenses were brown eyes that appeared to be kind.

The new lady stooped over slightly and put her hands on her thighs, before extending her right hand to Zack across the fake wood of the table.

“Hi, Adam, I’m Mrs. Katrina. I work with Social Services.”

Zack nodded. “Hi, Mrs. Katrina.”

She has the mannerisms of a teacher.

Officer Riley closed the door behind them, and gestured to a chair, which Mrs. Katrina sat down in. The police officer remained standing, as she put a bottle of orange juice down in front of Zack. She seemed to want to loom over the table a bit, and she had a serious look on her face, but then she cracked a joke.

“Someone is going to be searching for the thief that stole that juice from their lunch…” she said, and then she smiled slightly.

Zack looked at the two women, and swallowed. He wasn’t sure what to say.

As though reading his mind, Mrs. Katrina started. “Adam, I want you to know that you’re not in trouble, at least as far as we know right now. This is a police station, and Officer Riley is a police officer, but, you haven’t done anything that we know about that would put you on the wrong side of the law. Although, you should know that, under certain circumstances, it can be a violation of the law to give false information to a police officer. Information such as who you are, or where you live, for example, or, what you’re doing out on the streets late at night.”

Zack’s face blanched and his eyes widened.

“So,” she continued, “are you ready to tell us who you are?”

Zack slid his eyes between the two ladies’ faces, and then down to the mustard-brown graining of the table. Even despite being in the presence of an armed police officer, and now, a lady from… Social Services? Whatever that is… Zack still felt that revealing anything that would result in him being whisked back to the hospital, and back to Kelly, would be a mistake. He was willing to take his chances with the law. He had never been in any trouble, but he knew people, distantly, who had, such as a kid named Karl in the eighth grade who had let off fireworks in one of the washrooms, resulting in an evacuation of the school in the middle of the day. Even that guy had been back at home and back on social media within a few hours of leaving in the back of a police car, although he’d been off school for a couple of weeks, which always struck Zack as a strange punishment to administer. He’d set off fireworks in the bathroom to get out of school. Mission accomplished.

Zack shook his head, but then realized it probably looked like he was declining to cooperate, so instead, he started nodding vigorously.

“My, uh, name is Adam Cooper, and I’m from Olympia. Two-one-two-three Woodhaven Street. Well, I thought that was the number, but I might be wrong about that. We just moved.”

The police officer leaned forward to address the social worker. “He said that he recently moved here. From Canada. Somewhere in Canada… he’s not sure exactly where.”

Mrs. Katrina furrowed her brow. “Well, Adam, I’m a bit confounded, because you sound like a smart boy. Are you saying that you never knew where you lived, up in Canada? Canada is a big, big place, Adam. Nobody is just ‘from Canada’. They have, I think, ten provinces, big cities, and thousands of miles of wilderness. Is there a province or a city that can recall having lived in?”

Zack looked at his hands, which where involuntarily wringing themselves. He decided to occupy them, and the moment, by opening his orange juice and taking a long swig of it. Tart… gees. Really tart. He smacked his lips and took his time putting the lid back on the bottle, while trying not to let his hands shake.

Where did that Asian kid in gym class say that he was from?

“Uh, we lived in Vancouver. I’m sorry, I’m really tired, I’m just having a hard time thinking.”

Mrs. Katrina looked up at Officer Riley, and then she motioned towards the door with her head, and stood up. “Adam, Officer Riley and I are just going to chat in the hallway for a moment. We won’t be long.”

Zack nodded, and then the two women opened the heavy door, stepped out, and closed it softly behind them.

In the hallway, which was brightly lit, police officers and an older man in a suit made their way past, as the two women leaned into each other and made eye contact.

“You said that you think he was wearing… a pull-up or a diaper, under his outfit?”

