Dark Series, The Color of Seven and The Color of Dusk (Books We Love Special Edition) Read Online Free PDF

house catches fire one night and your folks can’t get out ?”
    Dennis nodded miserably.
    “Wouldn’t surprise me a lot.”
    “So what do we do? ”
    “Is he still selling?”
    “Oh, yeah.”
    “ Y ou think he’s still storing his stuff in the same spots?
    “Probably.”
    “You know when he goes?”
    “That varies.”
    “Could you figure out when he’s going?”
    “Why?”
    “It’s called turning state’s evidence. You turn him over and you get immunity. Though we don’t want him busted on a minor charge. He’ll be home in six months, if he gets any jail time at all, right next door to you and your folks, if he goes up on a small pos session charge. Even on a small selling charge. I want him for a big possession with intent to distribute. I’d like to catch him in a big sale, and the more drugs he’s busted with, the bigger the charge, the longer the jail time. Especially since he’s never been in trouble before and comes from a good family. We don’t want to tap his hand with a ruler. He is already eighteen, isn’t he?” she asked in sudden alarm, struck by the thought that Justin might still be a juvenile offender.
    “Yeah. Yeah, he is.”
    “Well, thank God for small mercies.”
    “What do you think he’d get?”
    “Well, that depends on what we can catch him with. And I’m not just going to tell you, I’m going to show you.” Ria turned to her computer and tapped rapidly on the keyboard. “I assume y’all have some cocaine and crack stashed?”
    “Oh, yeah.”
    “Of course, why did I ask? Schedule II. Here it is. Come look.” Ria motioned him around to the screen. “Prison term of not less than five or more than twenty,” she read aloud.“ I f we pin distribution on him. Same thing you’d be lookin’ at if you were still fartin’ around with him. You got that? Does that compute?”
    “That much?”
    “Dennis, that’s for the first offense. A second conviction carries a life term. The law doesn’t take drug traffic real lightly. But I doubt seriously he’d serve anywhere near that, no. So. You got it in your head now—real clear—I want it real clear, Dennis . T hat’s what you ’ve been flirtin’ with. How’s that make you feel, now that you’re relatively sane again?”
    “I guess I thought—”
    “You thought it wouldn’t be much worse than getting caught smoking a roach, right?
    “Well, yeah. I guess.”
    “Welcome to the real world. How much did y’all keep stashed?”
    “ Ten, fifteen thousand dollars worth at the time, I guess. Sometimes more. We’d built up.”
    “In weight, Dennis, not dollars.”
    “ Justin did all that, I never was any good with it .”
    Ria sighed. “Some dealer you are. Okay, was that your price or street value?”
    “Our price.”
    “I guess to hell you had built up. That’s a good chunk of street change.”
    “Do my folks have to know?”
    “Dennis, you’re not going to be able to put Justin out of action unless you’re willing to testify, and trial testimony’s public record. He’s small time, and I don’t know how much publicity it’ll get, if any, or how well your folks read the newspapers or if the paper would carry anything about it at all. But you want to take the chance they’ll find out about it that way, instead of from you? Don’t kid yourself. In lots of ways, in our folks’ social circle, Macon’s still a real small town, and they’ll find out. Eventually.”
    “But suppose I keep my mouth shut and he just gets busted? I mean, he could always just get busted, couldn’t he?”
    “Sure he could. He could screw up anytime. He could carve Lori’s face before then, too, couldn’t he?”
    Dennis stood up and moved restlessly.
    “Hey, probably I’m overreacting . I mean, he wouldn’t really—”
    “Dennis. He would. Really. Listen to me. I don’t like Justin , I never have. Do you know why?”
    “I never knew why but I knew you didn’t.”
    “Then let me t ell you a secret. Sometimes—”