Page 61 of Deadly Avarice
I hated how much I agreed. “One way or another, humanity seems hell-bent on destroying itself.”
“And taking out every other species in the process.” Becks’s sigh sounded more depressed than tired. “Anyway, the point is that a computer program is only as smart as its programming.” Becks’s mouth pursed. “That sounded redundant, but I’m not sure how else to say it.”
“Don’t worry. I think I understand. I’ll have a chat with Boone tonight, and we’ll—”
“Detective O’Hare, I’ve got someone here who wants to speak with you. He says he’s Lucas Davies’s brother.”
My head jerked to the side, staring up at Officer Denmark. He was young and currently working the front desk. The wide-eyed, frightened looking boy at his side was even younger.
William Davies, the younger brother.Quickly standing, three strides placed me in front of my guest. With a brief nod in Denmark’s direction, I dismissed the officer, leaving William Davies alone. “William?” I questioned. It was always good to make sure you had the correct person.
William shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had a tired, frayed backpack strap draped over one shoulder. His jacket was older, but weather appropriate and appeared warm enough. William’s jeans were faded and looked thin in places but didn’t have any visible holes, much like his shoes. William’s dirty blond hair appeared windblown. His skin was pale and his blue eyes even paler. Those eyes had purple crescents hanging below. His troubled eyes stared at me with the understanding and experience of a man, not a boy of fourteen.
“Billy,” he softly answered. “Papa only calls me William when I’m in trouble.”
I grinned. No one in my family had every shortened my name from Franklin to Frank. Good or bad, I got the full pronunciation.
“Okay, Billy then. How can I help you?” I asked while gently guiding Billy toward my desk. I pulled up a nearby chair and indicated he should take a seat. Billy sat with only a moment of hesitation. Backpack now in his lap, Billy fidgeted with the strap, pulling at a loose thread while his eyes shifted back and forth, as if looking for someone. Fear was an easy emotion to recognize when so clearly radiated.
Scooting my chair forward, I bumped our knees together while resting my elbows on my thighs and leaning into Billy’s space. Voice low, I asked, “Are you afraid of the police?”
Billy’s eyes remained steadfast on his hands. “Not particularly. I don’t have much experience. Lucas said the police weren’t bad, just nosey.”
Given what I suspected Lucas Davies’s past was like, I was pleasantly surprised. “I’d say your brother was probably right.”
“Lucas was right about a lot of things,” Billy defended even though I hadn’t suggested otherwise. With a heavy sigh, he added, “He was also wrong about a lot of things too.”
“Can you explain that?” I asked.
“Which part?”
“Both, if you can and are comfortable talking about Lucas.” Billy’s brother was dead, murdered. I don’t care how old you were, that kind of knowledge hits like a sledgehammer to the gut.
Fingers carding through his tousled hair, Billy’s rounded shoulders slumped further. Although he wouldn’t look at me, Billy’s lips were turned up into a slight smile. “Lucas told me Candy’s boyfriends were no good and he was right. They knocked her up and bolted as soon as they found out. That’s not what a responsible man does.” Billy sat up a little straighter and an edge of steel laced his voice.
“Can’t argue that,” I answered. Candy was the oldest of the Davies kids and had two small children of her own and she was barely nineteen.
Billy gave a solemn nod. “Candy and Lucas used to argue like crazy about the guys she hung out with, but Candy wouldn’t listen.”
I figured they argued about more than Candy’s poor taste in men. “And they probably argued about Lucas’s drug use too.” I decided to go out on a limb with that question.
Billy gave a slow nod along with a grimace. “It started out as just a weekend kind of thing and then…”
Billy didn’t have to finish. It was a tale as old as time and one that was just as painfully tragic.
“Lucas always said he could handle it, that it was just for fun, but it wasn’t. Even I could see that.” Billy huffed at the last, as if Lucas had thought either Billy wasn’t old enough or smart enough to understand.
“Drugs are like that. I’ve seen it too many times to count.” I hoped I didn’t sound patronizing. That was the last thing I wanted to do. Billy might only be fourteen, but fewer than five minutes of discussion told me he was streetwise beyond his years. That kind of knowledge came at a heavy price.
“Figures, you bein’ a homicide detective and all.” Billy swallowed hard and bent his head again. “Papa said Lucas didn’t die of an overdose, that he was shot in the head. Is that true?”
“It is.” Given the amount of heroin in Lucas’s body, the ME couldn’t say for certain if Lucas would have died of an overdose. The bullet in his brain hadn’t given the heroin time to be the cause of death.
Billy blew out a heavy breath and his shoulders slumped even further. Voice barely audible, Billy whispered, “Lucas was afraid somethin’ like that might happen. He…he didn’t like what Boggs was doin’.”
“Boggs?” I surreptitiously reached over and grabbed a pad of paper and pen. “Do you know if that’s a first or last name?”
Billy shrugged. “Nope. I only heard him called Boggs.”
