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There was nothing to say to that, so Will didn’t even try. The less he said, the better.

The cop made a derisive sound. “Still not really a talker, huh?”

“Guess not.”

“Well then, I’ll get straight to it,” Gary said. “Where were you last Tuesday night?”

“At home, asleep.”

“And that is?” He probed.

“Orange Grove Park.”

They were coming slowly up to it now. He watched Gary’s attention swivel to the faded sign, and put together that where he’d picked Will up had been farther from his work.

“And what were you doin’ out that way, if you live here and work down the road?”

“Was returnin’ a book before work.” It came out before Will even thought it through. If Gary put in the legwork, he could double-check that story and find out that Will hadn’t returned anything. Will was hoping he wouldn’t go that far.

Gary hadn’t been his lead bully in high school; he’d always been more like one of the guys who band wagoned. Lazy and uncreative, he’d harassed Will only when he was an easy target. He’d been quick to give up too, when Will had started swinging back.

Will couldn’t swing back now though.

“I see,” Gary said, like he didn’t believe that at all. “You know anything about what’s been going on at the construction site?”

“Just the rumors,” Will said.

“And what’re those?”

Will shrugged. “Someone’s been messin’ with stuff over there.”

“Any thoughts as to who’s been messin’?”

“Nope.”

He felt Gary’s irritation as they began nearing Farmer’s Grocery. The man’s fingers tapped on the steering wheel. “If you know something or are involved, it’s not gonna end well for you. It’s better you confess now.”

Will could see the shape of the grocery store coming into view. He took a slow breath, let it out.

“Because if I find out it was you,” Gary had dropped his voice as he pulled off the road and into the lot, “high school is gonna seem like a dream cruise in comparison to what’ll happen to you now. The XOM guys are real fuckin’ serious about this development.”

The car stopped in one of the far spots. Gary turned to look at him, and Will finally made himself face him.

For a moment, Will considered just silently getting out of the car.

But then he thought about Itori. About the way all the cops had stood up on that stage at the Town Hall, in opposition of them.

He needed to at least try.

“You know, the side of your car says ‘to protect and serve,’” Will said, and watched surprise flicker over Gary’s face. Will had never chosen to speak up before, especially not to men like Gary. “I know you and I ain’t ever seen eye to eye, but you took an oath to this community, to us folks who live here. You shouldn’t be lickin’ the boots of suits who don’t belong here.”

Gary’s face did a sequence of things then, moving from surprise to anger to embarrassment and back to anger.

“I enforce the law,” he landed on, face contorted in a sneer.

Will wondered if Gary wanted to swing on him, or if he’d decide here shortly that the back of the cop car was a better place for Will. He looked angry enough.

“Whose laws?” Will challenged, because he was already in it now. “Because I’ve also heard that XOM might be breaking a whole lot of environmental pollution laws on that land. Any interest in investigating those?”