Dead Connection by Charlie Price

Author:Charlie Price [Price, Charlie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466892729
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Published: 2015-03-24T04:00:00+00:00

STEAK DINNER

Driving to the Sadler House, Gates realized he had been looking forward to dinner with Robert, and not just because of the investigation. He admired the guy for working and not trying to milk the system. He could feel that Robert wanted to make it on his own.

He was going to let Robert decide where they ate tonight. He wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible, in control. Robert was down in the lobby, pacing, when Gates arrived. Gates checked his watch. He was five minutes early. He took it as a good sign that the young man was eager to see him, or maybe, he realized, just eager to get this over with.

When Robert got into the pickup, Gates asked him where he’d like to go for a steak. Robert gave him a blank look. Obviously, the question had not occurred to him.

“Any place you like?” Gates prompted.

“I don’t know.” Robert was facing forward, looking out the windshield.

“I know some good places,” Gates said. “Shall I choose?”

“I got something to tell you,” Robert said.

Gates did not show any reaction. “Well, great,” he said. “How about we go to…” Now he wanted someplace near, before Robert forgot. He wanted to be able to watch Robert as he spoke, to gather every nonverbal cue he could.

“How about we go right over here to Bistro Rouge?”

Gates turned off the engine and they walked across the street. Bistro Rouge was quiet and expensive. He didn’t think the boy had ever eaten there—probably had never even noticed the place.

“Get a steak?” Robert asked, making sure the deal still stood.

“Sure, get a big steak, baked potato or french fries, whatever you like, and you can fill me in on what you remembered.”

Waiting for the salad to come, Robert seemed impatient to begin. He doesn’t want to forget it, Gates thought.

“So,” Gates said, “what did you recall?”

Robert told him about the argument that day at TacoBurger. He said that had made him remember he had seen a guy and a girl fighting even worse than that at the high school. They were in a car and the man hit her and she shut up and he drove away real fast.

Gates tried to recall if he had unintentionally planted any of this picture in the young man’s mind. No. He had asked if Robert saw the girl walking and Robert had volunteered that she was in a car with a man.

“Do you think this girl was wearing a bright white cheerleading outfit?”

“Maybe.”

Gates was having trouble concentrating. The father! Could it have been the father? He picked her up, they argued, he hit her, maybe accidentally killed her. Maybe she was going to expose him for molesting her.

Gates realized he didn’t even know the girl’s father. Hadn’t seen any statements from him in the investigation reports. They hadn’t searched his car! Robert had said “maybe a white car.” Gates could hardly restrain his impulse to call the station and get the DMV report on the Parker family’s cars.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.