Page 29 of Guarded Secrets
He ducked his head, lips a whisper from hers, and…a patrol car sped into the parking lot, blue and red lights flashing, siren cutting off mid-wail.
The second patrol vehicle arrived right behind it.
CHAPTER NINE
Owen straightened and released her. She let go of him feeling like she’d come perilously close to the edge of something amazing or devastating. Maybe both. She pulled his keys from her back pocket to hand to him.
Leaving the headlights of their vehicles on, Sawyer and another deputy, a guy named Jake she remembered from high school, crossed to where she stood with Owen.
Sawyer put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a narrow-eyed scrutiny much like Owen had, but with a completely platonic vibe. “You okay, Keels?”
“I’m fine.” She looked at her mugger where he lay motionless on the pavement. With his eyes closed he appeared very young. “He scared me, but didn’t hurt me.”
Sawyer squeezed her shoulders and released her. “You told dispatch you were mugged.”
“He threatened me with a knife and demanded my purse. I threw it thinking he’d go after it and leave me alone. That kind of worked. I have two credit cards, but carry only a little cash. My phone’s worth more than anything in my purse, but that’s not what he wanted.”
“Knife’s on the pavement near the CRV’s front driver’s side tire.” Owen used his toe to nudge the unmoving form curled on the ground. It was then she noticed blood oozing from a scrape on Owen’s elbow. And he was standing there without a shirt or shoes. He had to be feeling the cold.
“I patted him down. Nothing in his pockets,” Owen stated.
Sawyer and Jake each took an arm and hauled the kid to a sitting position. A scrape on his cheek looked painful. Jake replaced the zip ties with handcuffs.
“You recognize him?” Sawyer asked.
Jake shook his head.
“I know our local juvenile offenders, and he isn’t one of them.” Sawyer pulled off the beanie revealing tousled brown hair in need of a haircut. “What’s your name, son?”
When that produced only a sullen scowl, Sawyer asked another question. “How old are you?”
“Fuck off.”
Sawyer squatted to the kid’s level. “Hell, you don’t look much more than thirteen or fourteen.”
“I’m sixteen, asshole.”
“That’s Lieutenant Asshole, and you being a juvenile made my evening a hell of a lot more complicated.”
“I know him.”
All the guys’ heads swiveled in her direction. “I swear I know this kid. Did you go to Vista Middle School in Sacramento?”
“Fuck you.”
Sawyer rose to his feet, frowning as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You gotta expand your vocabulary kid. ‘Fuck’ will only get you so far in this world.”
“Fuck you again.” His voice shook behind the bravado.
“Fernando.” Keeley said the name and the boy’s gaze flew up to meet hers, then he ducked his head when he realized he’d given himself away.
“You’re Fernando. You were in Ms. Demaris’s math class when you were in eighth grade.”
He hunched his shoulders. “I’m not Fernando. I don’t know you.”
“His name is Fernando. I don’t remember his last name. He was an eighth-grade student at Vista Middle School when I was subbing there. That would’ve been three years ago. I remember because I’dgotten my teaching credential like a month before. Pam Demaris took a temporary leave of absence and I subbed for her for several months.”
Sawyer shook his head. “You’re shitting me. A kid from your school shows up in Sisters and tries to mug you?” He crouched down again. “Listen up, Fernando. I’m going to read you your Miranda rights. Pay attention because there’s going to be a quiz at the end.”
