Read Online Hit and Run by Norah McClintock - Free Book Online

it would be smart to point that out, under the circumstances.
    Billy didn’t look comfortable walking into the police station. I didn’t blame him. I didn’t exactly feel right at home myself. They took us into the ugliest room I ever saw. There were no windows and no pictures on the wall. The furniture consisted of three chairs and a small table against one wall. They told me to sit in one of the chairs. Constable Carlson sat in another one, close to me. Billy sat to one side of me and a little bit back from me, so that if I wanted to look at him, I had to turn my head. Constable Torelli leaned against the table with his notebook open. They told me that they were going to videotape the interview. They told me again that Ididn’t have to answer any questions, but that whether I answered or not, I was still under arrest. Then they told me that anything I said could be used as evidence against me. They asked me again if I understood what they were saying.
    â€œShouldn’t the kid have a lawyer?” Billy said. He sounded mad, probably because he knew that this was going to be a gigantic hassle that might end up costing him money.
    â€œIf you want to contact counsel, you’re certainly free to do so,” Constable Carlson said. He looked directly at me, not at Billy. “I have to tell you, though, Mike, that we have a pretty good eyewitness on this one.”
    Someone had seen us. I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up.
    â€œWhat eyewitness?” Billy said.
    â€œA shopkeeper in the area,” Constable Carlson said. “He saw you, Mike. Gave us your name, told us what school you go to and where you live. Picked your photo out of your school yearbook.”
    I could feel the sweat sticking my shirt to my under-arms. I tried to think how many shopkeepers knew that much about me. Quite a few, I decided. I had lived in the same neighborhood forever. My mom had shopped regularly at the same stores. She had even known most of the cashiers by name.
    â€œThis isn’t going to go away, Mike,” Constable Carlson said. “The company has been robbed before, and they’re fed up. They’re pressing charges. Why don’t youjust tell me what happened on Monday night?”
    I felt like saying maybe they should tell their drivers to lock up when they left the truck, but didn’t think the cops would appreciate the suggestion. I wanted to tell them that I had thrown the stuff away, that I hadn’t eaten it. But what difference would that make? I had run with the box. Whoever had seen and identified me had probably seen me with the box. I had even choked down one of the pies Vin had taken.
    â€œMaybe you shouldn’t say anything,” Billy said. “Maybe we should get some advice.”
    Constable Carlson looked at me. “You can call a lawyer, Mike. You can have a lawyer present when we talk to you. You and your uncle want to talk about it?”
    Billy nodded and the two cops left the room.
    â€œI just want to get this over with,” I told Billy. “I want to go home.”
    â€œYeah, but if we can get you off—”
    â€œBilly, someone saw me. They gave the cops my name. How am I going to get off?”
    â€œYou can say it was mistaken identity.”
    â€œBut it wasn’t.”
    â€œJeez, Mikey!”
    When the two cops came back, Billy said we’d decided against a lawyer. They asked me if I agreed with what Billy said. I said I did. Then Constable Carlson asked me again what I had done last night.
    â€œI did my homework.” I said. “Then I went out for a walk.”
    â€œWhere did you walk?”
    I shrugged and stared down at the floor. “Just around. Around the neighborhood.”
    â€œWhat about that bakery delivery truck?” Constable Carlson said. “You want to tell me about that?”
    There was no point in denying the theft. From what Constable Carlson had said, I had been nailed pretty