Kenny pulled away from Max when the telephone rang beside them. Each was a
little relieved and a little disappointed when he answered it, "Lacos," he
grumbled into the phone.
"Kenny, it's Doug. You and Max need to come in right away," the deputy told him.
"What? Why?" Kenny asked bewildered, "What happened?"
"We arrested some kids out on the county line tonight, throwing rocks at an Amish wagon. One of the occupants was Matt Brock," Doug explained.
"We're on the way," Kenny said in way of closing and severed the connection.
"Come on, Max," he said pulling her up, "we have to get to the office."
"Kenny, we have to talk..." Max began but he waived her off, "Later Max, the Schindler case just broke wide open and Matt Brock is at the heart of it. Doug just told me he and some of his friends have been arrested."
Max sighed, talking would have to wait, "Let's go."
Thirty minutes later, Kenny and Max arrived at the Sheriff's Department to find that four teenagers had been arrested and their parents were all waiting for them to be questioned and released. Max scanned the room until she found Jill, who sat stoically in Jimmy's office out of sight. Jimmy was angrily pacing the halls, waiting for them to question Matt.
Slowly Max approached Jill while Kenny went to find Doug. Max sat on Jimmy's desk in front of her friend, "What happened Jill?" she asked, knowing but not really knowing.
Matt called and said he's been arrested. Then Jimmy went over computer sheets and it seemed our car could have been the care that was on the road the night..." she paused, "the night those kids got killed. Oh, Max, how could he be involved in such a thing?"
"We don't know he was there that night," Max said stupidly. Of course he was there, it was their car.
Kenny knocked on the door before Jill could comment, "Max, Jimmy wants us to question the kids."
Max felt Jill and joined Kenny. She could tell he was nervous about her not just uptight about the case. They had to talk about what almost happened and soon. This could not be let to go too far.
Matthew Brock looked up at Kenny and Max. Both had disapproving looks on their faces.
"Hey guys," he sheepishly greeted.
"Hello, Matthew," Max sighed and sat down.
Kenny didn't greet him at all, just started in, "What were you doing at the county line tonight, Matt?"
"Nothing," he replied, "just hanging out with my friends."
"Really?" asked Kenny, "and does hanging out with your friends include throwing rocks at Amish buggies."
"I didn't...I mean we didn't' throw rocks we..."
"Matthew, Deputy Reed and Deputy Monroe have a video surveillance tape of your parent's Jeep which you borrowed parked on Creek Road at the county line with rocks and sticks being thrown out of it," Max told him, "Now Kenny and I are your friends, if you talk to us, we'll help you. Now what were you doing on Creek Road tonight?"
It took Matthew some time to answer as if he were waiting to see if he should tell the truth. Finally he said, "We want tog o for a ride, so I asked my folks if I could use the car. They said yeah, so I picked up Troy, Brad, and Robbie and we went for pizza."
"Then what?" Kenny pressed.
"Then we drove up to Creek Road and one of the guys saw the wagon coming. He opened the roof and threw a rock out of it. He only threw a few. Then the cops pulled us over after than."
"Is this the first time you went claping, Matt?" Max asked, "Think carefully."
"No," he replied, after more careful thought, "I've done it before. Lots of times. Lots of kids do it."
"Were you out claping the night of April 16th?" Max asked.
"I was out," Matt answered, "I don't remember what I did though."
"I'll ask you again," said Max, "Where were you on April 16th and what were you doing?"
"All right, Mom and Dad are going to kill me for this...the guys and I went over to this girl Marie's house, just to hang out. She's really pretty and she likes me so we were, uh, you know..." Matt paused, he was going to be dead meat.
"No, what?" Kenny asked.
"Making out," Matt replied with a heavy blush, "and Troy asked if he could use the car to get some beer. They borrowed the Jeep and came back about thirty minutes or so later. Please don't tell Mom and Dad I let Troy use the Jeep."
Max rose from the table, "I'm afraid we have to Matt, otherwise...you could be in a lot of trouble."
"I'm going to be in a lot of trouble now," he told them.
"Matt, believe me, if this story is true, your parents..."
"Max," Kenny interrupted "let's get Jimmy and Jill. You and I have to get out to the Schindler farm and get them to come in for a line up."
Max nodded and called Jimmy in to talk to his son. She knew his boss would be relieved that all Matt did was lend out the car, that he was not responsible or claimed not to be responsible for the lives taken on Creek Road.
Jimmy and Jill went to talk to and comfort their son, while Kenny and Max drove in silence to the Schindler farm. Both knew they had to talk about what happened on the couch, both knew it was wrong and both knew that with this thing between them, they would not be able to live together. Finally, Kenny broke the silence.