Officer Riley nodded. “I gave him a light frisk when we first got here, mostly to check if he had any other injuries, but also, just to make sure that he didn’t have anything on him that might have been useful to us – a phone or a wallet. He doesn’t have anything with him, other than a five-dollar bill. But he’s definitely got something bulky on, underneath that… bodysuit, or whatever he’s got on. It felt like it was made of plastic.”

Mrs. Katrina nodded thoughtfully. “We have to consider the possibility that he’s special needs in some way, perhaps on the ASD spectrum, or that he might be developmentally delayed in some manner. He seems very well spoken, but also extremely nervous, which is probably fitting, given his circumstances. Did he say how old he was?”

“He said he was thirteen,” the officer responded. “But I don’t necessarily buy that – he’s small for thirteen. My best guess is that he’s nine, maybe ten. He’s smart for age, whatever else is going on with him.”

“Well, we should proceed cautiously, in my opinion. I’m not sure that grilling him or threatening legal consequences is going to get us anywhere. He might just shut down. We have to assume, given the diaper, and his strange answers, that there is more here than meets the eye. We might want to have him seen by a psychologist, or a pediatrician. In the meantime, he’s clearly exhausted, he’s got some cuts and scrapes, and, anywhere we go from here, it’s going to take some time.”

Officer Riley nodded once.  

“I have to imagine,” the social worker continued, “that somebody, somewhere, is going to be looking for him, if they’re not already, and that they will reach out to the authorities, as soon as they realize he’s gone. A kid his age, in his condition, is going to be missed almost right away. So… does it make sense to keep him here, asking him questions that he clearly can’t, or doesn’t want to answer… or, should we clean up his scrapes, get him something to eat, get him a change of clothes, find him somewhere to sleep tonight, and wait for someone to come looking for him?”

The police officer looked at the social worker, nodding slightly. She was thinking about where she was in her shift schedule, what she would otherwise have been doing with her night, and, the fact that some of her fellow officers were out on the streets, and might need assistance at some point, while she was in the station, babysitting a kid who might have developmental problems. This didn’t seem like a law enforcement issue – not yet, anyway. She could go down some obvious avenues of inquiry, put calls into local hospitals and group homes, and inquire if anyone was unaccounted for, but getting anywhere with that would likely take hours, later in the evening.

Handing this off to social services makes sense.

“That makes sense to me, Mrs. Katrina…”

Mrs. Katrina interrupted her. “Just Katrina is fine, officer.”

“Okay, Katrina, I can assume that your department will be conducting its own internal inquiries, given that it’s possible that you’ve been in contact with him before? Unless he is, as he says, a new arrival from Vancouver. in which case, the school boards or, or the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, will have him in their system somewhere.”

“I will start the process first thing in the morning. For now, I’m going to try and see if I can find him an emergency placement for the night with a foster parent… although the diaper situation might complicate that a bit. I have people who are geared for younger intakes, and people who deal more with youths, but the youth people aren’t generally equipped for… that.”

“Do you want me to run out and get him some pull-ups while you’re still here? There’s a twenty-four hour pharmacy around the corner from the hospital – they have almost anything you can think of. I was in there last week, trying to find a cane for an elderly guy who had his stolen from him. He literally couldn’t leave our lobby unless we found something for him, or we’d have had to call him an ambulance, but he wasn’t injured. Who steals a cane from an elderly person, I’ll never understand. I think it had a street value of about zero dollars…”

“I don’t know,” Katrina mused, “if pull-ups are going to do the trick. I have a daughter who used to wear them overnight. They really were for minor accidents, at best. Given the size of what that kid has on, I suspect we might need something a little more serious. And would you be able to slide something up over that big cast he has on? I think he needs something with tapes.”

“I see what you’re saying. Hopefully they have something in stock that would work for him – his waist is not that large. Or maybe an adult pull-up would fit over the cast, although I suspect those would be too big on him.”

“Sure, Officer, if you don’t mind doing that. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

“You have no idea how much of my time would have been taken up by him, if you weren’t available tonight. It’s no problem – I’m going to be heading out and driving around anyway. I’ll run up there and see what they have.”

