“This is Cody. I’m taking care of him for a friend today.”
Cody grinned at Dora as he soaked in the environment, from the dark orange stone tile floor and wood paneling on the walls to the wooden tables and chairs. Modern light fixtures hung from the white beam ceiling. Cody’s eyes grew wide when he finally noticed some of the other patrons eating their meals. “Wow!” he said. “Those are some big burgers!”
“Yeah, they are.”
“I’ll tell Estella you’re here so she can make your favorite,” Dora said, and winked.
“Make that two, but the kid gets a medium without jalapeños.” I asked Cody, “You like onions?”
“Um, no.” His facial expression suggested I should have already known that.
“Ask Estella to hold the onions on the medium order.”
“Medium what?” Cody asked. “I just want a cheeseburger and a milkshake.”
“Trust me. You’ll like what I ordered.” I gestured toward the dining area and told him to go find us a seat.
“Fine,” Cody scanned the room and quickly found us an empty table.
I chatted with Dora for a few minutes while Cody sat at a table in the back corner of the diner, staring out the window. After socializing with the waitress and listening to a story about her son’s Enchanted Rock camping trip with his Boy Scout troop, I went over and sat down with Cody.
“So, what did you order for me?” Cody asked as I sat across from him in a wooden chair. “I thought we were gonna have cheeseburgers and milkshakes.”
“Trust me,” I said again. “You’ll like it.”
Just as I finished making that promise, Dora arrived with our meals on a plastic tray. She set down plates with paper baskets overflowing with seasoned curly fries in front of each of us. She then placed another plate with a very large bacon cheeseburger in front of me. She set a smaller version of the same burger in front of Cody, minus the jalapeños.
“I’ll be right back with your milkshakes.”
“Thanks, Dora.”
Cody lifted the top toasted bun and inspected the contents of his burger. Underneath the bun, he found a quarter pound of Angus beef with a slice of American cheese melted over it, topped with two strips of bacon and smothered in hickory sauce. Lettuce and tomatoes hid underneath the beef patty to compliment the meal. Cody dipped his finger in the sauce and lifted it to his mouth. He dabbed the end of his tongue with the hickory sauce and then licked the rest from his finger with an approving grin.
Estella had made me the king-sized version of the hickory bacon cheeseburger. It had a six-ounce Angus beef patty and jalapeños to give it a nice spicy kick to it, something I’m sure Cody’s body would not have appreciated. On second thought, my own body usually protested my choice of nutrition by the end of the day, but it was usually nothing a couple of Rolaids couldn’t take care of. It had always been well worth the potential heartburn later.
Cody had already eaten more than half of his burger and most of his curly fries by the time Dora delivered our milkshakes, and only a few minutes had passed. I had barely covered a quarter of the territory from my own meal, while the little human vacuum had inhaled his food.
“Wow! You must have been hungry, mi hijito,” Dora observed.
After swallowing another mouthful of his burger, Cody announced, “This is the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had!”
I handed Cody one of the milkshakes. “Told you so,” I reminded him.
Cody’s eyes lit up when he slurped the straw. “Yum! What is this?”
“Chocolate strawberry,” Dora answered. “It’s Aaron’s favorite.” Cody attacked the straw again and inhaled more of the milkshake.
“I’ll let you finish your meals.” Dora smiled and waved to Cody, “Enjoy your lunch, sweetie.”
Cody waved back with the straw still in his mouth. “So, when do I have to go back?” he asked.
“To Saint Hedwig?”
“Yeah.”
“Four o’clock.”
Cody applied ketchup to the remainder of his fries. “Am I gonna have to live there until I’m eighteen, like you did?”
I slurped on the straw of my milkshake and swallowed several gulps to avoid an immediate answer. I had to admit that I didn’t know the answer to his question. It could be a while, unless we could find a family member or a foster family to take custody of him.
“It could be a few weeks or several years,” I said. “It just depends.”