"Max, I'm sorry, about before. I never should have tried..."
She cut him off, "It's all right, Kenny," she assured him, "the important thing is, nothing happened. And beside, I didn't exactly say no. If I recall, I was saying yes back there."
"Max, maybe what happened was sort of...I don't know....supposed to happen. That way we know, you know," Kenny tried but failed to explain.
"We know what?" Max asked, confused.
"Whether we're attracted to each other like that or not," Kenny said a bit bolder.
"And are we?" Max asked, she'd been praying that this issue, never, ever came up.
"What do you think?" Kenny asked, turning up the road to the Schindler farm.
"I think no," Max said carefully, "definitely no."
"Definitely no," Kenny repeated nodding his head to cover his breaking heart, "good. Then we have nothing to worry about. This looks like the place."
Kenny and Max got out of the patrol car, but they found the Schindler farm dark. It was dark outside, but their wagon was there.
"Could they be asleep?" Kenny asked, "Farmers go to bed pretty early."
"Yeah," Max agreed, "maybe we should come back tomorrow. Call Jimmy and tell him to have the kids and their parents come back."
"Yeah," Kenny agreed and walked her back to the car, "Let's get home. I'm getting kind of tired."
The drive back to the apartment was made once again in silence, Max contemplating what had almost happened on the couch. Kenny had been so sweet to ask her first before kissing her and she had wanted him too, oh how she wanted him to, but there was Jeremy and their was work and their friendship and she knew Kenny. He was a philanderer, a lady's man; he did not really care about her, not like that. She couldn't let it get to her.
Kenny stole sidelong glances at Max as he drove. She was so beautiful in the moonlight, the ghostly light glinting off her hair and skin. He'd wanted to kiss her so badly, but he knew he couldn't. She was Jeremy's, not his. She was too good for him and would always be. He was her friend, her roommate, but he could never be anything more. And he knew that, he couldn't let it get to him. From here on out, he'd have to play it cool, he'd got back to the old way. A woman every night, no real commitment, that's the way he liked himself, not this guy who drooled after a woman he'd never have. So, from now on, he'd be the Kenny Lacos of old. Ladies' man extraordinare.
He looked over at Max once more, yeah, he decided, it was settled. This game was over.
"Kenny, it's Doug. You and Max need to come in right away," the deputy told him.
"What? Why?" Kenny asked bewildered, "What happened?"
"We arrested some kids out on the county line tonight, throwing rocks at an Amish wagon. One of the occupants was Matt Brock," Doug explained.
"We're on the way," Kenny said in way of closing and severed the connection.
"Come on, Max," he said pulling her up, "we have to get to the office."
"Kenny, we have to talk..." Max began but he waived her off, "Later Max, the Schindler case just broke wide open and Matt Brock is at the heart of it. Doug just told me he and some of his friends have been arrested."
Max sighed, talking would have to wait, "Let's go."
Thirty minutes later, Kenny and Max arrived at the Sheriff's Department to find that four teenagers had been arrested and their parents were all waiting for them to be questioned and released. Max scanned the room until she found Jill, who sat stoically in Jimmy's office out of sight. Jimmy was angrily pacing the halls, waiting for them to question Matt.
Slowly Max approached Jill while Kenny went to find Doug. Max sat on Jimmy's desk in front of her friend, "What happened Jill?" she asked, knowing but not really knowing.
Matt called and said he's been arrested. Then Jimmy went over computer sheets and it seemed our car could have been the care that was on the road the night..." she paused, "the night those kids got killed. Oh, Max, how could he be involved in such a thing?"
"We don't know he was there that night," Max said stupidly. Of course he was there, it was their car.
Kenny knocked on the door before Jill could comment, "Max, Jimmy wants us to question the kids."
Max felt Jill and joined Kenny. She could tell he was nervous about her not just uptight about the case. They had to talk about what almost happened and soon. This could not be let to go too far.
Matthew Brock looked up at Kenny and Max. Both had disapproving looks on their faces.
"Hey guys," he sheepishly greeted.
"Hello, Matthew," Max sighed and sat down.
Kenny didn't greet him at all, just started in, "What were you doing at the county line tonight, Matt?"
"Nothing," he replied, "just hanging out with my friends."
"Really?" asked Kenny, "and does hanging out with your friends include throwing rocks at Amish buggies."
"I didn't...I mean we didn't' throw rocks we..."
