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I knew that, but I was trying to forget it.
“Can we get him out of the house?” I asked.
I could see her mind working, the way she put her hands to her face, her index fingers pointed like a steeple. She stared at a spot on the wall above my head, as if seeing answers behind me.
“It’s a pickle,” Mom said. “Moving kids around in foster care isn’t done lightly, and even with an emergency order, it would take a few days. At least twenty-four hours.”
“I’m digging into both Cactus Stop clerks’ backgrounds because something rubs me wrong about them.”
“What do you mean both clerks?”
I told her about Sergio’s alleged altercation with Cruz, which the police used as the impetus for questioning Sergio in the first place. “I was thinking there might be gang ties, but I haven’t seen gang activity around these kids or the store. I think—this is just an impression—that Javier is trying to find a gang. That’s why he’s being reckless. He’s a kid, but he’s an angry kid with no authority figure to guide him. He’s pulling Henry and Bruno, the other kid in his foster home, down into the muck.” I paused, considered what I knew and what I suspected. “I can’t prove anything that I’m saying. This is all just impressions based on what I know. Cruz lied about the altercation. If you watch Sergio’s interviews with police, you would see the same thing—his first statement is the truth. His second is not.”
“Andy should never have let you view those.”
“Mom, please—he doesn’t want an innocent man in prison. But you can’t say anything.”
“There are rules for a reason.” She put up her elegant, manicured hand. “I won’t say anything. You told me confidentially. But someone could find out. I still don’t know what you’d like me to do.”
“I’m going to approach Sophia again, talk to her with her foster parent there. If I can convince them that Sophia needs to go somewhere safe, I’m hoping to then get Henry in to talk to Sergio, have a brotherly heart-to-heart. If Henry agrees to make a statement against Javier, Sergio will recant. But I need Henry out of the foster house.” A lot of hopes and dreams, I realized.
“Devil’s advocate here,” Mom said. “For the sake of argument, Sergio recants and somehow gets bail. Because they won’t just take his word for it that it wasn’t him wearing his own sweatshirt. They’ll investigate, talk to his brother, the others. Even if Henry states that he was there and witnessed the shooting, the stories contradict. Police could think that Henry is lying to protect his brother. This is a homicide. George is going to want to bring a suspect to trial. If Sergio recants, that doesn’t mean he’s going to be released. He’s also running a risk of his confession being allowed during the trial. Just because he recanted doesn’t mean that the jury won’t be allowed to watch the interview. So Sergio will still be embroiled in a legal battle, and there is no way that the courts will grant him guardianship over his siblings.”
“That’s why I need you,” I said simply. “If anyone can persuade the system to give Sergio a chance, it’s you.”
My mom laughed. “You have a lot of faith in me.”
“It’s justified,” I said and smiled. “I’m going to prove he’s innocent. Will you work on the Kinship Care program? His friend Faith Jones—she manages The Taco House closest to my place—has been helping him. She’s prickly but will give you everything you need.”
“Send me her information, I’ll talk to her.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Honey, don’t get your hopes up. Perhaps Sergio is innocent of these charges. But people can disappoint you.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“Rita and I will put our heads together. Maybe we’ll come up with something.”
“Told you my faith was justified.”
“But, honey, there is no hard evidence either way. The only solid evidence is the GSR on Sergio’s clothes. That is pretty damning. Be careful if you go looking for more. If there is gang involvement, it could get dicey.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m being careful.”
I started to leave when my mom said, “Margo?”
“Hmm?” I turned to her, sensing something odd in her voice.
“I didn’t handle Luisa’s announcement well the other night. I hurt her, and I’ve tried talking to her about it, but she doesn’t want to talk, insists it’s fine. I appreciate that you stood up for her. I realize we may not have taken your announcement well, either.”
“Actually, you took mine better than Lu’s. I know why. You didn’t see me as a scholar. Sure, you wanted me to go to college because that’s what everyone is expected to do. But you knew I wasn’t really college material.”
“You are extremely intelligent,” Mom said.
“Why do you think college has anything to do with intelligence? Sure, smart people generally go to college. They become doctors and lawyers and engineers and great, we need people like that. But you can be smart and not get a four-year degree. By college material I mean I’m not someone who sits around well. I would have been bored. Classes don’t interest me, I’m a hands-on learner. But Lu? You think of her as the perfect college student. Supersmart, gets terrific grades, loves learning, always has her head in a book. You accepted the Army for me because you could picture me there. You don’t picture Lu in uniform.”
“I really would love for her to go through ROTC. I don’t think I would have this reaction if she was going through that program, like your father did.”
