Stranger in Paradise

41.

“Amber Francisco is here,” Molly said when Jesse came into the station.

“Why?”

“Crow brought her in,” Molly said.

“Where is he?”

“He left,” Molly said. “Told me he’d check in with you later.”

“Where is she?” Jesse said.

“In back,” Molly said. “In the women’s cell.”

“Let’s go see her,” Jesse said.

“You want me to fill you in first?” Molly said.

“Nope. I’d rather start fresh. We’ll talk with her and you can compare what she says to what you know.”

Molly nodded and walked with Jesse back to the curtained cell. Molly pulled the curtain aside and looked in.

Amber was lying on her side with her legs bent and her eyes closed. She had washed her face and looked much younger.

“Amber?” Molly said. “You awake?”

Amber opened her eyes and didn’t speak. Molly nodded and pulled the curtain aside and she and Jesse went in. Amber stared at them without moving.

“You remember me, Amber?” Jesse said.

She didn’t say anything.

“If we’re going to work this out, you’ll need to talk. You may as well start now,” Jesse said. “You remember me?”

“Yes.”

“You know who I am?”

“Yes.”

“How did you get here?”

“Guys in a pickup truck brought me from Marshport.”

She remained lying on her side. Her face held no animation. Her voice was flat.

“How come?” Jesse said.

“My boyfriend was gonna sell me back to my father.”

“Your boyfriend is Esteban Carty?”

She didn’t answer.

“What’s your boyfriend’s name?” Jesse said.

She shook her head.

“Did he kill your mother?”

She didn’t answer.

“Why won’t you talk about him?” Jesse said.

“I won’t,” Amber said.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you know who killed your mother?”

She didn’t answer.

“Do you?” Jesse said.

“No.”

“Why did you call Crow?” Jesse said.

She shrugged, which, Jesse thought, might not be easy lying on your side.

“You think he’d protect you from your boyfriend?”

“I had his phone number,” she said.

“And you thought he’d protect you?”

“I thought Esteban would be afraid of him.”

“Your boyfriend,” Jesse said. “Esteban?”

“No. I didn’t mean Esteban. My boyfriend is another man.”

“But you said ‘Esteban.’”

“No,” she said.

Jesse nodded.

“You could have called us,” he said.

“The police?”

“Uh-huh, nine-one-one would have done it.”

“I was afraid you’d arrest me.”

“Arrest you for what?” Jesse said.

“I don’t know,” she said. “For nothing…that’s what cops do.”

“Why don’t you want to go back to your father?” Jesse said.

“He’s creepy,” Amber said. “He’s got all these creepy guys around. And he’ll make me go to school with the nuns. Nuns are creepy.”

Jesse nodded.

“What’s your father do for a living?” Jesse said.

“He does a lot of stuff. He makes a lot of money. But he’s creepy.”

“Any of the creepy guys around him bother you any?” Jesse said.

“Yeah.”

“You ever tell him?”

“He told me to shut up and not talk dirty.”

Jesse nodded.

“So you have a plan?”

“Plan?”

“Yeah,” Jesse said. “Where you’re going to live. What you’re going to do for work.”

She looked at him silently with her eyes wide and empty for a long time.

Then she said, “I don’t have no plan.”

“Well, you can bunk here for the moment until we work out something better,” Jesse said. “You want something to eat?”

“I don’t know.”

Jesse nodded as if that made sense.

“Moll,” he said. “Get whoever’s on patrol to stop by Daisy’s and pick up a couple sandwiches.”

“Can I have ice cream?” Amber said.

“What kind?”

“Chocolate?”

“Sure,” Jesse said.

He looked at Molly.

“Coming up,” Molly said.