“You understand why you’re
here,” Jesse said.
“Community service,” Bo said.
“Which the court requires of you.”
They nodded.
“Why?” Jesse said.
“ ‘Cause of Candace,” Kevin
Feeney said.
“What about Candace?” Jesse said.
“Oh come on, man, you know.”
“Don’t call me
‘man,’” Jesse said. “All three
of you copped to
raping her. Is that right?”
Bo said, “Yes, sir.”
The other two nodded.
“So you are not some public-spirited high school kids, doing
some volunteer chores,” Jesse said. “You are three convicted
rapists.”
They all nodded.
“Just so we’re clear,” Jesse
said.
They all nodded again.
“I regret that you’re not doing
time,” Jesse said. “And if you
fuck up here, maybe I can still get you some. You understand?”
Bo Marino said, “Yes, sir.”
The other two nodded.
“I have no respect for you,” Jesse said.
The three boys didn’t say anything. They didn’t look at Jesse or
each other.
“I think you three are punks.”
None of the three had any answer.
“I am going to make your time here as unpleasant as possible,”
Jesse said.
The three boys looked at the floor. Jesse looked at them for a while without speaking.
“Okay,” he said finally, “go see
Officer Crane at the front
desk. She’ll tell you what to do.”
57
Jesse sat drinking coffee with Captain Healy in the front seat of his Ford Explorer, while the fine snow came down steadily in the parking lot behind the courthouse in downtown Salem.
“You have everything you need but
evidence,” Healy
said.
“That’s all that’s
missing,” Jesse said.
“Except motive.”
“Well, yeah, that too.”
“Gee,” Healy said. “Hot on the
trail.”
“They did it,” Jesse said.
