And Crawling Things Lurk

“You touch her, Jackie, and you’re dead! I mean it! Get away from her! Now!” Officer Evans stood there with his gun pointed in their general direction, angled off to the side just enough so it wasn’t pointed right at Muri or Jackie but near enough to bring it back to lock in on Jackie in an instant.

Muri was scared, but she wasn’t sure what she should be scared of. Officer Evans had his gun out and acted as though Jackie was dangerous, but she was pretty sure he wasn’t.

“You’re safe, now, sweetheart,” Officer Evans said as he started down the slope towards them, but keeping his gun pointing almost at Jackie’s head. “Just step over to the side and come on up here. He can’t hurt you, now. I promise.”

She started up toward the officer, but then stopped. If she stayed with Jackie, Officer Evans probably wouldn’t shoot because he might hit her. But if she walked away from Jackie...what would happen? She moved back to Jackie and took his hand in hers.

Officer Evans looked confused. “It’s okay, Muri, you can get away from him. I won’t let him hurt you.”

“But…he won’t hurt me, anyway. Why do you think he would? He’s my friend. He saved me.”

By now, Officer Evans was at the bottom of the slope with them and no longer had to shout his orders, but he kept his weapon pointed straight into Jackie’s face. Jackie and Muri remained side-by-side, still holding hands.

Keeping his own eyes locked on Jackie’s, he said, “I don’t understand. Tory flagged me down and said you were in trouble. He and his friends were muddy and all messed up.”

“But—” Muri started.

“Tory’s mouth was bleeding and had the start of a black eye, and Mickey had a bloody nose. They said Jackie attacked them, and that he still had you.”

“But—”

“They were almost hysterical – said I had to get down here quick and shoot him before he –. Are you telling me that’s not true?”

“He did not!” Muri got out, anger boiling anew in her gut. “Tory is the one that had me, him and his friends. They tried to grab me on my way home and chased me down here. They got me down on the ground and…stuff, and Jackie stopped ’em. All he did was pull Tory off me and chase ’em all away.”

“But both Tory and Mickey were injured, bleeding.” He slipped his weapon back into its holster and re-closed the safety snap.

“Jackie didn’t do that – I did – to both of ’em.” With just a touch of pride swelling her chest, she added, “I’m the one that gave Mickey a bloody nose and busted Tory in the mouth and eye, and I’ll do it again if they get close enough.”

“Whoa, now! Take it easy. So, Jackie didn’t do anything to them?”

“Well, I guess he tossed Tory in the river – but just the shallow part.”

“And you say Tory attacked you? You didn’t start it?”

“No!” she protested. “I was just walking home from school and they started calling me to...well, to do stuff. They wouldn’t let me turn on my street, and they followed me down this way. After a while I decided to just go on through ’em and go home. But I couldn’t get past. They said they wanted to...do stuff.”

“Tell me what they said. What did they tell you to do, or that they tried to do?”

Muri paused for a moment, then, with her head down, she answered, “To take my pants off. They said they wanted to see if I’m really a girl.”

The officer nodded and said, “Go on.”

“Back there at the intersection, they all surrounded me and started grabbing at me. I hit Mickey and ran. But they blocked me from going home, so I had to come this way. They caught me over there where the ground stops. They were all around me again, and when they started to grab me, I hit Tory and jumped on him. The other two pulled me off and hit me some then held me while Tory punched me, and then they all started pulling my pants off. That’s when Jackie grabbed Tory and tossed him in the river – but just the shallow part.”

Evans propped both of his hand on his waist and peered at Jackie. “That the way it happened?”

Jackie hadn’t moved since he first saw Evans on the trestle. Muri still held his hand, but he worked it loose and stuffed it into his pocket when Evans addressed him. “Yeah. Those punks shouldn’t’ve...what she said.”

“Well, I think I’m going to have another talk with Tory, Rick and Mickey – along with their parents. I’d better talk to your folks, too, Muri, about the boys assaulting you. Come on, I’ll give you a ride home.”

