Snitch by Norah McClintock Read Free Book Online

“Where were you last night around 10:00, Josh?”
    â€œI was out walking around.”
    â€œWhere?”
    â€œJust around.”
    â€œDo you know Scott Alexander?”
    Scott? Did this have something to do with him?
    â€œYeah,” I said. “Why?”
    â€œHe was attacked last night. In a park not far from here.”
    â€œIs he okay?”
    â€œHe’s in the hospital. He’s unconscious.”
    Jeez.
    â€œHow do you know him?” the woman cop said.
    â€œWe used to be friends,” I said. “We used to do stuff together.”
    â€œYou and Scott Alexander used to snatch purses together, is that right?” the woman cop’s partner said.
    I hated to think about that. “Yeah,” I said.
    â€œAnd after the last time, he went to the police and turned you in, is that right?”
    The last time. I hated to think about that too. That last time, everything went wrong. The woman we picked out just wouldn’t let go of her purse. I couldn’t believe it. Most women get scared whentwo guys come at them. But this one held tight. I got so mad I hit her with the weighted wooden priest that used to belong to my dad. Hit her in the wrong place. Too hard. She crumpled to the ground. I grabbed her purse and we ran.
    It turned out she had a good reason for not letting go. Her purse was filled with cash—more than five thousand dollars. We read in the paper later that it was money she had raised for AIDS research. Her brother had died of AIDS. When Scott heard that, he almost started to cry.
    â€œWe have to give it back,” he said. He said it over and over.
    I told him he was crazy.
    Scott told me he was going to the cops. He asked me to go with him.
    I said no. I said he could go if he wanted to, but no way was I going to turn myself in and no way was I giving back the money.
    I thought that was the end of it.
    Until Scott ratted me out.
    â€œI heard you ran into him again recently,” the woman cop said. “He got you into trouble again, didn’t he? Because of him, you could get thrown out of the program you’re in, and then you’ll be in trouble with your youth worker. Isn’t that right?”
    Wait a minute. “Are you saying
I
hurt Scott?”
    The man cop pulled something out of his pocket. It was a photograph.
    â€œYou recognize this, Josh?”
    I stared at it. It couldn’t be.
    Andrew looked at it too. After a moment he said, “That looks like the fish club Dad gave you.”
    â€œThose are your initials, aren’t they, Josh?” the woman cop said.
    I nodded.
    â€œIt’s what Scott was hit with. We have it down at the police station, Josh. Besides your initials, it has your fingerprints on it.”
    â€œThat can’t be right,” I said. “It’s right here. It’s in my box.”
    They let me look for it, even though it turned out they knew I wouldn’t find it. It wasn’t there. It wasn’t in the box. It wasn’t under the couch. It wasn’t anywhere.
    But they didn’t arrest me. They said they were going to talk to Scott first. They warned Andrew to keep a close eye on me.

Chapter Twelve
    â€œI didn’t do it,” I told Andrew.
    He just nodded. He didn’t say he believed me. Miranda didn’t say anything at all.
    I went to school because I had to, but I can’t remember anything either of my teachers said that day.
    Then I went to the program because I had to. I thought Mr. Weller would give me a hard time, but he didn’t. He toldeveryone that Scott wouldn’t be in that day, but he didn’t say why. He didn’t press me to talk in circle, either.
    Amy’s little dog, Coco, was pretty good that day, which was good because I didn’t need any hassle. I just wanted the program to be over.
    As soon as we were finished, I headed for the bus stop. I stood apart from the others who were taking the bus, and when the bus came, I took