Page 19 of Break My Fall

Meredith’s voice shifted to that of a young boy. “My daddy hastwo jobs. He works at the jail. But he also has a special kitchen in our barn. I’m not allowed to go in there, but he goes in there a lot. He said he’s perfecting a recipe. And sometimes people come buy his special treats late at night.”

It was like someone had opened the floodgates because, this time, her voice had changed, and she was a frightened girl. “I don’t know how that happened, Dr. Quinn. I’m just clumsy. I bruise super easy so I don’t know...”

Meredith—his sweet, funny, innocent Meredith—looked around the circle of people who now stared at her, their faces a mix of horror and worry. And when she spoke, her voice was harder than he’d ever heard it. Angry in a way that he hadn’t known she was capable of. “Those stories? Those came from children who have fathers in law enforcement. There’s at least one officer who’s physically abusing his family. One is cooking meth. And I don’t even want to think about the purple sock. Best-case scenario? He’s having an affair. Worst case? Trafficking—drugs and people.”

SIX

Meredith slid back into her seat. She’d told them. It was out. But not the worst of it. “I went to Kirby.”

Gray nearly came out of his chair. “You did what?”

“I’m a mandated reporter, Gray. And I was in his jurisdiction. I’m required by law to report cases of suspected abuse. I went to Chief Kirby and told him what I’d heard.”

Gray stared at her, mouth open and apparently unable to form words.

“What did he say?” The question came from Mo, who was nearly vibrating with fury.

“He took my report. Told me he’d look into it. Told me he appreciated me doing my job. He was kindness personified.”

“So, basically, he patted you on the head, told you that you were a good girl, and sent you on your way assuming you wouldn’t worry about it anymore?” Bronwyn’s words dripped with derision.

“Essentially.”

“When did he realize you weren’t going to drop it?”

Meredith could have hugged Landry for her words. “The next time I filed a similar report.”

“What did he say?” Gray’s voice was a low rumble, and it sent a shiver down her spine. The shiver wasn’t entirely one of fear.

“He wasn’t quite as friendly. He told me he appreciated the position I was in as a mandated reporter but suggested I shouldn’t take everything that came from the mouths of toddlers as gospel.”

“Idiot.” Cassie smirked. “How’d that work for him?”

“I sent my next reports to social services, but nothing happened. I’ve concluded that there’s no one in Neeson County who is safe. The children aren’t safe. The adults aren’t safe. I’m not saying there aren’t any good people there. There are. But there’s so much fear there. Someone, and I’m not convinced the someone in question is Kirby, has them all under his thumb. The social worker told me she’d received my report and she would look into it. I keep sending reports. She sends me the same canned response each time, so I asked Mo to find out about her.”

Mo was not pleased. “You didn’t tell me why you wanted the info.”

“I didn’t want to bias you.”

He gave her a curt nod, then took up the narrative. “I didn’t know the backstory. What I found out is that the social worker assigned to Neeson is Marvin Johnstone’s daughter-in-law. Marvin is in his sixties, and he’s doing awfully well for a man who hasn’t held down a job in thirty years. Large home. Multiple cars. The family lives on the property.”

Donovan snorted at that. “The way you do?”

“No.” Mo wasn’t angry, but he was firm. “Not even close. We own our land. We own our homes. Even these homes.” He waved at their tiny homes. “It’s different for them. Johnstone owns the property and houses. His kids live in them. They pay rent. I didn’t dig more at the time.”

His expression told Meredith that he would be digging now. Probably tonight.

“Johnstone’s the one we suspect is behind most of the drug trafficking in Neeson.” Gray closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat. “Meredith? How do you do this?”

“Do what?”

“Get mixed up with the absolute worst possible people?”

“Hey!” Cal objected.

“I’m not talking about your family.” Gray rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m talking about Johnstone and the dirty cops.”

“It’s not like I went looking for them.” Why was this so hard for everyone to understand? “I offered free dental care. That’s it. I didn’t think anything of the officers bringing their kids. It’s not like police work is a high-paying job. I was happy to take care of anyone who needed some help. No problem. And I didn’t know Johnstone had a lot of money. I have a lot of little Johnstones in my files, and their parents don’t look like they’re living large. The kids are in cheap clothes. The moms look...” Meredith considered her words.

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