21-Jump Street – AU starting with Blinded by the Thousand Points of Light – someone unusual takes an interest in the 'kiddy kops'. I do not own Jump Street or the other show that I have borrowed a concept from for my OC. I will post a disclaimer for it once I can no longer openly avoid reveling the cross-over (hey you wouldn't want me to spoil the surprise now would you?)

A Place to Call Home: Chapter 1: Cold Streets, Warm Hearth

Penhall:

I rubbed my hands together for what seemed like the thousandth time as my stomach rumbled again. I'd never realized how much I ate before I was on an assignment were I couldn't. Taken everything for granted. I had, had to find somewhere to live soon because I couldn't end up like this. I didn't know how these kids did it hopeless day after hopeless day. And the stories they told about why they couldn't go home had me thanking God for my uncle with every breath. Yeah, Dad had knocked me around a little when he drunk and I had thought I'd had it rough when my mom, when my mom killed herself. There I said it, at least to myself. It certainly hadn't been easy, it still gave me nightmares but I'd had someone. Someone had stepped in and helped me pick up the shattered pieces of my life. Nobody had been there for these guys, nobody but Aaron and now some bastard in a black Beamer had probably killed him. It sucked. Everything about this case sucked. I hoped Judy was doing ok with Moho. I hoped I was wrong and Aaron wasn't lying dead behind some dumpster I really did but my gut said that we weren't going to find the guy alive. All we could do now was nail the 'Beamer Man' without Tom, Harry, or Booker getting hurt in the process except that wasn't going to help these kids who had just lost the brightest light in their dismal lives. I wondered if I'd been gone long enough to go back again yet. I'd delivered another john to the station and pulled out some more cash (this case was costing me a fortune that I hoped the department was going to cover), and was most of the way back to where I'd left the others. Hell, if it was too soon it was too soon I didn't want to leave the kids alone any longer than I had to. I didn't want anyone else hurt on my watch. What had happened to Bonzo because I couldn't be bothered to escort her was going to haunt me for a long, long time.

I whirled my heart in my throat as someone cleared theirs behind me. Easy Penhall I told myself forcing my hand away from my gun. Nothing to get jumpy about just because you're alone, without backup, in the dark, in one of the roughest parts of town, nothing at all.

"My apologies, officer Penhall" someone in the shadows said as my heart skipped a beat. There was something, off, about the voice. He (she?) sounded young but the 'tone' sounded old. Weird. "Startling you was not my intendment." Huh?

He timed stepping forward perfectly with the sweep of a turning car's headlights so he was brightly lit for a single breath and then fell back into the inky darkness. I had impression of angelic blue eyes in a cherub's face framed by hair so blond it was nearly white, at least in headlights. At a guess I'd say he was somewhere between a tall eight and a short ten. He was also a liar 'cause he'd looked damn amused about my flinching.

"I ain't no cop. And I don't know any Penhall."

"Ah, then you have no desideratum for the license plate number of the dark blue Mercedes your compatriots have been seeking so ardently nor do you wish to deliver Aaron to his coterie? Pity, I'll have to discover someone who does."

"Hey, hey, not so fast, I might want to know that stuff," if I knew what some of those words meant "the others are really worried about Aaron. Is he okay?"

"Improving but he sustained a nearly fatal thrashing and shan't be capable of resuming his erstwhile method of supporting his compatriots for some time" a thoughtful pause "and it would be unconscionable for him to continue to do so in any event." God the kid sounded closer to sixty than six. It wasn't the voice so much as the words and the way they rolled off his tongue. And I needed a translator. "RPG 431 is the vehicle you seek. You should let the others know swiftly, he's already on the prowl. You will find Aaron somnolent on 7th & 26th south west corner, be careful evacuating him and watch your step going in. Good evening, and good hunting."

"Hey who are you?"

Silence was my only answer.

I licked my lips and whispered "How do you know who I am?"

I nearly jumped again when the reply came from a different direction than I thought it should. "We encountered each other on Madison and Elm but I didn't linger to introduce myself." If someone had dumped a tray of ice cubes down the back of my shirt they wouldn't have gotten that much of a shiver. We'd nearly died on that bust six months ago, Tom and I both, would have if it hadn't been for a mystery man who'd shot the damn gun right out of Becket's hand. I thought that stuff only happened in movies. The department had searched high and low but had finally given up on finding the guy and after all nobody had died. Hell, Beckett had only needed a few stitches and a splint for a broken finger. Was this kid claiming responsibility or just that he was there, somewhere in the shadows then too?

