Chapter 4 – Peter Parker Still Needs a Really Good Lawyer

Forty-five minutes after he stepped into the interview room, Mahoney pushed back his chair and got to his feet. "You're free to go," he told Peter, "but make sure your lawyer here knows how to contact you."

Peter nodded and stood up, but Matt's hand on his arm stopped him from leaving. As soon as Mahoney left the room, he said, "We should talk, but not here. I'll meet you in the lobby, after I talk to Detective Mahoney."

"All right," May replied. She and Peter walked out of the room. Matt didn't follow them immediately. He went over the interrogation, replaying it in his head. He wanted to get his thoughts straight before speaking with Brett. The detective had played it straight, not using any of his usual tricks, probably because he knew Matt would call him on it. And Peter had done well, he thought. He didn't let Mahoney rattle him, and if Matt was interpreting the boy's heartbeats correctly, he was telling the truth. The only puzzling thing was Brett's questions about the notebook. He kept going back to it, insinuating that Peter hadn't really seen it, but the boy stuck to his story. That notebook must be important, but Matt had no idea why. Maybe he could get Mahoney to spill. He pushed himself to his feet and unfolded his cane, then made his way to Mahoney's office.

The door to the office was open. Matt knocked on the door frame and was told to enter. This time, he took a seat in the vacant visitor's chair and waited for Mahoney to speak.

"That's a bright kid you got there, Murdock," Mahoney observed.

"And a good one," Matt added.

"How d'you know him?" Mahoney asked.

"He goes to school with Tyler, you remember, Tyler Shelby."

"Oh, yeah. Nice kid. Too bad his dad is a piece of shit."

"At least he had the decency to plead guilty so Tyler didn't have to go through a trial," Matt observed.

"He still at Dannemora?"

"Yeah, he's got years to go before he's eligible for parole," Matt replied, then changed the subject. "So – Peter's good?"

Mahoney didn't answer him right away. This was not good. Finally, the detective said, "Look, I want to believe the kid, but a couple of things don't add up."

"Like what?"

"For starters, he doesn't have an alibi. No one saw him leave the school when he said he did."

"You checked the security cameras?"

"They were on the fritz. It's an old system," Mahoney explained, then added, "or maybe someone made sure they weren't working."

"You seriously think a 15-year-old could've hacked into the security cameras?"

"In a school full of science nerds? Absolutely."

"Point taken." Matt thought for a minute, recalling what Peter had told him. "But he signed out at the time he said he left."

"He did," Mahoney conceded, "but no one actually saw him leave."

"Where was the security guy?"

"After I leaned on him, he admitted he took a smoke break around that time."

"Damn," Matt swore.

"And the kid's got no one to vouch for his whereabouts after that."

"His aunt was working. Being a latch-key kid isn't a crime."

"No one said it was. I'm just sayin', it would look better for him if someone could confirm what he's saying."

"I'll talk to him again. Maybe someone at his apartment building saw him," Matt said as he started to get to his feet.

"And there's something else," Mahoney said. Matt sat down again. "The notebook."

"What about it?"

"Your client is the only person who claims to have seen it. None of the other teachers remember seeing Robertson with it. It wasn't found on him or in his classroom or at his apartment."

"Why would Peter make up something like that?"

"You tell me," Mahoney retorted. "Maybe to throw us off."

"Really, Brett," Matt scoffed. "Do I have to remind you again, this is a 15-year-old we're talking about? And what's the motive?"

"A very bright 15-year-old." Mahoney shuffled some papers on his desk, then set them aside. "Maybe he was mad about getting detention."

"He wasn't."

"Look," Mahoney said, "I'm not looking at your client for this. But this case is high profile. The brass is getting a lot of flak from parents, the teachers' union, the chancellor, even the mayor. Someone's gotta go down for this. If we don't make an arrest soon, they may start looking at your client. That's all I'm saying."

"Fuck," Matt swore. "You gotta be kidding me."

"This is no joke. You want to make sure your client is out of the picture, he needs to clear up these holes in his story. If he doesn't, people are gonna come knocking. And it won't be me next time."

"Got it," Matt replied grimly. He stood up and unfolded his cane, then took a couple of steps toward the door. Before he got there, he turned and said, "Thanks for the heads-up."

