Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline Read Free Book Online Page A

took off running into his arms.
    â€œNo running!” shouted the guard, from a station by the door, but neither father nor son paid him any mind, embracing in the middle of the quiet, empty room. Bennie watched the scene, praying she could get this kid out of this dump. She watched as Matthew gave Jason the bag of toys, looped a heavy arm around his shoulder, then walked him over to Bennie.
    â€œBennie, this is Jason and he’s happy to talk to you. You guys have a nice chat while I go to the bathroom. Understood, son?”
    â€œOkay.” Jason nodded, looking down as his father left.
    â€œHi, Jason.” Bennie couldn’t remember the last time she’d talked to a seventh grader, if ever. “I’m sorry you’re here, pal.”
    Jason didn’t meet her eye. “Me, too. It sucks.”
    â€œSo, I’m a lawyer in Philadelphia and your father called me to see if I could help you.”
    â€œCan you get me out of here?” Jason’s blue eyes widened with hope.
    â€œI hope so,” Bennie answered, watching her words. It was always tricky business to manage the client’s expectations, and she never felt that more acutely than she did now.
    â€œDo you think I will be out this week?” Jason’s short forehead buckled. “I really want to be home by Christmas. I want to finish the castle.”
    â€œThe what?”
    â€œThe castle. King Leo’s castle.”
    â€œKing Lear?”
    â€œNo, Leo.” Jason reached into the bag and pulled out a handful of tiny black Lego bricks and some small figurines, which he emptied on the table, then lined up. “I can work on part of the castle here, but have to be home to finish. I try to cut the hours it takes, each time.”
    â€œOh I see.” Bennie smiled, impressed by his industry. “I saw the ones you built in the dining room. They’re incredible.”
    â€œThank you.” Jason smiled back, then pursed his lips again, covering his teeth. “I can do so much better now. I can build faster, too, like, if you build a lot of Legos, you figure out how it works. It’s logical. And you have to use your imagination, and it takes patience. I have a lot of patience, that’s what my mom always says. Said.”
    â€œPatience is a good thing.” Bennie took her pad from her messenger bag and set it in front of her. “Why don’t you tell me what happened, with Richie?”
    Jason’s face changed immediately, as if a protective mask had just descended over his young features. “I don’t even know, it was just weird.”
    â€œHow so?” Bennie left her ballpoint pen on her pad, so he would feel encouraged to talk.
    â€œI mean, they tease me, Richie always teases me, because well, you know.” Jason flushed, pursing his lips. “I’m kind of husky, and also because of my teeth, like, I have these teeth in front they say I’m like a vampire.”
    â€œYou don’t look like a vampire.”
    â€œThere’s this movie called Dracula 2000 and they say I’m Dracula 2000 and they thought that was funny. They said they saw it but they’re liars because they can’t see it, it’s rated R.”
    Bennie’s heart went out to him. “That must be tough, getting teased like that.”
    â€œI mean, a lot of kids get teased, so, like, I try not to let it bother me.” Jason looked down at the figurine in his hands. “That’s what my mom used to say, like, pretend you’re like a duck and it just rolls off your back.”
    â€œAnd what happened, at lunch? What made it different?”
    â€œThey were just calling me names, like they always do. ‘Fat Boy.’ ‘Tank.’ ‘Blubber Boy.’ ‘Albino Gorilla,’ every day they got a new name. ‘Bootylicious,’ was last week, on account of the song.” Jason seemed to deflate, his soft shoulders slumping.
    â€œDid Richie