Chapter 26

“Noodle,” said Calvin as the teenage girl walked in through the screen door. He actually looked away from his computer as she did. That was mainly because Shannon kept on walking, with phone in hand, and did not seem to have any intentions of answering. Calvin asked another question, “who you been talking too all day?”

That did stop the girl. She lowered her phone and with a scowl she replied over her shoulder, “I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

“What?” Calvin thought about it for a second, “Noodle? I’ve calling you that since you were eight.”

Now Shannon spun on her heels and let it be known, “in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not eight any more, Buzz Kill.”

“Buzz k…” Cal was a little confused, “where the hell did that come from?”

“Garcia,” Shannon said with a hint of amusement, “he’s been doing it all day, ever since you took away his shotgun.”

“Not to face my least ways,” Calvin told her. “Look you’ve been on that phone almost non stop. I know your mom left you some lessons to do. Just because she’s home schooling you doesn’t mean…”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Shannon replied cutting him off. That left the room definitely silent and both of them eyeing each other, each refusing to quit.

Finally Calvin said, “look I know it was your mom’s choice to pull you out of school but, you were the one ditching every day.”

“I wasn’t ditching,” Shannon replied, “I was playing it safe for a few days.”

“It amounts to the same thing Noodle,” Calvin told her. “I’d think you’d be happy too…”

Shannon put her foot down, “Calvin Brandt! Stop calling me that!” In a more reasonable tone the girl went on, “look, I would have gone back and, none of this has anything to do with my age. Tell me Calvin, how many times did somebody try and kill you before your fifteenth birthday, huh?”

“Well,” Calvin was now at a loss for words, “none that I know of but…”

Shannon cut him off again and, this time Cal noticed, the girl was almost in tears when she said, “I have spent almost my entire life around you guys. I haven’t spent hardly any of it with people my own age. Then when I finally think that I need too, what does mom do? She up and puts me on solitary confinement.”

What could Calvin say to that. His first thought was that the girl was actually right. His second thought was even more disturbing though. Calvin realized that the little girl was actually looking at this from a very mature point of view. For the first time, Calvin was realizing that this little girl had not only grown up but, she had grown way past the fourteen year mark she should have been in. All the time he had been treating her like she was still eight. Where had all the years gone?

That was why Cal did not give her the kids answer of, “your mom is only worried about you.” What he did say instead was, “have you talked to Barbara about any of this?”

“Why bother,” Shannon replied very cynically, “she doesn’t listen.”

“Now Shannon,” Cal made a point to use her name this time, “I wouldn’t go and say that. Sometimes I think you’re about the only one around here that she ever listens too.”

Shannon rolled her eyes at him, “wake up Cal. Mom listens to Norm, sometimes you, and sometimes Kent….”

Cal muttered out with deep regret, “gee, thanks for including me in that last category with him.”

Shannon went on as if he had not spoken, “she even listens to Jake sometimes even if you’ll never get her to admit it. She never listens to me though, ever, not once that I can even remember. Mom just goes off and does things and never even asks what I think about it. Just like her wanting to move. She decided that and I had to find out when she told everybody else!”

Calvin sighed, “see your point.” He hesitantly added, “do you want me to talk to her?”

“No,” Shannon told him in no uncertain terms, “I can handle myself Cal. I got my own problems and my own solutions. All you’d do is piss her off so, thanks but, no.”

Cal just shrugged in return and replied, “if that’s the way you want it.” Then he thought about the situation and came up with something, “tell you what. You baby sit April for me. I’m still neck deep in these monthly reports and I get a little weary with Garcia sometimes.”

Shannon took it lightly, “that’s easy enough. She’s out by the kitchen back door on the phone. Saw her not five seconds ago.”

“No wonder I haven’t heard any avalanches from the kitchen in a little while. She’s texting too I‘ll bet,” Calvin mumbled. “That seems to be the sudden raging fad around here today. You know, I don’t get it. Why not just call the person, you know, like we normally do?”
Shannon waived him off, “that’s easy. It’s the best way to keep your conversation private and still go about your business. Sides, April wasn’t typing she was talking. Sounded kind of upset too.”

That raised a red flag for Cal, “did you hear what she was saying.”

“Not really,” Shannon replied, “I wasn’t paying much attention. I think it was probably with her parents though. Come to think of it, she was mentioning them a lot.”

Calvin had raised up in the chair. He eased back down in it slower than he had raised, mainly because he was deep in thought. His first impulse was that if she were talking with her mother then it was probably no big deal. His other thought was a little more vague and, that was mainly because, he was not quite sure why it all bothered him so.

It wasn’t until Bob came running down from ops, almost out of breath, that it suddenly occurred to Calvin why Shannon’s recount sounded all wrong. Then Bob slammed him with the home run, “Norm just called. We need to keep a tight leash on our guest. There’s going to be another hit on her.”

Now Calvin was completely standing. He fully realized what was wrong. If April was mentioning her parents that could only mean she was not talking to them, only about them! Calvin looked to the kitchen door and realized it was way too quiet in there. He told Shannon, “Noodle, go get that girl and bring her in here now.”

No sooner had Shannon vanished than Garcia came running in from the outside screen door, “hey? Did they catch them two hit men? I was just coming back from Chuck’s and I saw April hauling ass down the driveway like a bat out of hell.”

“You didn‘t stop her?!” Cal ranted.

The sighting was confirmed when Shannon came running back in shouting, “she’s gone! So’s her car!”

Garcia protested, “man, how was I supposed to know dude! You’re the one that was supposed to be playing cooking with Dottie!”

“Speaking of which,” Shannon completely changed her tone to one of surprise and delight, “you guys should get a load of that kitchen. I didn’t it know it had red floor tiles.”

Bob threw up his hands and all of the shouting came to a complete halt. Then he put his hands on his hips and in a command voice he said, “I think what we need to do now is…” Bob blinked and then looked to Shannon, “are you serious? I thought they were like green or something.”

Calvin was done with the banter. He marched right out of the room and came stomping back in with the same shotgun that Garcia had been parading around with earlier. He also had a ballistic jacket, thrown over one arm, and a box of shells. He stopped at a table and began loading the weapon.

Garcia rolled his eyes, “dude, what are you going to do? Go after her?”

Bob made a move for the hallway door but Cal stopped him with a buzzer noise, “you’re not getting out of com watch that easy. I need you and Garcia to stay here and watch… man the station.” Calvin stomped right out the screen door.

Garcia, never even looking to see him leave, yelled out, “you don’t even know where she’s going bro!”

Calvin was marching right back in before the screen door slammed shut. He stopped and yelped, “DAMN!” Then he grunted, “I am so going to get it.”