"You need to act before another shares Aaron's fate, he was already hunting when I went seeking you. Go, officer, now."

I called again but this time no one answered. Besides what was I going to do tackle and arrest an eight year old? I had enough change in my pocket to call it in and then I went looking for 'my' kids with more spring in my step than I'd had in a long time. I should be skeptical as hell, I mean the whole thing was way freaky but but (sheesh Penhall you sound like a motorboat) maybe I was just so desperate to have good news for those kids that I was willing to take an eight-going-on-eighty apparition's word at face value.

I was surprised to see Kevin with my little band. I sighed, I was glad to see Judy back but I'd been hoping Moho would stay home.

"Hey, any o'you guys know a little blond kid who talks like he's really, really old?"

Bonzo's eyes lit up and then she sagged "You saw Gabriel?" She swiped at her eyes trying to sound happy "that's great Trump, that's really great."

Kevin was staring at, actually everyone but Judy was staring at me, and then she jumped on the bandwagon except she looked as confused as I felt.

"Did Gabriel say anything about Aaron?" Moho eyes were burning she was hoping so hard.

"The boy said he was hurt but alive" whoops of relief all round.

"Where?" Moho's hands were digging into my arm.

"Do you know any hangouts on 7th & 26th?" They didn't bother to answer they just took off leaving Kevin, Judy, and I to follow more slowly.

"Who's Gabriel?" I asked, ok, given Judy's look maybe I shouted it.

"Good question" Kevin answered, hands in his pockets, as we walked in the direction of 26th "I guess it was nine, or maybe ten months ago, that I heard the first whispers. Kids would come to me asking me what words so esoteric and arcane were that I had to buy a better dictionary for some of them. He's more of a rumor and urban legend than anything. He pops up out of the dark and either gives your or tells you something, the belief is if you listen then something really good will happen to you. He got the name Gabriel about seven months ago when one of the kids came back from an Easter play and decided that he must be an angle because he always brings good tidings. These kids watch for him the way younger kids look for Santa. They think just seeing him is good luck."

"What do you think?" Judy asked while I mulled my own meeting with him.

Kevin shrugged "Doug is the first 'adult' and the first person who wasn't chemically altered to see him. He's like a ghost, they say you only see him when you're alone and only for a moment. I've never known if he was real or not and some of the stories the kids tell…"

I glowered at Kevin "he didn't call himself Gabriel" I said "he could have been any blond kid cashing in on the 'legend'." I could feel my hopes going up in a puff of smoke.

"What happened?"

I gave a quick rehash. Kevin sighed "That sounds like a classic Gabriel encounter and given that you've never heard of him you aren't likely to think up anything that strange."

"Gee, thanks"

"He couldn't have been the one to shoot Becket" Judy shook her head "I mean you said he was eight."

Kevin shifted "Alisha claimed he was the one who shot the East Side Slasher last month."

"No way" I outright laughed "the press might not have gotten a hold of it but if the only suspect we had was an eight year old kid we would have heard about it. I mean even cops gossip."

"Maybe, but we haven't heard ANYTHING about suspects" Judy said softly.

"The detectives and I had a good laugh about it too" Kevin said thoughtfully "Alisha was sailing on at least three different controlled substances that night and the way these kids have practically made a god of him she could have seen anyone shoot that mad man and though it was Gabriel come to save her."

"What made you change your mind?" Judy said as she looked ahead to where the other kids were milling around looking disappointed. Damn.

"I haven't, I still don't think that an eight year old shot a serial killer through the head even if it did save that girl's life and I don't think a single child could do half the things I've heard about. These kids tell some pretty wild stories. If it's true then someone else is using the kid as his spokesman. I don't know if I want to shake his hand or slug him."

I'd expected the corner of 7th & 26th to be another of the crumbling dives we'd been in for most of the week but in the kinda weird way of cities one block was hell on earth and the next one was ok, not the ritz or anything but ok. 26th was the transition and the building on the corner was old but had been kept up and was tightly locked.

