Free Walk in Darkness - A Thriller (Jon Stanton Mysteries) by Victor Methos Page A

his teeth and nodded. “I get what this is. You think maybe Tracey knows somethin’ about her disappearing. Well, Detective, anything they tell me is confidential. I can’t tell you about the conversations we’ve had.”
    He’s been here too long, Stanton thought. He’s forgotten that he’s a police officer and thinks he’s the school security guard now. Stanton had seen it with numerous school officers that found comfort in the predictability of their positions and requested to stay. There was no confidentiality between officer and student but the conviction with which he said it made Stanton think he actually believed it.
    There was a NASCAR cup on the officer’s desk and it had coffee stains around lip. A calendar was up on the wall behind it. Four nights this week were circled. Stanton thought that he was probably moonlighting at night as security guard or bouncer for extra cash.
    “Henry, I went to Tracey’s mom and she slammed the door in my face and told me to talk to her lawyer. That lawyer probably makes more in a month than I do all year. I’m just a worker bee, man, trying to close out this case so I can tell the parents I did everything I could. I understand you got a good setup here and you don’t want to piss anybody off. But if you can give me anything, I would certainly appreciate it.”
    From the expression on his face, Stanton could tell Henry Gage was debating something. When his face softened he knew he had reached a decision.
    “Her mom’s a real cunt. I busted Tracey for truancy once and her mom went to the headmaster and tried to get me fired.” He exhaled loudly and leaned back in his seat. “Tracey’s a fucked up girl. I caught her few months back sellin’ dope to the younger kids behind the school.”
    “Did you file a report?”
    “Hell yes I filed a report. Her big time lawyer got the charges dropped to an infraction with a fine. She was suspended for a week and that was it.”
    “By the time they’re selling, kids are usually heavy drug users.”
    “Ain’t no different with her. Used to be just pot I think but she’s moved on into the heavier stuff. She talks sometimes and don’t make no sense. I heard from some other people she buys her dope from some chivato on Lincoln Street uptown.”
    “Did she get Sarah involved in it?”
    He bit his upper lip. “What I’m gonna tell ya, you didn’t hear from me.”
    “Of course.”
    “They got parties, these kids. And they ain’t like the parties you and me had growin’ up. They got these sex parties. All the kids go and get drunk and high and fuck around. One kid I know here that opens up to me says a guy might have sex with five or ten different girls in one party.”
    “What’s that got to do with Sarah?”
    “She was at them parties with Tracey.”
    “She was ten.”
    “I know.”
    “Are you telling me ten year olds are having sex parties?”
    “I don’t know about havin’ ‘em but they definitely goin’ to ‘em.”
    Stanton shook his head and looked down to his shoes as he remembered himself at ten. “When I was that age I used to play baseball until nine every night and my parents wanted me home at eight. That was about the most trouble I got into.”
    “I used to steal my older brother’s porno mags. But it’s a different world now, Detective. Kids ain’t kids no more.”
    “No, I guess not.” He saw that behind the officer’s desk a confederate flag about the size of a dinner plate was hung up. “Is there anything else you can tell me, Henry? Anything that might help me find out if Sarah got involved in some things that were over her head?”
    “Tracey’s your best bet. You might be able to convince her mom to let you talk to her.”
    “How?”
    “She was the one allowing the kids to have them parties at her house.”
    Stanton took out his notepad and made a few notes before standing to leave. “Thanks, Henry. We never spoke as far as I’m concerned.”
    “Appreciate it.”
    Stanton