Theodore Boone The Accused

Chapter 7


The following day, Wednesday, Theo raced to school as always, though he did avoid downtown, and he did stay off the sidewalks. He did not have the chance to chat with his parents over breakfast because his father, as always, left for early gossip with his coffee group and his mother was walking out the door, late for a meeting. Theo and Judge ate alone and in silence.

According to the headlines, there was no sign of Pete Duffy. Thieves had broken into a computer store on Main Street. Two students at Stratten College had been arrested for cyber stalking. Not a single word about some unknown thug vandalizing the law office of Theo Boone, since the police had yet to be notified.

Theo was thankful for Wednesday; it would certainly be better than Tuesday.

During second period Geometry, Theo’s Wednesday suddenly became much worse than his Tuesday. Over the loudspeaker, the shrieking voice of the school secretary, Miss Gloria, demanded, “Miss Garman, is Theo Boone present?”

At that moment, Theo was drifting away and daydreaming about the upcoming camping trip to Lake Marlo. At the sound of his name, he bolted upright and felt as though he’d been slapped.

“He is,” Miss Garman replied.

“Send him to the office, please.”

Theo jumped to his feet and left the room.

There were two detectives in dark suits sitting in the office of the principal, Mrs. Gladwell, who looked like she had seen a ghost when Theo walked in. She gushed, “Theo, these two gentlemen are with the police department and they would like to talk to you.” Neither detective stood, neither smiled. The short one was an older man, a Detective Vorman, and Theo had seen him around the courthouse. In fact, Theo had watched him testify in a trial a couple of months earlier. The other, Detective Hamilton, Theo had never seen before. He said, “Theo, we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Since there were no empty chairs, Theo leaned with his back against the wall and wondered why they were there. His first thought was the broken window, but he quickly dismissed it. Such a minor act of vandalism would not require the involvement of two detectives. Theo managed to say, “Okay.”

Hamilton went on, “Did you happen to be downtown last night?”

Theo did not like his tone, nor his frown. Combined, they gave the strong impression that they suspected him of doing something wrong. Theo looked at Mrs. Gladwell, who was nervously tapping her fingers on her desk. He looked at Detective Vorman who was writing something on his pocket notepad.

Theo said, “I was at the Highland Street Shelter last night.”

“Were you on Main Street for any reason last night?” Hamilton asked.

“Why are you asking me these questions?” Theo asked, and this really irritated both detectives.

“I’ll handle the questions, Theo. You do the answers,” Hamilton sneered like a bad TV actor.

“Just answer the questions,” Vorman chimed in, a real bully.

“No, I was not downtown,” Theo said slowly. “I went to the shelter, then I rode my bike home.”

“Did you bump into Officer Stu Peckinpaw?” Hamilton asked.

“Yes. I accidentally ran into him, but everything was okay.”

“And where did this take place?”

“On Main Street, Main and Farley.”

“So you were downtown last night, weren’t you, Theo?”

“I was on my bike.”

The detectives gave each other a smug look. Mrs. Gladwell tapped her fingers even faster. Hamilton said, “There’s a computer store on Main Street, two blocks down from Farley. It’s called Big Mac’s Systems. You know the place?”

Theo shook his head. No. However, he remembered the name from his quick review of the morning’s local headlines. The store had been broken into the night before.

Vorman helped out. “They sell PCs, laptops, printers, software, the usual, but also the latest tablets, SmartPads, e-book readers, even cell phones. You’ve never been to the store, Theo?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you have a laptop?”

“Yes, sir. Jupiter Air, thirteen inch. Got it for Christmas.”

“Where is it now?”

“In my backpack, back in the classroom.”

“Do you ever keep it in your locker?” Hamilton asked.

“Occasionally. Why?”

“Again, Theo, we’ll handle the questions.”

“Okay, but I get the feeling you think I’ve done something wrong. And, if that’s the case, then I want to call a lawyer.”

Both detectives found this amusing. A thirteen-year-old kid asking for a lawyer. They dealt with thugs and criminals all day long, and every one of them demanded a lawyer. This kid must watch too much television.

“We’d like to see your locker,” Hamilton said.

Theo knew it was unwise to agree to any type of search. Car, home, pockets, office, even locker—never agree to a search. If the police believed there was evidence of a crime, then they could go to a judge and get a warrant, or written permission, and conduct a search. However, Theo knew he had done nothing wrong and, like all innocent people, wanted to prove this to the police. He also knew the school could open his locker without his approval.

“Sure,” he said, somewhat reluctantly, and both detectives, as well as Mrs. Gladwell, could not help but notice that Theo hesitated before agreeing to a search. The four left the office and headed down the empty hallway. The bell would ring in less than fifteen minutes, and there would be plenty of students to witness Theo in the presence of two dark-suited strangers. Within seconds the entire school would know that he was being investigated for something. When they stopped in front of his locker, Theo glanced around. The hall was empty.

“When did you last open your locker?” Hamilton asked.

“When I got to school this morning. Around eight thirty.”

“So, about two hours ago.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And did you notice anything unusual at that time?”

“No, sir.” Theo wanted to mention the fact that a stranger had been in his locker on Monday, but he was suddenly in a hurry. He was terrified that someone might see him with two cops and the principal.

“You can open it now,” Hamilton said.

