Page 21 of A River of Crows

“What’s going on?” Sloan asked as soon as she stepped off the bus.

Doreen reached her hand out. “You’re coming to our house today. We’ll have a snack and watch some tv.”

Sloan backed away. “Nope. Tell me what’s going on.”

“I will,” Doreen said. “Once we get home.”

Tears stung Sloan’s eyes. “They found him, didn’t they? They found Ridge?”

“I said we’ll talk about it at the house.” Doreen looked around at the parents and students, now watching the scene.

Sloan didn’t care who watched. “Tell me!” she screamed.

Noah took a step forward. “Come on, Sloan. Let’s talk and walk.”

Sloan wasn’t walking anywhere. Not when Doreen was keeping something from her. Sloan took off running. Doreen called for her, and Sloan heard Noah’s footsteps, but they’d never catch up with her; Doreen had asthma, and Noah was slow.

A KBWS news van and two police cars sat outside Sloan’s house. The news van door slid open just as Sloan made it to her yard. “Start recording!” A voice inside the van instructed.

Sloan struggled to walk a straight line to the door. The ground seemed to shift. They had to have found Ridge. That’s why the cops were here. Why the news was here.

When Sloan pushed through the screen door, she was shocked to see her father on the ground, pinned by two policemen. Walt stood above them, shaking his head. “Let me go,” her father screamed as he thrashed.

“Daddy?”

“Stop fighting, Jay. Your girl is here,” Walt said.

Her father stilled, and Sloan barely heard the clink of the handcuffs over her beating heart.

“What’s she doing here?” Mom emerged from the hallway and took Sloan’s hand. “Why would you do this right when she gets home from school?”

“I’m sorry, Caroline. I asked Doreen to—”

“Oh, you’re sorry?” Mom lurched towards Walt. “Sorry for what? For arresting Jay in front of his daughter?” Caroline took another step, so she was right in Walt’s face. “Or that you didn’t give me a heads up that this was happening? You are supposed to be our friend.”

“You’re making a mistake, Walt.” Daddy was standing now. An officer holding each arm.

“I sure hope so,” Walt said. “Let these men take you to the station. Just be honest, and we can clear all this up.”

Caroline jammed her finger into Walt’s chest. “Don’t talk to us like a cop.”

The door scraped open. “Sorry!” Doreen struggled to catch her breath. “She ran off.” Doreen pulled the string on the blinds. They closed with a loud whoosh. “Media’s out there,” she said.

“What happened?” Sloan finally found her voice. She didn’t even recognize it.

“These gentlemen need to take your father. So, we’ll let them do that; then we’ll talk.”

An officer peeked out the blinds. “Another news van from Tyler just pulled up. We gotta get him out of here before this turns into a full-fledged circus. Goddamn vultures.”

“Let’s get this over with.” Walt stepped in front of the officers. “Don’t make a scene, Jay. It won’t help anything.”

It’s already a scene, Sloan thought.

Daddy kept his head down and hurried to the patrol car. Sloan slipped past her mom and ran outside. A reporter yelled something, but Sloan couldn’t make it out. Everything sounded like she was in a tunnel. A tunnel with no light to guide her out.

“The family would appreciate some privacy,” Walt said.

An officer pushed down Daddy’s neck to cram him into the police car.

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