Read Online Boys Against Girls by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - Free Book Online
Authors: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Ads: Link
clanging like a four-alarm fire. An alarm she could hear all the way down the street.
Her sides hurt from running, but Caroline did not stop until she was on the road bridge leading to Island Avenue. Then she looked around. A police car was racing down Main Street, siren wailing. It began to slow as it neared Oldakers’ Bookstore, and finally came to a stop.
Caroline turned and ran on home. She walked in just as Mother was saying, “Where's Caroline?” and then her father's voice, “Well, something's going on downtown. Listen to that siren¡ Better not be any of the fellas on my team getting hurt before the big game.”
“Dinner ready?” Caroline said casually, leaving the screwdriver and flashlight in the closet along with her jacket, and walking into the dining room. She exchanged quick smiles with Beth and Eddie.
“Yes. Wash your hands and get the salad,” said Mother.
Fifteen
Abaguchie?
W ally felt sick. He left the dinner table and went upstairs to his room, lying across his bed on his stomach, listening to the wail of the siren in the distance.
GIRL FOUND DEAD IN CELLAR OF BOOKSTORE. He could See the headlines even now. GIRL TRAPPED IN CELLAR SUFFOCATES . The possibilities were unlimited, BOY CHARGED WITH MURDER . BOYS ’ PRANKS COST GIRL ' S LIFE . HATFORD BOY GETS LIFE SENTENCE . Wally moaned.
The noise of the police siren stopped. Now they were discovering the body. Now they were loading it into an ambulance. Now they were unclenching the fingers of the dead girl, and there was a folded piece of paper with only three words: Wally did it.
Jake and Josh came upstairs next and sat down silently on the edge of Wally's bed.
“You know what happened, I'll bet?” said Jake.“Somebody saw her trying to get out of Oldakers’ and thought she was trying to rob it and shot her.”
“Shut up!” said Wally. “Just shut up.”
Peter appeared in the doorway. “Maybe the abaguchie got her’ he said, his face sober.
“Listen, that siren might not have anything to do with Caroline at all. She probably crawled out and left as soon as we went home’ said Josh.
“Then why did Eddie call here and wonder if I'd seen her?” Wally asked.
“Oh. Right’ said Josh.
“Maybe the abaguchie ate her up’ said Peter.
“Shut up!” Wally said again. “If you guys can't say anything helpful, don't say anything at all.”
Mother's voice sounded below in the hallway: “Are you boys all through eating? I swear, isn't anyone hungry tonight?”
“I'm all done, Mom,” Wally called.
“Me too,” said Josh and Jake together.
“I'm having dessert!” Peter announced, and went on back downstairs.
“We could be in big, big trouble,” said Wally.
“Maybe we ought to walk over to the police station and turn ourselves in,” said Josh.
The boys looked at each other. Somehow it seemed the only sensible thing to do. Just explain exactly what had happened before the sheriff came looking.
They went downstairs. “We're going to walk into town and see what's happening, Mom’ said Jake.
“Now, don't you boys get to fooling around and waste the whole evening,” she said. “I want your homework done before nine o'clock.”
“Be right back’ Jake told her.
Wally said nothing. He was thinking how their last words to her would be “Be right back’ and twenty years later they'd get out of prison.
They put on their jackets and went outside, where the wind was even colder than they had remembered. As they walked toward the business district, they could see the light on the police cruiser going around and around.
Wally kept listening for the sound of an ambulance. The sound of an ambulance would mean that Caroline was still alive and they were rushing her to a hospital. No ambulance meant that she was dead when they found her, and they were just waiting for the coroner to get there. Why did the Malloys have to move to Buckman anyway? Life was so easy and simple before they came¡
He had to get
Her sides hurt from running, but Caroline did not stop until she was on the road bridge leading to Island Avenue. Then she looked around. A police car was racing down Main Street, siren wailing. It began to slow as it neared Oldakers’ Bookstore, and finally came to a stop.
Caroline turned and ran on home. She walked in just as Mother was saying, “Where's Caroline?” and then her father's voice, “Well, something's going on downtown. Listen to that siren¡ Better not be any of the fellas on my team getting hurt before the big game.”
“Dinner ready?” Caroline said casually, leaving the screwdriver and flashlight in the closet along with her jacket, and walking into the dining room. She exchanged quick smiles with Beth and Eddie.
“Yes. Wash your hands and get the salad,” said Mother.
Fifteen
Abaguchie?
W ally felt sick. He left the dinner table and went upstairs to his room, lying across his bed on his stomach, listening to the wail of the siren in the distance.
GIRL FOUND DEAD IN CELLAR OF BOOKSTORE. He could See the headlines even now. GIRL TRAPPED IN CELLAR SUFFOCATES . The possibilities were unlimited, BOY CHARGED WITH MURDER . BOYS ’ PRANKS COST GIRL ' S LIFE . HATFORD BOY GETS LIFE SENTENCE . Wally moaned.
The noise of the police siren stopped. Now they were discovering the body. Now they were loading it into an ambulance. Now they were unclenching the fingers of the dead girl, and there was a folded piece of paper with only three words: Wally did it.
Jake and Josh came upstairs next and sat down silently on the edge of Wally's bed.
“You know what happened, I'll bet?” said Jake.“Somebody saw her trying to get out of Oldakers’ and thought she was trying to rob it and shot her.”
“Shut up!” said Wally. “Just shut up.”
Peter appeared in the doorway. “Maybe the abaguchie got her’ he said, his face sober.
“Listen, that siren might not have anything to do with Caroline at all. She probably crawled out and left as soon as we went home’ said Josh.
“Then why did Eddie call here and wonder if I'd seen her?” Wally asked.
“Oh. Right’ said Josh.
“Maybe the abaguchie ate her up’ said Peter.
“Shut up!” Wally said again. “If you guys can't say anything helpful, don't say anything at all.”
Mother's voice sounded below in the hallway: “Are you boys all through eating? I swear, isn't anyone hungry tonight?”
“I'm all done, Mom,” Wally called.
“Me too,” said Josh and Jake together.
“I'm having dessert!” Peter announced, and went on back downstairs.
“We could be in big, big trouble,” said Wally.
“Maybe we ought to walk over to the police station and turn ourselves in,” said Josh.
The boys looked at each other. Somehow it seemed the only sensible thing to do. Just explain exactly what had happened before the sheriff came looking.
They went downstairs. “We're going to walk into town and see what's happening, Mom’ said Jake.
“Now, don't you boys get to fooling around and waste the whole evening,” she said. “I want your homework done before nine o'clock.”
“Be right back’ Jake told her.
Wally said nothing. He was thinking how their last words to her would be “Be right back’ and twenty years later they'd get out of prison.
They put on their jackets and went outside, where the wind was even colder than they had remembered. As they walked toward the business district, they could see the light on the police cruiser going around and around.
Wally kept listening for the sound of an ambulance. The sound of an ambulance would mean that Caroline was still alive and they were rushing her to a hospital. No ambulance meant that she was dead when they found her, and they were just waiting for the coroner to get there. Why did the Malloys have to move to Buckman anyway? Life was so easy and simple before they came¡
He had to get
Similar Books
