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"John Keller, my resident counselor," he told the cops "John, the police would like to knoe have any information or leads on three kids ere knifed to death don last night I was just telling thesters"
One of the detective took out a notepad "Keller, John Any middle name?"
"Patrick"
He nodded and scribbled that down "Where were you between the hours of ten and eleven PM last night?"
"I was sleeping in my room It’s in the back of the kitchen" The roohly the same size as his quarters at the rectory at St Luke’s, but it was clean and the kids hadn’t yet figured out how to pick the new lock that John had installed on the door
"Alone?" the other detective asked, his expression bored
"Yes, alone" John frowned "May I ask to what these questions pertain?"
"Doesn’t he talk beautiful?" Hurley asked one of the cops "He can do it all fucking day, too"
"We’re trying to establish where everyone was that night, Mr Keller" The first cop nodded toward Hurley "Your boss was also sleeping, alone, in his roohttiht"
The questions continued, with the detectives asking for infor at the Haven Hurley joked and shrugged when they asked for nah to contribute any useful inforht a yaith his hand "You’re sure you have no records on Roland Riegler, Gary O’Donnell, or Lawrence Kunde?"
"I’ll check ain, Officer," Hurley offered, "but they still won’t be there"
"Call us if theyHurley a business card He glanced up at John "Have you anything to add?"
John shook his head
After the detectives left, Hurley dropped the cop’s card into his trash can "Assholes"
"Why did they come here?" John went over to help himself to Hurley’s coffee while it was still in liquid for, he felt he deserved it
"Sandy didn’t tell all?" Hurley clucked his tongue "The kids who got stabbed are , the Bones"
John turned around "You were a skinhead? Before or after you becahed "Man, I couldn’t wait to be a skinhead Anything to give me an excuse to shave this shit off" He shook back his dreadlocks with the practiced aploood choice I had the usual shitty childhood Mywherever I could, and fell in with the Bones They didn’t care about my hair or clothes, and they made me proud to be poof, white, and stupid Took a couple of years of ducking drive-bys, getting Nazi tattoos and rew the Bones and thewith the priesthood I’ine you as a priest, but I have no proble you as a white supremacist," John said blandly "I don’t knohy Perhaps it’s the holdover vocabulary"
Hurley’s grin faded "I take in little shits like the Bones seven days a week, Oreo, but in case you haven’t noticed, I take the rest of the rainbow too Sure, I used to Sieg Heil with the best of theot over it"
"You still don’t think the races should ht with your attitude"
"That’s because the mixed kids are the ones who suffer They don’t knohat they are; they don’t belong anywhere, and no one wants them So yeah, I don’t think we should fuck around with Nature’s palette I thought the Catholics would understand, but they didn’t That doesn’t ht"
John stiffened "Meaning?"
"How long you been passing yourself off as lily white, et too dark, aht? Keep your hair short so no one spots the kink? Talking like you eat Shakespeare and shit Susanna Clarke?" Hurley ht think you’re better than me because you keep your prejudice inside, but we’re the same" He produced a nasty smile "The only difference is, I’ resignation number fourteen as he left Hurley’s office To Whom It May Concern A racist Irishoted as he is Please excusewith people of different skin colors until I can achieve an attitude adjusten Sie"
John looked up at into the dark eyes of the man who had come to the shelter with Cyprien He backed up slowly
"Einen moment, bitte" The man drew a knife and let John see it Then he pointed toward the front of the building "Come with me To the car Now, please, and quiet"