Crown's Law by Wolf Wootan Read Free Book Online Page B

Becky,
including the sexual abuse.
    “Poor child! You should find those people and
have them punished, Samuel!” she exclaimed. “You’re good at finding
people.”
    “She doesn’t want that, Mom. She’s afraid if
the authorities find out about her, she’ll get thrown into the
foster care system. She says she’ll run away before she endures
that. I think there has to be a better way. Do you realize that she
is tutoring college students in calculus? A kid like this has to be
saved from the system! I have to think of something!”
    “She’s such a polite child, too. It’s a
wonder she has survived so well, considering her
circumstances.”
    Sam laughed, “She’s a little Jekyll and Hyde!
She has a pretty foul mouth when she slips into her street mode.
Then, out of nowhere, she can start using big words that I don’t
even know the meaning of. She can exhibit unbelievable maturity one
minute, then slip back into frightened child mode the next. It was
quite a mixed bag when she told me her background. I don’t know
what to think of her.”
    “Well, for tonight at least, we’ll get her
cleaned up and let her get a good night’s sleep. Then, tomorrow
we’ll think things through. Your father should be back from his
fishing trip tomorrow. Maybe he’ll have some ideas—he’s spent his
life planning unreal things. One thing is for sure: I will not let
that child go back into the streets!” exclaimed Helena.
    ***
    Becky came down the stairs dressed in clean
clothes, but they were as shabby and faded as the ones she had
removed. Her blonde hair was clean and shiny now, and she had
brushed it out. It hung loosely to her shoulders.
    “Thank you. I feel much better now, Mrs.
Crown,” she said. “I hope my presence is not a great inconvenience
to you.”
    “And you look much better, too! How about
some milk and cookies now?” beamed Helena. “It’s been awhile since
Samuel gorged you with that terrible junk food. You’re going to
have to start eating more nutritious meals. You’re all bones!”
    “Milk and cookies sound nice. Thank you.”
    “Good. Let’s go into the kitchen and have a
nice talk,” said Helena.
    Sam could tell that his mother had slipped
into grandmother mode. He hoped she didn’t overdo it—at least not
until they knew more about the child genius. Helena was not dealing
with a normal child. Plus, the girl must be grieving inside—holding
her grief in. Probably not a good thing. Of course, he had always
been good at that, so he could relate to her.
    Over milk and chocolate chip cookies, Helena
extracted a little more information out of Becky. She had just
finished the 8th grade at an Irvine middle school on June 21 and
was scheduled to go to Irvine High School in September. Becky said
the hardest thing about the 8th grade—she was a straight A student,
of course—was remembering what she was supposed to know, and what
she wasn’t supposed to know. She did not want to divulge what she
really knew and draw too much attention to herself. The only reason
she went to school at all was so they would not come looking for
her and find out she was living in a car with her sister—and turn
her over to Child Protective Services. She spent most of her time
in libraries reading and absorbing facts and concepts—knowledge.
She was a speed reader with a photographic memory, so she had
already learned everything she needed to know to graduate from high
school and was well into upper class college courses. She was also
working her way through the Encyclopedia Britannica to increase her
general knowledge.
    Helena had to ask, “Have you ever . . . er,
worked with your sister?”
    “You mean have I been a hooker?” replied
Becky without hesitation. “No. Rachel wouldn’t let me—not that I
wanted to.”
    Later, Helena walked Becky up to her room and
tucked her in the soft bed. Becky lay there for a long time,
listening to the waves, before she finally fell asleep.
    Back downstairs, Helena said to