Let's Ride

Chapter 13

On the way back, I turned off a the Franklin Basin Road, and drove to the National forest campground. Jessica was right, her boyfriend had taken everything, I looked around nobody else appeared to be camping here, so lonely and forlorn, back on the road, I called Greg and told him about Jessica, "Well I could call Jeff, and see what he says," Jeff was one of Greg's buddies and a State cop, " Uh, maybe not right at the moment, although that boyfriend of her's needs to be picked up, I should be home in another hour, stop by the house, I'm hoping her mother will call and we can figure something out, so I'll see you a little later then, bye, love ya! "Dad was a bit surprised when I told him, but then nothing seems to bother him much anymore, thankfully we had a spare bedroom so I took Jessica home and made her sit in the kitchen while I fixed supper. Shortly afterwards I heard talking outside, it turned out to be Greg arriving the same time as dad was getting home, they were outside talking, and came in together. Dad had already been introduced to Jessica, so I introduced her to Greg, "Staying for dinner?" "You know it babe, Uh anything I can help with?" "you can do the salad, OK?" "I'm on it." I was just heating up some frozen chicken afredo and penne in a skillet, but a nice salad would go well with it, and Greg just had a way with salads. While the two of us prepared supper, dad and Greg got Jessica to open up a little.

Dad asked her about school, "Oh I dunno, guess I coulda gone out in California Jason didn't say nothing about that," she related. It wasn't long before the whole sordid story was out, I think dad had wished he'd left well enough alone, I could clearly see that he was upset. Later, while Jessica was watching TV, Greg and I discussed the situation. "Christ! Nikki, they could get her boyfriend on kidnapping, soliciting prostitution, probably grand theft auto, if that wasn't his car that they took, and I'm betting it wasn't. I her mom doesn't call soon I'm going to call Jeff and see what he says." I got terribly worried, "Then they'll probably send child services to come and get her." Greg nodded, "They probably will it's not really your problem, you did what you could for her, that's all you can do," argued Greg. I didn't feel like pushing things right at the moment, so I didn't say anything. Jessica really chowed down on her supper, taking a second helping on the salad, to Greg's delight. After dinner, I kept pacing around, making dad and Greg nervous, both of them were sitting in the kitchen talking about our recent trip to Yellowstone, and some accident that happened downtown the other day.

Shortly after nine the call we had all been waiting for came, "Hello, is this Nikki Cormak?" "Yes it is," "I'm Susan Winters, I understand Jessica is with you?" "Yes she is, she's fine Mrs. Winters, she's here with my father and I we just ate dinner a little while ago, she's in the other room watching TV right now." There was a long pause, "Um, Jessica's friend really didn't say, but where exactly are you?" Logan Utah, ma'am, I was on my way over to Wyoming this morning to drop off some truck parts, I saw your daughter standing along side the road in the rain, I picked her up made sure she was warm, stopped and got her something to eat. Apparently her boyfriend abandoned her in a National Forest campground, where he is we don't know, but Jessica is safe." I could hear sobbing on the other end of the line, "Oh thank God she's safe, I thought her and that Jason were still around here, I didn't realize they had left the state entirely." "From what Jessica told me, they were on their way to California," I said. "Listen Mrs. Winters, how do you purpose we get her back to you?" Another log pause, "Hello?" Mrs. Winters?" "I'm here, I'm sorry, ah, Nikki is it? I don't have a lot of money, do you suppose you could spring for an airline or bus ticket, although the nearest airports or bus stations are either in Kalamazoo, or South Bend Indiana, I'm worried she might stray off and not get here." "This was starting to sound funny, "I'm sorry Mrs. Winters, I don't have a lot of money either, but is there some reason why you think she might not come home, I mean after all, she did run away."

"Oh no, no, it's not like that, that boyfriend of her's that Jason, he was always talking her into a lot of crazy things she would never listen to me." "Boy ain't that the truth!" I thought. Lowering my voice, I said, "She told me that he talked her into selling her body for gas money, is that the sort of thing you mean?" I could here her start to cry again. "Look, here's the deal Mrs. Winters, my boyfriend has a friend who is a State cop, we are going to call him tomorrow to see what he says, more than likely, the authorities will be brought in, there's a good possibility Jessica will end up in juvy, I don't want that."