Presumption of Guilt Read Online Free Page B

it was you. Where have you been? I tried to call.”
    Nick came in, his brown, slightly wavy hair tousled by the warm wind. His face looked tired, and the stubble on his jaw added to the picture of fatigue. “Didn’t you get my message?”
    â€œWhat message?”
    â€œOn your machine. Telling you I had an emergency and couldn’t meet you at my house, that I would just come over here.” He frowned as he saw the gun. “What’s wrong?”
    â€œI just got a little spooked, that’s all.” Embarrassed, she put the gun back into the drawer and closed it.
    â€œDid something happen? Did the interview turn out badly?”
    â€œNo, no. It was fine.” She shoved her hand through her short honey-colored hair and looked up the stairs toward the answering machine that had been off when she’d checked it. “It’s just . . . a little weird.”
    â€œWhat is?”
    â€œThat you left a message. My machine was off when I got home. Are you sure it was on when you called?”
    â€œPositive,” he said. “I left a message that the police had just done a drug bust, and there were these two boys—their parents were dealing cocaine. I had to go get the children and place them in foster care tonight until we could find some relatives.”
    Her face whitened. “You didn’t put them at SCCH, did you?”
    â€œNo,” he said. “My supervisor would have, but I put them with a retired couple new to the foster-care program. They’ll be okay.” He paused and studied her for a moment. “Beth, you’re pale. What is it?”
    She breathed a self-conscious laugh and tried to calm herself. “Nothing, really. The interview went great. Better than I could have dreamed.” She sank down on her couch and covered her face, and Nick sat down next to her.
    She didn’t really know Nick all that well, having met him just a few days ago when she’d called to interview him about his take on the children’s home. Her questions had immediately piqued his interest because he’d also had suspicions about the home. So he’d spent a lot of time with Beth since that first meeting, trying to help her put the pieces together.
    Although Beth tried to deny it or, better yet, ignore it, there was something about Nick Hutchins that made her feel safe. Her life up to this point had been anything but secure—ironically, that meant she distrusted nothing more than feelings of safety and security.
    Still, something about Nick invited her trust. Maybe it was that he seemed to genuinely care about the children he watched over. It had been her experience that most social workers were so overburdened that they had little time to care about the people whose lives they affected. Nick seemed different.
    She drew her mind back to the conversation. “Marlene was ready to talk,” she said. “I taped our conversation. It was fascinating. She confirmed everything. Bill Brandon uses some of the kids in his care in a crime ring that breaks into people’s homes and businesses and steals things. He has a central warehouse where he stores things until he can sell them—or until his people can sell them. Apparently, there are more people than just Bill and the kids involved. In fact, she said he has someone big running interference for him. Like someone on the police force or in government. That’s how he’s gotten away with it. She didn’t know any names or where the stuff is stored, but she said that he uses horrible tactics to force the kids into cooperating. Besides the abuse that you’ve suspected, he threatens them with harm to their sisters and brothers, their parents if they’re living, or he makes them believe that they’re as guilty as he is—that they’re the ones breaking in, that his hands are clean, so if anyone goes down for the crime, it’ll be the kids. And they have no way of