don't get it."
Pone said, "I know, but hey, you had to be there."
Bean piped up. "I bet Shroom and Cash would help too. Spaz will be a harder nut to crack, but maybe she will come around."
Big Mike smiled. "Let me make some calls, Mike. I'd have to clear it with the courts, probation, my work, and Ollie Boothe. If I am going to do this, I need to know you guys will follow through. And no going off on your own, understood?"
They both grinned. "Okay."
"You know you are speaking for people who have not even been asked yet."
Pone grabbed his ball cap and shoved the chair under the table. "But we will ask, and I'll call you tonight, but I know they'll say yes. If not, you still got me-n-Bean."
"Now that makes me very afraid."
Big Mike watched the two boys. They bounded out of the house and ran down the street.
"I think I am very afraid."
Chapter 6
Pone and Bean skidded to a stop outside Dr. Browning's office. A quick look at his watch told Pone there was about ten minutes left of group. Taking a deep breath, he knocked twice and turned the knob.
Dr. Patricia Browning stopped speaking when the door flew open. Bean and Pone stood in the doorway sucking air like winded racehorses.
Patti Browning had been around a lot of troubled kids in her time. She knew the signs of a break-through when she saw one. Mike Williams Jr., a.k.a. Pone was shining with a new inner light. The other kid was jazzed to the max. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought Bean was high.
The group may not see it, but they could sense something was different. Patti Browning watched them closely. Spaz turned her back to them. All that happiness freaked her out.
Shroom crossed his arms and slid down into his chair, frowning. Cash looked confused.
Dr. Browning stood. "Well, nice to see you two. Glad you could make it. We were just talking about things we fear, and our time is about up."
Pone pushed away from the door. "Good. Can I change the subject, Dr. Pat?"
She looked at the other kids. "I think that would be all right. Is it okay with the rest of you?"
Everyone but Spaz nodded. She just sat there, turned away from the rest.
Pone walked to the front of the room. "Thanks, guys. I talked to my dad tonight. I asked if we could help find Dead Chick's killer. He said yes, and if he can get it okayed, we can all help."
All eyes turned to Spaz. She stood and faced the rest. "What are you all looking at me for? I don't care what you morons do. You think anything we do will help Amy now? She's just another dead ho. No one gives a damn, so don't pretend you do!"
Spaz grabbed her sweater and ran out of the room.
Bean looked after her and at the group. "Oops."
Shroom pushed the hair out of his eyes. "Big oops. What were you thinking, man?"
Pone shrugged. "I don't know. I thought she would like the idea."
Cash let out a breath that puffed out his cheeks. "Well, you thought wrong, dawg."
Pone looked at the floor. "Now what?"
Dr. Browning cleared her throat. "May I make a suggestion?"
"Sure, anything."
"If you boys want to be involved, I'll help get permission so you may. I'll work with Detective Williams on this.
Bean spoke up. "And if Spaz wants to join us later, that would be all right. If not, maybe we will find answers that will bring her some peace."
Shroom scowled. "Work with cops, are you playin' me, dawg? I ain't goin' anywhere near cops! Count me out, man."
Quiet up until that point, Cash said, "Maybe we don't have to."
Shroom looked up. "Don't have to what?"
Pone turned. "What are you talking about?"
"Maybe we don't need the cops. Maybe we do this on our own."
Shroom stood. "Maybe... not ! Hell, Cash, what do we know about investigating crime? We only know how to commit them."
Cash leaned back in his chair. "We also know how we got caught. We just do it backward."
Bean shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense, but I like it." He looked at Pone. "When do we start?"
Pone was trying to settle them down.
Pone said, "I know, but hey, you had to be there."
Bean piped up. "I bet Shroom and Cash would help too. Spaz will be a harder nut to crack, but maybe she will come around."
Big Mike smiled. "Let me make some calls, Mike. I'd have to clear it with the courts, probation, my work, and Ollie Boothe. If I am going to do this, I need to know you guys will follow through. And no going off on your own, understood?"
They both grinned. "Okay."
"You know you are speaking for people who have not even been asked yet."
Pone grabbed his ball cap and shoved the chair under the table. "But we will ask, and I'll call you tonight, but I know they'll say yes. If not, you still got me-n-Bean."
"Now that makes me very afraid."
Big Mike watched the two boys. They bounded out of the house and ran down the street.
"I think I am very afraid."
Chapter 6
Pone and Bean skidded to a stop outside Dr. Browning's office. A quick look at his watch told Pone there was about ten minutes left of group. Taking a deep breath, he knocked twice and turned the knob.
Dr. Patricia Browning stopped speaking when the door flew open. Bean and Pone stood in the doorway sucking air like winded racehorses.
Patti Browning had been around a lot of troubled kids in her time. She knew the signs of a break-through when she saw one. Mike Williams Jr., a.k.a. Pone was shining with a new inner light. The other kid was jazzed to the max. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought Bean was high.
The group may not see it, but they could sense something was different. Patti Browning watched them closely. Spaz turned her back to them. All that happiness freaked her out.
Shroom crossed his arms and slid down into his chair, frowning. Cash looked confused.
Dr. Browning stood. "Well, nice to see you two. Glad you could make it. We were just talking about things we fear, and our time is about up."
Pone pushed away from the door. "Good. Can I change the subject, Dr. Pat?"
She looked at the other kids. "I think that would be all right. Is it okay with the rest of you?"
Everyone but Spaz nodded. She just sat there, turned away from the rest.
Pone walked to the front of the room. "Thanks, guys. I talked to my dad tonight. I asked if we could help find Dead Chick's killer. He said yes, and if he can get it okayed, we can all help."
All eyes turned to Spaz. She stood and faced the rest. "What are you all looking at me for? I don't care what you morons do. You think anything we do will help Amy now? She's just another dead ho. No one gives a damn, so don't pretend you do!"
Spaz grabbed her sweater and ran out of the room.
Bean looked after her and at the group. "Oops."
Shroom pushed the hair out of his eyes. "Big oops. What were you thinking, man?"
Pone shrugged. "I don't know. I thought she would like the idea."
Cash let out a breath that puffed out his cheeks. "Well, you thought wrong, dawg."
Pone looked at the floor. "Now what?"
Dr. Browning cleared her throat. "May I make a suggestion?"
"Sure, anything."
"If you boys want to be involved, I'll help get permission so you may. I'll work with Detective Williams on this.
Bean spoke up. "And if Spaz wants to join us later, that would be all right. If not, maybe we will find answers that will bring her some peace."
Shroom scowled. "Work with cops, are you playin' me, dawg? I ain't goin' anywhere near cops! Count me out, man."
Quiet up until that point, Cash said, "Maybe we don't have to."
Shroom looked up. "Don't have to what?"
Pone turned. "What are you talking about?"
"Maybe we don't need the cops. Maybe we do this on our own."
Shroom stood. "Maybe... not ! Hell, Cash, what do we know about investigating crime? We only know how to commit them."
Cash leaned back in his chair. "We also know how we got caught. We just do it backward."
Bean shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense, but I like it." He looked at Pone. "When do we start?"
Pone was trying to settle them down.
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