The kids gathered round looking at me expectantly "What exactly did Gabriel say?" Moho demanded.

"That Aaron had been badly beaten but that he was getting better and sleeping on the south west corner of 26th & 7th."

Skid frowned at the building and suggested, "We could break in."

"Let's check outside first, which way is south?"

Nobody spoke up. OK, so "Let's just circle the building and see if we can find him before we start breaking and entering."

Nods all round. We circled the front quickly which was unsurprisingly Aaron free and Kevin flicked on his flashlight revealing the cleanest alley I'd seen all week. This did not look promising. There was no where to hide anyone. If that little bastard had gotten these kids hopes up only to dash them I was going to clock the little….he was eight you do not punch eight year olds. I was going to chase the little twerp down and spank him. At least twice. Really hard. I might even daydream about using a belt.

"AARON!!"

Moho had impressive lungs, really impressive, no TB for her, one less worry at least.

"Moho?" came a weak whisper in reply. He was close, really close. Kevin turned his light to the right. Which was a building wall. I took a step forward and nearly fell into a well hidden nitch. At some point in the past the building had had big arched ground level windows which had been bricked up but some of the deep set alcove that now extended a little below current street level remained. A clever bit of work with cardboard, paint, and plastic sheeting concealed a tiny but sort of cozy little space in the lea of the building. In the dark it was indistinguishable but I doubted it would pass more than a quick glance in daylight. Of course how many people look carefully at alley walls right?

"Aaron" Moho pushed past me to bury her face against his chest and sob. It looked like it cost him just to pick up his hand and lay it on her head. He looked like hell, he looked great 'cause he was actually alive. I glanced around at the little shelter. This had been made by somebody who knew how to live on the streets. After breaking my leg chasing that idiot through the woods I had read up a little on survival skills just enough to know I would suck at it. This place looked like somebody had applied all those neato woods tricks to an urban setting using trash in ways I never would have dreamed of. Heck he even had couple of compact mirrors angled just so to catch the street lights and reflect it around. It wasn't like bright or nothing but it gave enough glow to see by even without Kevin's flashlight.

"I'll call for an ambulance" Kevin offered as I backed out of the little 'room' so that the other kids could crowd around their pal. It was also a good 20 degrees warmer in there than out here.

"Oh, God, Aaron" Skid sounded really choked up, Joey was crying silently, while Bonzo was just kind of staring out into space. Moho didn't even bother to wipe the tears from her eyes she just started gently kissing all the bruises. That was gonna take a while.

"Sorry" he lisped "I asked Gabriel to tell you where I was the first time I woke up a couple of days ago but he told me 'There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken on flood, leads on to fortune. Your tide is still coming in."

"Huh?" I was glad Bonzo had finally said something.

"It wasn't time yet" Judy translated.

"What's going to happen to us?" she said desperately almost to herself "Aaron's hurt and Trump's seen Gabriel."

Something about the way she said it sent a chill down my spine "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're gonna go home, everyone who sees Gabriel finds a home" she swallowed hard "I never see Gabriel. I look and look but it's always someone else."

Aaron winced "Gabriel says it's time to go home, Molly."

"You can't" Moho, Molly, said gently "When we couldn't find you I called; your sister says the family considers you dead."

"Sarah isn't the whole family."

"Just rest" Molly said gingerly brushing his hair back from his black and blue face.

"Gabriel says Father" there was a lot of formality to the way he said that, made me wonder what kind of family he was from "has forgiven me."

Bonzo and Joey looked gutted while Skid looked confused. I guess Aaron and Molly were going home but that didn't help the other three and it was Aaron and Moho, Molly, her name is Molly, Penhall, who were the glue that held this little band together. As far as I could tell Gabriel wasn't doing the rest any favors.

"Aaron, what happened?" Judy asked.

He seemed to notice us for the first time and looked to Molly for an explanation.

"This is Sodapop, and that's Trump. They're new."

Aaron's eyes lingered on me "Gabriel mentioned you were keeping an eye on things for me, thanks."

I shifted, uncomfortably, remembering what had happened to Bonzo because I was an idiot and her comment that it never would have happened if Aaron had been there "Not nearly as good a job as you would have."

