A white city van pulled up, followed by a local police cruiser. Eleanor’s heart hammered against her ribs. She told the boys to stay behind her. Three people in official vests stepped out, carrying clipboards and tablets. Rick Vance walked up behind them, a smug grin on his face.
A woman with a badge introduced herself as being from Child Protective Services. She said they’d received a report of “unsupervised minors” and “sanitary concerns” at the diner. She mentioned “child labor” as well. Eleanor turned red, arguing that she was just feeding hungry kids. The official said they had to “evaluate the situation.”
Eleanor admitted she’d given them a place to sleep to keep them off the street. The official looked at the boys and asked for their names. Matt tried to speak, but Dan stepped forward, giving their names with a defiant edge. The official entered the data into her tablet.
She asked about their parents. Eleanor said she didn’t know, but mentioned the pendants. The official’s face went pale. She asked to see them. Gabe reluctantly showed his. The official whispered something to her colleague, and the atmosphere shifted from routine to high-alert.
Eleanor realized they were going to take the boys. She begged them not to split them up. The official said it wasn’t her call—it was “protocol.” Dan looked like he was ready to run, and Matt grabbed Eleanor’s hand. She promised them she wouldn’t let them go easily.
Rick Vance laughed from the sidelines, telling the police that Eleanor was “interfering with an investigation.” The officer told Eleanor to step back. The official explained that the boys were listed in a national database as “missing persons” from a decade-old cold case. They needed to be taken into state custody for “identification and protection.”
Vance was beaming like he’d won the lottery. Eleanor realized he’d probably been the one to call it in, hoping for a finder’s fee or just to get her out of the way. The officials moved toward the boys. They didn’t use force, but their presence was absolute.
The boys clung to Eleanor. Matt asked if she was abandoning them. She felt her heart break as she promised she’d find them. The official said Eleanor could come to the station to give a statement, but she couldn’t stop the process. The boys were loaded into the van.
As the doors closed, Eleanor saw Vance through the window, looking satisfied. She realized then that this wasn’t just about “protection.” Someone had pulled a lever, and the boys were gone. The street returned to its usual noise, but Eleanor’s diner felt like a tomb.