“Bring me the receipt, and I’ll e-transfer you whatever it costs, and put it in my expense report.”

“Okay, then, it’s settled. I’ll go dig up a first aid kit, and then I’ll do some shopping. I’ll also get you to poke around in our storage – we usually have random articles of clothing in there – you know, evidence, things like that.”

Katrina guffawed.

“No, I’m kidding,” the officer said quickly, “but we deal with car accidents, domestics, fires… Victim’s Services has a relationship with a couple of local charities, so we usually have kids’ pajamas, teddy bears, t-shirts, things like that.”

“Perfect – if we can get him through tonight, then tomorrow, if he hasn’t already been claimed by someone, I can get him some basics.”

Officer Riley walked down the hall towards what looked like a central work area within the station, a cluster of desks and cabinets in a larger, brightly lit room, while Mrs. Katrina pushed the door to the interview room open, and once again found ‘Adam’ resting his head on his outstretched arms.

[Tracey]

It looks like Zach is about to get an emergency placement with a foster Mom who will think he is much younger than his actual age… that will be interesting.

[LittleAcorn]

I just finished this, and it did not go the way I was expecting in a very good way.

I love the interactions between Zack and Elaine.  Maddy is an interesting character too.  I don't like Kelly, but I suppose that's the point, and I'm curious to see what happens to her and how she handles the situation, since it seems like more people are going to find out about Zack's diapers and might start asking questions.  And I wonder what that means for Dr. Paige, since her name will probably come up.

I'm curious to see where this goes.

[zzzz50]

1 hour ago, LittleAcorn said:

I just finished this, and it did not go the way I was expecting in a very good way.

I love the interactions between Zack and Elaine.  Maddy is an interesting character too.  I don't like Kelly, but I suppose that's the point, and I'm curious to see what happens to her and how she handles the situation, since it seems like more people are going to find out about Zack's diapers and might start asking questions.  And I wonder what that means for Dr. Paige, since her name will probably come up.

I'm curious to see where this goes.

I agree, @littlesheri keeps going in unexpected directions, I really expected Zach to fold and fully confess. The fact he did not brings up many possibilities. The question is, when will Kelly finally agree to bring in the authorities? When will she confess to Dad that in fact he is missing? So many possibilities!

[CDfm]

Loved this extra long chapter. I had actually thought about involving CPS but thought Officer Riley would make a better attempt to discover who he is and where he belongs. In truth you are actually more correct.  The officer would try and as soon as possible transfer responsibility for Zack to someone else, namely CPS.  Now given time and a potential leade they would rather find family to release the child to than CPS.  That would most likely be the best for the child.  Still her responsibility is on the streets and not babysitting so CPS is normally contacted immediately. For Zack this might actually be a good thing. He might have an opportunity to escape the system and once again be on the run.  Certainly his chances of escape are far greater in the care of a foster family than they would be in police custody. 
I am already patiently awaiting the next chapter. 

[Tracey]

The interesting thing is Kelly also has Maddie back in diapers but because she is younger and petite that doesn't look out of place like Zach. While he might eventually be off the proverbial diaper hook will Maddie also escape Kelly's clutches as well or is there more babying about to come her way?

[A_Pale_Spirit]

Another great chapter!

As always your writing is excellent and so descriptive. And as always, we're left on a cliffhanger wanting more. Definitely looking forward to what happens next!

[Little Sherri]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have hit a point a couple of times where I could try and wrap this up quickly, but I like the characters and the potential in Zack's predicament, so I am compelled to keep telling the story. So thank you for your patience! 

[CDfm]

51 minutes ago, Little Sherri said:

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have hit a point a couple of times where I could try and wrap this up quickly, but I like the characters and the potential in Zack's predicament, so I am compelled to keep telling the story. So thank you for your patience! 

I am very happy to hear you plan on continuing this story. 

