Peggy Holloway - Judith McCain 04 - Jupiter Returns by Peggy Holloway
Authors: Peggy Holloway
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found each other when we were sixteen. The one you must have met is the other one. I haven’t met her yet but she may be traveling with a very bad woman. Is that who hurt your mommy?”
She started shaking and I pulled her into my lap and held her. When she started crying, I wasn’t as worried about her. These were real feelings and the shaking stopped.
I wanted so badly to question her but I held my tongue. I had to follow her lead. As a psychotherapist this had always been the most difficult thing for me to do. As I held her she began to calm down and I had an idea. I decided to drive around the area where she had been found and see if she could lead me to the house where her mom might have been stabbed.
I asked Bettina if she wanted some ice cream and she nodded yes. We got in my car and I stopped for ice cream and then drove around in the neighborhood where she had been found. I kept glancing at her but she was busy with her ice cream and didn’t seem to notice where we were going.
“When do I have to go back to school?” she suddenly asked.
“You go to school?”
I saw her smile for the first time and she had a look of pride on her face, “I’m in the second grade.”
I had to pullover for this. I found an Indian restaurant and pulled into the parking lot.
“How old are you?” I asked.
“I’m seven years old.” She said with pride in her voice.
I was getting excited, “Where do you go to school?”
“The one around the corner from my house.”
This was the most she ha d spoken since I had met her. I needed to be careful and not cause her to shut down again.
I laid my hand on her leg, “Honey, what is the name of the school?”
“Lady of Mercy, the catholic school.”
I had driven past there on my way home many times. It was in Montrose. “Why don’t we go see your teacher? What’s her name?”
“Miss Kimberly.”
CHAPTER 12
The bell rang when I pulled into the parking lot of the school. It was good timing. When we got out of the car, Bettina took my hand and led me to her class.
A beautiful woman who resembled Grace Kelly was sitting at her desk grading papers. When she looked up and saw Bettina, she stood and rushed over.
“I’ve been worried about you, Bettina. I’ve tried to call your mom but no one answers the phone.”
As soon as Bettina’s mom was mentioned, Bettina clammed up. She became as withdrawn as she had been when I first met her.
I introduce my self and she shook my hand, “Riana Kimberly. What’s happened?”
I explained how we found Bettina and how she had not spoken much until today, “Do you know where they live?”
“No! No! I don’t want to go home,” Bettina screamed.
I pi cked her up and held her, “It’s okay. You don’t have to go home,” I said. As soon as I said those words she calmed down.
Miss Kimberly walked over to her desk and wrote something on a piece of paper. She handed it to me and I put it in my jeans pocket.
I took Bettina back to the Fraziers and started home. When I stopped at a red light I got the paper out of my pocket and read it. It was the address where Bettina and her mom had lived.
I s wung by there on the way home. The building was an old house that had been divided into four apartments, two up and two downstairs. This was common in the Montrose area of Houston.
These houses had once been family homes. Sometimes they had made the bottom floor into a restaurant or boutique and had living quarters above as there were no zoning laws in Houston.
I walked up onto a wrap-around porch and knocked on the door. No one came to the door and I realized I would have to knock on one of the doors to one of the apartments.
Miss Kimberly hadn’t put an apartment number on the paper she gave me so I knocked on the door to the right of the stairs.
The woman who opened the door looked to be almost 100 years old. She had no teeth and I had a hard time understanding what she said but I thought she was asking me what
She started shaking and I pulled her into my lap and held her. When she started crying, I wasn’t as worried about her. These were real feelings and the shaking stopped.
I wanted so badly to question her but I held my tongue. I had to follow her lead. As a psychotherapist this had always been the most difficult thing for me to do. As I held her she began to calm down and I had an idea. I decided to drive around the area where she had been found and see if she could lead me to the house where her mom might have been stabbed.
I asked Bettina if she wanted some ice cream and she nodded yes. We got in my car and I stopped for ice cream and then drove around in the neighborhood where she had been found. I kept glancing at her but she was busy with her ice cream and didn’t seem to notice where we were going.
“When do I have to go back to school?” she suddenly asked.
“You go to school?”
I saw her smile for the first time and she had a look of pride on her face, “I’m in the second grade.”
I had to pullover for this. I found an Indian restaurant and pulled into the parking lot.
“How old are you?” I asked.
“I’m seven years old.” She said with pride in her voice.
I was getting excited, “Where do you go to school?”
“The one around the corner from my house.”
This was the most she ha d spoken since I had met her. I needed to be careful and not cause her to shut down again.
I laid my hand on her leg, “Honey, what is the name of the school?”
“Lady of Mercy, the catholic school.”
I had driven past there on my way home many times. It was in Montrose. “Why don’t we go see your teacher? What’s her name?”
“Miss Kimberly.”
CHAPTER 12
The bell rang when I pulled into the parking lot of the school. It was good timing. When we got out of the car, Bettina took my hand and led me to her class.
A beautiful woman who resembled Grace Kelly was sitting at her desk grading papers. When she looked up and saw Bettina, she stood and rushed over.
“I’ve been worried about you, Bettina. I’ve tried to call your mom but no one answers the phone.”
As soon as Bettina’s mom was mentioned, Bettina clammed up. She became as withdrawn as she had been when I first met her.
I introduce my self and she shook my hand, “Riana Kimberly. What’s happened?”
I explained how we found Bettina and how she had not spoken much until today, “Do you know where they live?”
“No! No! I don’t want to go home,” Bettina screamed.
I pi cked her up and held her, “It’s okay. You don’t have to go home,” I said. As soon as I said those words she calmed down.
Miss Kimberly walked over to her desk and wrote something on a piece of paper. She handed it to me and I put it in my jeans pocket.
I took Bettina back to the Fraziers and started home. When I stopped at a red light I got the paper out of my pocket and read it. It was the address where Bettina and her mom had lived.
I s wung by there on the way home. The building was an old house that had been divided into four apartments, two up and two downstairs. This was common in the Montrose area of Houston.
These houses had once been family homes. Sometimes they had made the bottom floor into a restaurant or boutique and had living quarters above as there were no zoning laws in Houston.
I walked up onto a wrap-around porch and knocked on the door. No one came to the door and I realized I would have to knock on one of the doors to one of the apartments.
Miss Kimberly hadn’t put an apartment number on the paper she gave me so I knocked on the door to the right of the stairs.
The woman who opened the door looked to be almost 100 years old. She had no teeth and I had a hard time understanding what she said but I thought she was asking me what
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