We had become good friends with Maggie over the past several years. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a long process. She’d opened up to us at first, but trust was another matter. That took several months of just being there for her. We even gave her our numbers so she could call us (collect of course) when she could. Occasionally, we would deposit some money into her account, but she never asked us to. If she was trying to take advantage of us, she hid it well.
Mom and Dad were at first incredulous that we were continuing our contact with Maggie. After a while, they just kept their complaints to themselves. I guess they hoped we’d get bored or she’d turn on us. However, quite the opposite, we became fast friends.
When Maggie came in she ran up to us and gave us both a quick hug. That was all she’d dare do with the guards looking on. We hugged back, each one with a single arm around her. She had long ago cut off the blue and back bits of her hair and had returned to her natural blonde. It hung straight, almost down to her neck. Her blue eyes had no trace of malice or hatred anymore.
For the next couple of hours, we caught up and just talked. Maggie mainly listened as very little changed in her day to day routine. When she laughed, it was an infectious light laugh and I found myself enjoying it more each time I heard it.
Eventually, it was time to leave. With our familiarity, the guards were a little more lenient when it came to contact. She gave Jess a quick hug goodbye, then turned to me and wrapped her arms around me. I hugged her back, promising to see her again in a couple of weeks. She waved to us through the windows as she was led away and back inside.
“Oh, she’s got it bad for you,” Jess teased once we were back in the car.
“What?” I asked, honestly confused at her statement.
“Maggie. She’s got a mad crush on you.” she continued her teasing.
“Oh, whatever.”
“You seriously don’t see it?” Jess asked dubiously.
“No, because there’s nothing to see.”
“God, men are so thick headed sometimes.” she laughed. “Seriously, Jace, she was one distracted-guard away from jumping you.”
“Well, too bad I’m already with my dream girl.” I took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Jess smiled back at me, but I couldn’t tell if she was happy I said that or if she was giving me a sympathy smile.
*****
A few weeks later I received a call on my cell phone. It was from Maggie. She rarely called in the middle of the day since she knew Jess and I were at work.
“Maggie?” I asked once we were connected. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” she said hesitantly. “I guess.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned. Had she gotten into some trouble?
“I have a meeting next week with my lawyer.”
“Okay…?” I waited for her to continue.
“Well, I’m not sure what he’s going to say. I haven’t really spoken to him since the beginning.”
“He didn’t say what he’s going to talk to you about?”
“No, just that it was important and he’d be coming by next week. It’s too early for my parole.” she paused for a moment. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you two be here with me when I talk to him?”
“Uh, yeah, I think we can. When is it?”
“Thursday at one o’clock.”
“Yeah, my calendar is free the rest of that day. Not sure about Jess’, but I’m sure we can clear whatever we need to.”
“Oh thank you!” she breathed a sigh of relief.
“No problem. See you in a few days.”
Mom and Dad weren’t really thrilled that we were doing this, but one of the perks in working for a nepotistic company is that it’s really hard to get fired, especially when you’re being groomed to take over.
Jess and I made the late morning drive and arrived shortly before her lawyer. We were escorted to the attorney room and a guard watched over us until her lawyer arrived.
“It’s okay,” Maggie said when her lawyer looked at us questioningly. “I asked them to join me.”
“Very well,” he said. He was different than the original public defender she’d had a few years ago. I was tempted to ask what happened to him but thought it best to let him get to the point.
“So, Miss Cavanaugh, it appears that you have been a model inmate these past few years. A couple of incidents at the beginning, but that’s expected with first timers.”
“Yeah,” she said, looking down at the table. “I was in a bad place then.”
“Obviously you’ve gotten to a better place since because what you’ve done since then has earned you a bit of goodwill with the state.”
“Early parole?” she asked, perking up.
“Not quite. You still have a debt to pay in that regard, but the state is offering you to serve out the remainder of your sentence off-site with electronic detention.”
“House arrest?” I asked.
“Yes. For non-violent offenders with good records, the state is offering this program. They say it’s to help garner good-will but in reality, it’s cheaper and helps with prison overcrowding.”
