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Leaning back in his chair, he said, “You only got the Spice & Tea Shoppe.”
I nodded. “Should we push it?”
“I don’t think it’ll look good if we do. Ask if he was at the other shops, but if he refuses to speak or denies it, let it go.”
“You got it, sir.” I turned to go.
“And Castle? Good job keeping your cool. I know it’s frustrating when you can’t use the usual tactics.”
“Ms. Arrington said she’s recommending he go to counseling and work off the damage at the tea shop.”
“If the owner’s okay with it… She might not want him there. I think that solution will go over well with the community, and if the incidents stop, then we’ll know we got the guy.”
We both knew criminals didn’t go down for all their crimes. One was usually enough. Stealing cash from the registers was more serious than the others, though.
I went back into the conference room, asking routine questions about the other stores, but he refused to answer. He had that right, so I kept calm. He wasn’t doing anything we hadn’t thought he would.
“Thanks for handling him with care,” Avery said after Ryan and Corey left.
“I didn’t have much choice.” I had Chief and Dexter breathing down my neck.
“Still, not everyone would.”
“What about the mother? Will she take him back?”
“Ryan wants him to stay. He thinks he can help him, get through to him.”
“I hope he’s right. For both their sakes.” I’d hate to see Corey squander this opportunity to get his life back together.
“Give him a chance,” Avery said, mimicking what Remi asked me to do last night.
I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake in giving this kid a break. “It’s his to screw up.”
She smiled. “You’re one of the good ones.”
When she walked away, Dexter said behind my shoulder, “You survived.”
“He admitted to what we already knew.”
“We knew going in that we weren’t going to get much. He’s a minor, and our hands were tied. But you kept it together.”
Why was everyone so surprised that I handled myself with a cool head? I must have earned the reputation as a hard-ass. Normally, it wouldn’t bother me, but Chief had made it clear I needed to do better to be considered for promotion.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’ll get the promotion.”
“I hope you’re right.”
If we were wrong about Corey, I was the one who’d be responsible.
