The lights left her face and moved expertly throughout the room.
“This room’s clear, just the girl,” an annoyed voice caled.
In the moonlit room she saw the shadowed men look at each other and share an unspoken thought. They hauled her to her feet, and before she could react, cold smooth metal clicked tight around her wrist. Her arm was puled to the head of her bed where the other end clicked around the wrought iron bar.
Dumbfounded, she looked at her wrist and back at the men.
What the hel?
“To keep you from running off.” The dark man answered her unspoken question.
Simultaneously the two giants turned and left her room. Large white letters were printed on the back of their coats.
SWAT.
Relief and dread washed over her as she struggled to take a deep breath. They weren’t here to attack her; they were here for the pot. She moved her arm and found it securely locked to the bed. Did they suspect her? With her luck Aunt Marge would pin the drugs on her. The kids at school would have a field day with this.
Miss Orman must have reported it. How stupid of Libby to tel her. Wait a minute. Why would she want to protect Aunt Marge? She was a hideous person who deserved what she got.
Libby no longer heard her screeching, but could imagine her going balistic. A tiny smile lit her face.
As Libby’s pulse slowed to a healthier pace, she noticed more men lurking outside covertly checking al the outbuildings as if they were on an episode of CSI. The moonlight iluminated the yard, revealing how they used hand signals as they rushed from building to building. As the minutes passed, their urgency slowed and lights began to appear in the barn.
Jackpot!
Unable to do much else, Libby watched from her window as the SWAT team took pictures and started moving the contents of the barn. Had they forgotten about her? It seemed like hours had passed. She looked out across the fields to Parfrey’s Glen, at one time her sanctuary, and then, after meeting Peter, her haven. Would he ever stop there again? No, probably not. She sat on the edge of the bed, head low. Why did life have to suck so much?
A few minutes later, a woman startled her when she walked into the room. Libby never heard her on the stairs.
“Hi, I’m officer Decker and I’m going to take you downstairs to ask you some questions. Do you understand?” She stood as formidable as a giant oak.
“Yes, ma’am,” Libby answered.
“Stand up, please. I’m going to move this cuff from the bed to your other wrist.”
“Please don’t do that, I didn’t do anything wrong. Honest,” Libby implored, but obeyed her instruction.
“It’s policy. Until you’ve been released from suspicion, we need to take precautions.”
# # #
Libby sat in the back of a squad car. She had never wondered what getting arrested would be like, but now the experience was forever ingrained in her psyche. She absorbed the view of massive equipment in the front of the car. The equipment seemed more useful to fly a jet plane than track down smal-town drug dealers.
Officer Decker turned down the volume on the police radio, but it stil squawked in the background. Tiny red and yelow lights lit the console. A strong scent permeated the vehicle, a combination of leather, plastic, and unknown smels she’d rather not guess at. She sank back into the seat, miserable.
“Thanks for your patience, Libby. I know this has been a long night.” Officer Decker’s demeanor changed now that the authorities knew she had nothing to do with Aunt Marge’s pot seling. “Are you sure there isn’t anyone we can cal for you? A friend or neighbor?”
“Nope. No one.” Her only friend was Peter and he disconnected himself from her life. What would she say if she could get through to him? Hi, you don’t want to be with me any more, but can you save me from my train wreck of a life?
“Anyone at school?” Officer Decker was reaching for someone, anyone to cal, but the fact was, no one existed. Just her dad and they already knew he’d deserted her.
“There is one person,” Libby started. Officer Decker’s eyes lit, her pad open and pen ready. “My school counselor, Miss Orman, but she’s out of town for Thanksgiving weekend.”
“I see.” The officer appeared disappointed as she closed the pad. Why would she care if Libby had no friends?
“Can I go back inside now?” Despite al the