"No one wants to make this any bigger than it
already is. You did all the driving?" she asked me. "We all drove," Raven said protectively. "Even
Butterfly. We got her a pillow so she could see over
the steering wheel."
"In a little while, Miss Flores, you won't find
this to be so funny. I assure you," she added. There was a knock on the door. She stared at us
rather than answer it and there was another knock.
Finally, she stood up and opened it. A tall, thin man
who looked more terrified than we did gazed in at us.
He wore a dark brown suit and tie and had a narrow
face with a nose that looked like it could be a practice
ski slope. His mouth curled down at the corners to
frame his lower jaw, which was rounded, the bones
sharp against his light complexion. He had light blue
round eyes and shifted them from one of our faces to
the other, the lines in his mouth deepening even more. "Okay, Mr. Glashalter. They're yours for the
moment. They need some real guidance, I'd say,"
Lieutenant Mathews told him. She looked back at us
and then left.
He entered, carrying his briefcase and taking
Lieutenant Mathews' seat.
"Hello girls. I'm Clarence Glashalter and I'm
with the Child Protection Services here. I have some
information about you, but I'll need you to answer a
few questions. I do know you stole the automobile of
the man who was your foster father, correct?" He
didn't wait for us to reply. "And you've been driving
west for days. Where were you headed?"
"We were trying to get to California," I said. He nodded as if that were a legitimate purpose.
"Yes, and?"