Read Online Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline - Free Book Online

They butt heads all the time. They’re not friends.”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter, at this point. They’re both in the same situation vis-à-vis the Commonwealth.” Bennie caught herself speaking legalese. “They have a common enemy now. The system.”
    â€œHold on, let me see if the first batch is done.” Doreen stuck the spoon in the batter, crossed into the kitchen, and grabbed a quilted pot holder in one hand while she opened the oven door with the other. She squatted, eyeing the cookies, and the light from the oven illuminated her strong, if pretty, profile. She closed the oven door, stood up, and tossed the pot holder back on the counter. “This is what I hate about making cookies. You take them out too soon, they’re gummy, but if you leave them in another minute, they burn.” Doreen came back to the table and picked up the spoon. “So you were saying…”
    â€œI was curious what you’re going to do about Richie. I think his and Jason’s civil rights were infringed, their constitutional rights. Did Richie have a lawyer? They have a right to counsel.”
    â€œNo, they told us we didn’t need one.” Doreen dropped another cookie on the sheet.
    â€œThey were wrong.”
    â€œHow would I know? I’m a hockey mom, not a lawyer.”
    â€œDid you sign a waiver form?”
    â€œYes, it’s around here somewhere.” Doreen dropped another cookie, finishing another row.
    â€œSo, about Richie, what sentence did he get?”
    â€œSixty days.”
    â€œJason got ninety.”
    â€œTold you, he started it.”
    Bennie let it go. “Did the judge know that? Did you get a chance to present Richie’s side of the story?”
    â€œAre you kidding? No way. We were in and out of the courtroom in five minutes. The judge gave Richie a lecture, then sentenced him to River Street.” Doreen frowned as she scooped out some cookie dough. “I don’t even know how the judge knew about the fight, I guess from the probation lady. We told her that Jason started the fight. He pushed Richie and he should’ve known better. My son’s not going to take that crap and he’s twice Jason’s size.”
    Bennie couldn’t let it stand uncorrected. “You know, it’s true that Jason pushed Richie first, but Richie was teasing him, saying his mother was fat and that’s why she died.”
    Doreen looked up sharply. “Is that true?” she asked, her lips set in a firm line.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œHow do you know?” Doreen forgot about the cookies for a moment, resting the spoon on the edge of the bowl.
    â€œJason told me. He owned up to pushing Richie, but that’s tough for a kid to deal with, the death of a mother. He started crying and just lashed out.”
    â€œChrist!” Doreen spat out, disgusted. “I’m sorry about that. That’s horrible, that’s really horrible. Richie didn’t tell me. Tell Jason’s father, I’m very sorry about that.”
    â€œThank you, and I will tell him that. He’s grieving, too, they both are. You can imagine.”
    â€œOf course I can.” Doreen picked up the spoon and scooped out the cookie dough, practically throwing it at the cookie sheet, like paintball. “You know, Jason’s mom, Lorraine, was a sweetheart, always at the school, helping out. I never do that crap, I don’t have the time, but she was the one, making the phone calls, running the canned-goods collections, doing the bake sale, whatever it was, she did it.”
    Bennie had no idea how many extra things mothers did these days. Or maybe they did them in the old days, too, but her own mother had opted out, because of her illness.
    â€œPoor woman, so what, she was fat, but you gotta die of something. I just quit smoking, I got the patch, but it’ll kill me in the end, if my kids don’t.” Doreen kept throwing cookie dough