He knew, whether from Gabriel or from experience, I didn't know but he knew I'd screwed up.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Trump" he closed his eyes and grimaced.

Molly kissed his hand, "The ambulance is coming, you don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"It's ok" I noticed he was moving as little as physically possible, poor kid "After he tossed me out of the car" he blinked up at the bricks "I was certain I was going to die and all could think was I was leaving you alone. That I was going to die alone. Passed out for a while, wasn't certain if I was still alive or in hell later. Someone was kicking me and laughing but I couldn't seem to see anything. Then someone with a little kid's voice ordered them to desist. They stopped kicking me and laughed at my benefactor. I was worried about the kid 'cause he sounded really young and they weren't nice laughs and it sounded like there were a lot of them. I tried to tell the kid to go, to just leave me, didn't want anyone else hurt but then it got quite. God, I didn't know anyone could have eyes that blue. I could feel myself slipping away but he made me stay. Ordered me to stay as he conveyed me here."

"Was it far?"

"Couple of blocks, I think the guy dumped me on 24th, I was hanging by a thread."

"Wait a minute, that little kid brought you here all by himself?" I wasn't buying it. Tom was a hell of a lot bigger than 'Gabriel', Aaron was nearly as big as Booker and when I'd broken my leg he'd had a rough time and I'd been able to help a little. No way, no how that little guy had managed it all by himself.

"He's Gabriel" was Aaron's reply.

"He picked you up and carried you" I started to scoff.

"No, he used something low on wheels."

That might be believable. Of course it didn't explain why he hadn't take Aaron to the hospital.

"Have you seen anyone else?"

"Just Gabriel, he comes and goes a lot but he took really good care of me" Aaron was starting to fade on us.

"Except not telling your friends where you were and not taking you to the hospital" I muttered under my breath but nobody heard it over the arrival of the paramedics.

"That was really quick" Judy murmured.

"Apparently it'd already been called in" Kevin said as he watched them load Aaron into the ambulance. Molly tried to follow but they wouldn't let her.

"They're taking him to Memorial, do you think we have enough for a cab?" Molly was all but begging me.

"Better make it two" I said "If you know where to find one down here."

"Go up another block and you won't have any trouble" Kevin offered.

It was a quite night at Memorial, Aaron hadn't had to wait. The kids weren't even worried about Aaron. I guess they had enough faith in Gabriel to make that unnecessary but they worried plenty about what was going to happen to them with Aaron, Molly, and I going home. Not having nearly as much faith in little blond apparitions with delusions of grandeur I worried about Aaron. The kid had been DAYS without REAL medical attention. God only knew what kind of infection might have been brewing or internal injuries getting worse.

There was a clatter of falling charts behind us "Joey?!" A middle age nurse nearly tackled the kid.

"M-m-mom? What are you doing here?"

"I transferred down a few weeks ago when I finally realized what that son of a bitch had done. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I hung up on you when you wanted to come home, I'm sorry I've been such a lousy mom, I'm sorry I was too drunk that night to remember anything but the city you were in. I came down here hoping, hoping you hadn't moved on, hoping to see you. Except not here. Why are you here? You aren't hurt are you?"

"I'm fine" Joey sounded like he'd been walloped with a board "It's my friend, Aaron, who's hurt."

"The boy they just brought in? I'll see what I can find out." She pulled him into another fierce hug "Don't move I'll be right back."

"Now, there is proof of God's intervention in life" one of the ambulance drivers said his partner snorted.

"Oh, come on what are the odds? Normally we take the charity cases to County, for two hours we're bring 'em here instead and a family gets back together. I'm telling you it's God's hand."

"Enough of the preaching Jim" the second one growled in annoyance as the doors closed behind them. It was SOMEBODY'S hand and if Aaron ended up permanently hurt or dead because of it I was going to hunt down an eight year old.

I hated waiting and Joey's mom had been gone what seemed like hours. I turned to say something to Judy and caught sight of Kevin and Capt. Fuller coming in. Kevin continued on to the kids while Fuller whispered

"Hansen made the collar. They're on their way to interrogation. The license plate is a match for the numbers your 'informant' gave us. Have you spoken with Aaron yet?"