[A_Pale_Spirit]

12 hours ago, Little Sherri said:

Thanks everyone for your comments. I have hit a point a couple of times where I could try and wrap this up quickly, but I like the characters and the potential in Zack's predicament, so I am compelled to keep telling the story. So thank you for your patience! 

Of course I'm biased but I'm very happy the story is going to continue, definitely looking forward to a lot more

[Little Sherri]

Chapter 63 – Retail Therapy

[9:00 PM]

Kelly blinked, looking at the security guard, and tried to decide how to react. She already knew that he’d left the property. Her first instinct had been to demand that the security guard call the police… but, there was no way to un-ring that bell, and little chance that it wouldn’t get back to Chris at some point, if there ended up being an Amber Alert put out for Zack. Kelly didn’t know if that would be the protocol or not, and she didn’t want to find out.

That kid is going to be hobbling along one of the sidewalks, probably half a mile from here, or less. He can’t go up or down staircases, he has no money, he has no phone, and he doesn’t know where he is. I can find him.

“Well, uh, thank you for finally doing something. I am going to have to notify the police, I’m afraid.”

The guard gave Kelly a tight-lipped nod.

“That was my thought as well – I can call them for you. We talk to them several times a day. I’m sure that they can ask their squad cars to be on the lookout for him, and that he’ll turn up in no time. He can’t be moving very quickly.”

“Uh, thank you, but I would prefer to call myself. I have some things I need to convey to them, about my son. He’s... developmentally, well, a bit delayed, and he tells wild stories. Who knows what situation he’s talked himself into, out there, if someone’s asked him what he’s doing on the street at this time of night. I’ll call them.”

The security guard watched as the blond, tall, well-dressed lady made her way back out the front entrance of the hospital, once again not acknowledging the guard who held the door open for her. She expected to see the lady reach for a phone, but instead, she walked towards a taxi stand.

 

__________

 

Kelly walked up to a white Volkswagen that had just dropped a passenger that looked like a priest of some sort, at the taxi stand. She took the door out of his hand as he exited, preventing him from closing it behind himself, and then sat down inside.

“Are you a taxi?” she asked the gentlemen who was driving it, who looked South Asian to her.

“I am rideshare, Lyft, but also taxi,” he replied.

“Do you take credit cards?”

“I use the square app, so I can. Where do you need to go?”

“I have no idea. I’m going to pay you to get you to drive me around for a while.”

The man looked at her in the rearview mirror, perplexed. “You don’t have somewhere you need to get to, you just want to drive around?”

“I am looking for someone who might be walking around somewhere down here. It will be easier to find them if I am in a car. They are on a scooter, and I really need to find them. Are there any businesses around here that are still open?”

“There is a sandwich shop that is really good, a little ways up…”

“I’ve already been there. Something else,” she snapped.

The driver looked back over his shoulder at her. “There is a twenty-four hour pharmacy up the street from here?”

“Take me there.”

 

______

[8:45 PM]

Officer Riley finished dabbing at Zack’s scuffed knee and palm with alcohol wipes. The boy had winced and sucked air in in response to the stinging antiseptic, but he hadn’t withdrawn or started crying. She didn’t know exactly what to expect from him; in one sense, he was very stoic and seemed to act older than he looked, but then he would get confused and act unsure of what to say, and he would suddenly seem much younger.

Mrs. Katrina held his good hand in hers, until his wounds were clean and bandaged. Still holding his hand, she gave it a squeeze and said, “Now, Adam, Officer Riley and I need to have a bit of a closer look at you, just to make sure that you’re not injured, and also, you’re, uh, your one-piece outfit… it’s been damaged, so we want to find you something else for you to wear. Is it okay if we take your, uh, outfit…"

Zack interrupted her. “It’s a romper,” he whispered flatly.

Mrs. Katrina looked at Officer Riley, and then continued. “Is it okay if we take your romper off, Zack?”

