Small Steps (Holes 2)

Armpit had never known X-Ray to remain silent.

“Why would I need a lawyer?” X-Ray asked. “I’m cooperating, right? Write that down. I’m being cooperative.”

Detective Newberg flashed her girlish smile, then made a note on her yellow pad.

Don’t be fooled by her smile, Armpit thought, trying to telepathically send the message through the wall.

“You understand that you are not under arrest and are free to leave whenever you wish.”

X-Ray nodded.

“Please answer audibly.”

“Affirmative,” said X-Ray.

“You also understand that this interview is being recorded.”

“Affirmative,” X-Ray said again.

“You also understand that although you are not under arrest, you are still a suspect in this case. Anything you say today may later be used as evidence in court.”

“Affirmative,” said X-Ray. He liked saying that word.

“And that you have the right not to answer any questions, and you’re knowingly and freely giving up that right.”

“Like I said, I want to cooperate. I got nothing to hide, right?”

“Will you state your name for the record?”

“Rex Alvin Washburn.”

“And your age?”

“Seventeen.”

“Do you ever go by a name other than Rex?”

“No.”

“X-Ray, perhaps?” Again she smiled.

“X-Ray?” X-Ray repeated.

“Before you say something stupid, I think you should know I spoke to several people who bought concert tickets from someone who called himself X-Ray. His cell phone number is the same as yours. And we’ve seen the license plate on your car.”

“Right, I was just about to tell you that. You have to give me a chance. You can’t just ask questions without giving me a chance to explain.”

“Sorry.”

“See, when you asked if I had another name, I don’t really think of X-Ray as another name. It’s pig latin for Rex. See, like you’re Debbie, right? So in pig latin that would be Ebbie-Day. It’s the same name, just a different language.”

“I understand,” Detective Newberg reassured him. “So just to be clear, when these people told me they bought tickets from X-Ray, they really bought them from you.”

“Right. My point exactly.”

“How many tickets did you sell?”

X-Ray hesitated. Armpit knew what he was thinking. He was trying to figure what she knew, and if it was worth lying about.