Read Online Damaged by Lisa Scottoline - Free Book Online

looked over with a smile. “My Pops says I have a gift from God.”
    â€œThat’s true.” Mary smiled back. “Talk to me about reading. That’s a little bit harder for you, isn’t it?”
    â€œI can read,” Patrick shot back, defensively.
    â€œI see.” Mary didn’t want to challenge him directly, but she wanted him to be able to open up with her. Patrick was keeping his illiteracy secret, because he felt so ashamed, which was needless. “You know, Patrick, there are kids your age who can’t read.”
    â€œThat’s not true.” Patrick blinked. “Not in my class.”
    â€œI’m talking about kids that are in other schools.” Mary had seen that dyslexic children could feel terribly alone. “Can you imagine a whole school full of children your age, but they can’t read?”
    â€œWhy can’t they?” Patrick eyed her directly, listening with a newly grave expression.
    â€œBecause everybody has a different brain and everybody learns differently. They go to a really great school where the teachers teach them differently and that’s how they’re learning to read. They’re very smart, just like you, but they haven’t been taught the way they need to be taught.”
    Patrick turned to the window. “They’re here.”
    â€œThe police? How do you know?”
    â€œI hear them, don’t you?” Patrick set down the drawings and went to the window, peeking through the blades.
    Mary hadn’t heard anything, but she looked out the window to see a police cruiser pulling up in front of the house, double-parking. She remembered that hyper-vigilance could be a symptom of dyslexia and also PTSD, but she didn’t want to go there yet with Patrick.
    â€œWe’d better go downstairs.” Patrick scooted around her, heading for the bedroom door. “My Pops says it’s rude to be late.”

 
    CHAPTER SEVEN
    Mary introduced herself to Officer Cindy Lee and Officer Jorge Muniz after Edward had introduced himself and Patrick, who had grown instantly quiet, looking up with wide eyes at the uniformed officers. Officer Lee was in her early thirties, with pretty features, an easy smile, and a shiny low ponytail, and she seemed to take the lead over her heavyset partner, perhaps because she was a woman.
    Edward pulled in two wooden chairs from the kitchen, and the police officers sat down in them, their knees bumping the coffee table. Edward steered Patrick to the couch and sat down next to him, and Mary took the chair catty-corner to the couch, placing a notepad discreetly on her lap. She wanted to hear the story from Patrick’s lips and resolved to listen objectively, even critically, to see what kind of a witness he would make, as well as resolve any doubts about the truth of what had happened.
    The police officers slid skinny notepads from their back pockets, located some pens, and got settled, but Mary noticed that Patrick’s demeanor had reverted back to his quieter, anxious self. He seemed to take in their every movement and he had resumed sucking his lower lip. He sat still on the couch cushion, neither bouncing nor swinging his legs, and he seemed to telescope down, roaching his back and hunching over, so that he seemed somehow smaller.
    Officer Lee began by looking from Edward to Mary. “Folks, right now we’re just going to get the bare-bones of what happened from Patrick. You’ll need to take him to PCA, the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance, after this for further questioning. We will give them a call that you’re coming over and it shouldn’t be a problem. They take walk-ins.”
    â€œI understand,” Mary answered for her and Edward, because she could see him leaning forward, as if he hadn’t heard. She remembered that Officer Diamond had mentioned PCA, too.
    â€œMs. DiNunzio and Mr. O’Brien, we ask you not to talk with Patrick about the