Throwaway People

Days Pass and Casa Sombrio Falls

Days began to pass. There was a routine the little family had. Jim had obtained a job doing clean-up work on a car lot. Washing cars, picking up trash, cleaning the office. He also proved useful in doing light maintenance on the cars themselves. Patty and Keyote went out to the Lost Tea Shop each day to play their guitars and sing to an appreciative audience. Each evening the little family did something different.

Monday was set aside for private interests. Keyote had bought a miniature radio. She listened to music while she read mystery novels. Patty played solitaire or read romances. Patty had recently obtained a Bible, which she began to read on occasion. Although Patty still denied there was any God. Jim had spent this time in meditation or reading history.

Tuesday was a clean up day. Dusting, sweeping, washing things down. Not on a fanatical level, just enough to keep things sanitary. During these days Jim and Patty had begun to take stock of what they had in the house. This included the attic. One of the things they found was a hand-cranked record player. Allowing them to play the vinyl records in the main room.

Wednesday was game night. One of them chose what board or card game they would play.

Thursday was discussion night. They sat down and discussed events, conflicts in the camp, and policies that were needed. They also told stories. Some they had heard before, others they made up.

Friday was Jim and Patty's date night. They often went out since both were making money. For Keyote it was a day to stay home and do whatever she wanted. On occasion the adults took her along on their date night, buying a nice dinner for her, and treating her too. No matter what Patty and Jim would have sex that night. That was the night that Keyote wore her headphones to bed to drown out the sexual activity next door. She played the music load on the radio and it drowned out their noise.

Saturday was laundry day. They took their week worth of dirty clothes to the laundry mat. That night Patty and Keyote practiced on their guitars and singing. With sheet music from the fifties and sixties the two of them would pick new songs to try each week.

Sunday was the day that Jim taught Keyote meditation, practiced them with her, and Patty began to join in. Jim and Keyote began to study Native American cultures and mythology. Jim seemed sure that Keyote was Brule Sioux. Keyote was fascinated with the mythology and shamanism.

Patty had begun to go to a church on Sunday. First to the Bible study before the service, then to the service itself. All the while she still denied the existence of God.

With occasional variation this had become their routine.

Outside of Casa Sombre. 9:00 AM, December 15

Danielle and the girl she had been partnered with had talked to social workers and detectives, the other girl which Key knew as Bunny, but whose real name was Kaitlyn had been found living in a abandoned house. She had been reunited with her Mother. No one mentioned Key in the newscasts. The family felt that Key was still safe from being picked up as a result.

Jose and his Guardia had been caught. Most of them at least. Andy and Carlos had not been in the Casa Sombrio when the raid occurred. Nearly twenty children had been found in the Casa. None of them sent out to the streets before the raid. Three of the children had been recently initiated to take place of the three older girls that Jose had lost. Keyote was happy to know that Jose and his organization was disassembled. What the family didn't know was that Andy and Carlos had escaped being arrested.

Police had been in and out of the Casa for several hours. Andy and Carlos had anticipated that Casa Sombrio would be raided soon. Jose had taken their advice and purchased a new place to move the kids before the raid. Unfortunately they hadn't had the chance to move the kids before the raid. It was only luck that Andy and Carlos had been out trying to recruit or abduct new kids when the raid hit.

Word on the street was that Bunny had turned over all of her regular clients on the street over to the police. Bunny must have given them the location of the Casa Sombrio. None of their own cops had breathed a word about a raid. That meant that the authorities knew that there would be leaks, possibly learning from Bunny who they were.

Carlos and Andy were sitting in Carlos' white pick-up. They had watched the police long enough to determine they wouldn't move back into the house anytime in the next few days. That was when they took off to the new building. An old single story hotel that still had the old furnishing. There was a large reception room in front. The windows long since boarded over. A restaurant in the back that would have become the common room for the children. There was no power, water, or phone service.

Carlos and Andy sat on the tailgate of the pick-up drinking a six pack of beer Andy had bought on the way over.

"They will find this place too." Carlos said.

"No, they won't." Andy said. "We made sure that if the Casa was raided this place wouldn't be found. No traceable evidence, no electronic or paper trail that doesn't lead to a dead end. This place is safe."

"All of the ninos and ninas are gone. The guardia are all gone too." Carlos said.

"We can recruit new bitches. As for guards, we could try getting your cousin, Little C. to work with us. He's off the crack now." Andy said.

"He's still useless. All he wants to do is work-out and work at that useless job he got. Over at the dollar store. Like that is going anywhere." Carlos spit on the pavement to show his contempt.

"He'll listen to you, he'll be part of the new Guardia." Andy told Carlos.

"As for our harem, well we'll have to start training a few boys and girls right away."

9:30 AM

Having someone try to cut your guts out was a hard lesson about staying on the streets. A lesson that Bobbi didn't need to repeat. While Bobbi was recovering Maria Granja visited him in the hospital. She gave Bobbi a job offer. A chance to talk about the flaws in the commercial foster home system and a chance to help the kids who came to the shelter to adjust to their new home.

"I understand that you know a couple of characters on the street. Water Jim and Patty Manse. That they have a young girl they are raising by the name of Keyote White." Maria said to Bobbi.

"I know them, but I can't tell you a lot. I don't know where they are camping at or anything about the girl." Bobbi said.

"I'm not trying to take Keyote away from them, but I'd like to know if Key knew my sister Theresa, called Terri Cloth by Casa Sombre." Bobbi said nothng about Key or the other two, but he told Maria that Theresa was thought to be dead.

It had come to a shock to Maria, Bobbi explained that no one knew. It was only a rumor that Andy and Jorge had killed Terri. Most people felt that they did when Terri never came back after supposedly leaving Casa Sombre. Because she had promised some of the kids that she would come back and help them off the streets too. Bobbi didn't mention that it was only one kid. That kid was Key.

"Do you think that you can convince Jim and Patty to let Key come to my shelter. I promise I'll help Key and they won't face any charges. I know Key isn't eighteen or older." Maria said. "We know that if we contact authorities, the couple and Key could disappear. Right now we know where to find them. I have a friend telling me that Keyote is healthy and happy with the couple. Eventually there has to be an intervention. Sooner may be better."

"I'll talk to them, but the choice is theirs. In fact I could convince them to help you find Keyote's family if you promise not to try to take Key." Bobbi explained. "They have a place they are living, they care about her, and I won't hurt them even if it costs my job."

"I'm not going to hold the job over your head, I'm just asking if you will talk to them." Marie wasn't going to force matters, but she wasn't going to wait much longer.