Page 17

Katie Walsh's mother answered the door, coffee cup in hand. "Sheriff Stone? Is everything okay?"

"I hope so, Mrs. Walsh. Is Katie home? I need to speak with her about Star."

"Of course, come in." She gestured to Sheila inside. "Katie! Sheriff Stone is here!"

The Walsh house smelled of fresh coffee and cinnamon rolls. Katie Walsh was Star's best friend, and if anyone knew where to find Star, it would be Katie. Sheila was hoping Star had spent the night here, but if not, maybe Katie could point her in the right direction.

Family photos lined the entryway—Katie through the years, from toddler to teenager, always smiling. The kind of childhood Star never had.

Katie appeared at the top of the stairs, her long red hair pulled back in a messy bun. She wore pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt that read "Coldwater High Drama Club."

"Sheriff Stone?" Katie looked confused. "What's going on?"

Sheila tried to keep her voice casual, as if this were more a formality than anything else. "Star didn't come home last night. I was hoping she might be here."

Katie descended the stairs, shaking her head. "I haven't seen her in a few days. Not since..." She trailed off, glancing at her mother.

Mrs. Walsh took the hint. "I'll let you two talk," she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

Once her mother was gone, Katie's demeanor changed. She seemed nervous, fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "Is Star in trouble?"

"I just need to find her." Sheila studied the girl's face. "You said you hadn't seen her since…?"

Katie cleared her throat, avoiding Sheila's eyes. "We had a bit of a falling out a few days ago."

"Oh?" This surprised Sheila. Star and Katie had been thick as thieves, last she checked. What else didn't she know?

"What was it about?" she asked.

"About a mutual friend." Katie shrugged one shoulder. "Anyway, we don't really hang out much anymore."

"Did you talk with her at school yesterday?"

Katie hesitated, then met Sheila's eyes for a nervous moment. "That's just it—she hasn't been going."

Sheila took a moment to absorb this. "She hasn't been going to school?" The words came out carefully controlled, masking the surge of fear that threatened to overwhelm her. Sheila knew she'd been a bit distant, a bit distracted by work, but how had she not realized Star wasn't even going to school?

Katie nodded, looking uneasy.

"Where has she been spending her time, then?" The question came out sharper than Sheila intended, but she couldn't help it. Every horrible possibility a cop could imagine flashed through her mind.

"Sometimes at a friend's place. Sometimes at the mall. There's this group that hangs out at the coffee shop on Main—older kids who dropped out." Katie's voice got smaller. "I tried telling her those people were bad news, but she said they were the only ones who understood her."

"I can't believe the school never contacted me about this," Sheila muttered.

Katie twisted her hands in her lap. "I can explain that, actually. Star… she said she used your home computer—logged into your email account and deleted the automated attendance notices." She looked down, as if ashamed for not having told Sheila sooner.

"Unbelievable," Sheila said, shaking her head. "How long exactly has this been going on?"

"I don't know, a couple weeks maybe?" Katie moved to the living room, sinking into an armchair.

Sheila followed, taking in the college brochures scattered on the coffee table. Katie was clearly planning her future. Meanwhile, Star had been living a life Sheila knew nothing about.

And the thought made Sheila sick to her stomach.

"You said you two had a falling out over a 'mutual friend,'" she began, doing her best to mask her feelings. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about a boy, would you?"

"A guy, yeah," Katie said, fidgeting with the edge of one of the brochures. "Do we really have to talk about this?"

"This is important, Katie. I have no idea where she spent last night." She paused, giving Katie a moment to compose herself. "Is she dating him?"

Katie shifted uncomfortably. "I… I'm not sure. It started as a joke, you know? This hot guy we both liked. We sort of dared each other to go talk to him, and I chickened out. But Star didn't."

"And they hit it off?"

Katie nodded resentfully. "Yeah."

Well, that explained why the two girls weren't talking.

"Have you seen them together?" Sheila asked.

"A couple times. Jake picked her up after school a few weeks ago, and she hasn't come back to school since."

"Do you have a picture of him?"

Katie's silence was answered enough.

"Please," Sheila said. "I need to find Star, and this Jake sounds like my best bet."

Katie stood and went to her backpack, pulling out her phone. After a moment, she held it out to Sheila. On the screen was a social media post—Star at what looked like a party, her arm around a tall, dark-haired young man. Star was fourteen, but by the look of him, this guy was several years older.

Possibly even an adult.

The caption read: "Movie night with my guy"

"That's Jake," Katie said quietly. "He lives in those new apartments on River Street."

Sheila stared at the photo, at Star's defiant smile, at the possessive way Jake's hand gripped her waist. How had she missed this? How had she let things get so far?

"Why didn't you tell someone?" she asked. "About the skipping school, about Jake?"

Katie hugged herself. "Star made me promise not to. She said you were too busy with work to care anyway."

The words hit Sheila like a physical blow. Star had been spiraling, and she'd been too caught up in her cases to notice. She tried her best to keep a poker face. She couldn't allow her emotions to sabotage her now.

"Thank you, Katie," she said, her voice tight. "You did the right thing, telling me now."

As she headed for the door, Katie called after her. "Sheriff Stone? Please don't tell Star I told you. She's already mad enough at me."

Sheila turned back. "I won't. But Katie? Next time a friend is in trouble, don't wait so long to speak up."

Outside, the winter sun seemed too bright, too harsh. Sheila sat in her car for a moment, trying to steady her breathing. Then she started the engine and pointed the car toward River Street, toward the young man who thought it was okay to date a fourteen-year-old girl.

Toward her kid, who needed her whether she wanted to admit it or not.

