Free Judgment Calls by Alafair Burke

didn’t want to get caught again after what happened on Christmas. I think there might’ve been one homeless guy sitting on the corner, but he looked really out of it.”
    I looked over at Chuck. “We canvassed the area and didn’t find any witnesses,” he said. “We found a guy who usually sleeps on that corner, but he didn’t see anything.”
    “Kendra, the police have already told me what they know about what happened. But, if it’s alright with you, I’d like you to tell me in your own words. I need you to be completely honest with me, even though parts of it might be embarrassing. No one here is going to be mad at you or get you in trouble for anything you say.”
    She started from the beginning and told me everything. I never needed to prompt her, and she continued talking even when she was clearly very upset about what happened. Her statement was consistent with what she told Walker and Johnson the night of the assault. She would make a great

GO
    witness, but unfortunately she did not reveal anything I didn’t already know. I’d been hoping for some new avenue of investigation.
    I told her I understood why she initially kept some information from Detectives Walker and Johnson at the hospital, but that I’d be asking her to explain it to the grand jurors.
    “I don’t even remember much about when they first came into the room. Whatever that doctor gave me had me feeling really sick. I just remember being mad.”
    “What do you remember telling them?”
    “Well, I said I was on Burnside to go to Powell’s. You know the real reason I was there. I just didn’t want to tell them, is all. It’s embarrassing, and I could get in trouble for it.”
    “Do you remember telling them you didn’t know how heroin got in your system?”
    “Not really, but then later on, when they came back with that lawyer guy, he told me he knew I’d lied about it. So I figured I must’ve said it. I didn’t want to get in trouble, is all.”
    “Is that the only reason you lied?”
    “I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. It’s like, I guess I was pretty sure they wouldn’t arrest me or anything since I was in the hospital and all. But I thought if they knew what I’d been doing, they wouldn’t believe me about what happened. Or maybe they’d believe me but not really care, since I, like, you know, kind of got myself in that situation. And I wanted them to believe me and go out and find who did it. So I told the truth about what they did to me, but I didn’t tell them the parts I figured didn’t matter as much. Does that make any sense?”
    “It makes a lot of sense. Are you still doing that? Are you still leaving things out that you think aren’t important?”
    “No. Detective Walker said he’d work on my case even if it turned out that I had been doing something bad before it happened.”
    “Good, because he meant it. I think you’re a very smart young woman and you’ve been brave to tell the truth.”
    She stuck her chin out, rolled her eyes, and tried hard to hide a smile. “Thanks.” She probably wasn’t used to compliments.
    “I know you don’t know us very well, but can you tell us why you don’t like living here?” I asked.
    “It’s actually OK right now.”
    I’d forgotten how frustrating it is to try to talk to a kid. “Why do you run away?”
    “Last time I left was because I was going crazy here. I felt really sick and wanted to get some horse. The doctor says I’ve gotten to where my body wants it, even if I don’t think I do.”
    “Is that why you started in prostitution?”
    “I wouldn’t really call it prostitution. I mean, I guess it’s gotten to that, but that’s not how it started. It was just like I’d hear about somebody who was, like, holding and then I’d find them and try to get some. But most of the time I didn’t have any money. At first, I’d offer to go to the Kmart and, like, shoplift something in return. That was working OK, but then all the stores around