Where would the fun be? He is so full of it. Alex thought. She leaned back over the table and lined up a shot. She set the cue ball in motion and missed the shot she was taking.
"Maybe you need to stay over there, wouldn't want to show you up with that assured victory." Joe said and turned back around towards Antoine.
Antoine shook his head, "Leave her alone, I don't think she knows how to play with the big boys."
Alex closed her eyes and bit down on a comment. She lined up another shot and sunk the ball this time.
"She made one." Joe said and went to the other end to break up the pile of balls. He glanced over at Alex who was now lining up her third shot, which went in as well. "Two in a row, she's on a roll with that ghost of an opponent she has."
Antoine coughed behind his fist.
Alex laid the cue stick on the green felt and leaned over the far side of the table. "What do you want from me?"
"We just wanted to play a game of pool." Antoine said. "Never said we wanted anything other than that."
Great, good cop only knows good cop role. Bad cop can play them both. Alex thought. "I'm not buying that. You two want something and I want to know what it is?"
Joe took his next shot, he looked over at her stance she had on the table. Very hostile and very untrusting. She's willing to take the blame for something Stephanie actually did to Bobby. Her whole world is turning upside down. Joe thought. She's very intuitive though, assessing as well. He looked up at Antoine and arched a brow. Play careful with this.
"You're right." Antoine said, "we do want something. First, we want to make sure you are okay since your mother was found murdered in y'alls apartment."
They're detectives. Breath at least it is not the feds. Alex thought. "I'm fine." She said as she stood back up and picked up the cue stick. Alex went back to lining up a shot and missed.
Joe watched her as she missed. She doesn't like this, but she's not walking out of the room. Joe thought.
"You don't look to be doing to good there, kiddo. Have you seen a doctor?" Antoine asked.
"Yes." Alex said and took another shot and missed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and let it out slowly and lined up another shot.
"Do you know anything about what happened to your mother?" Antoine asked.
Alex looked up at him, "You told me she was murdered." Alex looked back down and took the shot and made this one.
Joe missed his shot and then stood up away from the table. She didn't like her mother, at least not the woman who was raising her. Joe thought.
"You didn't like her did you?" Joe asked her, wanting confirmation.
Alex missed the cue ball altogether and the cue stick spread blue chalk on the green felt. She looked over to Joe. I evaded knowing anything about my mother's murder. How did he pick up on me not liking her? I fucking hated her. Alex thought. If I answer that they'll ask me if I killed her.
"I'm not answering that." Alex told him, "you have a problem with that and you can talk to my lawyer."
Joe grinned at her answer. She is smart, very clever girl. Joe thought and then replied, "Touché."
"We aren't accusing you of anything." Antoine frowned at her. "You have every right to keep your feelings about how you feel about your mother to yourself."
Alex looked back over to Antoine. "I intend too." Alex brushed off the blue chalk and chalked the cue again. She turned away from them giving her back to both of them.
Joe watched as she took measured breaths, he moved over near her table, he saw her look sharply at him and he paused. "I don't want to see you get hurt anymore than what you already have."
"Why would you even care?" Alex asked him and turned away from him, she didn't want to look into his eyes. Damn it, he had the same look in his eyes that James had when I started at the karate school. It isn't pity, he actually cares, I can see it in his eyes. Alex thought.
Lester walked into the room and heard what Alex had asked. He could feel the tension in the room. Jesus! What have they been doing with her? If they've been questioning her without her lawyer, I'm a dead man. Her lawyer will have my hide. Lester thought as he moved closer to the group.
"Because I think life has dealt you a hand of cards that no kid should be put through. Your life hasn't been easy, yet you've found the drive and the determination to go through it anyway. You have resilience inside you that most people never dream of having. I admire that. That is something worth caring about, something worth to seeing it grow. To see what you do with your life." Joe told her.
Now he sees what I see. Lester thought. "Hey Morelli." He walked over to Alex as she spun around looking to see who would answer Lester.
Why did he have to show up now? Just when I'm possibly about to get through to this kid. Joe thought.
