##Chapter 13: Saving Grace

Tires screeched as the car took the interstate ramp. Elaine tossed a look in her rearview mirror at Frank as she weaved around traffic, wishing that the car could drive itself so she could reach around and grapple the phone from him.

"What do you mean I should have taken the backroads into downtown? We're heading to 55 Jersey Avenue, remember? The backroads would take us past that by three blocks! Just read the directions on the map, and please stop getting distracted by the shiny lights. They're street lamps not flying jellyfish."

An agonized groan answered her, the hand waving her off lank and lazy.

"How am I supposed to know! Your driving is God awful. I have no idea where we even are anymore. This phone screen is way too tiny too. It's all wobbly. You should get a new phone. You have enough money to do it. Or get your new girlfriend to."

Elaine hadn't wanted to risk crashing by constantly looking at her navigator, so she'd trusted her friends to get them there.

They'd gotten lost four times. She couldn't really blame that on either of them. The booze was finally starting to hit. The only reason she hadn't taken either home was because Abigail said she needed to talk to them.

As she re-entered the freeway, she kept an eye out for any sign of the sign she needed.

"Abigail isn't my girlfriend, Frank. She's just a person I happen to know."

Hannah giggled and slapped at the seatbelt. "You want her to be. You made all kinds of eyes at her over the phone. I saw you, girl. You can't deny it or hide it from me. Why don't you get to know her better?"

Coming to a stoplight (you really would think one would have turned red sooner in traffic like this) she reached back and grabbed the phone.

They were close. She just needed to make a right turn three streets down.

"If I promise to think about it, can we stop talking about it? There just... isn't a good time to really sit and talk about feelings right now."

Frank made various noises and whined that the floor was spinning too fast. Hannah slumped in her seat, kicking her legs idly against the glove compartment. "Fine but you owe us. You also owe us another night out after this. We're for sure gonna have to celebrate kicking that hitman's a** to the curve. With all of us working on the case, we'll be sure to take him down."

Something told Elaine that Abigail wasn't going to appreciate having extra hands on board her trial. At least, nothing too involved with it. She didn't see anything wrong with the idea though, and it couldn't hurt to at least ask if they could help. They were already involved after all.

She pulled into the turn and hit the high beams.

"I did miss hanging out with you both. Tell you what, we'll get Grace, and I'll take you two home so you can sober up. We'll all sort things out when we have the time. Sound good?"

Her passengers cheered, though she wasn't sure if they really understood what it was they were cheering for.

Still, she wouldn't have wanted them anyplace else.

***

The safe house lot was filled with a row of black Jeeps lined side by side. Armed officers stopped their car as it approached, escorting Elaine towards Abigail after receiving confirmation she was actually supposed to be there.

The lawyer was standing near a motorcycle, smiling down at Grace who was wrapped inside a red raincoat. Her eyes lit up as Elaine got closer, and she ran at her, wrapping her arms around her waist, quietly sobbing into her shirt.

Elaine dropped to her knees as the weight buckled her. She lay her head on top of Grace's and rocked her back and forth.

"You were so brave. I'm so sorry to have made you wait for so long. I got lost on the way because I have two big babies in the car with me who can't follow directions. What about you? Did the police treat you nicely?"

With a shaky smile Grace began gesturing her arms at the building. "The police cars all drove up, and I wanted to go outside to greet them, but then they told me not to move so I didn't. Then they told anyone who was in the building to come out nice and slow, so I got scared and confused and just laid down on the ground."

Elaine brushed her hair out, removing a pair of leaves stuck to the back. "Then what happened?"

She pointed to a smattering of residue on her pants. "After I didn't come out, something small hit the ground. It made a loud bang, and there was this smoke filling the air. It made everything hard to breathe, and I couldn't see anything because my eyes started watering. A bunch of people raced in and started shouting. I just stayed where I was."

They used tear gas!? It wasn't as lethal as other things but still....

"I assume they found you after that?"

She nodded. "They washed me off and brought me out to Abigail. She gave me her rain jacket and has stayed with me the whole time while the police look for the people who did this."

So that's where she'd gotten that from. Looking over at Abigail, who tried her best to hide her smile behind the act of washing her sunglasses off, Elaine carefully lifted them to their feet.

"Sounds like you've had quite the night, huh? What you need now is a good old bath and a nice soft bed to sleep in. Good thing I've got both!"

Abigail put her glasses into her shirt, looking down at her bike, detaching a briefcase from it.

"Elaine, Grace isn't going home with you."

Well there went the goodwill she'd earned. Why did Abigail insist on being so sweet one second then callous the next?

"Where will Grace be staying then? Surely you don't intend to make her stay here."

"Absolutely not. She'll be coming back to the police station with us until she can be placed into foster care with a temporary family. Then after her trial, she'll be placed into a more permanent situation as the ability to do so arises."

Foster care? Did Abigail really think that was the best place for her? Would they even vet the people they were putting her with? How could they ensure Grace's safety?

Elaine crossed her arms and squared her shoulders. "Absolutely not."

The taller woman raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate on that statement?"

Oh, h**l no. They were not doing this in front of Grace.

Elaine smiled down at her, pointing her towards the car where she could see Hannah and Frank pestering or being questioned by the officers.

"Why don't you go wait in the car, okay? I'll be right with you after Abigail and I have a talk."

Eyeing them both, the girl ran off, her face petrified. Elaine felt the shame welling into her gut at the fact that their little spat had scared her worse than she already must have been. She whirled on Abigail, moving to stand toe to toe with her. "Why would you say that in front of her!? What is wrong with you? She just lost her mother. The last thing she needs is to be shoved into a system that doesn't give a d**n about her!"

Backed up against what must have been her own bike, Abigail eased the briefcase between them, using it to push Elaine back a few steps.

"I said it because it's the truth of what's going to happen. What you're proposing isn't the safest option or the best one for Grace. Elaine, these people are killers. You're not going to be able to keep her safe the same way the police can."

Real rich. That was real rich of her to say after everything that had happened.

"Look around! The police couldn't protect her here! I have the credentials and the knowledge to be able to give Grace the care she needs. You'll also be able to know where she is at all times. I'm not having her be alone again, facing a situation like this without anyone to care for her!"

Abigail looked away. Her voice was quiet. "What happens when you end up getting killed in front of her, huh? Because your kind heart overrode your common sense? How will Grace feel then when there really is no one left to fight for her because you wanted to do the right thing at the wrong time?"

Elaine pulled a card from her jacket and pressed it against Abigail's chest, making sure to grab the lawyer's face so she could force her to maintain eye contact. She needed her to hear what she had to say.

"I'll fight for Grace the same way Gina did. If I die, then I'll die knowing I did the right thing. I know you want to do the right thing here. This has my address on it. If you need anything, this will be where you can find us."

She held Abigail's face a moment longer, lingering on the look of worry and wonder in it before she turned and walked back to her car.

Her back burned for the way she was stared at.