Jesse nodded and looked at their mother.

"Don't you talk to them," she said.

"You don't want them talked to, what'd you bring them for?"

"I wanted them to learn that the system does work. That they have parents who will stand up to it and make it work. That police brutality is unacceptable."

"You feel the same way?" Jesse said to Charles Hopkins.

"I feel my sons were badly treated," Hopkins said.

"I want to see justice done."

"How 'bout you, Jencks?"

"I haven't decided what I'm here for yet," Jencks said.

"I'm listening."

Jesse leaned back in his chair a little farther. Petrocelli seemed almost asleep. He had one elbow on the edge of Jesse's desk and was resting his chin on his fist. He didn't appear to be looking at anything. Jesse surveyed the parents. Charles Hopkins wore a good suit and tie. He was a slim unathletic-looking man, who parted his hair low on the left side and swooped it up over his bald spot. His wife was just overweight enough to make her chic business suit ride a little at the hips. She had a lot of blond hair and considerable eye V shadow and a hard mouth. Snapper's father was a big man with f square hands and a crew cut. His neck was thick. He wore desert boots and khaki pants and a white short-sleeved dress shirt open at the neck. His forearms were muscular.

"So what have you guys learned so far?" Jesse said.

"That you can't push us around and get away with it," Earl said.

"That's what I learned too," Robbie said.

Jesse looked at the parents.

"Good enough?" he said.

"No," Kay Hopkins said.

"I demand that you apologize to these boys."

"Mrs. Hopkins," Fogarty said and put a hand out as if to keep her at bay.

"We hired you, Fogarty," Kay Hopkins said.

"You didn't hire us.

I'll talk when I want to talk."

"Mrs. Hopkins, as your attorney..."

"Oh be quiet. Stone, are you ready to apologize?"

"I'm ready to talk," Jesse said.

"As soon as it's my turn."

"I'd like to hear him," Carleton Jencks said.

His voice was deep, and there was authority in it.

"Anyone else got anything else to say?" Jesse said.

"I don't want to cut you off."

He looked over the group. No one else spoke. Outside the office windows, it was dark.

"Okay, here's what I know. I know that there were two perfectly nice guys living a perfectly nice life in a perfectly nice house, and these three kids burned it down for the hell of it."

"You can't prove that," Kay said.

"Didn't say I could," Jesse answered.

"Said I know it. Robbie told me."

Jesse reached across his desk and punched up the tape recorder.

"No." It was clearly Robbie's voice.

"No. I wasn't even in the house. I was outside watching chickiefor the cops."

"Oh? So who set the fire?" Jesse's voice sounded calm.

"I don't know. I wasn't even in there. Earl had the gas can."

"You're trying to tell me that he was in there with Snapper?"

"Snapper told us he found an open window at the fag house and he'd been in there and tagged the walls in the living room. Earl stole the gas from my dad, for the power mower, and him and Snapper told me to watch for the cops, and they went in the house."

"Through the window?"

"No, Snapper left the door unlocked."

"And you went in and torched the place."

"No." The sound of panic in Robbie's voice was oppressive in the crowded room.

"No, I didn't. Snapper and Earl torched it."

Jesse reached over and shut off the tape recorder.

"Fucking squealer," Snapper said.

"He's lying," Earl said.

"Brat."

Carleton Jencks put a hand on his son's knee.

"We're here to listen, son," his voice rumbled softly.

"Not to talk."

"That's not admissible evidence," Kay Hopkins said.

"You intimidated him into saying it."

"Kay," Fogarty said.

"Shut up," Kay said.

"You weren't in the house?" Jesse said to Earl.

"No."

Jesse sighed and ran the tape fast forward and punched PLAY.

"Snapper made me do it." Earl's voice said. It was shaky as if he'd been crying.

"We went in the house just to look around and then we got in there, and Snapper made me help him."

"Stop it," Kay Hopkins said.

"Stop the tape."

Jesse punched STOP. Kay Hopkins was pale, and there was a small tremor in her shoulders. Beside Jesse, Nick Petrocelli had his feet up on the windowsill. His eyes were closed.

"I didn't say that," Earl said.

"You did too, liar," Robbie said.

"You're the liar," Earl said.

Kay Hopkins turned and slapped the son that was nearest. It was Earl. His eyes filled and his face reddened.

"Kay," her husband said.

"You bastards," she said to her sons, "see what you make me do?

Do you like seeing me like this?"