the fairway, and as he was doing this he removed both gloves and stuffed them in his golf bag. He put his shoes on, then hopped in his golf cart and took off.”
“What happened next?”
“At noon, my cousin went back to work. A couple of hours later, he was cutting grass on the North Nine when a friend told him there was some excitement on the Creek Course, said the police were everywhere, that there was a break-in and a woman had been murdered. Throughout the afternoon, the rumors spread like crazy around the golf course, and my cousin soon learned which house it was. He ventured over in one of the utility carts and saw the police hanging around the house. He drove away, in a hurry.”
“Did he tell anybody?”
Julio kicked a rock and glanced around again. It was dark now. No one was watching them. “We’re still talking secrets, right, Theo?”
“Of course.”
“Well, my cousin is illegal. My mother has papers for us, but my cousin has none. The day after the murder, the police arrived with lots of questions. There are two other boys from El Salvador out there, and they’re illegal, too. So the boss told my cousin and the other two to get lost, to stay away for a couple of days. That’s what they did. Any contact with the police and my cousin would be arrested, put in jail, and then sent back to El Salvador.”
“So, he’s never told anyone?”
“No. Only me. He was watching television one night and there was a story about the murder. They showed the house, and my cousin recognized it. They showed the man, Mr. Duffy I think, walking down a sidewalk. My cousin said he was pretty sure the man walked just like the man he saw enter the house.”
“Why did he tell you?”
“Because I’m his cousin and I’m in school. My English is good and I have papers. He doesn’t understand the court system and he asked me about it. I told him I would try and find out. That’s why I’m here, Theo.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Tell us what to do. He could be an important witness, right?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Then what should my cousin do?”
Run back to El Salvador, Theo thought but didn’t say. “Give me a minute,” he said, rubbing his jaw. His braces were suddenly aching. He kicked a rock and tried to imagine the storm that would hit if Julio’s cousin took the witness stand.
“Is there a reward of some kind?” Julio asked.
“Does he want money?”
“Everybody wants money.”
“I don’t know, but it might be too late. The trial is half over.” Theo kicked another rock and for a moment the two boys studied their feet.
“This is unbelievable,” Theo said. He was almost dizzy, and confused. But his thinking was clear enough to know that this was far over his head. The adults would have to deal with it.
There was no way this secret could be kept.
“What?” Julio pressed. He was now staring at Theo, waiting on words of wisdom.
“Where does your cousin live?”
“Near the Quarry. I’ve never been there.”
That’s what Theo figured. The Quarry was a rough part of town where lower income people lived. Strattenburg was a safe city, but there was an occasional shooting or a drug bust, and these always seemed to happen around the Quarry.
“Can I talk to your cousin?” Theo asked.
“I don’t know, Theo. He’s really nervous about this. He’s afraid he might get in serious trouble. His job is very important to his family back home.”
“I understand. But, I need to nail down the facts before I can decide what to do. How often do you see your cousin?”
“Once or twice a week. He stops by the shelter and checks in with my mother. He’s very homesick, and we’re the only family he has.”
“Does he have a phone?”
“No, but he lives with some other guys and one of them has a phone.”
Theo paced around the gravel parking lot, deep in thought. Then he snapped his fingers and said, “Okay, here’s the plan. I assume you need help with your algebra homework tonight.”
“Uh, I guess.”
“Just say yes.”
“Yes.”
“Good. Get in touch with your cousin and tell him to stop by the shelter in about an hour. I’ll run by to help with your homework, and I’ll bump into your cousin. Tell him I can be trusted and I will not reveal his secrets to anyone unless he says so. Got it?”
“I’ll try. What happens after you talk to him?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t got that far.”
Julio disappeared into the night. Theo returned to his office, where he kept a file on the Duffy case. There were newspaper articles, a copy of the indictment, and Internet searches on Pete Duffy and Clifford Nance, even Jack Hogan, the prosecutor.
All lawyers kept files.
Wednesday night meant Chinese carryout from the Golden Dragon. It was always eaten in the den while the Boones watched Theo’s favorite television, reruns of the old Perry Mason show.
Mrs. Boone was still with the client, a poor woman who could be heard crying through the locked door. Mr. Boone was on his way to the Golden Dragon when Theo explained that he needed to run by the shelter and spend a few minutes with Julio.
“Don’t be too late,” Mr. Boone said. “We’ll eat at seven.”
“I won’t.” Of course we’ll eat at seven.
The firm had a library on the ground floor, near the front. There was a long table in the center of it with leather chairs all around. The walls were covered with shelves loaded with thick books. The important meetings were held in the library. Occasionally groups of lawyers met there for a deposition or a negotiation. Vince the paralegal liked to work there. Theo did, too, when the office wasn’t busy. He also enjoyed sneaking into the library late in the afternoon, after the firm had closed, after the others had left.
He and Judge entered and closed the door. He did not turn on the lights. He eased into a leather chair, propped his feet on the table, and stared at the semilit rows of books. Thousands of them. He could barely hear the distant voices of his mother and her client down the hall.
Theo knew of no other kid whose parents worked together as professionals. He knew of no other kid who hung around an office every day after school. Most of his friends were playing baseball or soccer, or swimming, or hanging around the house waiting on dinner. And there he was sitting in a dark law library pondering the events of the past hour.
He loved the place—the rich smell of worn leather and old rugs and dusty law books. The air of importance.
How could it be that he, Theodore Boone, knew the truth about the Duffy murder? Of all the people in Strattenburg, some seventy-five thousand, why him? The town’s biggest crime since something bad happened back in the 1950s, and he, Theo, was suddenly in the middle of it.
He had no idea what to do.
Chapter 10
There were a few rough-looking men hanging around the entrance of the Highland Street Shelter when Theo parked his bike. He walked through them with a polite “Excuse me” and a metallic smile, and he really had no fear because the men wouldn’t bother a kid. The foul odor of stale booze hung in the air.
“Got any change, kid?” a scratchy voice said.
“No, sir,” Theo said without slowing down.
Inside, down in the basement, Theo found Julio and his family finishing dinner. His mother spoke passable English, but it was obvious she was surprised to see Theo on a Wednesday night. Theo explained, in what he thought was perfect Spanish, that Julio needed extra help with his algebra. Evidently, she did not understand perfect Spanish because she asked Julio what Theo was talking about. Then Hector began crying about something and she got busy with him.
The cafeteria was packed and overheated, and there were other crying children. Theo and Julio escaped to a small conference room upstairs, one that his mother sometimes used to see her shelter clients.
“Did you talk to your cousin?” Theo a
sked, after he closed the door.
“Yes. He said he would come, but I don’t know. He’s very nervous, Theo. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t show up.”
“Okay. Let’s work on the algebra.”
“Do we have to?”
“Julio, you’re making C’s. That’s not good enough. You should be making B’s.”
After ten minutes they were both bored. Theo couldn’t concentrate because his mind was on Julio’s cousin and the potential bomb his testimony would be. Julio was drifting because he hated algebra. Theo’s cell phone rang.
“It’s my mom,” he said as he flipped it open.
She was leaving the office and was concerned about him. He assured her that he was fine, working diligently with Julio, and would be home in time for Chinese, even though it might be cold Chinese. What difference did it make, hot or cold?