Zack became acutely aware of the dampness below and around his midsection. On the one hand, he hated the idea of being undressed by two women, both strangers, in a police station, but on the other hand, he could not realistically fathom the idea of staying in the soaked toddler diaper that was under the larger medical diaper he was wearing. He didn’t know what state the outer diaper was in; it felt puffy between his legs but not particularly heavy.

“It’s fine,” he whispered, in a lower voice.

Officer Riley reached down between Zack’s thighs, and grasped hold of the leg cuff on his uninjured leg, before pulling the two sides of material away from each other. The snaps disengaged in a linear fashion, snap snap snap snap, until the bottom of the garment was open, and then Zack raised his arms expectantly, and the two women drew the damaged and soiled romper up and over his head. They made eye contact briefly as Zack’s large white diaper was revealed.

The expanse of white plastic travelled from his diaphragm to his thighs, down between his legs, and then went more than halfway up his back. The side panels covered his hips like an oversized bathing suit, and the rear puffed out to form a sort of bustle where it enveloped his behind. Two blue tabs on each side almost met in the middle of the diaper, below and above his navel.

Mrs. Katrina had expected there to perhaps be a smell about him, once they took his outwear off, but there was only the faintest hint of pee, and maybe baby powder, lingering around.

“Do you have anything on underneath your diaper?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he whispered, “another diaper.”

The police officer furrowed her brow. “Is it another one like this?” she asked him.

“No, it’s… it’s a baby diaper. Or like, one for toddlers.”

“Do you usually wear… two diapers, when you go out?”

Zack’s cheeks reddened, and he looked at the ground. How can I explain that they didn’t have anything my size at the hospital, without leading them back to where they’re looking for me?

He stayed quiet.

Mrs. Katrina cleared her throat. “Well, then, are you… are you wet, sweetie?”

Zack nodded solemnly, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.

“Your diaper, the baby, er, toddler-sized one – it feels like maybe it needs to be changed?” the officer asked.

“Yeah,” Zack more mouthed than said.

“Do we need wipes as well?”

Zack shook his head, and blushed harder.

“Well, I’m going to run out to a local pharmacy and see if I can scare you up something that maybe fits a little better than this ensemble of a diaper that looks five sizes too big, and one that’s probably a little small. While I’m doing that, why don’t you go with Mrs. Katrina and have a look at what we have in our miscellaneous clothing box – I’m sure that there’s going to be something in there that fits you.”

Officer Riley got up off of her knees and addressed Mrs. Katrina. “If you take him down the hall with you, and go into that main area in there, there is a cabinet in the far corner – it will be the only one that doesn’t have a lock on it. In there, you’ll find a couple of bags and a box of random clothing – I think the box holds most of the kids’ clothing. You should be able to find something that fits him.”

Mrs. Katrina nodded at Officer Riley, and then took Zack by the hand again, as the officer opened the interview room door, and walked out, making a left, towards the motor pool. Mrs. Katrina looked at her charge, and she wasn’t sure exactly how this would go… would he follow her willingly down the hallway of a busy police station, dressed as he was? She reached over with her other arm and wheeled his damaged scooter so that it was within reach of him, and silently, he put his casted leg up onto it.

She gave his hand a gentle tug, and to her surprise, he started gliding along a half-step behind her, being towed, essentially, by his outstretched hand, because he was not looking at where he was going, he was only focused on her feet. A soft rustling accompanies his steps, as the plastic diaper folded and unfolded around the upper thigh of his working leg.

When they entered the main office, a couple of the half dozen or so officers working in the room or passing through it turned their heads towards the child, but then quickly looked at the social worker instead, not wanting to stare at the unfortunate boy she was leading. Clearly, he had been dressed by someone ill-equipped to deal with him. They could all imagine a version of what the story likely was – this was a room full of police officers. If the social worker had been carrying conjoined twins, many of them probably would have shrugged. Their jobs intersected with unexpected weirdness on practically a daily basis.

