“I don’t care about that, but…” She paused, and I heard a knock in the background. “I’m sorry. Can you hang on a second?”
“Yeah.”
I listened to muffled voices. The man’s voice got loud, and I thought he said, “It’s just five damn dollars.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Autumn?” I yelled into the phone.
She came back on after a few seconds. “Sorry—where was I?”
“Forget where you were with your story. Where are you right now?”
“I’m in a parking lot. I think I’m on Delaney Street or maybe it was Delancey. I don’t remember what I turned on.”
I walked to the closet to get my shoes. “You’re in Storm’s neighborhood?”
“Yeah. I’ve been looking for him the last few hours.”
“Are you in a car?”
“Yes.”
“Did someone just knock on your window and ask for money?”
“Yeah. I pulled into an empty lot to call you, and I didn’t notice anyone. I think maybe some homeless people might be living here.”
I shook my head as I grabbed my keys and wallet from the counter. “If you’re on Delaney, you’re about eight blocks from the seventy-fifth precinct, where he was held the other night. It’s on the corner of Sutter and Essex. Punch that into your GPS and go. I’ll meet you in the parking lot of the station. Don’t roll down your window to answer anyone, and keep your doors locked.”
“Are we going to ask the police for help finding Storm?”
“Something like that. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Once you get to the police station, just sit in your car. Don’t go in without me.”
“Okay.”
***
Autumn jumped when I knocked on her window. She looked relieved when she realized it was me, and she pressed the button to roll it down.
“Do you mind if we take your car?” I said.
“No, that’s fine. But where are we going?”
“To find Storm.”
“I thought we were going to ask the police for help?”
“No, this was just the safest place I knew of to put you until I could get here.”
“Oh…”
I walked around the car and got into the passenger seat. Autumn looked around the parking lot. “Is that your car over there?” She pointed.
“Yep.”
“Nice. Are you sure you don’t want to take yours?”
I buckled. “Definitely not. This will fit in better. People in this neighborhood don’t trust two types of people—police and haves.”
“Haves?”
“Yeah. They consider themselves have nots, and haves are outsiders. If we’re going to drive around, your Hyundai will be less conspicuous than my overpriced Mercedes.”
“Okay.”
I pointed down the street. “Pull out and make a left, then go straight for about a half mile. We’ll start at the closest park.”
Autumn did as I asked. As we waited at a red light, she said, “Why did you buy it?”
“What?”
“The Mercedes. You said it was overpriced. So why did you buy it?”
“I didn’t. The firm leases it. They give us three choices of cars so we look the part when we go see a client. I don’t drive it that often since I live and work in the City and prefer trains.”
“Oh.”
A minute later, she said, “What kind of car would you get if you were buying it?”
“If I was buying it and wasn’t planning on pulling up to a client in it?”
She nodded.
“A nineteen seventy Ford Bronco.”
“Really? A fifty-year-old car? I don’t know what it looks like.”
“Did you ever see the movie Speed?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, it’s what Keanu Reeves drove. I watched that movie twenty times when it came out, just to check out his character’s car.”
She smiled. “That’s not the type of car I would have expected you to covet.”
“I think there’s a lot about me you’re going to find out tonight that you might not have expected.” I pointed up ahead. “Pull over in front of those of stores.”
“Near that group of guys?”
“Yeah.”
Autumn did as I asked. But when she put the car in park, she went to turn off the ignition.
“Keep it running. I’ll just be a minute.”
“I want to go with you.”
“You’re not going with me.”
“Why not?”
“Can you just trust me?”
She sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll wait in the car.”
I opened my door and turned back before getting out. “Lock the doors behind me.”
There were three guys standing in front of a closed neighborhood grocery store. They eyed me as I approached.
“I’m looking for a twelve-year-old kid named Storm. Any chance you’ve seen him around?”
The taller of the three lifted his chin. “Who’s asking?”
“I am. Name’s Decker.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know any Decker.”
“I don’t live in the neighborhood anymore. I used to hang with Dario over on Cleveland Street and ate my meals with Bud most nights.”
The guy rubbed his chin. “Decker, huh? That does sound familiar.”
“Look, I’m trying to find the kid to keep him out of more trouble than he’s already in.” I tilted my head toward the car. “That’s his social worker in the car. She’s putting her neck on the line right now by not calling in that he disappeared from Park House. If I don’t find him, we’re going to have to call it in, and then he’s in deeper shit than he needs to be.”
Two of the guys looked at each other, and one nodded. “I don’t know if the kid you’re looking for is there, but there’s a group around that age that hangs out in the abandoned lot over on Belmont Ave. And check out behind the pizza place off Jerome Street.”
“Thanks.”
Autumn and I stopped at the park, since it was on the way. I ran out and looked around, but it was empty. Then I gave her directions to the abandoned lot the guys at the store had mentioned.
“You know this neighborhood pretty well. Did you have clients here when you did street crimes?”
“Nope. Used to live here myself.”
“Really? I don’t think you mentioned that when we…met to exchange luggage.”
I looked over and waited until her eyes met mine. “I don’t think you mentioned that I only had seventy-two hours to fill you in on my life story because you were going to disappear.”
She smiled sadly. “I guess I deserve that.”
We both stayed quiet until we pulled up at the abandoned lot. Again, I got out by myself and had a few words with the people I encountered. Unfortunately, Storm wasn’t there, but one of the kids knew him and suggested trying some girl named Katrina’s block, because Storm “got it bad for the girl.”
Over the course of two hours, we went from place to place. It was beginning to feel like a futile attempt when I finally saw a kid about Storm’s size walking alone on a block he shouldn’t have been walking alone on. We rolled up and sure enough, it was him.