Before he could answer, Alicia popped into the waiting room in her uniform. A tiny badge on the pocket said STUDENT. She said, “I can stay with you for the next hour.”

That made me sad I’d miss time with her. I knew now that I needed to show Alicia how much I cared about her.

I talked to the cops in an empty office a few corridors away. Bill sat in the back and let the detectives do the talking. The Newburgh Police Department and I had a little history. One of their detectives had gone bad and murdered a local drug dealer. I set the trap that caught him. The cops may not like crooked cops, but they don’t like people doing their job, either.

A detective, who had identified herself as Sue Koteen, said, “I read the statement you made. It just sounds a little far-fetched. We think whoever did this was a drug-dealing rival to your brother.”

“My brother is in paramedic school. He doesn’t deal drugs anymore.”

The detective laughed. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

“Have you heard the one where the cops find the man who shot someone in their own apartment?”

The detective wasn’t flustered. “I’ve read your entire statement and I find the whole private-prison revenge theory ridiculous. I’m not sure what you expect the Newburgh police to do about it.”

“My experience with the Newburgh police tells me not to expect you to do anything at all.”

Bill realized it was getting a little heated. He stepped forward quietly and placed a hand on Detective Koteen’s shoulder. He said softly, “Susie, can you give us a couple of minutes?”

The detective gave me one more glare, just to make sure I understood I was pissing her off.

I gave her a goofy grin. Just to make sure she understood I was trying to piss her off.

As soon as we were alone, I turned to Bill and said, “She thinks I’m some kind of conspiracy nut.”

“She’s not alone.” He waited until he had my full attention. “I’ve heard the story about the private prison from you, your brother, and your mom. I believe you. But think about it from a regular person’s perspective. There was no news coverage, no public outrage, nothing that most people could relate to. If this is the reason your brother got shot or your mom was hit by the car or your girlfriend’s apartment blew up, you might have to deal with it outside the police. But don’t ridicule a dedicated detective like Susie Koteen.”

I nodded. He made sense. I wanted to get back to my mother in case there was any word about Natty.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17