Read Online Counterfeit Son by Elaine Marie Alphin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elaine Marie Alphin
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when they get home." Calling them that still felt strange in his mouth.
Diana drummed her fingers on the table. "They thought he'd killed you, and a lot of the other boys, but I don't think they could prove it."
"So what did he go to jail for?"
"For something else, another boy." She sighed. "I'm not sure, I only know that he was involved with Hank Miller."
He sure was,
Cameron thought, remembering the man Pop had called Cougar. He was hardly a man, really. He wasn't much more than a boy himself.
"You want to find out more?" she asked abruptly.
He looked at her "How?"
A slow smile crossed her face. "Dad took the paper before I could finish the article, but I know where we can find out about him."
"Where?" He needed to know, he realized suddenly. Pop was gone, but Cougar was apparently still alive. Deep inside, Cameron couldn't help wishing it were the other way around.
She stood up. "The library. They won't have just today's paper, they'll have the papers from when the guy was arrested, too."
"Would Mom take us?" he asked.
Diana laughed. "You don't think I wait to go to the library until Mom's around, do you? She sure doesn't stay home on weekdays for Stevie and me! I just bike over whenever I want a new book." She measured him with her eyes. "You're small enough to use Stevie's new bike. Don't worry—it'll just be for today. I'm sure Mom and Dad will get you a new one. I can't imagine why Mom didn't buy you one when you went shopping."
Cameron ignored the edge in her voice and followed her to the garage, more worried about how he was going to explain his inability to ride a bike. All kids knew how to ride bikes. Could he get away with blaming this on the amnesia?
9. Cougar
Cameron stared dubiously at the green-and-black bike Diana had wheeled up to him.
She returned with a turquoise racing bike and laughed at him. "Come on, surely you haven't forgotten how to ride a bike?"
"I haven't ridden one for a long time," he said. He took a deep breath, threw one leg over the seat, and rested his right foot on the pedal.
"Okay?" she asked.
"Okay," he said, wondering how much it would hurt to fall off the bike. Less than Pop's hands and belt, anyway. The wheels wobbled frantically, but to his surprise, he juggled his weight from side to side, compensating, and pedaled jerkily.
"Like they say," Diana said, surprising him so much he almost lost his balance all over again, "you never forget how to ride a bike."
Or some people are just fast learners,
Cameron thought thankfully as he followed her. He wondered if he had ridden a bike sometime in the past. Maybe he had, and Pop had forbidden it. If Pop had beaten him for it, he might have blanked out learning how. There were so many things he knew he should remember, but couldn't.
Luckily the Freeport library wasn't too far away. By the time Cameron coasted up to the bike rack behind Diana, he was beginning to feel more confident about the machine. But every time he heard a car pass by he jumped, jerking the handlebars and nearly losing control. He couldn't get the idea out of his head that being here with the Laceys wasn't for real—the police had just made it up about killing Pop, and any minute he'd feel Pop's fingers digging into his shoulder. Part of him wanted that to be true so he could go back home, but the part of him that wanted to be Neil Lacey knew that if Pop showed up he'd give Cameron the worst punishment of his life for trying to escape. Cameron was only too glad to climb off the bike before he lost control by jumping at shadows and made a real fool out of himself.
Diana threaded her chain through both bikes and the rack, and led the way up the stairs into the library.
He followed her into the cool foyer, forgetting about Cougar for the moment, just glad that they'd come. He'd always loved libraries, even when he'd been a really slow reader. Books were a good way of not thinking about things, almost as good a way of blanking out reality as escaping to
Diana drummed her fingers on the table. "They thought he'd killed you, and a lot of the other boys, but I don't think they could prove it."
"So what did he go to jail for?"
"For something else, another boy." She sighed. "I'm not sure, I only know that he was involved with Hank Miller."
He sure was,
Cameron thought, remembering the man Pop had called Cougar. He was hardly a man, really. He wasn't much more than a boy himself.
"You want to find out more?" she asked abruptly.
He looked at her "How?"
A slow smile crossed her face. "Dad took the paper before I could finish the article, but I know where we can find out about him."
"Where?" He needed to know, he realized suddenly. Pop was gone, but Cougar was apparently still alive. Deep inside, Cameron couldn't help wishing it were the other way around.
She stood up. "The library. They won't have just today's paper, they'll have the papers from when the guy was arrested, too."
"Would Mom take us?" he asked.
Diana laughed. "You don't think I wait to go to the library until Mom's around, do you? She sure doesn't stay home on weekdays for Stevie and me! I just bike over whenever I want a new book." She measured him with her eyes. "You're small enough to use Stevie's new bike. Don't worry—it'll just be for today. I'm sure Mom and Dad will get you a new one. I can't imagine why Mom didn't buy you one when you went shopping."
Cameron ignored the edge in her voice and followed her to the garage, more worried about how he was going to explain his inability to ride a bike. All kids knew how to ride bikes. Could he get away with blaming this on the amnesia?
9. Cougar
Cameron stared dubiously at the green-and-black bike Diana had wheeled up to him.
She returned with a turquoise racing bike and laughed at him. "Come on, surely you haven't forgotten how to ride a bike?"
"I haven't ridden one for a long time," he said. He took a deep breath, threw one leg over the seat, and rested his right foot on the pedal.
"Okay?" she asked.
"Okay," he said, wondering how much it would hurt to fall off the bike. Less than Pop's hands and belt, anyway. The wheels wobbled frantically, but to his surprise, he juggled his weight from side to side, compensating, and pedaled jerkily.
"Like they say," Diana said, surprising him so much he almost lost his balance all over again, "you never forget how to ride a bike."
Or some people are just fast learners,
Cameron thought thankfully as he followed her. He wondered if he had ridden a bike sometime in the past. Maybe he had, and Pop had forbidden it. If Pop had beaten him for it, he might have blanked out learning how. There were so many things he knew he should remember, but couldn't.
Luckily the Freeport library wasn't too far away. By the time Cameron coasted up to the bike rack behind Diana, he was beginning to feel more confident about the machine. But every time he heard a car pass by he jumped, jerking the handlebars and nearly losing control. He couldn't get the idea out of his head that being here with the Laceys wasn't for real—the police had just made it up about killing Pop, and any minute he'd feel Pop's fingers digging into his shoulder. Part of him wanted that to be true so he could go back home, but the part of him that wanted to be Neil Lacey knew that if Pop showed up he'd give Cameron the worst punishment of his life for trying to escape. Cameron was only too glad to climb off the bike before he lost control by jumping at shadows and made a real fool out of himself.
Diana threaded her chain through both bikes and the rack, and led the way up the stairs into the library.
He followed her into the cool foyer, forgetting about Cougar for the moment, just glad that they'd come. He'd always loved libraries, even when he'd been a really slow reader. Books were a good way of not thinking about things, almost as good a way of blanking out reality as escaping to
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