Out of Time (Nine Minutes #2) by Beth Flynn Read Free Book Online Page B

hard time warming up to the school bully. As she said, that Curtis Armstrong was a troublemaker.
    Grunt gave Grizz a questioning glance. “How do you check on her without anybody knowing it?”
    “I thought it would be hard, but the sad truth is, this little girl is so alone nobody has ever noticed me. And I think I’m kind of noticeable. But the few times Mavis told me something was up and I’ve had to see for myself, I’ve been able to stay in the background.” He didn’t know why, but he felt prompted to continue. “Mavis told me one day that something was wrong. She suspected that Gwinny wasn’t being fed much at home. She was getting her free school lunch, but kept asking for seconds to take with her.”
    Grunt looked at him. “Her name is Gwinny?”
    “Yeah. Her name is Gwinny.” He paused reflectively, subconsciously tugging on his beard before continuing. “Gwinny walks up to the convenience store once a day, like clockwork. One day after Mavis told me her concern, I decided to just hang out there, lay low, see if I could figure out what was going on. That day I saw her go into the store with a brown bag. She came out still holding the same bag and she looked upset. I went in after she left, and the lady behind the counter looked upset, too. I asked her if something was wrong. She said she felt awful because the little girl who’d just left was trying to sell some of her personal things to buy food.”
    “Why didn’t her parents feed her?”
    “I thought they did, but I guess they were gone so much, they ate at the bar they hung out at and would forget to make sure she had food.” Grizz gripped the steering wheel. “It really pissed me off. It bothered the clerk at the store, too, because she told me she was a working mother and didn’t even have a dollar to give her. And to make matters worse, the little money Gwinny did have, she used to buy her mom cigarettes.”
    “So what did you do? Did you help?” Grunt’s eyes were wide.
    “Yeah.” Grizz shrugged. “I got Mavis to start leaving a bag of groceries on their doorstep here and there. One time I left a bag by the door myself when I knew nobody was around.”
    This shocked Grunt. He couldn’t imagine Grizz grocery shopping. Grizz must have read his mind and gave Grunt a half smile. “I had the girls get some extra stuff when they went shopping. I was just the deliveryman. And I only did it once when Mavis couldn’t.”
    “Are we delivering groceries today?” Grunt asked as he turned around and eyed the back seat. He didn’t see anything.
    “No, Mavis said things have gotten better since then.”
    “So she looks like she’s getting fed?”
    “Yeah, I guess so. I haven’t actually seen her in over two years. But I’m sure Mavis would’ve told me. Besides, she’s older now and I guess she makes sure she gets money from her parents. Mavis said she used to walk to the grocery store because it’s cheaper. But it’s a lot farther away than the convenience store.” Grizz looked at Grunt a little sheepishly before he told him, “I bought her a bicycle. Left it when nobody was around. I guess her parents think the neighbors must be helping out. They honestly don’t seem to give a shit.”
    Grunt smiled up at Grizz. “You bought her a bike or you got someone else to buy her a bike?”
    “Mavis picked it out. What the hell would I know about a girl’s bicycle? Mavis outdid herself. It was purple with a sparkly banana seat and tassels on the handlebars. The whole nine yards,” he laughed.
    What Grizz didn’t tell Grunt was that it never occurred to him that Gwinny had nobody to teach her how to ride it. Mavis mentioned her skinned knees and elbows a few weeks after he left the bike. But she eventually got the hang of it and was able to fit a small grocery bag in the basket. He was glad she was using it. He still couldn’t believe her parents let her ride that far to the grocery store on her own. She was still only nine.
    Grunt