Page 84 of Shelter for Morgan

Dropping his phone back into his pants pocket, Rhett hustled up to the community room near the apparatus floor. They had community events in there all the time, from meetings of concerned citizens to children’s birthday parties. If it had been Morgan, they would have just sent her through into the main station building.

Curious, Rhett walked into the community room and almost stopped short at the surprise visitor standing there.

The young man turned when he saw Rhett in the glass wall panel, dropping the hood of his jacket down to his shoulders. “You’re the firefighter that helped me. The one with Miss Rafferty.”

Rhett was proud to say he was. “They call me Rhett.”

Benji looked a little amused. “Is that like Gone with the Wind or something?”

Rhett smiled at him. “Yeah, just like the movie. My last name is Butler.”

Benji looked around the room with interest. “You mean, it’s just like the book.”

“Fair enough,” Rhett liked the kid more and more. “You want to sit down? Tell me why you’re here?”

Benji met his gaze and left it there. “To the point. I like it. I came here ‘cause my mom is at work and she thinks I’m at home. I think you should know some things that are going on around the school. It’s-”

“Station Seven.” The speakers squealed a little as the treble surged. “Station Seven. Possible cardiac arrest-”

The announcement rattled off and Rhett looked at Benji.

“I have to-”

“Go,” the young man acknowledged his comment with a lift of his chin. “Can I stay here and wait a bit?”

“Sure. Sure.” Rhett watched as one of the men ran by with his dry clothes in his hand and a towel sinking on his hips. Caddo. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Rhett saw Benji pulling out a chair and reaching for the newspaper that someone had left behind as he turned the corner heading for the truck.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MORGAN

Morgan made it all the way to the apartment parking lot before she realized that she’d left her grading book behind in her classroom.

She had a box in the backseat of her CAMO car, full to the brim with papers to grade, but she needed her book to mark things down. The school was promising to have a computer program implemented by the end of the year to allow them to add grades in over the internet, but the funding was stalled in some kind of committee and really, it was just easier to go back to school and get the book instead of transferring grades from a scrap piece of paper.

When she arrived back at the school, she was relieved to see the parking lot empty.

She really didn’t want to run into Officer Munder.

Sure, she doubted that he’d be there since working24/7didn’t seem like something he’d do, but she really didn’t need a run in with the man.

As she pulled into her customary spot, she smiled.

Officer Munder had mentioned her truck when he’d been in the lounge. Maybe he didn’t know that her car was really the CAMO car.

He probably hadn’t noticed her parking it in the corner of the lot since the spot she used was all but shrouded by an overhanging oak tree that hadn’t been cut back in ages.

Her tiny car was the only one that fit under the branches and she didn’t care if her paint was scratched up a little.

She walked quickly around the outside of the buildings and made it to the Social Studies building without seeing anyone.

Just as she let out a sigh of relief she turned the corner and came to an abrupt stop.

A ground floor room in the chemistry building was lit up and she could see some people inside.

Okay, breathe.

---