“Today, the police chief from Paradise, this Jesse Stone, came to the block of the clinic and exposed our police protection to scrutiny. He visited the old doctor’s home and he came to the pawnshop with—”
Stojan interrupted. “We have already made move to the other location with clinic and Laghari says nothing. The old doctor is saying nothing.”
Mehdi exploded. He slammed his fist onto the table, rattling the silverware and spilling his coffee on the tablecloth. “Shut up, you stupid gargoyle, and listen. Do not talk. Do not think. Listen!”
Stojan glared at him but kept his mouth shut.
Arakel went on. “Stone showed up at the pawn shop with Vinnie Morris at his side.”
That got the thugs’ attention. Like everyone else in the Boston area, they knew of Vinnie Morris and were aware of his reputation.
Mehdi said, “I see now that Arakel has gotten your attention.”
“This cop is being paid by Morris?” asked Stojan.
“I do not think so. I hear they are... friends.” Arakel turned his palms up. “They go back to a relationship with the late Gino Fish. At the pawn shop Morris tells Jerry the pawn man that he is aware he is doing business with us. Jerry is frightened.”
Stojan had had it. “Enough talk. Who are we to kill? Morris?”
“Not Morris,” Mehdi said. “We are not yet powerful enough to win a war we start. Not only would Morris’s people come at us, but the other families and gangs would worry they would be next. Morris, for now, is untouchable. We will deal with Jerry, along with the girl and the teacher. First—”
“The cop,” Georgi said. “We kill the policeman.”
Mehdi nodded. “With him gone, it will buy us the time to do the rest of what must be done. But it has to be done neatly and soon, not like the boy. An accident is best. Do you understand?”
Jesse sat across the table from Petra. He’d done all the preliminaries: given her a can of soda, reassured her, and explained about the camera and the recorder.
In conclusion, Jesse said, “You have to give me verbal answers, Petra. Nodding or shaking your head doesn’t count, okay?”
Naturally, she nodded yes. Everyone in the room, even Petra, laughed at that. Jesse had set her up for that in order to try to put her at ease. It did, for about five seconds. Then the near panic set back in. Jesse switched the equipment on, introduced himself, the others in the room, and stated the purpose of the interview. The first few questions were easy ones: What is your full name? What is your date of birth? Where do you attend school? Like that.
“Petra, are you aware of drug dealing, specifically Vicodin, Oxycontin, and heroin, at Paradise High School?”
“No.”
“Have you ever used or been addicted to any of the drugs I just mentioned?”
“No.”
Jesse reached under the table and produced an evidence bag. “Did you steal and barter your father’s Rolex Submariner, now contained in the evidence bag, for drugs?”
The girl looked ready to crack, but her father lost it, screaming at Jesse and threatening to end the session. Jesse ignored North’s threats. Clark, noticing the panic in the girl, seemed almost relieved by North’s outburst. He turned and advised North to calm down, but only after the girl had collected herself.
“Petra, do you need me to repeat—”
“No,” she said, calmly. “The answer is also no to your question.”
She was asked if she knew about locker 113. Asked about Chris Grimm. Asked if she knew anyone else in the school doing drugs. Asked about Heather Mackey. The answer was always no. Although Jesse had been a shortstop and not a pitcher, he was preparing to throw the girl a curveball.
“Okay, Petra, we’re almost done. One more question. Are you aware of the involvement of a female teacher at the high school connected to Chris Grimm and—”
Both father and lawyer saw the change in the girl’s body language and the horrified look on her face.
“My client won’t be answering that,” Clark said, standing as he did and pulling Petra up by the arm. “This interview is at an end. My client has given you your answers, Chief Stone. She has, as the recordings will show, denied having any connection to or knowledge of the drugs and how they are distributed. Therefore, the answer to your last question is obvious.”
Jesse did not object. It was answer enough. “Thank you for coming in, Petra. You can go.” But as they were leaving, Jesse held the lawyer back. “You realize your client didn’t give a single truthful answer.”
“Do I?”
“Remember this, Counselor. Today was a free-pass day. That’s two chances I’ve given her to tell me what she knows. I like the girl and want her to have a happy life, but if another kid ODs and I find your client lied here tonight, trust me when I tell you you will be earning every cent of your hourly fee.”
“Threats?”
Jesse stared hard at the lawyer. “I don’t make threats, Mr. Clark. Have a good night.”
Sixty-five
The next morning Jesse pulled a chair up alongside Molly’s and had her run the video of his interview with Petra North. They sat and watched in silence. When the video of the interview was finished, Molly spoke first.
“She’s lying.”
“I think so.”
“She was coached to give one-word answers and not to give a single syllable extra.”
Jesse agreed. “Just like we’re taught to testify. No embellishments, no information beyond answering exactly what’s asked.”
“She knows who the teacher is, doesn’t she?” Molly said. “When you asked her that, she looked like she was going to melt down.”
“She knows. That girl is barely treading water, and I think her parents are going to let her go under rather than have their reputations dirtied.”
He told her about what he had discovered in Boston, omitting Vinnie Morris’s presence at Precious Pawn and Loan and their lunch together. For the most part, Jesse didn’t care what other people thought of him, but Molly’s disapproval was an exception.
“I need you to find out if Dr. Wexler has stopped writing prescriptions or whether he is still at it. If he is, it’s a miracle. Severe Alzheimer’s.”
“Do you want me to do that before or after I finish the research on the teachers?” Molly asked, even as she handed Jesse a file. “That’s hers, Maryglenn’s.”
Jesse understood. “Do it before, then get back to the teacher research. I’m going to go over to the high school later to let Principal Wester know we intend to interview all the women teachers sometime in the next few days. Now that I tipped my hand by asking Petra about the teacher, word will spread.”
“Maybe not, Jesse. She might only warn the one teacher.”
“We’ll see. Can you get Lundquist on the phone?”
“Please would be nice.”
“Would it?”
“Jesse Stone!”
“Please.”
This time she went looking for the girl between classes and found her by her locker. As she walked by she whispered to the girl to meet her downstairs in the room with the discarded desks and blackboards.
It was all Petra could do not to fall apart right there in the hall, but she held it together long enough not to follow immediately.
Things in the dank, dimly lit room were very different from the last time they were there. Petra’s book bag was thrown to the floor, her lover grabbed her, pushed her gently onto one of the discarded teacher’s desks, and climbed atop her. Several minutes went by before a word passed between them.
“I’m so sorry about how I treated you the last time we were here,” she said, brushing the back of her hand along the girl’s cheek. “I want to make it up to you. Please let me make it up to you.”