He heard her sharp intake of breath although she tried to mask it. “My brothers are good boys. They have had their scrapes and have done things, like I’m sure most boys have done, but they’ll achieve their dreams too. They have some friends I don’t particularly care for like Justin, but again they need to learn that for themselves. That’s why it is important for me to achieve mine, set the example so to speak.”
Justin? Who was that? “I wasn’t criticizing, Jewel. Just making conversation. You know I work at the youth center, and you also know, I’m sure, too many of our young people commit errors, youthful blunders,” he enunciated the last words, to drive his point home, “that have cost them their futures. Your bothers are nearly eighteen, and again, I’m not trying to insinuate anything, just sharing some wisdom from a man who has seen a lot and lived it.”
He saw Jewel was still upset at what she perceived to be a slight. She obviously wasn’t happy with their turn in their conversation, but she began to relax with his words. But he wondered at her over-reaction and defensiveness. Guilt perhaps?
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it personally. It’s just I have had three years of people giving me their advice where my brothers are concerned. But I’m sorry.” She let out a frustrated sigh, then added, “I know it’s because you care.”
He cleared his throat. But her words were true. He did care. About her. Them. But with the things going on at the casino, and the things he was seeing with his own eyes—her brother’s actions, well, things weren’t adding up and it was scaring the hell out of him. And he wondered what she meant about friends they shouldn’t be associating with. He’d never heard her mention these concerns before. All of that weighed heavily on his mind, plus the fact that he had already misjudged a person whom he thought he loved. He just didn’t want to go down that road again. His trust issues ran too deep to do that again. “I do care. A lot.” His admission came after a long moment of silence as all those thoughts swirled in his mind.
Her sprinkle of laughter as he pulled into the Sea Shack Diner did wonders to lighten the mood. “I love this place,” she clapped her hands in delight and then made quick work of her seatbelt. The tiny shack served great seafood and also had amazing views of the Mystic River. It wasn’t fancy but the atmosphere was charming and rustic, very relaxed. And that was the mood he had been going for. He still was trying to ponder a way to bring up the rash of thefts that was going on at the Casinos. And he needed to ask her about the guy at the Mohegan’s. Was he the Justin she had just mentioned?
“I don’t see your brothers’ truck,” he commented.
She reached inside her purse for her cell phone to call them. “Oh, I have a text from the now.” Her eyes scanned her phone. “It seems Justin showed up to help them unload and he brought them lunch. They are going to eat with him and then finish moving the rest of the stuff.”
She looked up to him. Justin. Who was Justin? He had just been about to ask her about the man they had seen when they left the Mohegan’s. Was it the same guy? If he asked now, it might set a red flag up. He would need to wait.
By the time lunch was served and he hadn’t thought of a way to bring up those topics, he felt lost and like he was running out of time. His nerves were wreaking havoc on him. He thought about the two investigators, the Marinos, sitting in a truck outside getting nothing. He made his choice. He was going to point blank ask her. He was tired of playing cat and mouse. He wasn’t a detective either. “Hey, I wanted to ask you about that guy we saw on our way out of The Mohegan’s the other night. I’ve seen that man before with your brothers at the youth center, but I don’t know his name.”
He saw her tiny fist clutch her napkin and she quickly moved it under the table. “Oh. Him. That’s Justin Sock. The friend I don’t much like.” Her brow was creased.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up. I just didn’t want to say hi to the boys and not include him, you know. And they never seem to get around to making introductions.” He tried to pass it off as manners.
“I didn’t think they hung out with him as much anymore. He got the boys into some trouble last year. Drinking. They bought some booze from a bootlegger.”
He reached for his own napkin. “Not good.” He wondered what other kind of trouble Justin had gotten the boys into. But at least Gio and Nikko had a name now. He hoped they get that off of the pen wire he still had in his pocket.
“Yeah, I know. They . . .,” she paused before finishing her statement, “got arrested.” She was clearly embarrassed by this admission.
Arrested? “I hate to break it to you, but I’ve seen them together a lot lately.” He watched her reaction.