Crash Test Dummy

Chapter 19

"So rat out Jake and Marlow, and they can do jail while I get my hand slapped?"

"Telling the police what happened is not ratting," he said. "It's telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

"Truth is relative," I said. "I mean, they are going to charge the guys even though the cops know they didn't intend to break and enter."

"And you can get on the witness stand and tell the jury that if you want. Maybe you can convince them that truth is relative. But the law is the law, and they will be charged under the law."

"As far as you being tried as an adult," he said. "When you are arrested, it will be my job to convince a judge that you should be tried as a juvenile. If you insist on defending your friends to that judge, he may decide that you made an adult decision and need to be tried as such. As long as BJ is alive, I can probably convince the judge to stick with juvie. If he dies, all bets are off."

He stood up. "Just think about everything. Talk it over with your Mom or your Uncle. Don't end up behind bars because of some misplaced loyalty. They are going to try the three of you separately. That means that the police are working right now to try to get Jake and Marlow to roll on you. If they tell the cops that you were the driver or that the Oxy was yours or that you wanted to teach BJ a lesson, any of those things will put you in jail. Possibly for a long, long time."

He left the room. A few minutes later Momz came in. She was carrying a uniform.

"I thought you were off today," I said.

"I'm supposed to be, but Jeannie's Mom had a heart attack. You're improving, so I agreed to cover her shift."

"Where's my phone?" I asked. "I thought I'd Skype Sasha."

"It's in a police evidence bag. It was found in the street at the scene of the accident."

"Can they go through my tweets and texts and stuff?"

"I don't know. Ask Grady. All I know is that they have it and won't give it back."

She took her phone out of her purse. "Use mine," she said.

"Sasha won't know it's me.".

"Can't you sign in under your account?"

I turned red. Momz wasn't supposed to remind me about computer stuff I should know. "Oh, yeah," I mumbled. "Slipped my mind."

"That's not surprising." Her voice was tinged with sarcasm "What with the amnesia and all."

"Momz!" I said.

She smiled tightly. "I'm just going to get dressed and go grab a bite to eat before I have to show up for shift change. You keep my phone."

As soon as Momz was gone, I tried calling Sasha. There was no answer.

"Duh," I said out loud. "It's 10:15. She's in school."

"Who you talking to?" Uncle Clarence asked, pushing the door open.

"Nobody," I said. "And I told Momz to tell you I didn't want to talk to you either, you backstabber."

"I know what you told your Mom, and I've stayed away since you regained consciousness, but I told Paul I would talk to you."

"Oh, man. Did you rat me out to him?"

"If you mean did I tell him his son was in the hospital in a coma, of course I did."

"I mean did you tell him about how I hijacked Blue Ox and pretty much destroyed it?"

"Well, I had to tell him why you were in a coma. He kinda put two and two together when I told him you were in a motorcycle accident."