Killing the Blues - Michael Brandman [34]
“I’m very busy, Chief Stone. I don’t remember ever thinking of the incident again.”
“Did you speak with your homeroom teacher, Lisa,” Jesse said.
“Yeah, right. Like that dipshit would give me the time of day.”
“So you didn’t speak with her?”
“Him. Mr. Tauber. He doesn’t give a shit about me. He only cares about the Lincoln Village girls. They sit on his lap.”
Jesse looked at Mrs. Nelson, who looked away.
“So you didn’t actually speak with anyone about the Lincoln Village girls?”
“I tried to speak with her again,” Lisa said, pointing at Mrs. Nelson. “Things had gotten worse. They were beating me up every day. Sometimes twice a day.”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“So I waited after school. In the hall. When Miss Shit-for-Brains here came out, I tried to tell her. Again, she wouldn’t listen.”
“Is this true, Mrs. Nelson?”
“She may have tried to talk with me. I can’t remember. There are so many things . . .”
“Did you tell your parents about this, Lisa,” Jesse said.
“My mom’s dead. My dad works all the time.”
“So you didn’t actually tell any grown-up about what was going on?”
“No. It was so bad I wanted to kill myself. I even stole my dad’s gun. This one. Then I thought I’d kill this bitch instead.”
She raised the gun and waved it at Mrs. Nelson.
“I understand, Lisa,” Jesse said.
“Yeah, good. So you gonna do anything about it,” Lisa said. “Or are you gonna turn out to be just like this dirtbag?”
“I’m going to do something about it.”
Lisa didn’t say anything.
“Do you believe me?”
“I’d like to believe you.”
“Will you give me the gun, Lisa? No one’s going to hurt you again. I promise.”
Lisa looked at Jesse. After a while she lowered the gun. Mrs. Nelson took a deep breath. Jesse walked to Lisa and held out his hand. She put the pistol in it. He checked the safety. He pocketed it.
Then he reached out to her. He gently touched her shoulder.
“I’m sorry this happened, Lisa,” he said.
Tears started to fall from her eyes.
He hugged her until the sobbing stopped.
With his arm around her, Jesse and Lisa left the office. They went outside and walked slowly to his cruiser. He opened the passenger-side door for her. She got in.
Jesse made eye contact with Suitcase.
Then he got in the cruiser and drove away.
37
Jesse drove Lisa to the station. Together they went inside. After settling her in the conference room, he went looking for Molly.
When he found her, he told her what had happened. He asked her to sit with Lisa. To take down her story. He wanted the names of each of the Lincoln Village girls. He also asked her to check with Suitcase to see if the girl’s father had been found. He walked with her to the conference room.
On the way, Molly mentioned that Rich Bauer had phoned.
“And,” he said.
“Two more Hondas were stolen.”
“Not a good sign.”
“I thought you might say that.”
“Look after Lisa. She needs some TLC.”
“I don’t remember administering TLC as being part of the job description.”
“You don’t fool me,” Jesse said.
“I don’t fool you how?”
“You’re a softie. Mush.”
“Mush?”
“You heard me.”
“That’s not how I like to think of myself.”
“How do you like to think of yourself ?”
“Hard. Tough. Terrifying.”
“Works for me,” Jesse said.
“And the mush?”
“Side dish.”
“Just so we don’t confuse a side dish with the main course,” she said, as she went into the conference room.
Jesse poured some coffee. He phoned Dr. Phyllis Canter, a child psychologist who lived in Paradise. He told her what had happened and asked if she might interview Lisa. She agreed to stop by the station and speak with her.
He stuck his head in the conference room. He explained to Lisa that Dr. Canter would be stopping by. He said he would see her later.
He left the station and headed for his cruiser, which was parked in its designated spot behind the building.
He only noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye. A man was rapidly approaching Jesse from behind a double-parked car. He was holding a pistol.
Jesse dove to the ground just as the man fired. He pulled his