“Mrs. O’Malley?” Mattie said.
“Yes.”
“Mr. Crane caught Sean stealing food over at the market.”
The woman’s eyes misted, and her shoulders slumped as she turned her head aside, trying to hide her emotion from Mattie.
“Come inside, Sean,” she said, her voice barely audible. She stepped out onto the deck and closed the door behind her, shutting Sean inside. “I’m sorry, Officer. I’ll see that he’s punished.”
Mattie observed the woman’s whipped demeanor, her old-fashioned and threadbare house dress, her rail-thin body that looked like it hadn’t been fed a good meal in quite some time. “I’m not sure punishment is in order, Mrs. O’Malley. Did you tell Sean to get the food?”
A spark of anger flickered in the woman’s eyes, long enough for Mattie to know it was there before the woman extinguished it. “Why would I do that?”
“Money’s short, your children are hungry. It’s understandable.”
As if to reinforce Mattie’s words, the baby whimpered half-heartedly. Mrs. O’Malley shushed her and patted her gently on the back.
Behind her, Mattie heard gears grind and gravel crunch. She turned to see an old beater pickup truck, blue paint showing between rusty dents, pull up and park behind her patrol car.
A man with a thundercloud on his face got out of the vehicle. Tall and lean with brown hair grown halfway down his neck, he crossed the yard in a few quick, angry strides.
“What’s the police doing here?” he asked the woman.
Mattie assumed the man was Mr. O’Malley. Two teenagers, a boy whom she recognized as Tommy and a girl, got out of the truck on the passenger side and came around where Mattie could see them. The girl’s short hair was dyed bright red and Tommy’s was bleached blond. Mattie guessed they were close to the same age, although Tommy appeared to be older. They stayed by the truck.
Mrs. O’Malley shrank away from the angry man. “The . . . this officer brought Sean home.”
He looked at Mattie, his dark eyes demanding an explanation.
Mattie instantly disliked him. “Your name, sir?”
“Patrick O’Malley. Who wants to know?”
“I’m Deputy Cobb from the sheriff’s office.” She held out the paper bag in a slight gesture. “Sean was caught taking food from Crane’s Market.”
Patrick snatched the bag and looked inside. He glared at his wife, who was trying, in vain, to comfort the baby. “I’ll take care of this,” he said to Mattie.
She wasn’t sure what he meant, but she didn’t like it. “Mr. Crane gave the food to your family with a warning that he doesn’t want Sean coming back into the store without his parents. He isn’t going to press charges. I’ve warned Sean that he won’t get off so lightly if it happens again.”
“It won’t happen again,” Patrick said. He thrust the bag toward his wife, forcing her to juggle the infant into one arm so she could take it. “Take her inside and see if you can shut her up.”
Mrs. O’Malley went inside the trailer.
“I’m going to ask social services to make a visit today so we can get you the resources you need.” She knew they wouldn’t visit on a Sunday, but she thought an eminent home visit might protect his family.
Anger darkened his face.
Tommy left the truck and sauntered up. “Dad’s been out of work, but he has a job now, and I have a job.”
Mattie read the kid as wanting to help diffuse the situation. “Hi, Tommy.”
The girl had come up behind him. “Hi,” Mattie said to her. “And your name is?”
“Molly,” Tommy said before the girl could speak.
“Why do you know my son?” Patrick said, clearly unhappy about it.
Mattie decided not to mention that she’d first met Tommy months ago when she confronted him and his friends for littering in the park. “I met Tommy in the park a while back, sir. Him and some of his friends.” She addressed all of them. “I know times have been rough, but it sounds like you’ll have more income soon.”
She withdrew several business cards from her shirt pocket and gave one to Patrick and each of the kids. “You can reach me at this number if I can do anything to help. Tommy, could I have a word with you out by the car?”
Patrick opened the trailer door. “Come inside, Molly.” Giving Mattie a mean look, he disappeared into the trailer with Molly following.
After moving toward the car, Mattie faced Tommy. “Has your father even been violent with anyone in your family?”
He smirked. “Nah, he’s a pussycat.”
“Don’t hesitate to dial nine-one-one if you fear for your safety. Or the safety of anyone else.”
“Sure thing,” he said with a smart-alecky tone.
She decided to move on. “Did you hear about Grace Hartman?”
The smirk left his face. “Yeah, I heard. Everybody’s talking about it.”
“Were you friends with her?”
“Are you shittin’ me? Grace ran in a different crowd.”
“Did you want to be friends with her?”
“Nah, I have friends of my own. She was too stuck up for us.”
“Sounds like you didn’t like her.”
Tommy shrugged and put his hands back in his pockets. He seemed to take the question seriously. “Nah . . . it was more like we just didn’t have any use for each other.”
Mattie hadn’t been out of high school so long that she couldn’t remember how cliques could coexist peacefully in a small town. She believed he was telling the truth.
“Do you know Mike Chadron?”
“Knew who he was.”
“So you know he’s dead, too.”
“Yep.”
“How’d you know that?” she asked.
“One of my friends told me.”
His eyes slid away when he said it, and she suspected he was lying. But she didn’t know why. “What did you hear about it?”
“Just that he killed himself last night.”
“Anything else you know about Mike?”
“Why would I know anything else about him?”
“Just tell me what you know.”
“I know he has a bunch of dogs he brings to the park. That’s about it.”
She figured he was back to at least partial truth. Tommy spent a lot of time hanging out at the park; he’d probably seen Mike there. She wondered if he knew anything about Mike and their suspicion of him transporting cocaine, but she couldn’t ask him about it directly.
“I’m on a mission to clear drugs out of Timber Creek, Tommy.”
He looked back toward his house. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I believe you may know something about drugs around here.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“I’m not trying to bust you. I just want to know who’s selling.”
He shifted away from her, and she could tell she was losing him. “I don’t know anything about that, I’m telling you.”
“Is there anyone you’ve noticed who has more money than usual? Someone with cash?”
“That guy out at the hot springs. The owner. I hear he’s rich.”
She’d expected him to mention Mike or one of his peers. She was surprised he’d bring up the owner of the hot springs. She doubted they ran in the same circles.
“Anyone else?” she asked.
“No.” He looked sullen. “I don’t even know anything about him.”
“That’s okay. You think about this conversation and let me know if you can come up with anyone else. I’ll check back in with you later.”