Tears collected on Zack’s cheeks and then dribbled down randomly, causing him to taste saltwater as he licked his lips. The social worker put a hand on his head and ruffled his hair.

“It’s okay, Adam, everyone here is a professional – this is just like being in a hospital. Sometimes when police officers have to arrest people, or rescue them, they’re in bed, in the bathtub, or even on the toilet. Think about that! They don’t care that you wear diapers, Adam. And they know that you’re being a very brave little boy. Now, let’s see if we can find anything that we can pull up over your cast… hmmm….”

Mrs. Katrina started rummaging through the box that she’d located in the one far cabinet without a lock, just as the police officer had described.

 

_______

 

[9:10 PM]

 

Officer Riley pulled her marked SUV half up onto the curb and left it parked with the four-way flashers on, rather than the overhead lights. She exited the vehicle and hit lock on the key fob. Down here, you never know.

Just as she approached the entrance to the pharmacy, the windows for which were covered with bright pictures of happy people doing happy things, a white Volkswagen sedan pulled up behind her cruiser, and one of the back doors shot open. A tall, blond woman exited the car, smoothing down her skirt as she scanned the front of the store, before fixating on the entrance.

Officer Riley heard the car come to a stop and looked behind her reflexively, across the sidewalk, which was bathed in bright light from the large 24 Hours sign above the store. She stepped back and held the door open for the women, who gave her a curt nod, and breezed past.

Shit, Kelly said to herself as she passed the police officer. I can’t very well start questioning the staff about a missing child, with a cop standing in the store.

She looked around the brightly-lit interior of the business, before settling on the aisle the furthest to the left of the entrance. She decided to wait the cop out down there, and then she could make an inquiry at the front counter, reasoning that a police officer stopping in at a store mid-shift probably would not be there long.

The bloody cab driver better stay put.

Officer Riley walked in the opposite direction from the lady she’d held the door for, over towards the front counter. A short Black woman with a nametag pinned to her blouse was behind the counter, placing products into a bag for a customer. The lady’s nametag said Justine, and below that, Manager.

“Hello, can I you a question,” Officer Riley inquired as she walked up to the counter. An elderly man in a long, brown overcoat gave her a passing glance over his shoulder, and then took his bag from the lady who was packing it, and headed towards the door in a slow shuffle.

“Hello, officer,” the woman said in a lively voice, “how can I help you?”

“Hi… I’m looking for some assistance finding in finding something on your shelves. Diapers, specifically, but in a slightly larger size than would be common.”

“Are you looking for adult incontinence products?” the woman inquired.

“No, not for an adult, but not for little kids, either. I have a situation involving a child who is about ten, I think. He’s wearing a diaper, but it is really oversized on him, and we need to change it. I want to find something more appropriately sized.”

“We have pull-ups down aisle twelve that should work. They’re categorized by weight. Do you know how much he weighs? Here, let me get someone up here and I’ll show you.”

The lady picked up a phone next to the cash register, hit a key, and then the subtle overhead music stopped. “Sales associate to the front counter, sales to the front counter please.” Her voice carried across the breadth of the store. A young man who looked like he was about eighteen years old, wearing a beige uniform shirt, and black pants, emerged from an aisle and headed towards the front.

Officer Riley and the manager walked towards the opposite side of the store.

“I’m not sure pull-ups would work, either – the child has one leg in a very large plastic cast, almost like a winter boot. And given the size of what he’s wearing currently, I think we might need more… capability. This isn’t just a bedwetting situation.”

“Hmmm… I see. Let me show you what we have.”

As they turned into the back aisle, Officer Riley noticed the woman that had preceded her through the door, standing at the other end of the alley of shelves. She looked up, made a surprised face, and then exited the aisle, turning towards the pharmaceutical counter at the back of the store.

