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"No one wants to make this any bigger than it

already is. You did all the driving?" she asked me. "We all drove," Raven said protectively. "Even

Butterfly. We got her a pillow so she could see over

the steering wheel."

"In a little while, Miss Flores, you won't find

this to be so funny. I assure you," she added. There was a knock on the door. She stared at us

rather than answer it and there was another knock.

Finally, she stood up and opened it. A tall, thin man

who looked more terrified than we did gazed in at us.

He wore a dark brown suit and tie and had a narrow

face with a nose that looked like it could be a practice

ski slope. His mouth curled down at the corners to

frame his lower jaw, which was rounded, the bones

sharp against his light complexion. He had light blue

round eyes and shifted them from one of our faces to

the other, the lines in his mouth deepening even more. "Okay, Mr. Glashalter. They're yours for the

moment. They need some real guidance, I'd say,"

Lieutenant Mathews told him. She looked back at us

and then left.

He entered, carrying his briefcase and taking

Lieutenant Mathews' seat.

"Hello girls. I'm Clarence Glashalter and I'm

with the Child Protection Services here. I have some

information about you, but I'll need you to answer a

few questions. I do know you stole the automobile of

the man who was your foster father, correct?" He

didn't wait for us to reply. "And you've been driving

west for days. Where were you headed?"

"We were trying to get to California," I said. He nodded as if that were a legitimate purpose.

"Yes, and?"