Jesse’s voice was still pleasant, but there was a sudden
undertone in it that made Bo uncomfortable. He didn’t want to sit
down. He tried looking hard at Jesse. If Jesse noticed, it didn’t
show. Bo sat down. Jesse picked up the backpack and put it on the desk in front of him and dumped it out. He looked at what he had. A notebook, three ballpoint pens, some Kleenex, a packet of condoms, a ruler, a protractor, two packs of spearmint gum, and a white envelope. He opened the envelope and found four prints of Candace Pennington, lying naked on the ground. Bingo! Her face was
distorted by crying, someone out of the picture was holding her ankles, and Kevin Feeney was holding her wrists. Feeney was smiling. Jesse looked carefully at each print, then he put them faceup on his desk, facing toward Bo, and smiled at him and waited.
Bo didn’t look at the pictures. Jesse let the silence thicken.
Then he said, “Who’s the young
lady?”
“I don’t know,” Bo said.
“I found them pictures.”
“And the young gentleman?”
“I told you, I dunno. I found them.”
“Where?”
“In the school library, somebody musta dropped them.”
“The young lady looks like she’s
crying,” Jesse
said.
“You know how broads are, sometimes they cry after you fuck
them.”
“Really? And it seems that the young gentleman is restraining
her.”
“I don’t know,” Bo said.
“You don’t know what?”
“I don’t know nothing about that
picture.”
Arthur Angstrom opened Jesse’s door.
“Kid’s father is here,” he said.
Jesse nodded.
“He’s got Abby Taylor with him,”
Arthur said.
“Lawyer to the rescue,” Jesse said.
“Send them
in.”
26
Joe Marino was a large self-made man in an expensive suit that was a little tight for him.
“What the hell is going on here,” he said when he came into the
office.
“I didn’t do nothing, Dad,” Bo
Marino said.
“Shut up,” his father said.
“I’ll take care of
this.”
Jesse smiled at Abby Taylor, who had come in with Marino. She was dark-haired and good-looking, wearing a well-fitted suit with a short skirt.
“Hello, Abby,” Jesse said. “How
are you.”
Abby Taylor said, “I’m fine.”
“Hey,” Marino said.
“I’m talking to you.”
Jesse said, “You are.”