Something in the woman’s mannerisms caught the officer’s eye. She’d been a cop for a few years now, and she knew when someone was avoiding her. As to the why of that, well, there could be a number of reasons. She might be shoplifting, or trying to access narcotics, or she might be hiding from something, or, she might not like cops – it could be as simple as that. The way the lady was dressed, the fact that she had arrived in a cab, and that she’d walked right past the officer while she was holding the door, rather than veering off… Officer Riley felt that whatever was up with the lady, it probably wasn’t something worth getting distracted over.

Lots of people avoid cops.

Justine led Officer Riley down the aisle, reviewing the products on display as she went.

“At this end, we have the infant diapers, and then the baby and toddler products, which aren’t what you’re looking for. On the opposite side, we have adult products, but the smallest of those that I’ve seen have about a twenty-five-inch waist, which, it sounds to me, might be too big. Further down......,” the lady trailed off as she took a few strides towards the end of the aisle.

“We have the training pants, pull-ups, overnight briefs, etcetera. They’re sized for toddlers, all the way up to one hundred fifty pounds or so. But I have another suggestion, as well… we don’t sell a lot of these, but, one of the specialized brands just launched an intermediate size diaper, for handicapped kids. We keep them behind the counter, because they don’t get included in our shelf planning – they’re not advertised yet.”

Justine exited the other end of the aisle and walked up to the pharmacy counter, with the police officer following behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted the tall woman once again rapidly depart from their sight, down one of the middle aisles.

I’m going to keep an eye out for her. She seems up to something.

However, the presence of the police officer in the store reassured her somewhat. But in a downtown twenty-four-hour pharmacy, anything could happen.

“Dave,” Justine said to the short, bald man in a white coat, who was standing with his back to the store, feeding pills into a counting machine, “what are those medium-sized diapers called, the ones we keep back here?”

“Run N’ Play,” the man said, looking over his shoulder.

“Can you pass me a package of them?”

“Sure, Justine – give me one moment.” He waited until a certain number had been reached on the machine, withdrew a green pill bottle, and snapped matching lid onto it, before peeling a label from a sheet beside him, and carefully applying it to the side of the bottle, centered from top to bottom.

He walked towards the pharmacy counter and smiled. “I don’t want to forget who those were for.”

“Of course, Dave,” Justine said, smiling back.

Dave went to the right of the cash register and opened a cabinet door, reaching down into the bottom and well to the back, almost to the point of climbing into the unit. He emerged holding a rectangular white plastic package that had its own clear plastic built-in carrying strap. He deposited it on the counter and pushed it over to Justine, who picked it up with both hands to read the print on the font. Officer Riley, who was taller, read over Justine’s shoulder.

Run N’ Play Active Fit Diapers, the package proclaimed in bright blue letters on a yellow background, in a strip across the top of a large panel on both sides. Below that, in smaller letters, the text read Intermediate Youth Diapers – 12 Hour Comfort. Beneath that text was a diagram of the inside of an unfolded diaper, showing Dual Leak Guards and Snug Leg Gathers, plus a Lockaway Stay-Dry Core, Strong, Refastenable, Easy-Change Tabs, Elastic Waistband, and a Moisture-Proof Cottony Plastic Top Sheet.

Next to the diagram was a picture of a folded diaper, viewed from the top, showing the cover print options, one of which consisted of yellow giraffes, pink lions, blue elephants, and green trees, all on a white background. The other was simpler, just one large, yellow rubber ducky, centered on the front panel. An arrow extending from the words Wetness Indicator to both images pointed to a yellow line on the lower half of the front of the diaper.

On the bottom right corner of the package, in black letters, were the numbers 60 to 85 lbs. +. The bag held 30 diapers, stacked in one row.

“Does this look like what you’re after, officer?”

The police officer nodded. “I think these will work. If they really last twelve hours then a bag should get him through a few days, anyway. Can I pay for them here?”

“Absolutely,” the pharmacist responded, and then picked up a wand and scanned the barcode. “That’s $27.99. The state doesn’t charge sales tax on baby diapers.”

“Well I’m glad they don’t!” Officer Riley noted. “That’s not cheap. Although I guess this isn’t a common size.”