"Matthew, Deputy Reed and Deputy Monroe have a video surveillance tape of your parent's Jeep which you borrowed parked on Creek Road at the county line with rocks and sticks being thrown out of it," Max told him, "Now Kenny and I are your friends, if you talk to us, we'll help you. Now what were you doing on Creek Road tonight?"
It took Matthew some time to answer as if he were waiting to see if he should tell the truth. Finally he said, "We want tog o for a ride, so I asked my folks if I could use the car. They said yeah, so I picked up Troy, Brad, and Robbie and we went for pizza."
"Then what?" Kenny pressed.
"Then we drove up to Creek Road and one of the guys saw the wagon coming. He opened the roof and threw a rock out of it. He only threw a few. Then the cops pulled us over after than."
"Is this the first time you went claping, Matt?" Max asked, "Think carefully."
"No," he replied, after more careful thought, "I've done it before. Lots of times. Lots of kids do it."
"Were you out claping the night of April 16th?" Max asked.
"I was out," Matt answered, "I don't remember what I did though."
"I'll ask you again," said Max, "Where were you on April 16th and what were you doing?"
"All right, Mom and Dad are going to kill me for this...the guys and I went over to this girl Marie's house, just to hang out. She's really pretty and she likes me so we were, uh, you know..." Matt paused, he was going to be dead meat.
"No, what?" Kenny asked.
"Making out," Matt replied with a heavy blush, "and Troy asked if he could use the car to get some beer. They borrowed the Jeep and came back about thirty minutes or so later. Please don't tell Mom and Dad I let Troy use the Jeep."
Max rose from the table, "I'm afraid we have to Matt, otherwise...you could be in a lot of trouble."
"I'm going to be in a lot of trouble now," he told them.
"Matt, believe me, if this story is true, your parents..."
"Max," Kenny interrupted "let's get Jimmy and Jill. You and I have to get out to the Schindler farm and get them to come in for a line up."
Max nodded and called Jimmy in to talk to his son. She knew his boss would be relieved that all Matt did was lend out the car, that he was not responsible or claimed not to be responsible for the lives taken on Creek Road.
Jimmy and Jill went to talk to and comfort their son, while Kenny and Max drove in silence to the Schindler farm. Both knew they had to talk about what happened on the couch, both knew it was wrong and both knew that with this thing between them, they would not be able to live together. Finally, Kenny broke the silence.
"Max, I'm sorry, about before. I never should have tried..."
She cut him off, "It's all right, Kenny," she assured him, "the important thing is, nothing happened. And beside, I didn't exactly say no. If I recall, I was saying yes back there."
"Max, maybe what happened was sort of...I don't know....supposed to happen. That way we know, you know," Kenny tried but failed to explain.
"We know what?" Max asked, confused.
"Whether we're attracted to each other like that or not," Kenny said a bit bolder.
"And are we?" Max asked, she'd been praying that this issue, never, ever came up.
"What do you think?" Kenny asked, turning up the road to the Schindler farm.
"I think no," Max said carefully, "definitely no."
"Definitely no," Kenny repeated nodding his head to cover his breaking heart, "good. Then we have nothing to worry about. This looks like the place."
Kenny and Max got out of the patrol car, but they found the Schindler farm dark. It was dark outside, but their wagon was there.
"Could they be asleep?" Kenny asked, "Farmers go to bed pretty early."
"Yeah," Max agreed, "maybe we should come back tomorrow. Call Jimmy and tell him to have the kids and their parents come back."
"Yeah," Kenny agreed and walked her back to the car, "Let's get home. I'm getting kind of tired."
The drive back to the apartment was made once again in silence, Max contemplating what had almost happened on the couch. Kenny had been so sweet to ask her first before kissing her and she had wanted him too, oh how she wanted him to, but there was Jeremy and their was work and their friendship and she knew Kenny. He was a philanderer, a lady's man; he did not really care about her, not like that. She couldn't let it get to her.
Kenny stole sidelong glances at Max as he drove. She was so beautiful in the moonlight, the ghostly light glinting off her hair and skin. He'd wanted to kiss her so badly, but he knew he couldn't. She was Jeremy's, not his. She was too good for him and would always be. He was her friend, her roommate, but he could never be anything more. And he knew that, he couldn't let it get to him. From here on out, he'd have to play it cool, he'd got back to the old way. A woman every night, no real commitment, that's the way he liked himself, not this guy who drooled after a woman he'd never have. So, from now on, he'd be the Kenny Lacos of old. Ladies' man extraordinare.
He looked over at Max once more, yeah, he decided, it was settled. This game was over.