Cracker Jack

The sun reflected off of the snow so brightly that I had to squint my eyes as I ran. I was in a rush; there was no time to waste at all. God only knew how Jack would hold up in interrogation. The worst part was, I knew that he would never admit that he wasn't the one at fault.

I didn't need a martyr. But apparently I had one.

Without even thinking about it, I banged my fist against the Mercer's front door. I couldn't hide my shock when Evelyn appeared.

"Hayley, what is it? Shouldn't you be in school?"

I froze. Nobody had even called her yet to tell her that Jack was in police custody? I tried to look past her.

"Is Bobby home?"

As I was looking, Angel appeared at the top of the stairs. When he saw me, he hurried up behind Evelyn. Evelyn, however, seemed to have no interest in letting him get by her.

"No, Bobby isn't in right now. He got a phone call about fifteen minutes ago and he left in a hurry. He said he would be back in a couple of hours. Why? Where's Jack?"

Of course. Jack had called Bobby. I should have seen that one coming. I looked up at Angel.

"Sorry for coming over," I was speaking to Evelyn, though my gaze still rested on Angel's tense features. "I was worried about something, but I think Bobby might already know about it. I'll just go now. Sorry, again, for bothering you."

"You just wait one minute, Hayley," Evelyn stopped me. "Tell me what's going on right now."

Reluctantly, I turned back to face her. "I'm not even totally sure what's going on. But I'm going to find out."

Angel stepped past his mother. "I'll go with her."

Evelyn reached for her down jacket. "Maybe we should all go."

I shot Angel a torn look. I knew that Evelyn would find out eventually, but I was scared. If she knew what Jack had done for me, she might not want me around anymore. And losing Jack was the worst punishment I could imagine.

"Stay here, Mom. I'll bring everyone home safe," Angel assured her. He hurried out of the doorway and took me by the elbow. "What aren't you telling me, Grove?" He uttered. He didn't sound angry, but he definitely didn't sound happy either.

"We have to get to the police station. Now."

"The cops are involved?"

I swallowed. "Yeah. But Jack's innocent. He was trying to protect me."

"And why, exactly, would he do that?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I tried everything I could to stop him."

Angel sighed and ushered me into the front seat of Evelyn's minivan. He must have grabbed the keys on his way out the door. Soon enough, he was pulling into the street and heading toward the police station. I tried to keep myself calm and rational, but soon enough I was telling him everything that had happened over the past few days. Angel listened patiently until I was finished babbling.

"And then he told me to go and find Bobby, but he must have used his one phone call to tell him where he was before I got there."

"So you're the one that stole the car, but he drove the last little bit on the trip home? God damn it, Jackie," he cursed. "You idiot. He brought this all on himself, you know. You couldn't have done anything."

"But I did it! I even tried to explain it to the cops, but they wouldn't listen. Whoever came forward as an eyewitness said that they only saw Jack getting out of the car."

Angel pulled the minivan to a stop in front of the local police station. "You confessing didn't really help, Hayley. I know the cops around here almost as well as I know Bobby. They're not looking for the truth, they're looking for the quickest way to get home for dinner. If Jack looks even remotely guilty, that's what they're going to go with. Involving you would only make more work for them."

"That's such bullshit!"

He gave me a tight smile. "The cops here are more corrupt than the criminals. It's life."

I opened the passenger door and got out into the cold. I didn't even notice if Angel was following me as I marched into the police station. As soon as I was inside, I heard a familiar voice.

"No, I'm here to see my little brother, and that's exactly what I intend to do. Even if I have to bust that door down!"

"Mr. Mercer," a tired woman behind the counter tried to reason with him. "The interrogation process isn't finished yet. You'll be able to see him soon enough."

"Bobby," I walked up behind him quickly.

He spun around. He didn't look surprised to see me. The only thing that seemed to get his attention was the fact that Angel was with me.

"What's going on here?" He demanded. "Jack called me and said he was in jail; can anyone shed any light on this situation?"

Angel calmly beckoned him away from the receptionist's desk. "I'll explain everything. The kid didn't do anything," his voice dropped to prevent them from being overheard. "At most, he was an accomplice. They know who really did it, but they don't have any proof. So they don't want to waste any time on it. It's easier for them to blame Jack."

Bobby looked over at me sharply. "This has something to do with you, doesn't it?"

I nodded.

"And this is why you were shocked he was only grounded for a couple of weeks, isn't it?"

Again, I nodded. "I tried to stop him. I tried to stop him from coming with me, and I tried to stop him from taking the blame. He wouldn't listen to me."