Theo punched in the code—58343 (Judge)—and pulled open the door. Nothing appeared to be missing, but something had certainly been added. On the left side, leaning against some textbooks, were three slender objects Theo had never seen before.

“Don’t touch anything,” Hamilton said as he leaned down and in and breathed on Theo’s neck. Vorman and Mrs. Gladwell huddled close, and for a few seconds no one moved or said a word. Finally, Hamilton asked, “See anything unusual, Theo?”

With a dry mouth, Theo managed to say, “Yes, sir. Those are not mine.”

The slender objects were Linx 0-4 Tablets, the hottest and lightest personal computers dominating the marketplace. With stunning graphics, unlimited memory, a million applications, and a price tag of $399, the 0-4 was cheaper, yet far more sophisticated than its current competition. Detective Vorman, wearing surgical gloves and treating the 0-4s like rare diamonds, placed them side by side on Mrs. Gladwell’s desk. Big Mac had been called and was on his way to identify his stolen property.

“Please call my mother,” Theo said to Mrs. Gladwell. “Or my father. It doesn’t matter.”

“Not so fast,” Hamilton said. “We have some more questions.”

“I’m not answering any more questions,” Theo said. “I want my parents here.”

“If Theo says he didn’t steal these tablets, then I believe him,” Mrs. Gladwell said.

“Thank you so much,” Hamilton said.

“How did you know they were there?” Theo asked.

“And once again, young Theo, please, we’ll handle the questions,” Hamilton said. His tone and attitude had been lousy to start with; now, with the evidence in hand and the crime apparently solved, he was becoming unbearable.

“Can I call his parents?” Mrs. Gladwell asked.

“Sure you can,” Theo said. “They don’t run this school. They can’t tell you what to do.”

“Knock it off, kid,” Vorman said.

“I beg your pardon!” Mrs. Gladwell said. “Don’t talk to my student in such a manner. Theo is no criminal. I believe whatever he says.”

Theo walked to a spot beside Mrs. Gladwell, who was seated at her desk, and removed his cell phone. Using speed dial, he called the offices of Boone & Boone. Elsa answered, and Theo, staring straight into the angry eyes of Detective Hamilton said, “Hey, Elsa, it’s me, Theo. I need to talk to Mom.”

“Something wrong, Theo?”

“No. Just let me talk to Mom.”

“She’s in court, Theo. She’ll be tied up all morning.”

“Okay, then let me talk to Dad.”

“He’s not here. He’s in Wilkesburg closing a land deal. What’s going on, Theo?”

Theo did not have the time to chat with Elsa, and she could not help him anyway. The detectives were fuming and Theo figured he was almost out of time. He canceled the call to Elsa, punched another number for speed dial, and said, “Ike, it’s me, Theo.”

Ike replied, “Good morning, Theo. Why are you calling me at ten thirty?”

Theo said, “Ike, I’m at school and there are two detectives here accusing me of stealing computers that someone put in my locker. Can you get down here?”

“That’s enough, kid,” Hamilton growled. Ike did not respond but his office line went dead.

Theo slapped his phone shut and returned it to his pocket. Technically, this was a violation of school rules. Only eighth graders were allowed to have phones on campus, and a few of them did. Their use was strictly controlled. All cell phones had to be turned off during classes and could be used only during recess and lunch. Under the circumstances, though, Theo doubted if Mrs. Gladwell would be upset with him. She was not.

“We haven’t accused you of anything,” Hamilton said. “We’re just doing our investigation, and when we find stolen goods in someone’s possession, then we have to ask questions. Doesn’t that make sense?”

“Theo didn’t steal the computers, okay?” Mrs. Gladwell said firmly.

Vorman decided to play the nice cop and offered a sappy smile. “So, Theo, if you didn’t place these computers in your locker, then someone else obviously did. Who else has the entry code to your locker?”

Safe question. Theo replied, “No one that I know of, but someone was in my locker Monday. They stole a Twins baseball cap and some other items. I didn’t report it at that time, but I was planning to.”

Mrs. Gladwell turned and looked at Theo. “You should have told us, Theo.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I was going to discuss it with my parents first, then report it to you, but I never got the time.”

“And the school has a list of all entry codes?” Vorman asked.

“Yes, but it’s protected in a secure file in our main computer,” Mrs. Gladwell said.

“Has anyone ever hacked into it?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Has the school had a problem with people breaking into lockers?”

“No,” she replied. “Occasionally a student will fail to properly close a locker, and the door will be left slightly open. This might lead to a missing item or two, but I cannot recall a situation where a student obtained an entry code and went into another student’s locker.”

“How about you, Theo?” Vorman asked. “Do you know of anyone who got somebody else’s code and broke into their locker?”

“No, sir.”

Hamilton glanced at his notes, then looked at Theo and said, “During the break-in last night at Big Mac’s Systems, the thief or thieves took ten of these tablets, six fifteen-inch laptops, and about a dozen cell phones. You have any idea where this stuff is now?”

Theo gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t know anything about the break-in last night because I wasn’t there, and I don’t know how these tablets got into my locker. I said I wanted to talk to a lawyer, and I’m not answering any more questions until my lawyer is present.”

“Things will go smoother if you cooperate with us, Theo,” Hamilton said.

“I am cooperating. I allowed you to search my locker, and I’m telling the truth.”