Read Online Theodore Boone: The Accused by John Grisham - Free Book Online Page B

we’ll need to print you, too, Theo. We can do it this afternoon when you come in.”
    “You want my fingerprints?” Theo asked.
    “Of course.”
    “I’m not sure about that,” Ike said. “I’ll discuss it with his parents.”
    “I don’t care,” Theo said. “Take them. You won’t find any of my prints on those tablets because I’ve never touched them. And if you want to you can give me a lie detector test, fine. I have nothing to hide.”
    “We’ll see,” Vorman said. The detectives were suddenly in a hurry to leave. Hamilton flipped his notepad shut and stuck it in a coat pocket. “Thank you for your time, Mrs. Gladwell,” he said, standing. “And thanks, Theo, for your cooperation. Mr. Boone, it’s been a real pleasure.”
    After they left, Theo sat down in the chair that Hamilton had used. “There’s something else we need to talk about,” he said, and Ike fell into the other chair. As Mrs. Gladwell listened intently, Theo described his two slashed tires, one of which happened on school property. When Theo recounted the story of the rock crashing into his office the day before, Ike said, “Someone’s after you.”
    “No kidding,” Theo said.

Chapter 9
    Not surprisingly, the situation changed dramatically when Theo’s mother got involved.
    Theo called her during lunch, and fifteen minutes later she was at the school, in Mrs. Gladwell’s office, demanding answers. She was furious that Theo had been interrogated by the police without his parents being present, but Mrs. Gladwell assured her that Theo handled himself well. He was cautious with his answers and gave the officers as little information as possible. The search of his locker was unavoidable because the school had the right to open it for any good reason. School policy required Mrs. Gladwell and all other administrators to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials in all situations.
    Mrs. Boone initially wanted to take Theo from school, to her office, and then to the police station. Mrs. Gladwell, though, thought it wiser to wait until classes were over. Theo had already been yanked out of class once that Wednesday, and to do so again would only create even more suspicion. Just keep things as normal as possible, she advised. Then she went on to discuss the rest of Theo’s rather exciting week. Theo had not yet told his parents about his slashed tires and the first locker break-in, and his mother was shocked to learn of these episodes. She was more than a bit irritated that Theo had kept it all quiet.
    As she was leaving, she asked Mrs. Gladwell to give Theo strict instructions to go straight to the office after school.
    At 3:30, Detective Hamilton was waiting in Mr. Mount’s classroom. He had called Mr. Mount and asked him to “invite” Darren, Woody, Chase, Joey, and Ricardo to hang around after school for a brief meeting. With Mr. Mount present, the detective spoke with each boy separately, and briefly. Darren was first, and after establishing the exact location of his locker in an enlarged photo, the detective asked, “What time did you first go to your locker this morning?”
    Darren shrugged and said, “When I got to school, just before homeroom.”
    “And homeroom begins when?”
    “Eight forty.”
    “Why did you go to your locker?”
    “To get some books and drop off some books, same as always.”
    “Did you see Theo Boone at the locker this morning?”
    Darren thought for a second, shrugged again, and said, “I don’t think so. I think Theo was already in homeroom.”
    “Who do you remember seeing at your locker this morning?”
    Another pause as he pondered the question. “Ricardo, maybe Woody. Just some of the guys. I really didn’t stop and think about who I was seeing at the time. We’re usually in a hurry to get to homeroom.”
    “Did you see anyone near the lockers who didn’t belong there?” Hamilton asked slowly.
    “Like who?”
    “Like anybody who shouldn’t have been hanging around your