"Hey Santos." Joe said.
This is Joseph Morelli. Alex thought, her brow creased as she looked him over again. She took in the alpha male posture he took up with Lester, the subtle way he seemed to take charge in the room now. Ranger had said not to judge him, not until I had his side, he said he was a good guy. He can play good cop, bad cop, and he actually cares. Ranger said he was worried.
Joe looked at Alex, he wished he knew what she was thinking. She hadn't had that look the first time she had assessed him when he walked into the room.
"I got Bobby calmed down now. You ready to finish eating? I even ordered new pizza, so no beer covered pizza." Lester asked Alex. He could see she was curious about Joe, he watched as she looked at him, drinking him in. "Unless you want to stay and finish the game."
Alex looked at Lester and then over to Joe.
"I wouldn't want to deprive you of being fed. It's up to you, I meant what I said Alex." Joe said.
Alex felt torn, she was hungry, but at the same time she didn't want to let this opportunity pass by. This was the man on her birth certificate. He didn't know yet, didn't know what was coming on Monday.
Lester leaned up against the table facing away from Joe and Antoine, Alex was standing beside him still looking at Joe. He was curious as to what she would be thinking. She has the upper hand on him at the moment. Joe thinks she doesn't belong to Ramono, Ranger told me while Alex was asleep what Joe had told him. Alex has a little bit more of an advantage, not by much though. She isn't answering, I'll have to see if Joe wants to eat with us. Lester thought.
"Have you eaten yet, Morelli?" Lester asked.
"No, we only split a pitcher of beer. Is this an invitation?" Joe asked while still watching Alex. Invite us. I don't want to break the contact yet. We have one runaway that looks promising, and five possible missing children so far that she can match too. Joe thought.
"More the merrier." Lester said and turned and looked at Antoine. "Who are you? I haven't seen you around."
"Antoine Lebeau, I haven't been around long." Antoine told him.
Alex broke eye contact with Joe and walked over to the wall and put the cue stick back in the rack. Lester solved my problem. It would be better to talk with him some more, but I don't want to answer questions on my mother's murder. Alex thought.
"Lester Santos," Lester introduced himself to Antoine who gave a nod in response. Lester walked over to Alex and put his arm around her shoulder and she started walking out of the poolroom. He leaned in and whispered to her, "I don't know what was going on before I came in, but I think this is a good opportunity for you to get to Morelli better. He doesn't know what is coming on Monday. Don't let anything slip and you'll be fine. If they try to interrogate you, let me handle it."
Joe watched as Lester walked out of the room whispering to Alex. She doesn't need any help Santos. She has a sharp mind and can think for herself, she didn't fall into my trap about her mother. Threatened me with the lawyer already. Joe thought.
"Telling her secrets?" Antoine asked to Lester.
Lester looked back at Antoine as he released Alex and slowed his pace letting her go ahead of them. He fell back beside Antoine, "No secrets, but if you try to interrogate her without her lawyer present, I'll have your ass." He didn't say anything to Joe, he knew Joe, at least knew him enough to know that he wouldn't compromise himself in putting any blame on Alex for the things that has been happening. Lester didn't know Antoine and didn't trust him.
Joe grinned, Antoine had only been playing good cop, he was the one who had been playing the bad cop role with Alex. Antoine raised his hands, "I'm not going to violate the rights of a fifteen year old that doesn't have a legal guardian."
"See that you don't." Lester told him.
They all sat around the table again. Alex had chosen the seat across from Bobby who looked to be slap happy and intoxicated, not what he was earlier. He started in on the pizza as the waitress brought over the three pies. Lester sat down on Alex's left side and Joe moved to her right and Antoine pulled up another chair putting himself in between Bobby and Joe.
Alex picked up a slice of pizza and looked at Bobby, "Feeling better?" she asked.
"Yes." Bobby told her as he grinned evilly at her. "Ranger called. You get to take Stephanie and Lula running in the morning."