This was definitely good news! I looked over at Jess, but she didn’t seem to share my jubilation. She sat there, chewing on her thumbnail, lost in thought.
“So, what needs to happen?” Maggie asked.
“There’s a lot that needs to happen, but mainly you’ll need a place to stay and a place to work. We can contact your parents and-”
“Yep. Crap.” Jess whispered and I immediately caught on.
“Never mind,” Maggie said dejectedly.
“I don’t understand,” he asked confused.
“My parents won’t help,” she said softly.
Maggie would need someplace to go since she never was out on her own, and it was doubtful that her parents would help her. Given how they treated her growing up, I highly doubted they would want someone who required monitoring in their house.
“Are you sure?” the lawyer asked. “If they knew then maybe-”
“They wrote me off and left me here. I tried to call them a few months ago.” This was news to Jess and me; we both looked at her surprised. She nodded when she saw us looking.
“Yeah. Number was disconnected. Emails bounced back. Letters came back as occupant moved no forwarding address. Even their cell phones were changed.” She looked up at us, tears brimming in her eyes. “They left me.”
“I see,” the lawyer said, gathering the papers. “I’m sorry to hear that. Without a stable home to go to, they won’t grant this.”
“I know,” she said, covering her eyes.
“Our house!” Jess exclaimed suddenly.
“What?” the rest of us asked.
“Our house,” Jess said, nodding. “She can come to our house.”
“That’s highly unorthodox,” he said. “You are technically the reason she’s in here.”
“I know,” Jess said, looking at Maggie and smiling. She reached over and took Maggie’s hand her hers. “And we’re going to be the ones to get her out.”
*****
To say that Mom and Dad were against this would be a gross understatement. Dad was livid.
“Are you out of your Goddamned minds?!” he shouted.
“Dad, please calm down,” Jess said.
“We’ve given this a lot of thought,” I said.
“We can help her.”
“She needs someone.”
“Her parents are gone.”
“Her family abandoned her.”
“She’s not the same person she was all those years ago,” Jess said.
“She’s better. She’s good.”
“She’s our friend.”
“And she needs our help.”
Dad shook his head. “Damn twins,” he muttered.
“Listen, kids.” Mom said. “You two are old enough to make your own decisions. And the house is yours now so in reality, there’s nothing we can do to stop it.” She took a breath. “We just want you two to be safe. That’s all we’ve ever wanted. Safe and happy, and I . . . We worry that she jeopardizes both.”
“I know Mom,” Jess said, getting up and sitting next to her. “If she was the same person she was years ago, I’d agree with you. But she’s not. She’s one of those people who has really been helped by her time there. She’s changed. She’s better than she was, and I think we can help be better still.”
“Just… Be careful.” Dad cautioned. “Keep your eyes open. At the first sign of danger, put her back. And for God’s sake, please keep your doors locked at night. Both of you.”
*****
The technicians had been in the house the day before setting up the primary unit and defining the boundaries she would be limited to. That, coupled with the GPS unit in the ankle monitor, would pretty much track her down to the nearest foot. They also did a thorough search of the house, looking for anything illegal. We smirked when they searched our rooms, knowing that the only thing illegal they’d find would be if they came back at night.
The van pulled up at the house at 1:45 pm, pretty much exactly when they said they would be there. An armed guard led Maggie out of the van and up to the door. She wore sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt. She looked apprehensively at the house but warmed slightly when we opened the door to greet them. We welcomed them into the house where the guard linked the ankle monitor with the main unit then secured it to her leg. He then gave us each a keyfob device.
“Keep this on you at all times,” he said sternly.
“What is it?”
“Emergency alarm,” he explained. “If she does something illegal or threatening or anything that would violate her parole, press this button for five seconds and it will alert us immediately.”
The officer went over the particulars of what she was allowed to do and what she couldn’t do in great detail. Finally, he turned to Maggie.
“For what it’s worth, good luck. You’re a good kid. Don’t fuck it up.” he shook her hand then left. The door closed behind him, and the three of us stood together in silence. Maggie broke the silence, running up to us and wrapping her arms around us both.