"Well, if I'm the source," Matt said, sarcastically, "I can tell you: I never threatened anybody or anything." His heart was beating hard. He recalled a story of Edgar Allan Poe's he'd read in Mr Weinberg's class last semester, The Imp of the Perverse. He said, his mouth twisting again, "And if I had, I wouldn't tell you about it, would I?"
    There was stunned silence. Mr Parrish's assistant shifted uneasily in her chair.
    "Just a joke, o cers," Mr Parrish said. His face was becoming mottled as if with hives. "Matthew means to be funny."
    "Do you think this is 'funny', Matthew? Our conversation?"
    "No, sir."
    "We'd hoped to clear the air, Matthew. Without bringing you to headquarters."
    "OK, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
    "Didn't mean – what?"
    "I didn't mean – the last thing I said."
    "Which was –?"
    They wanted him to speak into the tape recorder, that was it. Anything he said would be, will be, used against him in a court of law. Matt's mouth twitched. It was funny!
    No, this was serious. Matt repeated what he'd said, and added an apology. The detective with the glasses was beginning to dislike him, he could tell. The other detective, younger and thicker bodied, regarded Matt with more sympathy. Or so Matt thought. "Now you're saying you are serious, you are telling the truth, yes? You're not lying now."
    "Yes, sir. I mean – no."
    "You're not lying now?"
    "I wasn't l-lying, no. It was just a dumb joke."
    "Do you consider a bomb threat, a threat to 'massacre' as many people as possible, a 'dumb joke'? Or something more serious?"
    "Look, ask the other guys! They'll tell you."
    "But why would they tell us, Matt, if you won't? If you're all involved in a conspiracy together?"
    "We're not in any conspiracy, we're not. This is all crazy! It's exaggerated! I never said anything like that."
    Mr Rainey said quietly, to Mr Parrish, maybe they should contact the other boys now; and Mr Parrish said, in an undertone, he was hoping to avoid making an issue of this. "You know how upset parents in this district can get."

recall minnas, komma ihåg

semester termin

stunned förbluffad, chockad

shift ändra ställning

uneasily oroligt, ängsligt

mottled (röd- och vit) flammig

hives nässelfeber, hudutslag

clear the air rensa luften

twitch rycka

add lägga till

apology ursäkt

dislike ogilla

regard betrakta, titta på

lie här ljuga

exaggerated överdriven

avoid undvika

issue sak (stor sak)

upset upprörd