No wonder Judge Hatcher wanted to give him a second chance.
The dresser had two broken knobs, so Ari jimmied the drawers open with a comb she found on top. Inside, she salvaged three T-shirts and a pair of jeans. In his sock drawer, she found a baggie of weed. Holding it in her hand she weighed her options. In the end, she tossed it back in. The weed alone could explain his slipping grades. Closing the drawer, she moved to the closet, which revealed a coat and two pairs of shoes. They were probably too small, but it was worth a shot.
In the living room, Ari found Ms. Wilson where she’d expected her, curled up on the couch staring at the television. Ari stopped in front of the door and pulled some papers out of her bag. “Ms. Wilson, here is some information about Curtis. His phone number and visiting hours. I’ll be happy to drive you once he earns visitation.”
“I don’t have a phone,” she said.
“I know. You’re welcome to come by my office and we can call him.”
Ms. Wilson didn’t answer, her heavy eyes glazed over in the direction of the television. Ari slipped her own card out of her pocket and left it with the other paperwork before she walked out the door.
***
Back at the office, Ari found Jace Watkins’ file on her desk. It was six inches thick and masking tape had replaced the original binding. Stanton passed her office and said, “Heard you asking about him the other day and I found that in storage. He’s over 18 and out of our jurisdiction. The last time I saw him was in county lockup for an assault charge. He aged out while waiting for trial. Not sure what happened after that.”
“Thanks,” Ari said, opening the front cover. She’d been poking around the closed files the other day and asked her fellow caseworker, Tony, if he remembered anything about him. She should have just asked Stanton in the first place. He remembered everything about the kids that came in and out of here. She skimmed the details, but it seemed Jace had a history of violent crimes, starting at age 12. He spent two sentences in long-term detention before he was eighteen, and then the arrest Stanton spoke of. He only had an eighth-grade education, but his psychological exam noted his high IQ. Smart and dangerous. Scary.
Carrying the file, Ari walked to the office next door. “Stanton, do you remember what the last arrest was for? The adult charge?”
He scratched his bald head. “Armed robbery I think. That was kind of his standard M.O. Maybe a convenience store?”
“Okay.” Jace had a history of armed robbery. Not surprised, she started back to her office but stopped when Stanton called her name.
“Why are you looking into him? Don’t you have enough cases of your own?”
“You would think, right?” Ari laughed. “One of my files crossed with his and I was just curious. Nothing big.”
“Look in the back. I should have put his final court notice in there.”
“Okay,” she said, flipping through the pages. Just inside her door she jumped, dropping the file to the ground.
“Holy crud, Nick!” She bent down to pick up the paperwork, while her heart slammed against her chest. “You scared me!”
Nick scrambled from the empty chair he’d been waiting in. “I’m sorry, not my intention.”
“I think I’ve been a little skittish since the armed robbery,” she confessed.
“Understandable,” he said. She loved the way his forehead creased in concern for her. “I really am sorry.”
Ari breathed in and smelled something yummy. She finally noticed the bag of food waiting on her desk. She peeked into the bag. “What’s this?”
“I knew if I asked you to meet me for lunch you would say you were too busy, so I brought lunch to you.”
“How did you know I would say that?” Calmer now, Ari sat in her desk chair and swiveled it to face him.
“Because when I called earlier, that’s what Rebecca said.”
Ari rolled her eyes. “Oh, did she?”
“She suggested I come here.”
“Uh huh,” Ari said. She opened the bag and pulled out two tacos wrapped in foil. “She happened to tell you that Taco Taco is my favorite place for lunch?”
“Possibly,” he said, with a satisfied grin.
“Thank you,” Ari said and handed him one of the tacos.
He bit into his lunch, attempting not to spill food all over his suit. Ari dug into the bag and gave him a handful of napkins. They ate in silence until he asked, “So how was your weekend?”
“Ugh, pretty good. Someone trashed my car.”
Nick frowned. “What? How?”
“Slashed my tires and keyed the sides. It’s in the shop today.”
“What the hell is going on with you, Ari? The armed robbery and now this? Do you think they’re connected?”
Ari shrugged. Nick didn’t know about Jace. “I’m sure it was just random. I don’t live in the most crime-free community, you know.”