Alex saw the grin, heard Joe cough into the pizza he had taken a bite of and Lester snickering. Antoine looked around the table totally lost.
"They don't like to run, do they?" Alex asked.
Joe gave a bark of laughter after he swallowed the slice of pizza he was working on. "Stephanie and Lula's idea of exercise is shopping at the mall." Joe said.
"Running is at the top of the list for things to avoid at all costs." Lester told her.
Alex groaned and slumped in the chair she was sitting in. Bobby was still grinning at her. "Tuesdays and Thursdays are defense training days." Bobby informed her. "I have a few ideas on defenses they need to learn, I get to set up their defense program."
She took a bite of the pizza and chewed thoughtfully. "This is all over the cell phone chip. I should have put it back in before I left." She looked at Lester, "I don't know where it is now."
Lester laughed.
"Is this retribution on Stephanie and Lula for what they did to you Bobby?" Joe asked.
"Yes." Bobby slurred out, "Fucking retribution. At least he isn't hurting them. The last time someone did something to one of us that was considered on the lines of slow torture Ranger broke their legs. That was with Marcus down in Miami."
Joe looked over to Alex, "How did you get the joy in all of this retribution?"
Alex finished the second piece of pizza and pulled a third, "I opened my mouth and inserted my foot. Guilty conscious I guess."
She really thinks this is her fault, she didn't ask Stephanie to do any of those things. Stephanie does what Stephanie wants to do. Joe thought. "You aren't responsible for what happened to Brown."
Alex kept eating the pizza.
"Not directly." Bobby slurred out.
Alex finished the third piece and took another slice. Joe watched as she started on the fourth. Lester glared at Bobby, Alex wasn't talking now. She had gone quiet again. Lester leaned back in his chair and looked at Alex who kept eating. After she finished off three more slices he had enough of her silence.
"Morelli is right and Bobby is right, but you can't hold yourself totally responsible for what happened." Lester said.
"You can't control the actions of others," Antoine said in a soft sweet voice.
Alex looked sharply over towards Antoine. Lester heard the softness in Antoine's voice and saw the look in Alex's eyes.
Joe sat up a little straighter. Where did that come from? She only had indifference in her eyes in the pool room towards Antoine earlier. She didn't have that wary look as if waiting for something to happen. Joe thought. Time to change the subject.
"Have you heard of a Jessie Randolph?" Joe asked. He watched as Alex looked over to him and noticed the wariness in her eyes had went away.
"Never heard of him." Alex said.
Joe grinned, "Not him, her."
"Not a clue, am I supposed to know this person?" Alex asked.
"You kind of look like her." Antoine said in the same soft sweet voice he used earlier.
Joe saw the wariness return in her eyes and she looked back at Joe. "They say everyone has a twin somewhere, I'm not her." Alex said.
Joe turned and glared at Antoine. Antoine shrugged. Alex watched the two of them.
Morelli is in charge here, he had to be in charge in the poolroom. I thought it was Antoine but he's the one driving this little bus. Alex thought. What are they after now? Why is he asking this?
"You know anyone by the names of Graciano, Espindola, or Friatolli?" Joe asked as he glanced back to her.
Alex sat up, "I know a Graciano, his name is Edward. We call him Eddie Spigedward at the karate school. He had a kid sister who used to go there as well until she came up missing." Alex picked up her coke and took a drink. She watched as both Joe and Antoine leaned forward looking intently at her. "I thought you two worked homicide. What are you fishing for now?"
"Fishing," Bobby slurred three sheets in the wind now. "I can take you fishing."
Alex snickered at Bobby and turned to Lester, "He's shitfaced."
"Yes he is." Lester laughed.
Joe stood up and Antoine followed him. "I think we'll leave now. Brown needs a ride home."
Alex watched both of them as they started walking away. "You didn't answer my question," Alex called out.
Joe stopped then turned back around, "I'm not answering that. You have a problem with that and you can talk to my lawyer."
"Hey, that's my line." Alex grinned at him.
Joe laughed, "You were supposed to say, touché." He turned and walked off with Antoine.