Read Online Shadow Boys by Harry Hunsicker - Free Book Online Page B

The officers had learned Raul’s name and knew enough to call Bobby.
    Bobby was an important figure in the Dallas Police Department, and he had made it known that if anything concerning Raul Delgado occurred, he was to be notified immediately.
    This fact infuriated Raul for several reasons.
    One, he was nearly fifteen and perfectly capable of taking care of himself.
    Two, Bobby was a kind, decent man and should not be working for an organization of oppression.
    And last but certainly not least, the motherfucking Dallas Police Department killed his brother.
    Bobby said, “You got to let the anger go, son. It’ll eat you up if you’re not careful.”
    “I am not your son.” Raul spoke the words with icy deliberation.
    Bobby didn’t reply. He continued driving.
    Raul’s father had been deported. His mother was an invalid. A stroke felled her when she’d heard the news about her eldest child, Carlos. She was cared for by the extended family in their neighborhood in Little Mexico.
    Raul pretty much came and went as he pleased, very little adult supervision.
    Except for Bobby.
    Raul was sorry for what he’d just said to the man, the way he was treating him. For the past three years Bobby had been a constant in his life—taking him to school, buying him clothes and little gifts, coming by to make sure he was doing okay.
    They left the fairgrounds, and Bobby turned off the squad lights. They were on Haskell Avenue, a street of dingy bars, washaterias, and pawnshops.
    Bobby used the radio to notify dispatch that he was going to get some lunch.
    Raul had spent so much time in the company of police officers, Bobby and his friends, he recognized the codes and even the dispatcher’s voice.
    “You want to get some pancakes?”
    Raul didn’t reply.
    It was early afternoon. Bobby was a big fan of breakfast, didn’t matter the time of day. Something about working deep nights during his early years on the force. He knew all the good places that were open twenty-four hours.
    After a moment, Raul shrugged and nodded.
    Bobby turned the squad car toward downtown and drove for a few blocks without speaking. Then he said, “I won’t be around forever—you know that, don’t you?”
    “What do you mean?” Raul felt a flash of fear. “Are you sick?”
    “’Course not. I’m as healthy as a horse.” Bobby turned on Ross Avenue. “I mean I’m gonna retire at some point.”
    Raul nodded like he understood the implications of this statement.
    “That means I won’t always be around to look out for you.”
    Raul turned away. He stared out the passenger-side window at the buildings of downtown. His eyes welled with tears, and he didn’t understand why.
    “You need to make peace with the Dallas Police Department,” Bobby said. “And whatever else is eating you up inside.”
    Raul wiped his cheek. He hoped Bobby hadn’t noticed the tears.
    They were in the heart of downtown now, amid the towering office buildings.
    With a start, Raul realized where they were headed.
    A smile creased his face.
    “Junie gets outa school early today,” Bobby said. “Thought she might like some pancakes, too.”
    Junie was Bobby’s daughter, his only child. Twelve years old, the apple of her widower father’s eye. She had auburn hair and a spunky temperament. Both Raul and Bobby doted on her, just in different ways.
    Bobby headed toward her school, and for a moment Raul felt the anger go away, as if everything was right in the world once again.

- CHAPTER TEN -
    I drove the judge around White Rock Lake in the handicap van, the windows down. The activity appeared to please him. When we returned, Clark had another splash of scotch in his living room and regaled me with stories of Dallas in the 1980s, a time rife with cocaine, discos, big-haired women, and rampant overbuilding of commercial real estate.
    Then my beeper beeped.
    Theo Goldberg. My boss. Clark’s partner.
    I pulled my battery from one pocket, the phone from another.
    Clark excused