“Nope,” the store manager replied. “We get them from a clinic just outside the city, that has their own store. They bring them in from somewhere. We just started carrying them to replace another brand that was out of stock for months.”

Officer Riley pulled a billfold that held a credit card from one of her uniform’s many pockets, and the pharmacist swiped the card, which caused the machine to immediately beep and print a receipt. “No signature required, Officer.”

“I never understand how that works. Sometimes it wants a pin number, sometimes it wants a signature, sometimes the card just taps. Well, anyway, it worked. Thank you both for your help.”

Dave nodded and then went back to sorting pills, while Justine gave wave and then went off to look for the woman who seemed to keep dodging them whenever they encountered her.

Officer Riley walked towards the exit, carrying the package by its built-in strap, and turned her head to look down the aisles as she turned towards the door. The blond lady was down a middle aisle, intently studying a device in a large yellow box. She glanced at the officer quickly as she crossed the top of the aisle, and then pulled her eyes away just as fast.

Curious. But I don’t have time to get sidetracked.

Kelly eyed the large, yellow box in her hand, wishing she hadn’t looked up at the police officer. She knew that the cop would be passing by the end of the aisle, as she’d been listening for her distinct footsteps, which were heavy on the glossy floor, because of her shoes.

As much as she was feigning interest in the contents of the shelves to avoid making eye contact with the police officer, she was intrigued by the contents of the box. It contained two baby bottles, air lines, a conical contraption with a screw-on lid attached beneath it, and a small round device in a soft yellow colour. A breast pumping kit.

She thought about the herbs and the medication she’d picked up from a naturopath, what seemed like a lifetime ago, but had only been a week, when she’d left the kids at he sister’s cottage to run an errand. She hadn’t started taking them yet – everything had been turned upside down by Zack’s injury.

This has been one shitty week. I deserve something.

Kelly waited another minute, then walked to the end of aisle and scanned the entrance to the store. The cop was gone. The store manager was back at the front, organizing a display. Kelly walked over to counter, carrying the yellow box under one arm, while trying to appear casual.

“Hey,” she said to the manager, “can I ask you a question?”

Justine looked at the lady. She’d had a glance down the aisle as she followed the police officer out, to make sure that she wasn’t loading her pockets or preparing to rob the pharmacy counter, but when she noted that her attention was on the maternity equipment, her suspicions softened a bit. They were near a large downtown hospital. Maybe this lady was here to support someone who was in the throes of labour or about to undergo a C-section, and maybe her mannerisms and skittish nature were a side effect of the stress she was under. She certainly wasn’t hiding the expensive device she was carrying.

“Yes?” the store manager replied.

“Have you seen a boy tonight, he’s eleven, he would have been by himself, riding a push scooter, with a cast on his right leg?”

Justine furrowed her brow. “Not that I can think of. I can ask the other employees if they’ve seen him. What was he wearing?”

“A light blue romper. He has blond hair.”

Justine called back to the pharmacy, and ran the description past Dave, who said that he had not seen anyone like that. Then, she paged the part-time kid back up to the front, and he confirmed that he hadn’t seen anyone, either.

Kelly responded to the news by turning her head and scanning the store again quickly, as though he might have rolled inside while they were talking at the counter.

“Well, anyway, I’ll take this. Does it require batteries?”

“No, I think it plugs in, ma’am. Will that be cash or credit?”

“Credit.”

[CDfm]

I was thrilled to see a new chapter again.  I loved how you worked this one out. If Kelly weren’t quite so self centered she would have found Zack.  Zack still has some hope of his father getting informed before he is returned to Kelly.  I have to add that Zack handled himself better than I believe I would have under similar circumstances.  No way I would have allowed two ladies I didn’t know undress me.  I realize he probably did need a change and chances of getting it anywhere else were slim, but I would have still resisted that. 
You already know I loved the chapter and I am eager to read more when you get it out.