Cody sighed and slouched in his chair.
“Don’t worry, though. I’m sure Miss Jimenez will match you with a nice foster family soon.”
“I don’t want to go back to that stupid place.” He stood up from the table and looked around the restaurant. “Where’s the restroom?”
“Over there, to the right.”
He hadn’t even finished his food. I checked the time and contemplated entertainment options for an eleven-year-old kid. The first thing that popped in my head was Malibu Grand Prix, but then I remembered that the miniature Indy car facility had closed years ago. A used car lot had taken its place. I found an article on my phone, however, that mentioned an indoor go-kart facility which had just opened in April. A video embedded in the article showed helmet camera footage of someone racing one of the electric go-karts.
“What are you watching?” Cody asked over my shoulder when he returned from the restroom.
“Ever raced a go-kart?” I asked, showing him the video.
Cody held the phone and watched the video of the go-kart race. “This looks so cool! I heard about this place at school. You get to race in groups and they keep track of your times online and everything. Are you taking me there?” He handed the phone back to me with anticipation.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “If you think it’ll be any fun.”
“Are you kidding? It’ll be so sick!” Cody grabbed a curly fry and tossed it in his mouth. “Come on, Aaron. We don’t have that much time.”
“All right, all right. Hold your horses.” I finished off the final bite of my burger, grabbed my milkshake, and got up from the table. I pointed to Cody’s shake. “You don’t want to take that?”
He reached past me and took up the cup, sucked up the rest of the beverage with a few gulps, and then placed the cup back on to the table. “I’m done,” he said. “Let’s go.”
Dora waved as Cody and I headed towards the door. “Bye, Aaron!”
“See you later, Dora. I’m taking him to that new go-kart track.”
“Oh, my son loves that place!” To Cody she said, “It was nice meeting you, mi hijito. Have fun!”
“Thanks,” he said. He waved at Dora and pushed the door open with his back. “I can’t wait!”
†
Cody fastened his seatbelt and adjusted his helmet while waiting in a red miniaturized Formula 1 style electric go-kart at the new K1 Speed facility in north Austin. I stood just outside the track. Cody waved at me with a big smile on his face. I lifted my hand in a nonchalant wave back to him and leaned against the metal fencing that lined the track barrier.
After receiving safety instructions and rules of conduct on the track, a K1 Speed official yelled, “Drivers, shields down!” He motioned his hand downward in front of his face, and as soon as the official had determined that all shields were, in fact, down, he pressed a button on a large orange remote. The go-kart engines came to life with an electric hum.
Nine other karts rolled onto the track surface in single file ahead of Cody, who entered the track last in the field of go-karts. The drivers weaved their karts around the track at a slow pace for about twenty seconds until the flagman waved the green flag. With the press of a button, the racers had full use of the twenty horsepower engines, which could push the karts to an advertised top speed of forty-five miles per hour.
I took a seat at one of the many small, metal, round tables that lined the track. Cody trailed the other karts in last place for the first couple of laps. He waved at me as he drove down the front straightaway and nea
rly lost control of the go-kart going into the first turn. After that incident, Cody focused on the race, and finally overtook two other karts during the fourth of fourteen laps.
My phone vibrated as Cody sped past in a group of three karts.
The leading kart slid into a spin going into the turn, collecting both Cody and the other driver. One of the track officials waved a yellow flag to warn other drivers of the obstacle. Two karts drove by and then the three karts involved in the scuffle backed up, straightened themselves on the track, and continued racing. Cody managed to pull out in front of the other two.
My phone vibrated again, so I glanced at the screen. I tilted my head back, realizing that Detective Riley had just left a message.
“What the hell does he want?” I said to myself. I could barely hear myself speak the words over the high-pitched electric engines and squealing tires. I ignored the call and scanned the race track to find Cody. He slid across the track going into the front straightaway and nearly slapped the wall, but he managed to pull ahead of a young man racing him for position. My phone vibrated again. I sighed and checked the screen. It was Riley.
