Read Online Close Out by Todd Strasser - Free Book Online

funny?”
    â€œJust nervous babbling,” Bean admitted.
    â€œI’m telling you, dude, there’s nothing to be nervous about,” said Kai.
    They drove a little farther. Kai swept the beam through the woods, looking for the shed.
    â€œYou sure we re on the right road?” Bean asked.
    â€œPretty sure,” Kai answered.
    â€œSeems like we should have found it by now.”
    â€œDon’t forget, last time we came down this road a lot faster,” Kai said. “So it may seem like we’ve been driving longer, but it’s only because we’re going slower. There it is.” Kai held the beam steady on the shed, just barely visible through the trees. “Get as close as you can and stop.”
    A few seconds later Bean stopped the hearse. “You know, something just occurred to me. Up till now I’ve been worried that Goldilocks was gonna nail us while we were stealing his boards.”
    â€œWe’re not stealing,” Kai said. “We’re simply returning the boards to their rightful owner.”
    â€œYeah, okay, Robin Hood, whatever,” Bean said. “But here’s what I just realized. It doesn’t matter whether he catches us in the act or not, because as soon as he discovers the boards are gone, he’s gonna know who took them.”
    â€œNot necessarily,” Kai said. “We don’t know who else he’s shown the boards to. Now come on, let’s do this fast and get out of here.You have the hacksaw and the WD-Forty?”
    â€œOf course,” Bean said. They got out of the hearse. Bean opened the back door and took out the hacksaw and spray can of oil. He and Kai walked through the dark trees toward the shed.
    â€œI understand the hacksaw, but what’s the oil for?” Bean asked.
    â€œCuts down on the noise the saw makes going through metal,” Kai said.
    â€œSometimes you scare me,” Bean said as they made their way around the tree trunks and through the brush.
    â€œWhy’s that?” Kai asked.
    â€œBecause when most people use a hacksaw, they don’t have to worry about how much noise it makes. The only people who have to worry about noise are the ones who are doing something where they don’t want to get caught. Know what I mean? So tell me Kai, where’d you learn this little trick?”
    Kai knew exactly where he’d learned to make a hacksaw work silently About a year before, a store his father had been using was suddenly bolted shut by the landlord for nonpayment of rent. It was one of those rare times when Pat had failed to leave town before thelandlord figured out that he was getting stiffed. Since the store was padlocked with all the shirts, transfers, heat press, and computer still inside, the Alien Frog Beast had had no choice but to break in during the night. The only other option would have been to pay the rent he owed. Which, of course, was out of the question.
    â€œJust something I picked up along the way,” Kai said, taking the hacksaw from Bean and handing him the flashlight. “Shine it on the latch.”
    Bean aimed the flashlight. Kai had no intention of trying to saw through the padlock itself. That was case-hardened steel. It was the latch he was interested in. Especially where it crossed the gap between the old wooden doors. Kai placed the blade of the hacksaw on the latch and started to saw.
    â€œGive it a shot,” he said when the metal screeched. “Just a little.”
    Bean sprayed the oil, and continued to apply it each time the saw began to make noise. Kai sawed steadily. The latch was old and the metal soft. In less than five minutes he’d cut through it. He and Bean pulled open the doors. Bean flashed the light on the boardsand Kai quickly counted. All twelve were still there. Kai felt himself smile. Except for the banana yellow Yater, Curtis was going to get his boards back.
    They carefully pulled the boards out of the shed and piled