* * *

The new apartments on River Street looked older than their six months, already showing signs of wear. Paint peeled from the railings, and cigarette butts littered the walkways despite the "No Smoking" signs. Unit 212, according to Katie's text.

Sheila knocked firmly. No response, though she heard movement inside—the scrape of a chair, whispered voices.

She knocked again, harder. "Sheriff's Department. Open up."

More whispers, then footsteps approaching. The door opened to reveal a tall young man with dark hair and a sleeve tattoo. Jake. He had the practiced casualness of someone used to talking his way out of trouble.

"Can I help you?" His casual tone didn't match his tense posture.

"I'm looking for Star."

"Don't know any Star." He started to close the door.

Sheila's hand shot out, catching the edge. Her eyes had landed on something behind him—Star's favorite boots by the couch, the ones with the purple laces she'd spent a week's allowance on.

"Star!" she called out. "I know you're in there."

A moment passed. Then Star appeared from the bedroom, wearing an oversized t-shirt that clearly belonged to Jake. Her dark hair was mussed, her makeup smeared.

"What are you doing here?" Star's voice dripped with hostility.

"What am I doing here?" Sheila fought to keep her voice steady. "You've been gone for twenty-four hours. Nobody knew where you were. And you're asking what I'm doing here?"

Play it cool, Sheila told herself. Easier said than done.

"I'm fine. Obviously." Star crossed her arms. "You can go now."

Jake shifted uncomfortably. "Seriously, there's nothing to get worked up about here."

"How old are you, Jake?" Sheila asked, her eyes boring into him.

He hesitated. "Seventeen."

"And your driver's ID will confirm that?"

He paled.

"You don't have to give it to her," Star said, glaring at Sheila. "She can't make you."

Sheila's jaw tightened as her worst fears were confirmed. An adult. With her fourteen-year-old ward.

Sheila ignored Star and kept her attention on Jake. "You're aware that Star is fourteen?"

"Almost fifteen," Star interjected.

"A minor," Sheila said.

Jake raised his hands. "Look, we haven't done anything—"

"Really? Because it looks like she spent the night here."

"That's none of your business!" Star snapped, flushed.

I'm humiliating her, Sheila thought. She's trying to live her own life, establish some independence, and I'm ruining it. Still… what could she do? If the two of them were sleeping together…

"Actually, it is my business," she said.

"Both as your guardian and as sheriff." Sheila turned to Jake.

"You can clean this up very easily by showing me your ID.

If you're under eighteen, then there's no issue here.

" She paused, staring him straight in the eye.

"But if you're over eighteen—and I'm guessing you are—that makes you more than four years older than she is.

Here in Utah, that's a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to five thousand dollars. "

Jake turned away and took a shaky breath. "I…" He faltered, stepping back.

Sheila turned to Star. "Get your things. We're leaving."

"No." Star's chin lifted defiantly. "You can't tell me what to do. You're not my mother."

"You're right—I'm not your mother. I'm the sheriff.

" Sheila pulled out her radio. "And I'm calling this in.

Jake, put your hands where I can see them.

You're under arrest for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and potentially much more serious charges depending on what exactly happened here. "

"You can't—" Star started.

"I can, and I must." Sheila's voice cracked slightly. "Star, someday you'll understand. Right now, my job is to protect you, even if you hate me for it."

She kept her eyes on Jake as she called for backup, trying not to see Star's angry tears. This wasn't a situation where she could compromise—not as a guardian, and certainly not as sheriff. Some lines couldn't be crossed.

"You're seriously going to arrest Jake?" Star demanded. "You're never around, and then when I finally start having my own life, when I finally have a real relationship—"

"Star—"

"You just can't wait to ruin it!" Star's voice cracked. "You didn't even notice I wasn't going to school. You're never around. You're too busy with your cases and your boyfriend in the hospital and your perfect little life that I don't fit into!"

Tears streamed down Star's face now. Jake looked like he wanted to sink into the floor.

"Star," Sheila said softly, "we need to talk about this. But not here."

"Why not? Because it's embarrassing? Because it ruins your image of the perfect guardian, taking in the troubled kid?"

"Because you deserve better than this." Sheila gestured at the apartment, at Jake. "Better than hiding and lying and putting yourself at risk."

Star stared at her for a long moment. Then, without a word, she went to gather her things.

Sheila pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to the station. Jake might be leaving town after this, and she needed eyes on him. She wasn't letting another adult who preyed on minors slip through the cracks—she'd seen too many cases that started exactly like this and ended in tragedy.

The apartment was silent except for Star's movements in the other room.

Sheila noticed things she'd missed in her initial rush of anger—empty beer bottles on the counter, an ashtray full of cigarette butts, video game controllers scattered across the floor.

This wasn't just some teenager's apartment.

Men had been hanging out here, drinking, smoking.

.. with her fourteen-year-old ward present.

When Star emerged with her backpack, Sheila saw what she hadn't before: beneath the defiance, beneath the anger, there was fear.

Star's fingers twisted the straps of her bag, a nervous habit she'd had since the day Sheila took her in.

Whatever had happened here, whatever Star thought she wanted, she was still just a kid trying to play at being grown up.

"Let's go home," Sheila said softly.

Star walked past her without a word, but Sheila caught the slight tremor in her shoulders. They had a long road ahead—of conversations, of rebuilding trust, of dealing with whatever consequences came from this. But at least Star was safe. For now, that would have to be enough.

She took one last look at the apartment, memorizing details she'd need for the report she'd be filing. Then she followed Star out into the winter sunlight, already dreading the silence of the drive ahead.

This was going to be a long, long car ride.