"Not since we got here and he didn't talk about the attack, just what happened after" and like an idiot I hadn't pushed 'cause little blond angel wannabees are more interesting than perverts who beat up hustlers. Except I was a cop and was supposed to put a priority on getting a description of the perp even if it would have seemed odd and even if I was really, really uncomfortable with the entire idea. "We're waiting on word from the doc."

Kevin was giving Joey a hug looking almost more excited than the kid. God the envy in Bonzo's eyes, Skid just looked like the kid who just found out there was no Santa. This sucked, sort of. I mean it was a HAPPY ending right? Aaron was alive, Joey was going home, Aaron and Molly might be too. Three out of five, way better than I'd ever expected a couple of hours ago. That is provided Aaron was really going to be ok. Where was the doctor?

Well, speak of the devil, it was about time.

"Capt. Fuller?"

He stepped around me and I stage whispered that I was going to follow and see what I could hear. Moho started to follow but Judy cut her off at the pass.

"Is Aaron going to be ok?" Capt. Fuller asked.

"It looks like he has a good chance of making a full recovery" the doctor sighed "at least for a little while. You probably have far more important things to track down." A pause "I've seen a few but some of the doctors at County have seen dozens."

"Dozens of what?"

"People treated by 'Gabriel'. I know these kids don't have insurance and the free clinics are mobbed but whoever this guy is he's operating completely without a safety net."

"Has anyone been injured by his care?"

The doctor shook his head "Not that I've heard of, truth is from what we've seen he's more than competent with simple fractures and I honestly wish some of my doctors were as good with lacerations but this is unconscionable" Hey, there was that word again, so what the heck did it mean?

"And this would be?"

"Someone performed surgery on Aaron. Damn delicate, dicey surgery, the kind that shouldn't even be considered outside of a sterile theater with a competent support staff. He needed it, I can't deny that, he would have died without it. Whoever did it did a decent job, I'll grant that too, but we're less than two miles from where they found that boy and for someone to take that kind of risk with his life with a hospital so close is unforgivable."

"Is he awake enough to talk? I need a description of his attacker."

"Briefly, only briefly." I wondered what the doctor had meant about the 'for now' bit and who was helping Gabriel with his 'miracles'. I stuck my hands in my pockets and pulled the right one out in surprise as my fingers encountered a piece of paper I didn't remember putting there. The writing was so fancy it bordered on tough to read

Dear 'Trump',

Would you be so kind as to escort Bonzo and Skid to 256 W Oak St? Mrs. Lydia Ellsworth is expecting them. Please don't hesitate to knock no matter the hour. You should inquire about next door.

A.K.A. "Gabriel'

Well, nice to know that the kid didn't consider himself an archangel. And he had thought about Bonzo and Skid too. Quick fingers to get this into my pocket without me knowing. Made me wonder if the kid was a pickpocket. Still looking down I nearly ran into what had to be Aaron's dad given how similar they looked. Wow, Aaron's dad was a rabbi or at least orthodox enough to wear a yarmulke all the time, and Aaron hustled. Not a good combination. But he did at least look really worried. Unlike the girl being glared at by Molly, she just looked disgusted. Very disgusted, by everything and everyone. Well, excuse us for breathing your air. She'd even be pretty if she hadn't looked like she'd been sucking on lemons for a hundred years. Dorothy looked perky in comparison.

"Hello, I'm Trump."

She sneered and took a step back. I didn't smell that bad. I'd lost a shot at a great apartment to get these kids a bath and while my clothes were screaming for some time in the washer I was actually pretty fresh. She looked at my hand like it was something slimy from the bottom of the black lagoon. I let it drop to my side "Don't you want to know how your brother's doing?"

"I had a brother but he died when he turned into a deviant pervert. Father agreed with me until that blond brat got to him."

Ah, Gabriel strikes again, the kid certainly got around. She stalked off as far from us as she could get. Joey's Mom had come back and clearly beat me to letting everyone know Aaron was going to be alright. Bonzo was trying so HARD to be happy for everyone else while she blinked back tears. I held out the paper.

"Gabriel slipped something into my pocket about you and Skid."

She all but clawed it out of my hand, read it, looked up at me in confusion "But what about you? When you see Gabriel good things are supposed to happen to you. You're supposed to get what you need."

I grabbed her trembling chin "But I did get what I wanted. I wanted you guys to find homes. I wanted something good to happen to you."

