Page 2 of Refuge for Flora

Barrett nodded back. “I know that’s true.”

“Okay. So I’m going back to the drug task force. Once we’ve got a clear plan, I’ll let you know what’s going on.” Frankie pulled his cap back on. “So we’re clear about what’s going on here?” he asked as he stood inside the open door of his cruiser.

“Yeah. Got it. Thanks.” As soon as he drove away, Barrett muttered, “Asshole.”

“Yeah. They’ll take the drug bust and we get to deal with the vermin in the back yard,” Kirby groused.

“And no telling what’sinsidethere,” Barrett pointed out. A typical day. He’d been so proud when he put on that uniform and finished the academy, only to discover that local law enforcement saw them as cheap substitutes for animal control, or more like glorified zookeepers. But as a Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources officer, he had the authority to detain, arrest, subdue, and charge violators of the state laws the same as any law enforcement official. Even worse, there were very few of them, and if they needed help, there often was none available. If a KDFWR officer requested backup, the law enforcement agencies came to help whenever they felt like it. It was one of the many dangers of the job.

But Barrett hadn’t taken the job to arrest people. He’d been far more concerned about all the deer carcasses he saw everywhere as cars hit does and fawns crossing the road. What had once been their foraging areas had become subdivisions and strip malls. The deer had nowhere to go, so they ran back and forth across highways, looking for a place to be, and that place was often the front grill of a Ford F150. He wanted to make a difference, to help keep them in protected areas where they’d be safe, and to keep all the other wildlife safe too.

Kirby tapped the bill of his cap. “Well, I’m going back out. Got a call about something over off Bryant’sFord Road.”

“Be careful. A lot of that property is federal.” The national wildlife refuge backed up to the property around the river there, and the federal officers didn’t like KDFWR officers overstepping their bounds.

“Yeah. I don’t want to get in trouble with UncleSam. He’s my least favorite relative,” Kirby called out as he climbed back into his truck. “See you around.”

“Yep. See ya.” Barrett slid under the steering wheel and radioed dispatch. “Central, this is KDFWR unit four twelve. In service. Over.”

“Copy that, four twelve.”

And he was off again. He was pretty sure those things he’d seen from a distance in that field on BypassRoad were some kind of homemade animal trap, and he’d figured the first time he was in that area and had time, he’d check it out. He never knew what he’d find.

Maybe he’d wind up with a pet skunk!

* * *

Dusty.Bumpy. Dirty. Smelly. And somehow she’d managed to wind up by the bathroom. Great, just great. The old man across the aisle had been staring at her too. If he had the same destination as hers, she didn’t know what she’d do. It was getting late in the day and she was too tired to kick some old man’s ass. Besides, the only reason it was her destination was because she’d run out of money for another ticket, so once she got there, she’d be stuck.

As soon as she managed to climb down off the bus, she looked around. The “bus station,” if it could be called that, was a converted gas station. It didn’t even have a public restroom. She gazed around. Next door was a place that sold portable buildings and on the other side, a car parts store. Down the block, she could see a Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell combination, and in the distance, a huge Walmart sign, as well as a Lowe’s. Her bag was tiny, so she took off, dragging it behind her.

The counter clerk was helpful and told her about a motel two blocks behind the restaurant. When she got there, she decided it was too terrifying to stay, so she headed back to the main drag and proceeded to walk to Walmart. She just needed a safe place to sleep for the night. The next day, she’d go to the state career office to see if she could find some kind of job. She’d noticed that most of the stores along the way were hiring, but she couldn’t take the risk of anyone knowing where she was. He could track her down that way, and she wanted none of that. She might have been six hours from them, but that wasn’t really far enough away to suit her.

Walmart didn’t have an independent café anymore, so she’d have to look for somewhere else. When she spotted the huge gas station and convenience store, she knew they had a couple of booths. She’d just beg the clerk working to let her stay.

She really had no other options.

* * *

It had beena long walk to the career office for nothing. Everything they had needed forms filled out and proof of identification shown, and she couldn’t take that risk.

Papers thumbtacked to a board nearby rustled with theswooshof air as she opened the door to leave, and she glanced at them. At first, she thought they were all policy flyers, like non-discrimination and state mandate notices, but it appeared not all were. Mixed in among the official-looking notices were papers, some handwritten, with “help wanted” requests on them. One in the back caught her eye, and she pulled it forward. It had little tear off strips along the bottom with the name and number on them, and most of them were gone. The paper looked like it had been there forever, so she tore one of the strips off, then took some off other flyers there too. As she walked along, she looked at them. For some reason, the one she most wanted to call was the first one, the old one. But she had no phone. A quick count told her she still had almost three hundred dollars left, so she turned and walked toward a big building withHotel Irvin Cobbpainted on the end. She could go to Walmart and get a phone of some kind, something that was good enough to make and receive calls about jobs.

Sure as hell wouldn’t be any other use for it. She had no one to call, and the only people who’d call her were people she most definitely didn’t want to hear from.

* * *

The building was really old.It had been a hotel at one time, but had been converted into an apartment building. The lobby was open because people came in and out whenever they chose, and there were big sofas and chairs there. They were lumpy and not the cleanest, but it was a place to rest. Maybe no one would notice if she slept with her head resting on the arm of a chair.

Someone was tapping her on the shoulder, and she cracked an eyelid open. An older man stood there in front of her, staring down into her face. “Who are you? Did you sleep here last night?”

Think fast!she told herself. “Uh, I was waiting for my grandma, but she never came in. If she did, she must not have noticed me over here.”

“Who’s your grandma?”

She only hesitated for a moment. “SarahMiller.”

“We don’t have a SarahMiller who lives here,” the man informed her and frowned at her.

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