I'll Stand by You Read Online Free PDF Page B

until you’re old enough to say that and claim it. Understand?”
    “Yes, sir,” Marshall said softly.
    Johnny laid a hand on Marshall’s head to soften his words and then walked out of the room. His stomach was in knots. The boys who’d hurt Beep belonged to three upstanding families. He was convinced the boys would not be punished and Beep would not get justice for the assault.
    Inside the room, Marshall leaned across the bed and whispered in Beep’s ear, “Who hit you first?”
    Beep’s eyes welled. “Lewis Buckley.”
    Marshall’s eyes narrowed. “He won’t do it again.”
    Beep was worried. He’d never been in this much trouble before and was afraid to go back to school.
    “Everyone is going to hate me,” he whispered.
    Marshall frowned. “Why? You didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, I’ll take care of you, and if they don’t like me, they can kiss my ass.”
    “You said a bad word,” Beep said.
    Marshall shrugged.
    “I won’t tell,” Beep added and then closed his eyes, too miserable to talk anymore.
    * * *
    When Mavis saw Lon Pittman enter the school building with an expression on his face similar to the one Johnny Pine had been wearing, her heart skipped a beat. He had called the cops. She glanced over her shoulder. She could still hear raised voices inside the principal’s office. This mess was about to get worse.
    Then the office door opened and Lon Pittman walked inside carrying a tripod and a camera case.
    “Afternoon, Mavis, I need to speak to Mrs. Winston.”
    Mavis shifted nervously in her chair as she straightened her jacket.
    “I’m sorry but she’s busy right now. If you don’t mind—”
    He tapped his badge. “She can get unbusy. This is police business.”
    Mavis nodded. “I’ll just let her know you’re—”
    “Are those kids in her office?”
    “What kids?” she asked, knowing full well the ones he meant.
    “Don’t play dumb with me, Mavis. I am not a happy man.”
    “I wasn’t playing,” Mavis muttered and then rolled her eyes as she realized she’d just acknowledged she was dumb. “I mean… Oh, never mind! Just a minute and I’ll see if—”
    “I asked you a question. Who’s in the office with her?”
    Mavis shivered. She liked her job just fine, but she’d never signed up to defy authority. The police trumped Mrs. Winston whether she liked it or not.
    “The kids and their parents,” she answered and watched a muscle jerk at the corner of his left eye.
    “Perfect. Now if you’ll just open the door for me,” he said.
    Mavis hurried to the door, knocked once, and then turned the knob so that the door would swing open. As soon as Officer Pittman was inside, she shut it behind him.
    Lon walked in with his chin up and his shoulders back and set down his things.
    Arlene Winston was stunned to see the police and realized this was spinning out of her control, but this was not the time to panic.
    “I’m sorry, Officer Pittman, but you—”
    Lon held up his hand as he coolly eyed the four boys and their parents.
    “No apology necessary. I see all the parties in question are here. I came to take statements about the assault.”
    Carl Buckley’s face flushed with anger. He turned on the principal even as his wife was trying to calm him down.
    “Assault, my ass! Who the hell called the cops?” he demanded.
    Lon heard the challenge in the banker’s voice but didn’t rise to it.
    “I received a report from a doctor in the ER. Surely you know that when any child is brought into a medical facility with suspicious injuries, those injuries have to be reported to the police,” Lon said.
    “Injuries? Exactly what kind of injuries are we talking about?” Buckley asked.
    “The child in question has a broken nose, broken ribs, loose teeth, and large contusions on his back, belly, and leg.”
    Sally Rankin stared at her twins in disbelief and then covered her face.
    Coach Sharp’s wife looked at her son as if he were a stranger and then began to cry.
    Carl