“Food.”
“Where?”
“Most I gave to my moms so she can feed my brother. But I kept enough for a rack from Ron’s and some mac and cheese.”
“You get it extra hot?”
“What are you, crazy? Ron’s is hot enough, just regular. The extra will burn a hole through the back of your throat.”
“You got that right,” said Henderson. “So let’s go over it again.”
“I told you four times already.”
“Then let’s do five.”
“I was out walking that night.”
“What night?”
“I don’t know when, a week or so ago. I was out walking.”
“Looking for what?”
“Anything. Is that a crime? I was out, is all. And I saw this pack come toward me on the street that I didn’t want anything to do with, account of I recognized one of them idiots, and he and me we don’t get along.”
“What’s his name?”
“Danny something, I don’t know. He’s big and he’s ugly, you want a description. So when I passed one of them deserted lots, I ducked into it so as to avoid his ass.”
“Where exactly?”
“I don’t remember. It was, like, west of Sixteenth on Montrose or something. I didn’t care where it was, I just wanted to get away. He’s got this nose, man, like a baked potato that exploded in the oven. You know what I mean? And so as he passed by on the street with his boys, I kind of slunk my way into one of them corners that was darker than the rest, and that’s where I found it.”
“Found what exactly?”
“I told you. It was a box, a white box with handles cut into the sides, and the stuff was in there.”
“The box we found in your room?”
“The same.”
“And what was in there again?”
“You know, the watch that I pawned. And then the stuff you found, that computer screen and the gun. There were a couple other screens that I passed out to some friends in exchange for gabbling onto their Internet, because my connection is, like, nonexistent. I thought we was supposed to be getting it free, that’s what the mayor said, but I got nothing.”
“We’ll be sure to let him know,” said Ramirez.
“Why didn’t you pawn the cuff link when you pawned the watch?” said Henderson.
“Cuff link? What cuff link? I don’t wear no cuff link.”
“The cuff link you still had on you. There were two, but you lost the one, right?”
“What are you talking about cuff links for?”
“No cuff links?”
“Nah, man. What would I be doing with something beat like that?” “Maybe one of your other jobs.”
“I told you, I don’t do no jobs. And if I did do jobs, I wouldn’t be stealing no cuff link.”
“So then let’s talk about the gun. You use the gun?”
“Nah, man, that crap scares the piss out of me.”
“So why didn’t you pawn it with the watch?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is that your best answer, that you don’t know?”
“I don’t know.”
“You were going to use it against that Danny character with the potato nose, weren’t you?” said Ramirez, as her chair slapped down on its front legs with a crack.
“Nah, I don’t know. Protection, maybe.”
“Use it on him like you used it on the old man,” said Ramirez, who stood and started walking toward Lamar.
“What old man?”
“Don’t be cute, baby,” she said. “You know just what old man I’m talking about. How are we going to help you if you don’t help us?”
“I’m trying to help.”
“You didn’t mean to shoot him, we know that,” said Ramirez, leaning forward now with her knuckles on the table so that she was peering down at Lamar with angry eyes. “The door was open, you slipped in, saw all that stuff, and started filling a box. Then the old man appeared. You panicked, you drew the gun, pointed it, the thing went off. It happens, and it was an accident, and we can help you get past it.”
“That’s not what happened.”
“Then you better tell us what happened, and you better tell us quick, before we take a dimmer view of things.”
“I found the box.”
“Lamar,” said Ramirez, her voice loud now, and fast. “Baby. You keep playing it like that, we’re going to have no choice but to figure you did it on purpose.”
“But I didn’t.”
“That you went in there intending to shoot that man.”
“I didn’t go there to shoot nobody.”
“Bang you down for first degree. Twenty years. Or more. Is that what you want?”
“No.”
“Help us help you.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Yes, you do. We told you already. It was an accident, you didn’t mean it. That’s what you need to tell us. That’s the only way out for you. Other than that, it’s a needle in the arm, boy.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on, baby, you know what I’m talking about. It’s why you’re lying to us.”
“I’m not.”
“Another one right there. Right there, you pathetic loser.”
“Take a minute, Lamar,” said Henderson, who stood now and stepped between the cowering Lamar and Ramirez, whose fists were balled.
Henderson faced Ramirez and stared for a moment, before she spun on her heels and stormed out the door. Then he turned to Lamar and put a hand on Lamar’s shoulder. He could feel the bones beneath his fingers shaking.
“Did it happen like that, Lamar?” said Henderson. “Did the gun go off like she said?”
“I told you. I found the box.”
“That’s a little hard to believe, son. And if we don’t believe it, and we want to help you, how’s a jury going to believe it? Stay here for a bit and think on it. We’ll be back.”
From the other side of the mirror, Henderson and Ramirez stood next to each other and watched the boy. Lamar wiped his eyes with his palm, his nose with the back of his hand. The shaking was worse now, the fear had clutched tight at his heart, and all pretense of faking it was gone. As Ramirez stared through the glass, she could see the ghost of her own reflection in the mirror superimposed on the boy’s scared face. Her face was twisted with a strange and ugly expression that she didn’t recognize and didn’t like.