Wally pointed at the report. ‘Started as a routine stop. Car was going so slow, Stewart thought there might be a problem. First thing he noticed was how nervous Rodriguez was acting, and when asked where he was going, the kid didn’t seem to know. Stu could smell marijuana, so he asked Rodriguez to step out of the car. There weren’t any obvious signs of drugs in the interior, so Stu asked Rodriguez to open the trunk. That’s when the kid got really nervous, and at first he refused, but when Stu threatened to bring ina drug-sniffing dog, Rodriguez complied.’
Wally chuckled. ‘Blew Stu’s mind when he saw what the guy had under a blanket. Just under a blanket, mind you. Not even well hidden.’
Jack glanced over at the two holding cells. Both doors were open. ‘Where’s Rodriguez now?’
‘In the Van Buren County Jail. They’ve got the car over there, too. Although Rodriguez was picked up within our city limits, I’m letting the county boys handle this. They’ve got the manpower and equipment to take that car apart and see if there might be more drugs hidden in its frame. But I told them I wanted you to talk to the kid. I’m hoping you can find out where he was headed. And while you’re there, see if they found anything on the boy’s cellphone that connects him to Jose. Maybe this is our break, our chance to send Jose back where he belongs.’
‘Oh, now Wally, you know Jose doesn’t need to go back to prison. He’s turned over a new leaf. Just ask his parole officer.’
‘Yeah, right.’
Jack stood, ready to grab his overcoat and head for the County Jail in Paw Paw. Wally stopped him. ‘Oh, also, Allison took a call just a while ago. Some woman over on the west side of town wants to start a Neighborhood Watch. Seems those two assaults last week have her all riled up. What do you think? Should I have Carlson cover that?’
Since Rivershore didn’t have a police officer specifically assigned as a community resource officer, or CRO, the chief usually rotated the assignments. Phil Carlson had lived in Rivershore for almost twenty years and knew many of the citizens personally, either because of multiple arrests or because their children had attended school with his. ‘Yeah, he’ll do a good job. The woman who called in… . Did she give her name?’
The chief glanced down at the phone message in his hand. ‘Ella Williams. She lives on Maple.’ He looked back up at Jack. ‘Why?’
‘Just curious.’ Especially considering this woman lived on the same street as Mary Harrington. He thought about it for a moment, then decided. ‘Tell Phil when he meets with them. I’d like to tag along.’
The chief nodded and sighed. ‘Jack, what is it with all these gangs? We’ve never had problems like this before.’
‘We’ve had problems, Wally, just never this serious. Our kids – your boy and my two – were in gangs. It’s something kids do, especially teenagers. They form packs. It gives them identity. They’re breaking away from parental control and forming their own families.’
‘Yeah, but our boys weren’t out beating up people or shooting at other kids.’
‘Because we kept track of them, took action when we saw them getting into trouble. Most of the punks I’ve come in contact with lately either have parents who are too busy trying to eke out a living or too strung out on drugs to care.’
‘You think this Neighborhood Watch will help?’
‘Can’t hurt.’
‘So why isn’t someone on the east side of town starting one?’
Jack didn’t have an answer for that, and he said nothing as Wally walked away, grumbling under his breath.
It took Jack a moment before he remembered what he needed to do. Again he reached for his coat, and again he was stopped … this time by the ring of his telephone. For a second he considered letting it ring – the caller could leave a message – then he changed his mind and picked up. ‘Sergeant Rossini here.’
‘Dad, what’s going
Wally chuckled. ‘Blew Stu’s mind when he saw what the guy had under a blanket. Just under a blanket, mind you. Not even well hidden.’
Jack glanced over at the two holding cells. Both doors were open. ‘Where’s Rodriguez now?’
‘In the Van Buren County Jail. They’ve got the car over there, too. Although Rodriguez was picked up within our city limits, I’m letting the county boys handle this. They’ve got the manpower and equipment to take that car apart and see if there might be more drugs hidden in its frame. But I told them I wanted you to talk to the kid. I’m hoping you can find out where he was headed. And while you’re there, see if they found anything on the boy’s cellphone that connects him to Jose. Maybe this is our break, our chance to send Jose back where he belongs.’
‘Oh, now Wally, you know Jose doesn’t need to go back to prison. He’s turned over a new leaf. Just ask his parole officer.’
‘Yeah, right.’
Jack stood, ready to grab his overcoat and head for the County Jail in Paw Paw. Wally stopped him. ‘Oh, also, Allison took a call just a while ago. Some woman over on the west side of town wants to start a Neighborhood Watch. Seems those two assaults last week have her all riled up. What do you think? Should I have Carlson cover that?’
Since Rivershore didn’t have a police officer specifically assigned as a community resource officer, or CRO, the chief usually rotated the assignments. Phil Carlson had lived in Rivershore for almost twenty years and knew many of the citizens personally, either because of multiple arrests or because their children had attended school with his. ‘Yeah, he’ll do a good job. The woman who called in… . Did she give her name?’
The chief glanced down at the phone message in his hand. ‘Ella Williams. She lives on Maple.’ He looked back up at Jack. ‘Why?’
‘Just curious.’ Especially considering this woman lived on the same street as Mary Harrington. He thought about it for a moment, then decided. ‘Tell Phil when he meets with them. I’d like to tag along.’
The chief nodded and sighed. ‘Jack, what is it with all these gangs? We’ve never had problems like this before.’
‘We’ve had problems, Wally, just never this serious. Our kids – your boy and my two – were in gangs. It’s something kids do, especially teenagers. They form packs. It gives them identity. They’re breaking away from parental control and forming their own families.’
‘Yeah, but our boys weren’t out beating up people or shooting at other kids.’
‘Because we kept track of them, took action when we saw them getting into trouble. Most of the punks I’ve come in contact with lately either have parents who are too busy trying to eke out a living or too strung out on drugs to care.’
‘You think this Neighborhood Watch will help?’
‘Can’t hurt.’
‘So why isn’t someone on the east side of town starting one?’
Jack didn’t have an answer for that, and he said nothing as Wally walked away, grumbling under his breath.
It took Jack a moment before he remembered what he needed to do. Again he reached for his coat, and again he was stopped … this time by the ring of his telephone. For a second he considered letting it ring – the caller could leave a message – then he changed his mind and picked up. ‘Sergeant Rossini here.’
‘Dad, what’s going
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