I got a quick hug as a response. Aaron's sister was doing her best to ignore our existence while Judy and Kevin looked at the note.

"Pretty fancy handwriting for an eight year old" Judy sounded doubtful.

"Too fancy" Kevin insisted.

"Do you know this Mrs. Ellsworth?"

Kevin shook his head, "Never heard of her."

"Gabriel says she's cool" Bonzo instantly defended. Kevin shot me a glance that was part hurt, part annoyance with a healthy heaping of worry. He spent years trying to gain these kids trust only to be 'that shelter guy' while Gabriel who no one had even SEEN could snap his fingers and send them jumping. That had to sting. And it was clear HE didn't trust Gabriel and whoever was helping him. I wondered how much was jealousy, how much was native caution, and how much was based on fact.

"I'll look into it" I mouthed over Bonzo's head. Kevin looked slightly relieved. Aaron's dad came back with Capt. Fuller and the doctor.

"Can we see him?" Moho was already trying to push past the doctor even as she asked the question. The doctor looked to Aaron's father who nodded.

"Briefly and one at a time" the doctor trailed after the kids leaving Capt. Fuller, Judy, Aaron's father and sister, and I in the waiting room.

"Thank you, all of you, for what you did for my son."

Judy shrugged "We really didn't do much. 'Gabriel' seems to have arranged everything."

Aaron's father flushed "It is a great shame when a grown man who has dedicated himself to the study of the Torah has to be reminded of responsibility and compassion by a child. And you tried officer and that alone deserves at least a thank you. It couldn't have been easy living on the streets even for a little while." He closed his dark eyes "I failed my son and now" his words trailed off.

"You didn't fail him" Sarah snapped from her chair "he failed everyone."

"Not everyone. He gave his life for those children."

"Your son is still alive" I pointed out.

"My son has AIDS."

Oh, open mouth insert foot. I guess Gabriel couldn't fix everything.

"Justice served" Sarah finally looked happy about something. I had been mistaken she wasn't a pretty girl at all, ever.

"You will be civil" their father snapped "if you learned nothing from me then so be it but you will at least be polite to your brother for whatever time he has left."

"Aaron was the one who didn't learn, Father, not I" she said head high.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose "How could I have taught you the same lessons and set the same example and had such terribly opposite results? You learned the Law now you must learn mercy. The doctors say it will be a few days before we can take him home. We have much to prepare." With a nod they were gone.

Damn, so Aaron hadn't been saved after all, not it the end, unless of course someone found a cure for AIDS soon.

Capt Fuller frowned at the note Judy had passed him as I mentioned 'Gabriel's' comment about Becket and Kevin's revelation about the East Side Slasher. "Go ahead and take the kids to the Ellsworth woman but keep a sharp eye on things and see if you can find out more about this Gabriel. Hoffs try to convince Molly to go back home again then go home and get some real sleep yourself. Doug make sure to call in regularly or I'm sending backup. Actually scratch that Michelle will be keeping an eye on things from a distance just in case." He started to say something else but instead just frowned sternly "I really think you should go home young man even if you ARE" and he sounded like he didn't believe it for a second, one of the kids must have come back, "eighteen."

I shrugged "I'll think about it Capt Fuller." I shot Bonzo what I hoped was a look of desperation "Hey, I'm sure visiting hours are over, maybe we should come back later." Bonzo and Skid where both more than ready to go with Capt. Fuller glaring at them.

"So any idea where W. Oak is?"

Actually I didn't so I wandered over to the receptionist and asked her to call us a cab.

"Trump do we have enough cash?" Bonzo whispered.

"Hope so" 'cuase whipping out a credit card would certainly blow my cover.

"Hey, what about Sodapop?" Skid asked as we slipped out into the night.

"She wanted to stay with Moho"

Bonzo shrugged, indifferent, Moho might like Judy but Bonzo seemed happy she was gone.

256 W. Oak turned out to be in a slightly run down but still clinging to semi-decent neighborhood. The place looked a little better maintained than the rest of the street. The paint on the white picket fence looked less than a year old and while the rose bushes looked kinda sad in the winter cold my aunt had been gaga over the things and I knew these would look really good in the spring. God, it was almost dawn. I paid the cabbie and stopped hesitant to knock. 'Gabriel' had said not to worry about the time but it was like 4:45 in the morning. We were all exhausted. Oh, what the hell. No sooner had my knuckles hit the wood then a thin voice asked.

