So, if some of our questions seem repetitive, will you just humor us?” Catelyn frowned at Billy’s evasiveness. Joseph didn’t blame her. He eyed the kid and started to speak when the door opened.
Another man in his early sixties stepped through the door. “I’m Carlton Bowles, principal here. Do you mind if I sit in on this?”
He held out a hand and Joseph and Catelyn stood once again. Joseph said, “Have a seat.”
Catelyn decided it was time for a woman’s touch. “Billy, I know we talked right after Tracy was found and I appreciate your cooperation. The only reason Special Agent Santino and I are here is because we’re hoping you might have remembered something since I last talked to you. You’re not a suspect in any way right now. Do you think you could relax and just try to help us out?”
At her reassurance, his countenance seemed to soften. “Yes. Like I said before, I think she and Tracy were together, but I can’t say for sure. She texted me a little after 4:00 that afternoon and said she was meeting some friends.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if that included Tracy or not. She wanted me to make up an excuse to tell Mom and Dad about why she was going to be late for supper. I did.”
“And she never came home, right?”
“Right. I wasn’t too worried because she was always late, but then she wasn’t home by dark, which still wasn’t that unusual. Then around 9:00, I mean, she still wasn’t home…”
She waited to see if he was going to pick back up with his sentence. He didn’t, so she said, “I do have one question that I haven’t asked you. Do you know anything about the gang, The Skulls?”
Catelyn knew she’d hit a bull’s-eye when Billy’s face lost all color. His throat bobbed and shook his head. “No, no. I don’t know anything about them. Just what I’ve heard and it’s not good. I don’t want to be mixed up in that stuff. Uh-uh.”
He placed his hands on the table. They trembled and he shoved them back in his lap. This boy was terrified of something.
Alan lifted a hand. “Um, do you mind if I intervene here?”
Catelyn lifted a brow. “Sure.”
“Billy’s a good kid trying to stay out of trouble. A fantastic baseball player with a huge future ahead of him. That sister of his…well, no disrespect, but she seemed to be heading toward trouble. I mean, I’ve heard she was a good kid, so maybe I’m off base, but considering the kids she hung out with…” He shrugged. “From the outside looking in, I would say that if she had her way, she would have had Billy involved in that gang.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
