Page 37 of Target Acquired
Hurried steps of an adult came toward the door, and through the thin wood came a woman’s voice. “Randa, how many times have I told you not to open the door? You come get me.”
“Sorry, Mama.”
The curtain on the dusty window to the left moved, and eyes that matched Randa’s appeared for a moment, widened, then disappeared. The door opened a crack and Mrs. Martin looked out at them. “Yes?”
“Hi, Mrs. Martin,” Cole said. “I’m Cole Garrison, the officer from this afternoon that talked to Micah about the situation at the warehouse. This is Kenzie King. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure. And call me Melissa, please.” She bit her lip, then shrugged. “Come on in. It isn’t much, sorry.”
“It’s a home,” Kenzie said. “As long as there’s love, the packaging doesn’t matter much.”
The woman’s eyes teared and she swallowed hard, then gave them a shaky smile. “Well, there’s love for sure.” She waved them in, and Cole grabbed the three bags of groceries. As soon as he entered, he noted right away the place was clean. Worn and old, probably hand-me-downs and thrift store items, but clean. A hint of pine filled his nose, reminding him of his grandmother’s house. A couch was against the far wall. An old recliner with a torn arm was beside it. He noted there was no furniture in front of the window. Smart woman. Everyone who lived in this area worried about stray bullets.
Micah stepped into the room from the hallway and stopped when he saw them. “Randa said two cops were here. I didn’t expect it to be you guys.” Fear flashed. “You coming to take me to prison?”
“No, no, not at all,” Cole said. He turned back to Melissa. “Micah said you were taking care of him, his siblings, and two cousins.”
“That’s right. The others are at the church for a weekend activity. Randa and Micah didn’t want to go so I let them stay home.” She rubbed her palms down the sides of her jeans and eyed the bags he and Kenzie held. “Why?”
“Well, Micah was trying to help you out today, not realizing he was being tricked by a criminal. He said you needed money to keep the power on and for groceries.”
She sighed and a single tear leaked down her cheek before she swiped it away and drew her shoulders back. “That’s true, but I’ve always found a way before. I’ll find one this time.” She shrugged. “God provides. Sometimes when it’s last minute and it looks like he’s forgotten me.”
“Well,” Cole said, “then I guess God decided to use us this time.” He hefted the bags of groceries. “We weren’t sure what you needed, but figured we couldn’t go wrong with the usual. Milk, butter, sugar, salt and pepper, bread, some pasta and sauce. Got you a few bags of chips, ten pounds of hamburger meat and chicken. And some treats for the kids. There’s a basketball in there somewhere for Micah. He mentioned his was going flat.”
“What?” she whispered. Her wide green eyes bounced between him and Kenzie.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I promise this isn’t pity. We all need help every so often.” Which was completely true, but some people got touchy about receiving help from others. Sometimes all a person had was their pride, and that could be good or bad, depending. Not taking the groceries she obviously needed would be bad.
“Mind?” She blinked and let out a shuddering sob before biting her lip. Her eyes shimmered with new tears. “Are you kidding? I have pride, but I also know an answer to prayer when God lands one on my doorstep.” She motioned to the kitchen. “You can put them on the table if you don’t mind.”
“Don’t mind at all.”
Cole carried the bags to the nice-size kitchen and set them where she indicated. Micah and Randa hurried over to help unload their bounty, giving exclaims of delight, first at the basketball that Micah held like it was made of pure gold, then at the huge bag of M&M’s Kenzie had insisted on.
“Mama,” Randa squealed, “can we have some?”
“A handful each.”
Randa frowned. Looked at Micah’s hand, then her own. “How about we count out the same amount?”
Cole smothered a smile, heard Kenzie cover a chuckle, and even Melissa pressed her lips together while her eyes sparkled with a brief flash of humor. “Sure. That’s a great idea. Twenty each.”
“Twenty-five?” Randa asked.
“Nineteen.”
The girl gasped her horror. “Twenty is fair.”
Melissa nodded. “I thought so.”
Micah ripped open the bag, and Cole and Kenzie passed his mother the rest of the groceries until they were put away. Melissa sniffed, swiped her face, and led them out of the kitchen and back into the den. She motioned to the couch. “I honestly don’t even know how to thank you.”
Before Cole sat, he pulled the envelope with the money from his pocket. “Our team collected this and wanted you to have it. I called the power company, and if you pay it tomorrow before they close, they won’t shut it off.”
She gasped and took the envelope with a shaky hand. “I . . . I don’t know what to say. This on top of everything else?” Tears now slipped unchecked down her cheeks. She ignored them and looked up to meet Cole’s gaze, then Kenzie’s and back to Cole.
He smiled. “No need to say anything. Just please call us if you need anything.” He handed her a card with his contact information and Kenzie did the same. “We really do want people—especially kids—to see there are good officers in law enforcement.”