Read Online A Measure of Blood by Kathleen George - Free Book Online Page B

car to the apartment where Matt is staying. Colleen answers her phone on the way. It’s the Giant Eagle Market District—the store where they think Maggie Brown was first accosted by the man—finally getting back to her.
    â€œIs this the detective who wanted to know about tapes?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWe don’t keep them long.”
    â€œHow long?”
    â€œWe don’t have tapes over a month old.”
    â€œOh.” Not that she’s surprised. Only disappointed. “I’ll come by to see what you have anyway.”
    Christie says, “Small chance it would have caught an altercation in the lot anyway.”
    â€œSmall chance, but a chance,” she says. Then they approach the apartment house on Morrowfield. “Anything new happen last night when you got Matt back here?”
    â€œI put Matt to bed. Oopale was very kind, fed me a little meal. I asked her if she’d ever seen male visitors to the apartment. She said no. Very, very consistent reports.”
    â€œUnfortunately.”
    They take the stairs one floor up.
    The mother and daughter both come to the door to show them in. They all move quickly to the kitchen table where Matt sits, dawdling over his food. Christie chooses the seat across from him. “Matt. How are you this morning?”
    Matt shrugs.
    â€œWould you show us what you did yesterday? Would you help us?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œOkay. Let’s get up then. Let’s pretend the living room over here is your apartment. You were where, again?”
    â€œIn my room. I was playing with my PlayStation.”
    â€œOkay, let’s make this chair over here be your bedroom. And then?” Christie asks calmly.
    â€œI heard a knock on the door. I heard my mother answer the door.”
    â€œDid you go to look at all?”
    â€œNo, I kept playing.” He breathes hard. He is not okay with this part. “She gets deliveries sometimes, stuff like that.”
    â€œOn Sunday morning, no deliveries, people are relaxing, who comes by?”
    â€œSunday.” He looks frightened at his mistake about deliveries. “Maybe Sasha?”
    â€œAnybody else?”
    â€œNo, I can’t think of anybody.”
    â€œOkay. And then?”
    â€œI was just playing. Then I heard, like, arguing.”
    â€œThat’s important. What were they saying?”
    â€œStuff like, ‘Get out,’ and ‘You can’t treat me like that.’ ”
    â€œGood, good. Did they talk about you?”
    â€œThe guy said, ‘I want to see him. I want to know him.’ I peeked out of my room then because I could tell it was about me. I thought finally she would tell me who my father was and I would meet him.”
    â€œCould you see him?”
    â€œJust from the back a little bit.”
    â€œDid you return to your room?”
    â€œNo, because she yelled.”
    â€œOkay. I know it’s awful to have to repeat things, but tell us again what she said, okay?”
    â€œLike, ‘Matt. Leave. Just run. Leave. Go to a neighbor.’ ”
    â€œBut you couldn’t see this man?”
    â€œI was running.”
    â€œAnd the little bit you saw … what did he look like?”
    â€œJust regular.”
    â€œAnything you can remember? Hair, how tall?”
    â€œDark hair. Taller than my mom but not real tall.”
    â€œLike me?” Christie asks.
    â€œYeah. I think.”
    â€œAnd he was wearing?”
    â€œBlue jeans, sneakers, just a shirt.”
    â€œWhat kind of shirt?”
    â€œI don’t remember.”
    â€œThat’s okay.”
    â€œShe was saying to run, so I ran.”
    â€œBut you grabbed the phone. Stopped a little bit to grab it.”
    â€œI don’t think I stopped. I just grabbed it.”
    â€œOkay. And then you used the stairs?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWhen did you use the phone?”
    â€œWhen I got to the bottom.”
    â€œInside,