LIFELINE

nights at the Wallace/Vargas-Wallace household. Lauren and Lauren took to one another like two peas in a pod (or two Laurens in a l

I didn't believe it myself. Seven years earlier, it was how the older Lauren fell asleep many nights, only it was her head resting on my

ug her mother. I could hear Lauren and Pam talking animatedly as I carried my daughter to bed, and I decided that today had gone on long enough and I didn't want to face the prospect of dealing with Pa

use. It wasn't exactly the way I enjoy waking up and I'm pretty much a bastard in the mornings anyway. I located the sou

if this shit is going to go on for a minute longer. Whatever the hell you three idio

yelled only about twice a year and never at her; Lauren looked surprised to see me standing in the doorway in a T-shirt and

better. Now, would we care to

e, but stopped when they

you go first?" I sai

in a harsh tone directed toward me. "I've explained it just about every way I know how,

igh

a jail cell if her mother prefers. And just so you know, Pam, if you attempt to take her off the property, I'll drag her back to the ju

what is y

ancing first at her mother, then at El

ned," she said. "Finally I just told them both to shut up an

ed them. After I was done talking to her, both Elizabeth and Pam would get the opportunity to ask anythi

ess your concerns?" I

it. I don't have any way to pay for your legal services and I refuse to freeload at your house. I'll lose my job if I stay here for very long but I'm not l

from losing my temper was a

es, Daddy," my

nd picked up my little Princess

orning, small fry," she said. "I like mine

d off to fix breakfast I

cops found a hell of a lot of drugs in her backpack. It was here or in juvie. We could refuse to waive the 180-day rule, but that's still six month

u. Lauren can't leave here unless it's to court or a doctor's appointment. I'd hate to do it, but before I let my wife's reputation be ruined by your attitude, I'll put Lauren back in a cell. Like it or not, Elizabeth and I have

ke again, this time i

t defend them. So there is no way either of us can charge you a fee for cases we don't hand

ed for a moment – to help the girls with breakf

to me again," she said with a smile, "

my lower anatomy, so I suspected it was an idle threa

. I hate to spend time away from my daughter for any reason but especially

old. Additionally I needed Pam and Elizabeth to sit in on my interview with Lauren because each of them wo

ce Elizabeth and I share but I pul

ou don't tell me the absolute truth you're going to find yourself in another adult situation pretty quickly. And beli

or when I mentioned the trut

he said, but I st

– one for my services and one to assure Elizabeth's silence – b

ut I wanted to see what she had to s

eeting people while Lauren stayed around the hotel. The day she was arrested Biff had told the girl sh

up with a woman but as she grew older she realized from

to dinner or something. But after the meetings he'd pace around the room before final

ement fits wi

rry drugs for him?" I

. , " she started

said firmly. "I need to know ho

ooked at

y didn't know it was drugs. But I knew it was something bad. I left the pack by one of

e of the chairs and then went swimming. I noticed the backpack was a

e said it had sunscreen and things like that in it. I told him I had

think much about it until I saw a tiny lock on the zippers. Then I knew something was

s bouncing between rage and sadness – rage at the situation Lauren found her

said. "Did you at any time touch t

ought for

ckpack over but I'm not sure if the one t

certain, given the conte

t the one I carried over, there i

nce. She was off in a hurry to draft a motion asking for discover

ould get away with in this case. It would bite me in the ass i

beth to return bef

sked. "Where have you been and

ch before driving cross-state. It was only the

she said. "Dad was planning a trip to go

o make sure I hadn't missed anything so I turned the flo

"It will give us a better idea of where your Dad might have gone. Did you

d. In our area almost all the peopl

id quietly. "He hates Mexicans, too, but he visited with a bunch of th

e screen. I recognized them as mugshots. Lauren sat for a f

toos of teardrops under his eye and a bunch of crosses tattooed on his arms

presented the people he'd killed to get into his gang and the crosses on his ar

one dange

who was shaking her head

the silence

dly. "Did she do something wrong

anced at me

the most notorious drug dealers in this area. He's been arrested, what with Elizabeth, maybe 30 times. He's only

Wells get involved with a big-time drug

ctly sure who

and force the truth out of him be

ts. She was barely making do on her teacher's aide salary but she co

r early on that she was

ad a few issues with. "I'm not going to run away and hi