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Authors: Brian Freeman
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up my child? I won’t do that.’
‘Well, you still have a little time to think about those things.You’re not far along. Right now you need to get healthy and stay healthy. That’s the best thing you can do for your baby.’
She looked up into his eyes. Her own eyes were big and brown. ‘Will you help me?’
‘I’ll do what I can, Cat.’ He added, ‘Do you have any idea who the baby’s father is? Do you have a boyfriend?’
‘No boyfriend,’ she said. ‘I think I know who it was, though. There was a guy a few weeks ago, and he had a problem with the condom. I remember his face, but I don’t know his name. He was a tourist. I bet he wouldn’t be happy to see me again.’
‘We can try to find him.’
‘I don’t want to find him,’ Cat said.
‘He could be forced to pay child support. That would help you.’
‘No, if he knows about it, he can take her away from me. I know who wins and loses, and girls like me always lose. He’d take her away, or he’d make the court take her away, and I want to keep her.’
He heard steel in her voice that reminded him of Michaela. He liked her toughness, but he was a realist about the economic odds she faced. A street girl having a child rarely ended happily.
‘I visited the ship,’ he told her. ‘I talked to the men at the party.’
‘Did anyone see who chased me?’
‘No.’
Her face fell. ‘Oh.’
‘I found your knife in the cargo hold where you lost it.’
‘That’s good. See? It happened just like I said.’ She added, ‘Can I have my knife back?’
Stride shook his head. ‘I need to keep it as evidence.’
‘Oh. Sure. That’s okay, I already—’ She stopped.
‘You already what?’
Cat shrugged. ‘Nothing.’
Stride studied the teenager’s face. She looked away. Her legs unfurled, and she pulled a foot nimbly into her hand and fleckedred paint off her toenails. He eyed her boots on the floor. ‘Give it to me,’ he said.
‘Huh?’
He got off the sofa and dug inside her boot. The first boot was empty. In the second, he found a medical knife, its blade swathed in gauze. He tightened his fingers around it and frowned at Cat, who grew teary. ‘You stole this at the clinic.’
She bit her lip and nodded. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I don’t like the idea of you carrying a knife,’ he said.
‘I already told you. It’s for protection.’
‘Is that all it is?’
‘Sure, what else?’
‘Have you ever used it?’
Cat tugged her robe tighter across her body. ‘No! What are you saying?’
‘I was wondering if you’d ever been with someone where you felt threatened.’
‘Not like that,’ she murmured, but teenagers were bad liars. She was hiding something. He sighed and sat down next to her again.
‘Listen, Cat, if I’m going to find out who’s stalking you, or if you’re in any danger, I need to know what’s really going on in your life. You have to tell me everything.’
She nodded earnestly. ‘Sure, yes.’
‘You said this started three weeks ago with someone outside your house. Is that right?’
‘Yes. Well, sort of.’
‘Did something else happen before then?’ Stride asked.
‘Not really. I’m not sure. The thing is, I heard that somebody was looking for me. One of the street girls, Brandy, told me about it. Brandy’s a real head case. Crazy eyes. I saw her down near the graffiti graveyard and she cornered me before I could get away. She told me someone was asking around about me and I better watch out.’
‘Did she say who?’
‘No, I figured she was just messing with me, you know? Then, a week later, I saw someone at the house. That’s when I started to run.’
‘How can I find Brandy?’ Stride asked.
‘Talk to Curt. He knows where all the girls are.’
‘Curt Dickes?’
Cat nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘You shouldn’t hang out with him.’
‘Oh, Curt’s not so bad. He’s greasy but funny. When I need something, he helps me out.’
‘That’s not the kind of help you need,’ Stride
‘Well, you still have a little time to think about those things.You’re not far along. Right now you need to get healthy and stay healthy. That’s the best thing you can do for your baby.’
She looked up into his eyes. Her own eyes were big and brown. ‘Will you help me?’
‘I’ll do what I can, Cat.’ He added, ‘Do you have any idea who the baby’s father is? Do you have a boyfriend?’
‘No boyfriend,’ she said. ‘I think I know who it was, though. There was a guy a few weeks ago, and he had a problem with the condom. I remember his face, but I don’t know his name. He was a tourist. I bet he wouldn’t be happy to see me again.’
‘We can try to find him.’
‘I don’t want to find him,’ Cat said.
‘He could be forced to pay child support. That would help you.’
‘No, if he knows about it, he can take her away from me. I know who wins and loses, and girls like me always lose. He’d take her away, or he’d make the court take her away, and I want to keep her.’
He heard steel in her voice that reminded him of Michaela. He liked her toughness, but he was a realist about the economic odds she faced. A street girl having a child rarely ended happily.
‘I visited the ship,’ he told her. ‘I talked to the men at the party.’
‘Did anyone see who chased me?’
‘No.’
Her face fell. ‘Oh.’
‘I found your knife in the cargo hold where you lost it.’
‘That’s good. See? It happened just like I said.’ She added, ‘Can I have my knife back?’
Stride shook his head. ‘I need to keep it as evidence.’
‘Oh. Sure. That’s okay, I already—’ She stopped.
‘You already what?’
Cat shrugged. ‘Nothing.’
Stride studied the teenager’s face. She looked away. Her legs unfurled, and she pulled a foot nimbly into her hand and fleckedred paint off her toenails. He eyed her boots on the floor. ‘Give it to me,’ he said.
‘Huh?’
He got off the sofa and dug inside her boot. The first boot was empty. In the second, he found a medical knife, its blade swathed in gauze. He tightened his fingers around it and frowned at Cat, who grew teary. ‘You stole this at the clinic.’
She bit her lip and nodded. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I don’t like the idea of you carrying a knife,’ he said.
‘I already told you. It’s for protection.’
‘Is that all it is?’
‘Sure, what else?’
‘Have you ever used it?’
Cat tugged her robe tighter across her body. ‘No! What are you saying?’
‘I was wondering if you’d ever been with someone where you felt threatened.’
‘Not like that,’ she murmured, but teenagers were bad liars. She was hiding something. He sighed and sat down next to her again.
‘Listen, Cat, if I’m going to find out who’s stalking you, or if you’re in any danger, I need to know what’s really going on in your life. You have to tell me everything.’
She nodded earnestly. ‘Sure, yes.’
‘You said this started three weeks ago with someone outside your house. Is that right?’
‘Yes. Well, sort of.’
‘Did something else happen before then?’ Stride asked.
‘Not really. I’m not sure. The thing is, I heard that somebody was looking for me. One of the street girls, Brandy, told me about it. Brandy’s a real head case. Crazy eyes. I saw her down near the graffiti graveyard and she cornered me before I could get away. She told me someone was asking around about me and I better watch out.’
‘Did she say who?’
‘No, I figured she was just messing with me, you know? Then, a week later, I saw someone at the house. That’s when I started to run.’
‘How can I find Brandy?’ Stride asked.
‘Talk to Curt. He knows where all the girls are.’
‘Curt Dickes?’
Cat nodded. ‘Yeah.’
‘You shouldn’t hang out with him.’
‘Oh, Curt’s not so bad. He’s greasy but funny. When I need something, he helps me out.’
‘That’s not the kind of help you need,’ Stride
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