A Killing at the Creek by Nancy Allen Read Free Book Online

out for you bossing me around, telling me what to do. Yesterday, she said you’d want to take over this case, too.”
    Elsie looked at him silently, anger washing over her in a wave that brought a flush to her face.
    â€œYou should see your face,” he said, but broke off when Ashlock and Lisa Peters returned, bearing two pairs of folding chairs. Chuck jumped up to offer assistance; switching to a jovial tone, he said, “I’ll take those. Are we ready now?”
    â€œWhen the guardian gets here,” Lisa said. “Because the juvenile has to have a friend, someone who is here on his behalf.”
    Elsie stood, shaking off her indignation toward Chuck, and focusing on the task at hand. Pleasantly, she said to Lisa, “We’re lucky to have you in charge here. Thanks for helping us out today.”
    Lisa didn’t meet Elsie’s eye. In a challenging voice, she said, “I can’t believe you all are ganging up on him like this. What is the Prosecutor’s Office even doing here?”
    Flustered, Elsie said, “A dead woman was pulled out of a creek bed, Lisa. We’re investigating a murder, for God’s sake.”
    â€œSince when does the prosecutor run the investigation? Tanner hasn’t been charged, hasn’t been certified. It just feels wrong to me.”
    This time, Elsie didn’t respond. She was beginning to believe the juvenile officer had a valid point.
    Chuck spoke up. “The prosecutor has a legal right to all the information regarding a juvenile suspect. It’s a sensitive case; that’s why Madeleine wants us to keep a close eye.”
    Lisa did a count with her fingers. “Three against one. Nice odds. Very subtle.”
    Chuck said, “Hey, you’re here for him.”
    Lisa shook her head. “I have to tell him that I’m not here to be his advocate, or to stand in like an attorney. But I’m certainly going to ensure that he understands his rights. And to see that this big ole detective follows due process.”
    Ashlock unfolded one of the chairs and sat in it, smiling at the group. “ ‘Due process’ is my middle name,” he assured them.
    Lisa Peters produced a set of keys and said, “I’m going to get him out of his detention quarters now. If you’re ready.”
    â€œReady,” Elsie said, hoping they weren’t making a huge procedural error.
    Seeming reluctant to proceed, Lisa asked, “Do you need me to go get some rights forms? I could go upstairs and copy the ones we use.”
    â€œThe juvenile office faxed the forms to me yesterday. I’ve got them right here,” Ashlock said, flipping open a notebook and showing her the forms.
    Lisa nodded, her mouth pressed in a thin line as she left the room.
    â€œWhat’s her problem?” Chuck Harris asked, shaking his head.
    Ashlock ignored the question. He instructed Elsie and Chuck where to sit, so that he could set up the interrogation in the most effective way possible, considering the conditions. Elsie watched as he tinkered with the tape recorder, testing it and playing it back.
    Before Lisa returned, Maureen Mason arrived, a stout woman with graying hair pulled into a tight knot. “It’s a lucky thing for you that I came in to look through my mail, or you never would have dragged me in for this,” she said. “I figured the whole juvenile division was shut down today. Thought I’d have a little vacation day for myself. I guess there’s no rest for the weary.”
    The door to the detention hallway swung open, and all heads turned to get a look at the juvenile.
    He’d had a chance to rest and clean up, and he looked nondescript, a typical teen of moderate height, with dark brown hair in need of a haircut, and a splash of acne on his forehead. If Elsie saw him in line at the convenience store, she wouldn’t look twice.
    Maureen patted the spot beside her on the couch. “Come sit