"Of course he wouldn't. That kid is more stubborn than Jerry's girl. Now what the hell do we do? If he gives them a confession, he's fucked."

I gaped at Bobby. "But... he's already done that."

Bobby whipped around. "What are you talking about?"

"He told them that he did it. He said it so that they wouldn't listen when I said that I did it."

"Fuck! It doesn't do any good to save the girl. Ever. Then she stays on the outside and goes after some other guy while you rot behind bars. Nobody taught Jack anything before, did they?"

"Hey!" I felt my muscles tense with sudden fury. "I didn't ask to be saved, alright? I didn't want this to happen. And what the hell do you mean by all of that? What makes you think that there's anything going on between me and Jack?"

Bobby ran a hand through his slick hair. "Oh please. He's a nice kid, but he's not going to put his neck on the chopping block for just anyone. That's not really the issue here. I'd like to think that I know Jack by now. He's alone and he's scared in there."

"Bobby," Angel looked meaningfully at his older brother. "You remember Green? He's on the force now."

Bobby took a moment to think. "Yeah, I used to play hockey with him. He was a good guy. How the hell did he wind up on that side of the law?"

"He didn't exactly start out like we did. Anyways, you were cool with him. Maybe he would help us out. It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

We all looked back at the receptionist, who was now sorting through some files on her desk. Or, at least, she was pretending to. Her eyes flickered back at us every few seconds, as if she knew that her life would be hell until we left.

But we weren't leaving without Jack.

Bobby strode back over to the desk and flashed the woman a smile. "Excuse me, miss?" His voice was friendly and polite. I couldn't remember ever hearing him speak like that. He could have been charming, if he'd ever wanted to be.

She looked up at him and her eyes showed her exasperation. "I've already explained to you, sir, I can't let you in there."

"Oh, no, I wasn't going to waste your time with that again," Bobby laughed lightly. "I was just thinking about an old friend, that's all. His name is Green. Is he on duty today?"

She appeared puzzled by the change of subject. Clearly, the woman wasn't stupid. She knew that we weren't really there to see Green. Nevertheless, she kept up her side of the conversation. "Actually, yes. He is on duty."

"Is he out on the streets, or does he have a cushy desk job these days? It doesn't really matter, I guess. I was just wondering if I could make an appointment to see him sometime. Maybe I can chat with him about how to clean up the streets we grew up on. Or maybe I can just see if I can still kick his ass in a pickup game of hockey."

The receptionist stared at Bobby cautiously while she picked up her phone and dialed an extension number. "One moment," she said to Bobby.

"Of course," Bobby smiled again. "Take all the time you need." He turned his back to her and leaned against her desk, shoving his hands deep into his coat pockets. His cocky smirk toward Angel and I told me that he was certain that things were about to improve. I didn't know Green, but if Bobby was willing to trust him, then I had to give him a shot.

The woman spoke in a low voice so that none of us could overhear, and she looked rather disappointed as she hung up the phone. "He'll be down momentarily to see you."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Bobby said over his shoulder before straightening and walking back to where we were still standing. By the look on his face, I knew that he was thrilled. After all the times that the Detroit police department had fucked him over, he finally had one of their own that might sympathize with him. It seemed like we had a good shot of saving Jack.

I felt a sickening wave of anxiety. I grabbed Bobby by the sleeve of his brown leather jacket and led him a few feet away from Angel. "When we get Jack back, go easy on him."

Bobby snorted. "Believe me, I know what it's like to go back to that house after a run-in with the cops. I couldn't be too rough on the little fairy."

"No, I'm serious, Bobby. Jack isn't like you. He didn't wind up in Evelyn's care because he was going to kill someone. He's not a criminal."

Bobby's eyes softened. "I know. Ma told me before Jack even came here. That's why I came home. No kid deserves that.I figured maybe he could use an older brother. I guess I haven't really taken the time to look out for him."

"You might be a fucked up family, but you're still a family. Since you came around, Jack finally started to see Evelyn's place as his home."

"Bobby Mercer," a lighthearted voice came from behind me. "I have to say, it's a shock to see you roaming these parts again."

Bobby took the other man's hand in greeting, seeming to forget out conversation. "Green, it's always good to see you. But I'd be lying if I said that I came here to bullshit with you about the old days. I was wondering if you've met my newest brother. Some of your boys have got him in here for something that he didn't do. And I've got a witness that agrees with me."

My instincts were running wild. Everything within me wanted to flee before Bobby could throw me under the bus, but I was immobile. I knew that I had to do whatever it took to clear Jack's name.

Bobby might have believed that it was pointless to save the girl, but what if the girl had the chance to save the guy?