"Trump?"

"With Bonzo and Skid."

"Please come in, it's unlocked" the fact that no one came to the door was sending off sirens in my head and I nearly turned around and left.

"Mrs. Ellsworth is everything ok?"

"My apologies for not getting the door my balance is off a bit today. Why don't you be a dear and show them in?"

I don't know what I expected to come around the corner but it wasn't a half grown wolf. Couldn't be a wolf, people don't keep wolves as pets. Must be a husky or something. Huskies were the ones with the blue eyes, right?

It gave one faint wave of its tail and then turned and trittrotted back the way it had come leading us back to the kitchen. It, or rather he, sat prim and alert next to an older lady say fifty-five to sixty, once red hair now sixty-forty grey with the grey winning. It was hard to tell with her sitting but I was willing to bet she'd be tall, close to 5'9" maybe even 5'10". Her hands were all twisted up in her lap but even as I sized up the woman my eyes kept going back to the blond dog. He hadn't growled or snarled or nothing but he still gave me the heeby-jeebies. And if he ever grew into those enormous paws he was going to be like Cujoe terrifying.

He gave a soft 'chuff' sound and Mrs. Ellsworth asked "Would you be kind enough to let him out?"

"NOproblem" I assured her and breathed a sigh of relief. Hey, the pooch was wearing colors. He had a bandana that perfectly matched his eyes. So had that kid 'Gabriel'. Interesting.

"What's his name?" Skid had been a lot less intimidated.

"I don't think Pauly ever told me. I just call him Yeller. He's such a sweet little dear and he worries so about me here all by myself. I refuse to have him here on school nights so he leaves the dog more often than not. What on earth the dog would do I haven't a clue but if it sets the boy's mind at ease" I think she meant to shrug but it came out as this funny little twitch.

"You have MS" Bonzo hadn't phrased it as a question but Mrs. Ellsworth answered it as if it was.

"Yes, it took a sudden turn for the worse this spring. Pauly has been encouraging me to hire in some help but I simply can't afford it." She sighed "and I can't keep relying on the generosity of a child either." Whoa, was 'Gabriel's' real name Paul?

"Pauly suggested that we might be able to help each other. I need a pair of hands and eyes that work"

"You're BLIND" I blurted before my brain could catch up to my mouth. I blamed it on being tired and starving.

"It comes and goes. The first time this spring was terrifying. I found myself blind and barely able to walk right in the middle of an intersection. I think I would have died if Pauly hadn't rescued me. All everyone else could do was honk and shout." Her lips twisted into a shape that looked painful "But little boys should be little boys not servants to crippled old women. My disability payments aren't enough for me to hire professional help but if you're willing to lend a hand in exchange for room and board I think I can keep all three of us fed provided you weren't looking for lobster on a regular basis."

Bonzo sniffled, wiped her eyes, and nodded "My Grandma had MS. I used to help her when I was little so I already know some stuff. Skid and I would be very happy to stay and help out." Skid was nodding eagerly "But what about Trump?"

"Pauly mentioned that Trump was a bit older than you two and could likely find steady employment. The house next door belonged to my parents. I kept it when they died and used it as a rental for a while but it's gotten a little run down. It's still structurally sound and the heat, plumbing, and electric are functional but it needs some cosmetic work. I would be willing to be reasonable about the rent if you would help set it back in order."

I frowned that wasn't really what I wanted. I wanted someplace I could just turn the key and never have to worry about a damn thing. But if I told her no I blew my cover, left a crippled old lady in the lurch, and I couldn't watch over Skid and Bonzo anymore. While I was mulling my stomach howled a protest.

"My apologies" Mrs. Ellsworth said as I was sputtering an excuse me. "Pauly was by early this morning and made breakfast for us. The pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes are in the oven to keep them warm and the rest is in the refrigerator."

Skid didn't have to be told twice and I swore that I'd died and gone to Heaven. Pauly's pancakes were just perfect. People are always telling me that they're easy but Dorothy always burns them and mine are gooey in the center.

