Read Online I Owe You One by Natalie Hyde - Free Book Online Page B

the transmitter or not?” I asked Zach who was on the computer.
    â€œDoesn’t say. Just says, Arrived .”
    â€œI guess that’s good news, right?”
    â€œI guess,” Zach said, but he didn’t sound all that convinced.

    Day four: Baby on board .
    â€œPlease tell me he means the transmitter and not a real baby,” I said to Zach.
    â€œI dunno. With the kind of trip he’s been having, that could mean anything.”
    Day five: Construction. Taking shortcut.
    â€œThat doesn’t sound like a good idea,” Zach said.
    Then: Delay from shortcut. Enjoyed Pittsburgh.
    â€œPittsburgh? What’s he doing in Pittsburgh?” I asked.
    â€œWe’re never going to see him again, are we?” Zach replied.

    Against all odds, we did see him again. He rolled back into town on day five, the ice-cream truck belching black smoke and making strange rattling sounds. He opened the door to his shop, walked past us straight to his desk chair, sat down, put his head in his arms and fell asleep.
    We went back to check on Frank after a couple of hours, but he was gone. I hoped he was resting, because we needed to get started on that transmitter right away. We were running out of time. The race was in two days.

Chapter 16
    I was so impatient to get that transmitter hooked up and working that I ran all the way to Frank’s shop the next morning.
    He wasn’t there, and the shop wasn’t open. Had he skipped town? I shook my head. Frank wouldn’t desert us. Besides, I hadn’t given him the comic book yet. Come to think of it, he hadn’t given us the transmitter either. I hadn’t even seen it. Frank must have left it on the truck.
    I went around back to check for the truck. It wasn’t there.
    Frank must already be working on the tower. Good old Frank. I jogged over to Daryl’s place so I could see how things were coming along. I even grabbed a cold root beer at Lee’s for Frank.
    As the hill came into view, I was surprised to see the tower deserted. No truck, no Frank, no transmitter.
    I turned back, confused. If the truck wasn’t behind Frank’s shop or here at the tower, where was it?
    I took off to get Zach. Things were starting to get complicated again.
    â€œMorning, Wes,” Zach’s mother said when I knocked on the back door. “Go on up and get him. It’s about time he was up anyway.”
    I took the steps two at a time. Zach must have heard me coming, because he met me at his door, his eyes still groggy with sleep.
    â€œZach! The truck’s gone!”
    Zach rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand “We don’t own a truck.”
    I hit him on the shoulder. “No! The ice-cream truck!”
    â€œOh yeah. That truck. Um, I guess Frank’s getting a head start.”
    â€œThat’s just it,” I said. “He’s not at the tower.”
    Zach looked like his brain was stuck in neutral. “So where is he?”
    I could feel disaster lurking just around the corner. I don’t know why, but I had a bad feeling about the truck.
    A man trusts his gut, Wes .
    â€œWe have to find Frank and that truck,” I said. “Now.”
    â€œAll right,” he mumbled, throwing on some clothes and grabbing his cap. “Let’s go.”
    We tore over to Frank’s shop. Part of me thought maybe I was just hallucinating before. Maybe the truck was sitting there after all. It wasn’t.
    â€œThe truck’s not here,” Zach said.
    â€œThanks for clearing that up, Zach.”
    â€œI’m just saying.” He looked kind of hurt. “Let’s ask Mr. Lee. It’s his truck, after all.”
    We found Mr. Lee filling the rack of air fresheners by the oil display.
    â€œMr. Lee, have you seen Frank?”
    â€œFrank in store. He fix cash register for Mrs. Lee.”
    â€œDo you know where the Nice ’n Icy truck is?”
    Mr. Lee smiled. “Sure. I lend it to my