The Incident (Chase Barnes Series Book 1) by John Montesano

asking questions to perps we take in, throwing curveballs was a key in giving me a chance to gauge what type of person I was dealing with.  I hoped it worked here as well.  “How long have you been a principal, Mr. Klein?”
                  He didn’t seem too thrown off by the question.  “Uh, let’s see.  I’ve been here going on three years.  Before that I taught for ten.  High school English in South Jersey.”  Klein was talking like he was responding to a job interview question. 
                  “Have you ever met Esteban’s parents?  What are they like?” I asked.
                  “I’ve never met Esteban’s father, but I have met Ms. Cruz on several occasions.  When Esteban was in his early primary grades, first and second, Ms. Cruz was a member of the PTA and quite involved.  But then something happened.  When Esteban was in third and fourth grades he began to become, for lack of a better term, a troublemaker.  The fighting, the cursing, the defiance began and continued to grow.  He became a bigger problem to handle.  In fourth grade, Esteban was evaluated by our child study team and was labeled with a behavior disorder.  As previously mentioned, we attempted to keep him here but we were unable to accommodate him.”
                  Something happened.  What did Klein mean by that?  Did he know what happened?  And what about the father?  Why was the mother so involved at one time but the father was virtually nonexistent throughout?  I was beginning to think there wasn’t even a father at all.
                  What had happened to Esteban Machado?
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    TWENTY SIX
     
    Paterson’s Main Street is like many other Main Streets in America, offering a smorgasbord of shops, eateries, value stores, high and low- end clothing.  You name it, Paterson’s Main Street has it.  It was after two in the afternoon and I was getting hungry so I decided to roam the immediate vicinity to see if I could find something quick to eat while I got a feel for how Esteban lived.  
    Immediately next to School 5 was a computer repair store, naturally offering the best deals in town.  I nearly walked into a telephone pole when I saw what was next to the computer store.  What every elementary school in America needs within arm’s length, a gun shop.  I couldn’t believe that the city of Paterson- any city for that matter, but especially Paterson- would allow a gun shop to be anywhere in the vicinity of an elementary school.  Hundreds of kids walk by on a daily basis, staring at the neon signs luring them in for handguns and ammo.  Hunting rifles lined the front windows like they were G.I. Joe accessories and not deadly weapons.  The city was begging for a school shooting.  And Paterson wonders why it receives the reputation it clearly deserves.  And the country wonders why we have to suffer through a never ending string of deadly mass shootings.  Malls.  Movie theaters.  Public town hall meetings.  Schools. 
    Society enjoys blaming the increased level of violence and the increased desensitization of our human behavior on the realistic nature of video games and movies.  I partially agree with that but the majority of my belief says the amount of guns that are available is way too many and the ease with which people can purchase a gun is absurd.  Now I can add proximity to my list of discrepancies related to gun control.  Is there really need to place a gun shop anywhere near a school let alone next door?
                  I bet you’d like another chance, wouldn’t you?
                  “Shut up!” I said a little too loudly but not enough to draw strange looks.
    C’mon, you son of a bitch.  I’m sure you’d feel really good about seeing more die like Jake. 
    The voice has always had a slight variation of my own and always speaks in a