I sighed in contentment as I sopped up the last bit of syrup and popped one of the fresh strawberries into my mouth. That was the best breakfast I had ever eaten in my life and not just because I'd been starving (though it probably had made it taste better too. I wanted some more of Pauly's cooking later just for proper comparison.)

"Why don't you two decide who gets which room and get some rest while I show Trump the house?" I didn't know if Mrs. Ellsworth would be insulted or not if I offered her my arm but she had complained about her balance so I figured better the err on the side of caution 'cause broken legs were no fun. Her lips twisted but I had no clue what it meant. She did take my arm though in one hand and a cane looking thing in the other. She was almost as tall as Tom. Walking with her wasn't easy she lurched and swayed but we made it to the little house next door without taking a spill. It didn't look that bad from the outside or from the foyer. Was that a fire I heard crackling?

Yes, it was.

"Pauly must have swept the chimney. I told that boy to stay off the roof." From the level of annoyance in her voice Pauly wasn't so good at listening.

OK, so it needed a little spackle, carpet, and a whole lot of paint. Maybe a little caulk too. Nothing I couldn't handle and nothing I had to stress about.

"So, what do you think Officer Penhall?"

"You know?"

"Pauly told me. I was more than a bit leery of letting a couple of derelicts into my home. I am essentially helpless"

I could see how much it hurt her to say it.

"and the thought of a police officer living next door is very comforting, particularly one that Pauly speaks well of."

I could feel the hint of a blush coloring my cheeks "Does he?"

"He says you have a kind heart."

God, how could I say no? Would she throw Bonzo and Skid back out if I did? How could I do that to those kids? There was a note on the mantle in that same fancy script from earlier.

I had the Jacuzzi installed yesterday. I fear I couldn't resist testing it. Wonderful invention.

Fireplace, alcove, and Jacuzzi, as requested,

Paullus

No quotation marks this time.

"OK, Mrs. Ellsworth, but I have to admit I'm really, really curious about Pauly. Do you happen to have his full name? Or his parents' phone number?"

"No" she said softly "I think he told me his full name once but I don't hear or remember as well as I once did. Pauly might not even be right. I suspect that no matter how badly I garbled his name he is too polite to correct me. He never gave me a number and no one has ever called looking for him." That worried her I could see it in her eyes.

So I had nothing but the name Paullus, great, just great. Except did I really WANT to get the kid caught? I mean was he doing any harm? It didn't seem like it but there was definitely something fishy going on. I sighed.

"Do you happen to have a photo then?"

"Is something wrong Officer?"

I shrugged unable to meet her eyes "There are questions. Questions we'd like him to answer. We suspect that he might be in some kind of trouble." I felt like an utter heel. We didn't KNOW he was in any sort of trouble.

She took something out of her pocket "Pauly is very camera shy. I don't think he knows I took this one he certainly never let me take any others. It isn't very good. My hands aren't as steady as they used to be."

So, she had her suspicions as well. That made me feel less like an utter jerk. I mean the old lady was worried and she'd known the kid for months. That said something was probably wrong, right? Tracking the kid down was the right thing to do. There was no telling what was going on.

From the pink roses framing him the shot was from May or June. The camera had focused on the flowers instead of the boy but he was close enough that the focus was 'soft' instead of hopelessly blurry. It was clear enough that any lingering doubts I had about 'Gabriel' and Paullus being one and the same were gone. Really cute kid, maybe even more of a 'pretty boy' than Tommy and Dennis. Even out of focus the blue eyes leapt off the photo. The hair was a little darker than I'd thought but not by much about a shade and a half short of completely white.

I pocketed the photo with a nod and asked "So what do I owe you?"

"First month free in exchange for getting things in order, then four hundred a month?"

I could live with that, actually it was cheaper than the apartment I'd lost because of the kids but I worried that Mrs. Ellsworth wasn't getting her money's worth. I'd just have to make that up around the place when I could.

"Mrs. Ellsworth" Skid was holding the phone and I had a sinking feeling it was for me. Who else but the cops were going to be calling at 5:30 in the morning?

I helped her back across the yard and was promptly passed the phone.

"Penhall" Capt Fuller sounded almost as exhausted as I felt "I know the last thing you want to do is come back in but I need you down here. Major Crimes wants to talk to you apparently things are more…interesting than we guessed."

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