Page 14 of Jackson
The undercover op had dragged on for weeks, but in the end, they'd shut down a trafficking handoff and exposed several corrupt local cops. The bust was fast, coordinated, and efficient. Still, Paula couldn’t stop thinking about the three girls they pulled from that car. Teenagers, terrified, barely old enough to understand what had almost happened to them.
No one tells you what happens after the rescue. I don’t know if they’ll be okay. I hope they will.
But she couldn’t shake the feeling that surviving wasn’t the same as living or healing. Paula drummed her fingers against the desk, flicking her gaze to the door every few minutes. The station felt unnaturally quiet, the kind of silence that let thoughts slip in too easily. Her laptop sat open in front of her, but she hadn’t typed a damn thing since hanging up with Henry Cole.
We’ll bring Josh by this afternoon, Henry had said. Paula appreciated how quickly they’d arranged the meeting, but now her runaway thoughts were gnawing at her.
Another traumatized youngster.
And one who knew more about the hit and run.
The words kept circling in her mind, looping back with fresh questions each time. How much did the kid know? Had heseensomething? Or worse—donesomething? No. No way. But whatever it was, it was big enough that Henry felt the need to call her directly.
She exhaled, shaking off the tension creeping up her spine. She had no reason to believe Josh was involved, but that didn’t stop her from worrying about him. The kid had been through enough already—more than anyone should have to deal with, let alone a boy his age. And now, somehow, he was tangled up in this mess, too.
Paula shifted in her chair, once again checking the time. How long had they been over at the DA’s office? It felt like hours, but the clock begged to differ. Fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty.
Patience had never been her strong suit.
She stood abruptly, pacing toward the window and crossing her arms as she stared out at the parking lot. The afternoon sun scattered rays across the pavement, but her focus was elsewhere. A few vehicles came and went, but none were the ones she was looking for.
Her gut twisted as she thought about Josh. She hadn’t spent much time with the kid, but she knew his kind—quiet, watchful—the type who’d learned too young that the world wasn’t a safe place. He reminded her of other kids she’d crossed paths with—kids who had seen too much, been hurt, and carried secrets far heavier than they should.
What do you know, Josh? And why do I get the feeling it’s nothing good?
She released a slow breath, forcing herself to ease the tension in her shoulders. Worrying wouldn’t do the kid any good. She needed facts, not speculation.
She’d just settled at her desk when James, Laura, Josh, and Henry Cole returned.
“Hi, Paula. Are the others here yet?” James asked.
“No such luck. Kiriakis said he’d be here by 1:00 and Landis said by 12:30.” They checked the clock to see it was now 12:45. “Let me get you settled in the conference room. Are those cookies from The Sweet and Savory Table I smell?”
“They are. My sister, Suzie, is co-owner and chief baker there. Help yourself,” Laura said.
“I’ll wait until the others get here. Would anyone like bad coffee, water or pop?” she offered.
She had just returned with water for Laura and Coke for Josh when Derek Kiriakis and another man came in. Before they could finish introductions, Landis started. “I have a limited amount of time this afternoon. I’m Brian Landis with the district attorney’s office. I work with juvenile court cases. If it’s all right with you, Henry, I’d like to record this. It will save the boy from having to go through it more times than necessary.”
“That’s fine, Brian.”
“Let’s get started.” The DA turned on the recorder, introduced everyone, then asked Josh to tell his story. “I will interrupt when I need clarification, and Mr. Cole will interrupt if I ask anything he considers inappropriate. Detective Stone, have you read Joshua his rights?”
“No, I was just getting ready to when you arrived.”
Once Paula had taken care of the required details, Mr. Landis asked Josh to tell his story. When Josh reached the part about the drug dealing and the accident Mr. Landis stopped him to ask if he ever took drugs. Josh drew a deep breath then another. “Absolutely not. Ethan wanted me to try them once, but I wouldn’t, and he decided it would be cheaper if I didn’t.”
“Is that the only time you stood up to Ethan?” Mr. Landis inquired.
“Pretty much. Saying no to Ethan got me beaten. Maybe you know that my mother and her boyfriend are being charged with neglect and abuse of me. Ethan liked to beat me with his belt.That’s where most of the scars on my back came from.” He paused and looked at Derek Kiriakis, who had asked him about the scars so many times since they had met. “My mother tried to stop him—once—but he slapped her so hard she fell down. She hasn’t tried to stop anyone from hitting me, since. She even started taking Ethan’s side when I wouldn’t let her…”
He looked like he was five instead of almost fifteen. Paula wanted to reach out and comfort him.
Before she could say anything, Henry asked, “Do we really need to get into this part now? It seems to me Josh has already provided ample reasons for his actions.”
Landis looked around the room, and Paula was glad to see everyone had the same protective expressions. No one wanted Josh to continue. Paula didn’t know what else he might have said, but in that moment it didn’t matter. She had a strong suspicion that whatever would come next was something Josh wasn’t ready to face.
“All right. We can come back to that later. What happened the day of the accident, Josh?” Landis was clearly anxious to get through the interview.