“Son of a…” I mouthed and entered the facility lounge area where I could still see the track. Black leather couches lined one side of the lounge. The couches faced each other, with coffee tables made out of Firestone racing tires set between them. Flat screen high definition televisions overlooked the chairs. Some of the televisions showed a baseball game, while other monitors showed live race stats of the current drivers on the track.
“This had better be good, Riley,” I said into the phone. One of the scoring monitors showed Cody holding the fifth place spot with a best lap time of 27.987 seconds.
“I’m sorry to call you while you’re on vacation, but I thought you’d want to know that Jackson Smith’s parents are suing. They listed you as the main plaintiff. They’re claiming wrongful death.”
“Hold on a second.” I left the lobby full of customers and stepped outside into the parking lot where a few people smoked cigarettes out of earshot.
“You there?” Riley asked.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“I think you should probably come in and—”
“Chief Hernandez can take care of things while I’m on this mandatory leave. If the Smiths want to serve me, then let them. I have a few things about Jackson’s dad that I think the courts would be interested in hearing.”
“Are you still on the Sumner case? I thought it was closed.”
I lowered my phone to my waist and rubbed my free hand over my face. I could still hear Riley talking. I lifted the phone back to my ear and said, “Listen to me, Riley. You’re the reason I’m not there. You put me in this position. So, I don’t want to hear from you or anybody else from APD until I get back. Understood?”
“But if the chief finds out that you’re—”
“Goodbye, Riley.” I ended the call and slipped the phone back in my pocket. I took a deep breath and checked the scoring monitor when I got back inside. Cody had moved up to third place. I didn’t see any more karts racing on the track, so I must have missed the end of the race.
I spotted Cody entering the lobby from the pit area. He ran up to me and yelled, “That was so cool! You’ve got to try it!” He grabbed my arm. “Come on, there’s another race in a few minutes.”
“Maybe next time. I’ll buy you another one, but then we have to get going.”
“Oh, come on! You’ve got try it.”
As much as I actually did want to try out the go-karts, I wasn’t ready to spend forty dollars for us to race fourteen laps. I pulled a twenty from my wallet and offered it to Cody.
“But…” Cody eyed the bill as if deciding if he wanted to take it or not. He finally grabbed the money and sighed through flapping lips of disappointment. The pre-teen sauntered over to the ticket counter to purchase another race. He pointed back to me when he handed the clerk the twenty. I nodded acknowledgement that the boy was with me.
After escorting Cody to the pits for his second and final go-kart race, I purchased a soda and found an empty seat in the lobby. The pending wrongful death lawsuit made my stomach sour. I closed my eyes for a moment while listening to the environment around me: a blend of several conversations from patrons and staff, a plastic puck bouncing back and forth on an air hockey table, the play-by-play commentary of a baseball game on the television, and ten go-karts racing around the indoor track.
I checked the time and sent a text message to Cody’s social worker: At K1 Speed with Cody. We’ll be at St. Hedwig by four.
Miss Jimenez responded: Already here. Just head straight to Mr. Hadley’s office when you get here.
K. See you in a bit, I responded and then sent another message: Do you have plans for dinner?
Again, I never received a response.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Bully
Cody and I entered Mr. Hadley’s office twenty minutes after our scheduled four o’clock appointment. Mr. Hadley rocked in his chair with arms crossed and a furrowed brow. Maria leaned against the wall on the director’s left. What I didn’t expect to see was a dark-headed teenager seated in a chair across from Mr. Hadley. The boy was upset about something and glared at Cody as we went in.
“What’s Joseph doing here?” Cody asked, returning the teen’s glare.
“Have a seat,” Mr. Hadley instructed. He directed his attention towards me. “I trust you and Cody had adequate time to communicate today.”