She started towards Evans, but stepped back to stand in front of Jackie for a moment, long enough to ask, “You’re not going to shoot him, are you?”

That got a half smile from the officer who replied, “No, I promise.”

They were half way up the slope when Muri stopped and turned around. Jackie was still standing where she had left him, watching them. She smiled and said, “Thanks, Jackie. You’re my hero.”

He didn’t say anything, and she wasn’t sure he had heard her, or understood her if he did. But, then he worked a crooked smile back on his own face and raised his hand up in a half-wave.

In the patrol car, Don turned to Muri before starting the engine. “And it happened just the way you told me?”

“Yes, sir, I swear. They tried to pull my pants off. One of ’em scratched my belly with his fingernails. Want to see?”

“No, that’s all right,” he said, cranking the engine over with one hand while holding the other up in a halt signal when she started to undo her belt. “We’ll wait ’til your mom can see it, too. Then maybe we’ll have your doctor take a look, okay? If there really is a scratch, I might need a medical opinion.”

“You don’t believe me.” It was an accusation.

He took a moment to respond. “Let’s just say I believe you at least as much as I believe Tory. But it is your word against theirs.”

“What about Jackie? Doesn’t he count? Don’t you believe him, either?”

“Well, now, Muri, you’ve got to understand. Jackie is not the most reliable person. Tory’s dad is probably going to demand that I arrest him for assault and battery, at least. Maybe even molestation.”

The car bounced when the right front wheel hit a chuckhole. Don drove slowly past the decrepit old buildings, but it was impossible to miss all the holes and cracks.

“But, Jackie didn’t do anything. And he sure didn’t molest anyone. Tory and the others did, but he didn’t.”

“Still, it’s your word against –”

“Oh, can you stop for a minute? That’s my pack over there by the curb. I dropped it when I hit Mickey.”

Evans stopped when they drew even with the bag and its load of books and materials half spilled out, apparently dropped in haste. “Way back up here, huh?”

After Officer Evans left, Muri’s mother closed the front door and turned to face her. “Oh, darling, are you sure you’re okay? We could just run down to Doctor Elliot’s office. He would see us right away, I’m sure.”

“No, I don’t want to. Honest, Mom, I’m okay. Even Officer Evans said he didn’t need a doctor’s report when he saw how little it is. It hardly even bled.”

“Yes, I know about the scratch, dear, but maybe he should just check you over – you know...there.”

Muri was getting as embarrassed as her mother sounded. She turned to go to her room, mumbling, “Oh, Mom, nothing happened. Tory didn’t even get my pants off. Jackie stopped him, remember? There’s nothing to check.”

“I know you keep saying that, but are you sure it wasn’t the other way around? Maybe Jackie was trying to...um, well...and Tory is the ministers son, after all. I just can’t believe... Really, dear, it’s much more likely that Tory is the one that saved you. Now, isn’t it?”

“Maybe it should be more likely, but that’s not the way it happened. People think Tory is such a nice person because his dad is the minister, and maybe he should be, but he isn’t. He’s a bully, and he attacked me, not Jackie. Jackie stopped him.”

“Well, okay, dear, but your father is going to be furious. I wouldn’t say too much about Jackie to him. And I don’t want you going back down there where he hangs out, him and the other winos.”

“Don’t call him that. He’s not a – well maybe he is, but it’s not a nice thing to call him. He saved me.”

“And I’m very grateful for that. Your father will be, too. It’s just that we don’t want you to become friends with him.”

“Too late.” Her crooked smile matched the one Jackie had worn. “We’re already friends.”

“How can you say that? You don’t know anything about him, except that he’s a…well, he is a wino.”

“But, that’s not all he is. He’s a person, too. He’s got feelings. He knows what’s right and what’s not – a lot more than Tory does. You should have seen him when he got Tory off me. He was shaking, he was so mad. He may be a wino, but he’s my friend. He’s my hero.”