AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But there was no venom in his voice and I wondered if he was having second thoughts about his confession. This was a young man who’d had some trouble as a kid, but seemed to have gotten his life together. Maybe seeing the inside of jail for the first time had scared him and he just needed someone to help. But his pride, as both Antonio and Faith told me, prevented him from asking.
“No games, Sergio. You didn’t kill Greg Rodriguez. Whoever did was wearing your hoodie, but it wasn’t your brother. You think you’re protecting him, but you’re not.”
“Don’t talk about my family.”
“I don’t want you to go to prison for the next twenty years, and I’m pretty certain you don’t want to go to prison, either. So listen to me. Your brother is hanging around with two kids, Bruno and a kid he called Javi. I think they all live in the same foster home. I think the older kid, Javi, is the killer, and your brother was with him at the Cactus Stop. And I think you know that. So I ask you, why are you taking the fall to protect an asshole who is taking your brother down a dangerous path?”
Sergio was shaking. “You have no idea what you’re doing. Stay out of it.” His voice cracked and he looked more scared than angry.
I unfolded a print of the photo I took yesterday of the two skinny kids. “These two kids live with Henry in the foster home off West Campbell. I think that Henry and his friends have been robbing and vandalizing businesses in the area. Either they don’t think they’ll get caught or they don’t care. I’m pretty certain Javi—” I pointed to the older one “—is the leader. He’s at least sixteen, and he’s trouble. I saw it in his eyes. He’s the one who killed Rodriguez, isn’t he?”
“I did,” Sergio said. But his voice was weak, wary.
“The MO is the same as the earlier robberies and you can’t tell me you went to Lyle’s Diner and smashed their antique candy display case just for the kicks. The only difference with the Cactus Stop is that they were out late and killed someone.” As I said it, I realized it was two big differences, but I was almost positive I was right. Knowing and proving were very different.
“They’ve lain low since,” I continued, “but once they feel emboldened they’ll start up again, and guess what? They will be caught and thrown in juvie. Or they’ll be recruited by a gang. Or they’ll be dead. Or all of the above. Without you to watch out for him, Henry is going to fall. You’re smart enough to know that. So why did you confess to a murder you didn’t commit?”
“Shh!”
He glanced around, but no one was paying us any attention.
“I can help. First, call your lawyer and tell her you’re recanting. Then tell the truth.”
“I can’t,” he whispered. “Do you have brothers and sisters?” I nodded. “Do you love them?”
“Yes,” I said. “More than anything.”
Sergio stared at the picture. “His name is Javier Escobar. Henry—I want to protect him, but he’s made very bad choices. And he’s been so angry lately, angry that Sophia left his foster home, angry that I haven’t been able to get custody of them.” His voice cracked.
“Javier killed Rodriquez, didn’t he?”
Sergio didn’t answer. “Sophia left the first foster home because of Javier. He made her uncomfortable. I wanted so badly to bring her home with me, but—it was so hard, the endless paperwork, the canceled meetings, the expense.”
I remembered how Sophia seemed terrified when she saw Javier on the street yesterday.
When he suddenly stopped talking, I said quietly, “Are you trying to protect your sister? How can you protect her if you’re here, in prison?”
“Do you know how long it takes the police to investigate? Minors don’t spend time behind bars—they get probation, they live at home, they go to school.”
“It depends—”
“If I didn’t tell the police that I killed that man, Javier would have gotten to my sister. He—”
Sergio looked down. His face was hard, red, and he was trying not to cry.
“Javier threatened Sophia?”
He didn’t confirm or deny.
“Sergio, if you’re in here, how can you protect her?”
“He promised he would stay away from her. We have an agreement.”
“You trust him to hold up his end of the bargain? You’re not that naive, Sergio.”
“I was stuck. I didn’t have time to do anything else. The police talked to me again, and I knew what I had to do. I had no other choice.”
He believed that. What could I say to prove him wrong?
