Picture This by Norah McClintock

Author:Norah McClintock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV000000
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2009-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Mrs. Ashdale gasped.

“You mean, someone was trying to kill Ethan?”

“I’m just saying where we found the bullets, ma’am. And given Ethan’s past and recent events…” He turned to me again. “Will you help us, Ethan? Will you look at some pictures and see if you can identify the Nine-Eights who were down on the street today?”

“Of course he will,” Mrs. Ashdale said.

Detective Catton was right about one thing. Most people are scared to rat out gang members. I’m not that different from most people. I was afraid too.

“There were a lot of people on the street,” Mrs. Ashdale told me. “I’m sure the police have spoken to as many of them as they could. And you heard what they said—someone else saw one of the gang members with a gun. I’m sure they’ve asked that person to look at pictures too. They’ve probably asked a lot of people. So if the police arrest someone, it’s not going to be just because of what you saw, Ethan.”

I knew what she said made sense. But it didn’t make me feel any better. The Nine-Eights didn’t know everyone on the street today. But they knew me. And some of them already had a grudge against me. But I went with Officer Firelli and I picked out the ones I recognized.

“You did the right thing,” Officer Firelli said. “It’s a miracle someone wasn’t killed or seriously injured. It’s a miracle you weren’t killed. You know that, right, Ethan?”

“Yeah.” I glanced at him. “Do you really think they were trying to kill me?”

“You tell me,” he said. “Look, I know you’ve been working hard at changing…”

“Is that what they told you at the youth center?” I asked.

He frowned. “What youth center?”

“The one where I go to my program.” Officer Firelli gave me a blank look. Nice try. “I know you were there. I know you were asking about me.”

“Not me,” Officer Firelli said. “The only person I spoke to was your foster mother, and she had nothing but good things to say about you.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out a business card. “If you see any of those gang members around or if you get scared and just want to talk, call me. I mean it, Ethan.”

Right. Like I was going to call a cop who didn’t even like me. That would be the day.

Before we left, Mrs. Ashdale quizzed Officer Firelli and Detective Catton about my safety.

“What if some of those gang members come around?” she said. “What if they still want to hurt Ethan?”

“After what happened today, they’ll be lying low for a while,” Detective Catton said. “But we’ll have someone keep an eye on your house tonight. If you see anything, anything at all, call us.”

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