Whispers in the Wind (20 page)

They thanked Dr. Harris for showing them how to be saved, and the doctor shook his head. “Don’t thank me. If you want to thank someone, praise Jesus for answering your need.”

The next afternoon, Dr. Harris went to the alley and gathered the small colony around him. He looked into their eager eyes. “Good news! Pastor Alan Wheeler has arranged a special carriage for you,
not only for this coming Sunday so you can be baptized, but every Sunday from now on so you can attend Sunday school and church services regularly.”

Bessie and Melinda applauded. The rest of them joined in, their happy faces shining.

When the cheering subsided, Harris said, “The carriage will be here to pick you up at nine-thirty on Sunday morning.” He then looked at the boy who was standing beside Tharyn. “Dane, I want to commend you for reading your Bible to these children every day since you were saved. You are responsible for them coming to the Lord.”

There was applause for Dane.

That night at bedtime, Dane headed for Tharyn as usual. She was sitting up in her cardboard box, and talking to Melinda and Bessie. Melinda saw Dane coming. “Here comes your big brother, Tharyn. It’s time for that good-night kiss.”

No one noticed that Russell was observing from his box with a watchful eye.

Bessie giggled. “Yeah. Melinda and I are jealous.”

Tharyn matched the giggle. “Sorry, girls, only one big brother per girl in this colony.”

Bessie and Melinda laughed.

Drawing up, Dane frowned. “What’s so funny?”

Bessie giggled again. “We’ll never tell!”

Dane shook his head, smiling, then leaned down to Tharyn and kissed her forehead. “Good night, little sis.”

The redhead reached up and gave him a sisterly hug. “I want to thank you for being the one responsible for bringing me to Jesus. It’s wonderful to know that I’m going to heaven.”

Dane grinned at her in the dim light. “I’m glad the Lord allowed me to be the one. See you in the morning.”

As time passed, life went on as usual in the alley occupied by the little colony. Dane gladly used the larger part of his wages to help feed the group. What little he kept for himself was put aside in his pockets to help provide for his education when needed. The others begged on the customary street corner in the mornings six days a week, and Dane joined them in the afternoons. Their begging schedule was interrupted, however, when it rained. When people hurried along the sidewalks in the falling rain—some carrying umbrellas—they made no effort to stop for beggars.

The children thoroughly enjoyed Sunday school and church services each week and the Bible readings with Dane every evening—especially since the church had supplied each one of the new converts with their own Bible. Some did not read too well, but Dane also helped them with this.

Dane eagerly went to work each weekday morning at the pharmacy and enjoyed being even this close to the medical world. Mr. Clarkson often took time to instruct him on the various kinds of medicine, and the use of each one. Dane was grateful for the information. He tucked it into his eager memory bank, longing for the time when he would become a doctor.

One day in mid-September, just after Dane had returned to the alley after his morning’s work, the children were sitting together while eating their meager lunch.

They were talking about Pastor Wheeler’s sermon on the love of Jesus and discussing how much Jesus loved all of them when Russell’s attention was drawn to a pair of police officers as they turned into the alley off the sidewalk and headed toward them.

Russell squinted at the uniformed men. “Something’s wrong,” he said to the others. “It’s Officers Thornton and Collins, and
they’re mad about something.”

Everyone focused on the oncoming officers.

Dane swallowed the stale bread in his mouth. “I’d say so, Russell. They do look angry.”

A hush fell over the little group as they watched the two policemen coming toward them. Living on the streets, they had learned that angry policemen meant trouble of some kind.

As the officers drew up, Dane started to stand.

Officer James Thornton reached down and gripped Dane’s upper left arm tightly. “Come on, kid. You’re going with us.”

Alarm showed on the faces of the group.

Dane felt a twinge at the base of his stomach. His brow furrowed as he met the officer’s hard eyes and looked at him curiously. “I don’t understand, Officer Thornton. Where are you taking me?”

“To jail after some people take a look at you!” Thornton jerked him to his feet.

The words stung like wasps. “Wh-why? What have I done?” His mind was spinning.

“You know what you did, Dane!” rasped Officer Collins.

“I haven’t done anything wrong. Please. Tell me what I’m supposed to have done. There has to be some kind of mistake. There
has
to be!”

Thornton took the pair of handcuffs from his belt. “Don’t play innocent with me! You’re under arrest. Turn around and put your hands behind your back!”

Dane’s face was aflame with embarrassment as Thornton held one wrist and forced him to turn around.

The children looked on in stunned silence. They watched Officer Thornton handcuff him. All the while, Dane was shaking his head and strongly denying any wrongdoing.

Russell took a step closer to Thornton. “Please, sir. Why are you arresting him?”

Officer Collins scowled at him. “You just stay out of it.”

As the policemen began ushering Dane toward the end of the alley, Tharyn ran after them, darted into their path, and planted her feet, causing them to stop. “Please, officers,” she said in a frightened voice, “won’t you even tell Dane and us what you are arresting him for?”

“That, little lady, is none of your business. We have to deal with teen crime every living day in this city, and we don’t have time to explain it to you or the others. Dane already knows. Now get back there with your friends.”

Dane met her gaze and said shakily, “Tharyn, go on back with the others. It’ll be all right. Somehow, we’ll get this misunderstanding cleared up, and I’ll be home soon.”

Tharyn’s vision blurred in an onset of tears. “But—but—”

Dane’s voice steadied. “Please, little sis. You’ll be safe with the others. I’ll be all right once this business is cleared up.”

Dane wasn’t sure how he was able to speak in a steady voice at that moment, but he saw that it had a calming effect on Tharyn.

She swallowed hard and wiped tears from her eyes. “Okay. If you say so.
But please
hurry back. We all need you.”

