Read Online Deadly Intersections by Ann Roberts - Free Book Online Page A

spines. She let the silence settle between them, resisting the urge to shotgun a series of questions at him before Hector interrupted the session.
    “Have you read any of those books?” she asked. He nodded, totally disinterested in the small talk. Still she pressed on, determined to find a point of interest that might hook him. “Which ones?”
    “Just The Outsiders ,” he mumbled.
    A book about a gang of boys. Not surprising. She’d read the classic years ago, but she couldn’t remember much about it. There were themes about loyalty, friendship and family, all of which she was sure he could relate to.
    “Who was your favorite character?”
    “Ponyboy.”
    “Why?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just remember that I liked him.”
    “That’s cool,” she said, before a long pause. “Raul, I’ve got a murder to investigate, and I need your help.”
    “I want my brother,” he said plainly.
    “Just chill, kid. You’re not in any trouble,” Andre snapped.
    She realized how smart he was, and she wouldn’t be able to blow over him like she could with most other children she interviewed. “It would help me if you’d just tell me what you know about Maria Perez.”
    “She’s a snitch,” he blurted. “She got me in trouble.”
    He immediately closed his mouth, realizing his brother wouldn’t approve. She could tell he was struggling to control his anger. His knee jerked faster. He wouldn’t look at her.
    “Was it really Maria who got you in trouble or did you do it to yourself?”
    She posed the question exactly as her older brother did with his own children. His response, though, was much different than that of her niece and nephew. Instead of looking remotely penitent he glared at her. He had his version of the truth, and he wouldn’t be manipulated by child psychology.
    “You don’t understand anything,” he said. “Maria was a fake. She wasn’t all perfect, and she was a liar. She just wanted everyone else to get in trouble while she got away with stuff.”
    “Like what?” Molly asked.
    He shook his head, and his gaze fell to the floor. “I’m not gonna say. I’m not a snitch. I’m not her.”
    She watched him closely, his lip quivering. She understood the code of ethics that surrounded most middle school boys. He was nervous, but there was no way he would give anyone up to an adult. “What did your brother think of her?”
    “Hector?” He looked surprised. “Hector didn’t care about her.” 
    “Hector didn’t care that she got you suspended, almost kicked out of school?”
    “No, I didn’t care,” said a voice from the doorway. Hector Cervantes swaggered beside his younger brother, placing a protective hand on his shoulder. “Didn’t I tell you to always wait for me?”
    “I told her, but she kept asking me questions,” he whined. 
    He whispered something in Spanish to his brother. Raul nodded and quickly left the room, not bothering to look at her again while Hector lowered himself into the chair his brother had vacated.
    “If you want to talk to me, then talk to me . Raul knows nothing to help you.”
    Molly held his gaze, well aware that to look away or even blink would be a sign of weakness in the presence of an alleged killer. Perhaps Hector didn’t kill Maria, but the brown eyes that bored into hers were hardened, darkened by the knowledge of death.
    “Mr. Cervantes, I’m Detective Nelson and this is Detective Williams. Okay, I’ll ask you. What do you know about Maria Perez’s murder?”
    He folded his arms, elaborate gang tattoos peeking out from under his mechanic’s work shirt. He was much more muscular than Raul and Molly guessed—no fighter would ever get the best of him. His slicked back hair and sculpted Van Dyke only added to the tough image and the typical look of a warlord.
    “I know she took one in the chest at the drugstore.”
    “The drugstore? Is that Washington School?”
    The corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. “Ain’t