“What do you plan to do about the bullying going on here?” I asked, ignoring the director’s question. “And what about your staff? Why aren’t they properly supervising the kids?”
Cody dragged the chair a few feet away from Joseph and twitched in pain. He held his side and eased his way into the chair.
“Detective Sanders, my staff can—”
“Who was in charge of watching the boys when that kid cracked Cody’s ribs?” I jerked my head towards Joseph. “And what are you going to do about—?”
Mr. Hadley rose from his chair with both hands on his desk. “I am more than capable of handling this situation, Detective, and before you resort to making unfounded accusations about the competency of my staff, I believe it would behoove you to hear what Joseph has to say.”
I glanced at Maria and then turned to Joseph. “Fine. I’m all ears.”
“I’m sorry,” Joseph said. And that’s all he said.
“That’s it? That’s what you wanted me to hear?”
“Joseph, tell Mr. Sanders what you told me.” The director rested back into his chair and reached for his coffee mug.
“Ever since Cody came here, I’ve been…” Joseph glanced at Cody and hesitated.
“You’ve been what?” I pressed.
Joseph shifted his eyes towards the director and then lifted them up to me. “I’ve been having nightmares.”
“Nightmares,” I said. “So, you thought beating up a kid smaller than you would make you feel better?”
“No, I…” He glanced at Cody, who glared back at him with disdain. “He… he really creeps me out.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled, frustrated and impatient. “Are we going somewhere with this? Because it sounds to me like you just don’t want to take responsibility for your actions.”
“I keep having the same dream over and over,” Joseph said. He pointed to Cody. “He kills everyone.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s the same thing every night,” Joseph pressed. “I wake up in my dream and everybody is gone. Everyone. Then I hear voices coming from the chapel.” He swallowed. His lips quivered.
“Go on, Joseph,” Mr. Hadley encouraged.
“I… I open the doors to the chapel and all of the candles are lit. Mr. Hadley… he’s hanging from the cross, and everyone else is dead. There’s so much blood!”
“It was a dream,” I said, not certain if I believed my own words. “Doesn’t give you the right to—”
“I hear Cody laughing behind me, and when I turn around he sticks a crucifix in my chest and then keeps stabbing me. That’s when I wake up… but the other day…” Joseph hesitated and continued, “The other day, when I woke up… Cody was standing by my bed holding the crucifix.”
“That’s a lie!” Cody yelled. “You know I can’t leave my room. They lock the doors at bedtime. You just like picking on me because I’m smaller than you. And I’m not the only one either.”
“You were in my room, you freak!”
“Go to hell!” Cody yelled back and doubled over in pain.
“All right, that’s enough!” Mr. Hadley intervened.
Miss Jimenez rushed up to Cody. “Are you okay?”
“No!” Tears flowed from the boy’s eyes. “It hurts bad.”
“I’ve got his meds in the car.” I said and then shot Joseph an angry glare. “We’re not done here.”
I rushed outside to get Cody’s prescription pain killers. The receptionist found a bottle of water for me in the kitchen. Cody was still moaning in pain when I made it back to Mr. Hadley’s office.
Maria read the instructions on the white prescription label and then twisted off the cap. She tapped two white pills out of the small orange plastic capsule onto the boy’s palm and then motioned for the water.
“You’ll feel better after you take these,” Maria said as I handed her the water. “I’ve taken these before. They’ll knock you out and—”
“No.” Cody’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to go to sleep.”
“You have to get some rest,” Maria said. “You can’t stay awake all night.”
“But…” Cody said with pleading eyes.
“It’ll be okay, Cody.”
“But…” He sighed and surrendered. “Fine.” He stared at the pills for a moment before washing them down with a couple of gulps.
Maria placed her hand on my forearm and said, “I’m going to take him to his room.”
“All right.” I placed my hand over the spot where Maria had touched my arm. She helped Cody up while he moaned in pain, and led him out of Mr. Hadley’s office.
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