"No problem," Mahoney said to Matt's back as he walked out the door.

# # # #

Karen and Foggy emerged from their offices when Matt stepped into the reception room, followed by Peter and May.

After Matt introduced his partners to their new clients, Foggy asked, "So how'd it go?"

"All right, I think," Matt replied.

Peter piped up. "At least I'm not in jail."

"Not funny, Peter," May chided him.

Matt thought quickly. He wanted to talk with May about what Mahoney had told him, before discussing it with Peter. Peter might be his client, but he was a minor – a very bright kid, but still a kid. Then he had an idea. He'd heard Peter's stomach growling while Mahoney was questioning him. He flipped open his watch and checked the time.

"It's way past lunchtime," he observed, "I bet you're hungry, Peter."

"Uh, yeah, I am."

Matt turned to his partner. "Foggy?"

Foggy took the hint. "Oh. Right." He turned to Peter. "Nelson's Meats has the best subs in Hell's Kitchen. Karen? Matt? Your usual?" After both of them nodded, Foggy turned to May. "Ms. Parker?"

"Peter knows what I like."

"Let's get going, then," Foggy said.

After the door closed behind Foggy and Peter, May and Karen followed Matt to his office and took seats across the desk from him.

"So what do you want to talk to me about, that you couldn't discuss in front of Peter?" May asked.

Matt smiled to himself. She was just as sharp as her nephew. "Peter may not be totally off the cops' radar," he said.

"What?"

Matt held up a hand. "Mahoney doesn't seriously consider him a suspect, but it may not be up to him. This is a high-profile case. The NYPD is under a lot of pressure to make an arrest. I don't have to tell you how things work in this city," he concluded grimly.

"But a 15-year-old?" Karen protested.

"It's happened," Matt pointed out. "You know that."

"So what do we do?" May asked.

"We need to find someone who can back up Peter's account of what he did after he left school."

"Well, he said he was texting with his friend Ned," May pointed out.

"That could help," Karen said, "but it won't tell us where Peter was. We need to check the location of his phone."

"Do it," Matt said. "One other thing. According to Mahoney, the cops didn't find that notebook of Robertson's, and apparently Peter is the only person who ever saw it."

"You think it's important?" Karen asked.

Matt shrugged. "Could be. We won't know until we find it. And even if it's not important in and of itself, finding it bolsters Peter's credibility."

Karen stood up when the office door opened: Foggy and Peter returning with subs. They gathered around the conference table with their sandwiches while Matt briefed Foggy. When he was finished, Matt turned to Peter and said, "It seems you're the only person – other than Dan Robertson – who ever saw that notebook. Are you sure that's what you saw?"

"Yes," Peter declared firmly. "I know what I saw. And Mr. Robertson was acting all nervous, you know, hiding it. That's why I noticed it. I mean, you shoulda seen him – " He smothered a horrified gasp. Matt felt the heat coming off his face and imagined him turning red. "Oh. Uh, I'm . . . I'm sorry, Mr. Murdock," he stammered.

Matt waved his hand. "Don't sweat it. I believe you."

"We gotta find that notebook," Foggy observed.

Matt nodded. "Agreed."

"But how?" May asked. "I mean, if the cops didn't find it – ?"

"That just means it's well hidden," Matt said. "But if the killer didn't take it, it's still in the classroom. If it's there, we'll find it."

"We have some, ah, associates who are very good at finding things," Foggy explained. "Especially things that people don't want to be found."

"If you say so . . . ," May replied doubtfully.

"Foggy's right, count on it," Matt assured her. He guessed she was giving him a skeptical look, but he didn't elaborate. Instead, he rose from his seat and said, "We'll get to work. If the cops contact you again – "

"We keep our mouths shut and call you," Peter said.

"Exactly. And if you think of anything that might help or if you have any questions, call us – anytime," Foggy added. He retrieved their business cards from the credenza along the room's back wall and handed them to May.

"Thank you," she said. "But I don't know how we're going to pay you."

"For a friend of Tyler's – " Matt began, but Foggy interrupted him.

"We have a sliding scale, based on ability to pay. It's all spelled out in the retainer agreement we'll send you. Don't worry, we're cheap," he quipped.

Author's Note: If you've been wondering when Daredevil will show up, he will make an appearance (but not a court appearance) in Chapter 5.