“I will. Now go on back with the others so I can go with these officers and see what this is all about.”

Tharyn stared at him for a moment, then moved past Dane and the officers and headed toward the group of stunned children, looking back over her shoulder.

When they reached the street, Dane saw two horses tied to a street lamp. “We’re mounted police today,” said Thornton.

While Collins was mounting one horse, Thornton lifted Dane into the saddle of tho other, then swung up behind him. Reaching around the boy, he took hold of the reins. “Let’s go, Fred.”

As they rode down the street, Dane turned his head. “Now that we’re away from my friends, will you tell me what I’m supposed to have done? What people are going to take a look at me?”

Thornton leaned close to him and spoke into his right ear. “Like I said, you already know. Less than an hour ago an eleven-year-old boy was stabbed to death in an alley three blocks from here. A man and two women who work in the business office of Denmar’s Department Store heard an argument going on in the alley. They looked out the window just as an older boy plunged a knife into the eleven-year-old’s chest. They got a good look at the assailant before he ran out of the alley with the knife in his hand.

“Officer Collins and I were riding these horses today instead of walking our beat. We were summoned by a man sent by the three witnesses, and when we reached the alley, we found the witnesses standing over the dead boy. Before he died, he told them his age, that he was an orphan, and that his name was Benny Jackson. The witnesses gave us a clear description of the killer: your height, your build, your jet-black hair, and even your facial features. They overestimated your age. They thought the killer was about seventeen years old.”

Dane licked his lips. “Officer Thornton, it was not me! I didn’t stab that boy. I would never do anything like that! I’m telling you, it wasn’t me!”

“Mm-hmm. We’ll see what the witnesses say when they see you. They were off a little on the age, but the minute they described the killer, Officer Collins and I both knew they were describing you.”

“That’s right,” said Collins as the officers veered the horses around a bread wagon that was parked at an angle in the street in front of a grocery store.

Dane shook his head vehemently. “No! It was
not
me!”

Collins leaned from his saddle and looked Dane in the eye. “Where were you an hour ago?”

“I was on my way home from work.”

“Oh yeah. I remember now. You’re employed at the Clarkson Pharmacy. And, come to think of it, in order for you to get to your
alley from the pharmacy, you have to walk right by the alley where the boy was killed.”

“I don’t know which alley you’re talking about, but even if I have to walk by it to get home, that doesn’t mean I did it. I’m telling you, sir, I didn’t do it.”

Even as Dane was speaking, they turned at the corner near Denmar’s Department Store, rode to the alley, and stopped at the back door of the store.

Officer Thornton slid off the horse and helped the handcuffed Dane Weston from the saddle as Officer Collins dismounted. Dane was ushered by the officers through the back door, then into the business office.

The store manager was seated behind his desk, and two women and a man sat in chairs in front of the desk. All four rose to their feet as Thornton and Collins brought their prisoner in. The man and one woman were in their thirties; the other woman was past fifty.

“We have Dane Weston here,” Thornton said flatly.

“That’s him!” said the younger woman, pointing an accusing finger at Dane.

“Sure is!” said the man.

“Without a doubt,” put in the older woman. “I’m glad you officers knew who he was. He won’t be able to kill anyone else.”

Tears welled up in Dane’s eyes. “No! You’re wrong! It wasn’t me. You told the officers the killer looked to be seventeen. I’m only fifteen.”

The man said, “We were wrong about your age, but we’re not wrong that you’re the one we saw kill that poor little boy.”

“They won’t execute you because of your age, Dane,” said the older woman, “but you’ll spend the rest of your life behind bars.”

Dane’s awareness of impending imprisonment was so harrowing that he was on the edge of blind panic. He felt as if a viscous fluid was seeping into his skull, compressing his brain. He bent his
head, fought the handcuffs behind his back, and broke into sobs. “No! I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it!”

Officer Thornton laid a hand on his shoulder and pinched down tight. “Get a grip on yourself, Dane. None of this would be happening if you hadn’t stabbed that boy to death.”

Dane drew in a shuddering breath, swallowed with difficulty, and set his frightened gaze on his three accusers. “Wh-what was the killer wearing? Was he dressed like I am?”

The trio exchanged glances and both women slowly shook their heads.

The man looked at Dane. “We can’t be definite about the clothing. We were too busy memorizing the killer’s build, hair color, and facial features.”

“That’s right,” said the younger woman.

The older woman glared at Dane. “You’re the killer, all right, and I’ll swear to it in court!”

“All three of us will.”

Officer Thornton nodded. “No mistake, here. We’ll take him to the city prison.”

Tears shone on Dane’s cheeks. He had been confident during the ride to the department store that once the three witnesses saw him, they would know he was not the person they saw stab the little boy. Now he stood dumbfounded. “Please! Take a real good look at me! I don’t have an identical twin brother! Whoever the killer is, he can’t possibly look exactly like me! You’re mistaken! I’m innocent!”

All three fixed their eyes on Dane again, studying him closely.

“He’s lying,” said the man. “He’s the killer, all right.”

Both the women asserted their agreement.

“Come on, Fred,” said Thornton. “We’re wasting our time. Let’s get him behind bars.”

“Right,” said Collins. “The sooner the better.”

Each officer took hold of an upper arm and guided a weeping
Dane Weston out of the room while the witnesses and the store manager looked on.

When they stepped into the alley, Dane sniffed and murmured, “I feel like I’m in a horrible nightmare and I can’t wake up.”

“The nightmare is what happened to Benny Jackson here in the alley,” Thornton said.

Once again, Dane was lifted into the saddle, and Officer Thornton swung up behind him. Officer Fred Collins was already mounted.

As they reached the street and headed in the direction of the city prison, Dane knew they would take him to the Hall of Detention and Justice on Centre Street. He had seen it many times.