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"Did Anson take your father’s advice and go to the police?"

Allison raised her chin slightly, as though proud of her juvenile delinquent boyfriend "It was really hard, but he illing to own up to what he’d done Dad called his attorney friend and then he drove Anson to the sheriff’s department"

"Barry Creech?" Cecilia asked She knew the attorney was a client of Mr Cox’s and that seeuess

"Yes" Allison twisted the tissue in her fingers "Dad said Mr Creech specializes in juvenile offenses and he’d kno to handle this"

Cecilia had assuhteen, but when she hteen next month, and ere afraid the court would want to try hi heavily, she gave Cecilia a weak smile "I know you don’t like Anson"

"It isn’t that I don’t like hi about hiood person He hasn’t had an easy life, you know His et into it about his et into it, either Abe Lincoln had a hard life, too, but he didn’t go around co crimes "Does Anson have a police record?"

"No," Allison said irritably, which suggested this was a question she’d answeredlike this before"

In other words, he’d never gotten caught "What did Mr Creech advise hi Dad did, that Anson should turn himself in to the authorities He met Anson and talked to his mother, and she said he’s on his own" Allison’s pretty face tightened in a scowl "Dad o to court with Anson The judge has to accept the plea agreement Mr Creech worked out with the prosecutor He has to" Her eyes brimmed with tears "His own mother won’t even be in court with hi voice, "so Mr Creech was able to get a plea agreement with the prosecutor"

Allison dabbed at her eyes with the shredded tissue "Yes, and Dad says it’s a good one Mr Creech got the prosecutor to try Anson as a juvenile Thatas he ain"

Cecilia wasn’t convinced that keeping his record clean was necessarily a good thing She just hoped Anson appreciated everything Mr Cox and Allison were doing for hireed to let Anson do community service hours, plus he has to pay restitution, stay in school and graduate on ti to pay restitution" She tried to figure out exactly what kind of otten into

"Dad helped him there, too," Allison said with such pride her eyes shone "The Gundersons own The Lighthouse restaurant, and Dad knows Mrs Gunderson from when she worked at the bank He called her, and she said they needed a dishwasher and they’d be willing to hire Anson It’s only e, but Mr Gunderson said if Anson worked hard and proved hi him for other positions when they become available"

"Great"

"Anson’s really excited He doesn’t have a car or anything, but he’s willing to take the bus"

That sounded like a big concession on Anson’s part, Cecilia thought cynically Still this was a light sentence; having to get a job and do a few community service hours didn’t see else?"

Allison put the sodden tissue in her pocket "He has to stay out of trouble for a year, co the court ordered and the fire won’t appear on his record"

Fire The word didn’t escape Cecilia’s notice So Anson had started a fire There’d been a piece in The Chronicle recently about the tool shed at the co to the article, it had been the act of an arsonist Cecilia wondered if that was Anson’s handiwork, and guessed it was

"Why are you so worried now?" Cecilia asked As far as she could see, Mr Cox had practically held the boy’s hand through this entire process

"The judge has to agree to everything the prosecution suggests and…" Allison looked up, and e doesn’t, then Anson will go to jail And…and--" she began to sob "--Dad said, after today, I can’t see hi Mr Cox had done None of this was any of Cecilia’s business, but she didn’t want Allison getting mixed up with a boy so obviously bent on self-destruction She’dup and, thanks to her own instinct for self-preservation, had steered clear of them

"Dad said Anson could stop by and talk to me for a few minutes after court this afternoon, and then that’s it We can’t see each other again until Anson’s fulfilled his obligations"

"Did he agree to that?"

Allison sed hard "No"

"No!" Cecilia was outraged