Read Online Gone (Michael Bennett) by James Patterson - Free Book Online
Authors: James Patterson
Ads: Link
houses, everything good that you use in this world, comes from one place: work. Men and women worked to put food on your plate. Men and women worked to put this house together. Now, let me ask you another question. Where would the lot of you be if all those men and women decided to claim that they were sick and sleep in?”
“Up a creek?” Eddie said with a shrug.
“Finally, Eddie, you got one exactly right. Without people working, we’d all be up a certain type of creek without a paddle.”
Mary Catherine circled the room, staring into each of the kids’ faces one by one.
“I think you guys know me pretty well by now. I try to help everyone. Sometimes I even let things slide.”
She stopped in the center of the room.
“But what I will not do, by God, is sit idly by and watch all of you become a lot of lazy, useless ragamuffins. While I live and breathe, you will do three things. You will work. You will help. And you will pitch in. Or I’m out of here. You’ll never see me again. Understand? No work, no food, no house, no nanny. Is that perfectly clear?”
“Yes, Mary Catherine,” a few of them said.
“What? I can’t hear you!” Mary Catherine yelled.
“Yes, Mary Catherine,” everyone said loudly, including me and Seamus.
I stepped back as my young, blond nanny hurried out of the room, her blue eyes sparking. I actually had goose bumps on my arms.
Whoa, Nelly. Talk about a wake-up call!
“Exactly,” I said to the kids after Mary Catherine left. “Exactly what she said, and don’t you ever forget it!”
CHAPTER 17
THE NEXT MORNING, I awoke with a start as my bedroom door creaked open. It was early, I saw, as I glanced with one eye at the still dark-gray window, and someone was out in the hallway.
Something was up. Of course it was. Something was always up.
“Hark! Who goes there?” I said into my pillow. “If it’s you, Mary Catherine, please, no pots and pans this morning. I’ll be up in a second, I swear.”
“Good morning, Michael. Are ye awake?” Seamus whispered.
“I am now,” I said, sitting up in bed. “What is it? Let me guess. The kids are occupying the barn.”
“No, it’s not that,” Seamus said, stepping in and closing the door behind him.
“How are you this morning?” he said sheepishly. “Sleep well?”
I noticed that he was showered and wide awake and wearing his formal black priest suit with his Roman collar.
“I was, Father. I was sleeping as well as you please. I remember it quite fondly. What is it? Are you here to give me last rites? What in the Wild Wild West is going on?”
“Well, I —” he started. “What I mean to say is that … I guess you could say I have a confession to make.”
“A confession?” I said, sitting up. “That’s a switch. Wow, this almost sounds good enough for you to wake me in the middle of the night. Please, my son, confess away. Unload thy soul.”
“Well, you know how you told us all repeatedly to keep a low profile?” Seamus said, wincing.
I stared my grandfather solidly in his not-so-innocent blue eyes.
“Yes. I believe we were all there for the conversation with the witness protection folks.”
“Well, I haven’t been exactly following the rules. I was talking to Rosa, and she was telling me about the local priest in town. She kept telling me what a nice man he was, and I gave him a call. She was right. Father Walter is a very nice man. Actually, we’ve been talking back and forth for a couple of weeks now.”
What a thoroughly nutty situation this all is , I thought. Seamus felt guilty about talking to another priest?
“OK,” I said. “You and the local guy are talking shop. Did you tell him who we were?”
“No, of course not,” Seamus said.
“Why do I have the feeling that there’s another shoe about to drop?” I said.
“Well, being the only priest in the parish, he’s swamped. I guess I let it be known that I might be available under extreme circumstances to help out. One of
“Up a creek?” Eddie said with a shrug.
“Finally, Eddie, you got one exactly right. Without people working, we’d all be up a certain type of creek without a paddle.”
Mary Catherine circled the room, staring into each of the kids’ faces one by one.
“I think you guys know me pretty well by now. I try to help everyone. Sometimes I even let things slide.”
She stopped in the center of the room.
“But what I will not do, by God, is sit idly by and watch all of you become a lot of lazy, useless ragamuffins. While I live and breathe, you will do three things. You will work. You will help. And you will pitch in. Or I’m out of here. You’ll never see me again. Understand? No work, no food, no house, no nanny. Is that perfectly clear?”
“Yes, Mary Catherine,” a few of them said.
“What? I can’t hear you!” Mary Catherine yelled.
“Yes, Mary Catherine,” everyone said loudly, including me and Seamus.
I stepped back as my young, blond nanny hurried out of the room, her blue eyes sparking. I actually had goose bumps on my arms.
Whoa, Nelly. Talk about a wake-up call!
“Exactly,” I said to the kids after Mary Catherine left. “Exactly what she said, and don’t you ever forget it!”
CHAPTER 17
THE NEXT MORNING, I awoke with a start as my bedroom door creaked open. It was early, I saw, as I glanced with one eye at the still dark-gray window, and someone was out in the hallway.
Something was up. Of course it was. Something was always up.
“Hark! Who goes there?” I said into my pillow. “If it’s you, Mary Catherine, please, no pots and pans this morning. I’ll be up in a second, I swear.”
“Good morning, Michael. Are ye awake?” Seamus whispered.
“I am now,” I said, sitting up in bed. “What is it? Let me guess. The kids are occupying the barn.”
“No, it’s not that,” Seamus said, stepping in and closing the door behind him.
“How are you this morning?” he said sheepishly. “Sleep well?”
I noticed that he was showered and wide awake and wearing his formal black priest suit with his Roman collar.
“I was, Father. I was sleeping as well as you please. I remember it quite fondly. What is it? Are you here to give me last rites? What in the Wild Wild West is going on?”
“Well, I —” he started. “What I mean to say is that … I guess you could say I have a confession to make.”
“A confession?” I said, sitting up. “That’s a switch. Wow, this almost sounds good enough for you to wake me in the middle of the night. Please, my son, confess away. Unload thy soul.”
“Well, you know how you told us all repeatedly to keep a low profile?” Seamus said, wincing.
I stared my grandfather solidly in his not-so-innocent blue eyes.
“Yes. I believe we were all there for the conversation with the witness protection folks.”
“Well, I haven’t been exactly following the rules. I was talking to Rosa, and she was telling me about the local priest in town. She kept telling me what a nice man he was, and I gave him a call. She was right. Father Walter is a very nice man. Actually, we’ve been talking back and forth for a couple of weeks now.”
What a thoroughly nutty situation this all is , I thought. Seamus felt guilty about talking to another priest?
“OK,” I said. “You and the local guy are talking shop. Did you tell him who we were?”
“No, of course not,” Seamus said.
“Why do I have the feeling that there’s another shoe about to drop?” I said.
“Well, being the only priest in the parish, he’s swamped. I guess I let it be known that I might be available under extreme circumstances to help out. One of
Similar Books
