Low music sounded on the other side of the door and I took my time, not wanting to spook the squatters, and looked through every possible window on all sides of the brown Victorian. Then, I knocked.
The door opened and a petite redhead answered with a smile, her attention focused on someone other than me. “If you got jalapenos on the pizza, you’re getting a handj-, you’re not the pizza guy.”
“And you’re too young to finish that sentence.” I stood, towering over her with my hands on my hips, looking every bit the intimidating law man I was. “Lonnie Frazier, I presume?”
A moment of fear flashed in big blue eyes before she shrugged. “I don’t talk to dirty old men who cosplay.”
I frowned. “Who are you calling old?” I took a step forward and she, wisely, took a step back. Then another, and another until she stood shoulder to shoulder with the other missing teenager, Kyle Jacobs. “Your parents are worried sick about you, Mr. Jacobs.”
He shrugged. “Doubtful.”
Interesting. I wondered if I missed something else in my check on the Jacobs family. “People have been searching for you both,” I told them with a disapproving stare as I took in the sight of the room they’d turned into a home. In one corner was a pile of blankets on top of a sleeping bag, beer cans and soda bottles littered the floor, along with a bong and a sandwich bag filled with green herbs. “Well?”
Lonnie shook her head and looked around until she found her sneakers and slipped them on. “I’m sure his family has been looking for him, but you’re lying if you say the same about me.” It was said matter of factly, not in an effort to look tough or act like she didn’t care. She turned big blue eyes up at Kyle and grabbed his hands. “You should go with him.”
“I’m not leaving you, babe.”
She smiled and cupped his cheek in a scene that was so eerily familiar it made my chest ache. “I’ll be fine. I swear.”
“Out here by yourself? I don’t think so.” He shook his head and cupped the back of Lonnie’s neck, kissing her possessively. He pulled back and turned to me. “We’re not leaving. Either of us.”
“Wrong. You’re both coming with me.” I saw the moment of hesitation on two sets of wary eyes and I groaned. “Right now you are both just missing persons, if you attempt to run I’ll be forced to fill out paperwork which means I’ll have to charge you.”
“I don’t need to go in, no one has reported me missing and we both know that.”
I smiled at the fiery young girl, so much like Mara it was freaky. “Tell that to Mara, she’s been looking for you for days, worried as hell you were somewhere dead.”
“Mara?” I nodded and to her credit, she at least looked apologetic. “I knew I should have called her.”
“Whatever, babe. She’s not your mother and she can’t tell you what to do.” Kyle shrugged. “Forget about her.”
“She’s my friend,” Lonnie insisted.
“Right. That’s why she called the cops on you.”
Okay, I could understand Mara’s point a little more now. Kyle Jacobs was, a bit of a dick. “All right, lovebirds, let’s get going.” They piled into the back of my patrol vehicle with exactly the amount of complaining I’d expected, and by the time I got back to the office, a headache had started to form. “Which of you wants to talk first?”
“I have nothing to say.” Kyle had made his disdain for law enforcement clear on the drive over and I wasn’t surprised even a little bit.
After a few quick phone calls, Kyle’s parents had come into the station, a whirlwind of worry and activity, and rushed him out before the stink of jail could settle on his skin. “I guess that means it’s you and me, Lonnie.”
She rolled her eyes with a groan. “Lucky me.”
“That’s right, you are lucky. Want to tell me why you guys ran away?”
“No, because we didn’t run away. You found us right here in town, therefore no one ran away.”
“You’re kind of a smart ass, aren’t you?”
“Not kind of, Sheriff. I’m a full-blown smart ass.”
“NO kidding. Okay if you didn’t run away, why did you break into that place and turn it into your own little love nest?”
She shrugged. “His folks hate me and we wanted to be alone.”
Damn that sounded entirely too familiar. “And the beer? The pot?”
Lonnie flashed a knowing smile. “I knew we’d get there sooner or later. You and his parents will just blame me for everything, so let’s get it over with.”
“Or, how about you answer my questions now, or after I call your foster parents?”
She shrugged like she didn’t care, but I caught the flash of fear in her big blue eyes. “Look Sheriff, they don’t care. So just do what you gotta do, okay?”