And Then She Was Gone(42)
Jack caught up to Two Point, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him to a stop.
“Why are you running, Two?” Jack pinned him to the wall.
Two Point struggled. “Screw you, Stratton.”
“I asked you a question. Why’d you take off?”
“Stop,” Chandler panted as he ran up, “running.”
Two Point tried to bolt again, but Chandler grabbed his arm.
“What?” Two Point pushed Chandler, who stood immobile. Chandler’s eyes narrowed. Two Point stopped struggling. “What do you guys want?”
“Why’d you run?” Jack asked again.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“So you ran?” Chandler tightened his grip.
“Let go of me. I’ll call the cops.”
“Call them.” Jack got in his face. “Listen, I know you know about J-Dog.”
“What about him?”
“He got arrested,” Jack said.
“For stealing a wallet and using it at the ATM,” Chandler added.
“That’s bull!” Two Point yanked his shirt free. “J-Dog didn’t do nothin’.”
“I know.” Jack crossed his arms. “You did.”
Two Point froze. Then his fake swagger came rushing back. “Me? I wasn’t even there.”
“I have proof,” Jack said.
“What proof?”
“A picture.”
Chandler looked puzzled.
“You’re lying,” Two Point said.
“No. See, girls like to take pictures on dates.” Jack pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Girls also like to post on Facebook. You took Nina to the movies Thursday night, correct?”
“What of it?”
“I figure you wanted to impress Fashionista Nina, so you had to dress up. And since you have no taste or style, you borrowed your older brother’s jacket and shoes.”
Two Point smacked his hands together. “That stupid…” He shifted his weight to his heels and glanced down the alley.
Jack held up the picture he’d printed out. Two Point stood next to a smiling Nina in front of the movie theater. He was wearing a white jacket with red stripes, along with white basketball sneakers. “This jacket is the one I saw the police carrying out in their evidence bag when they arrested J-Dog.”
Two Point looked up and down the alley. Chandler blocked the exit back to the street.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Two Point repeated. “Did J-Dog find a wallet? If he did, it’s nothin’. He’s got no record. They’ll slap his wrist and let him go.”
Jack slowly shook his head. “Did you read that name on the ATM card you tried to use?”
Two Point stared at Jack.
“It belonged to Stacy Shaw.”
Two Point hiked up his shorts so they didn’t droop anymore. “Who?”
“She’s that lady who’s missing,” Jack said.
Two Point went pale.
“The cops put J-Dog in the Bay because they think he had something to do with it. He got roughed up pretty bad the first night. Your mother is going out of her mind.”
“So?”
Jack grabbed Two Point’s shirt and yanked him forward. “I’m trying to help your brother, and you’re screwing around, lying to me. You borrowed his jacket, and it was you who put the wallet there. The cops found it. J-Dog knew it must have been you who took it, but you’re on probation so J-Dog said he found it to cover for you.”
Two Point looked bored. “So?” he said again.
“Your brother’s in prison because of you!” Chandler stuck a huge finger in Two Point’s face. “What’s wrong with you?” he shouted. “He’s watching out for you, but you’re just going to let him take the blame? He’s your brother. Your father would be so ticked off. You should see how bad your mother looks.”
Two Point’s glare softened. “Okay. I’m not saying I found it… but say I did.”
Jack let go of his shirt. “Say you did.”
“I didn’t, but just say it was me.” Two Point kicked a crushed can down the alley and started to pace. “What good’s it gonna do if I tell the cops that?”
“An innocent guy’s going to get out of prison, for one,” Chandler said.
Two Point tapped his own chest with a long finger. “And I’d be in. They’d put me in the Bay.”
“Not if you tell them the truth,” Jack said. “How did you get the wallet?”
“I found it.” Two Point grabbed the handle of a trash bin and shook it. “And do you think the cops would believe that?”
“Yeah, I do.” Jack looked down at the picture still in his hands.