Read Online JACK KNIFED by Christopher Greyson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Christopher Greyson
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shoulder. Mae stopped in the middle of a corridor and gestured to the section.
“Please let me know if I can be of any more assistance.” She smiled.
Jack gave a slight grin. She was so awkward, yet seemed so earnest that, in spite of his pain, he smiled.
Replacement stepped forward. “Thank you so much, Mae.”
The librarian’s face lit up, and she flitted off.
Replacement grabbed a step stool from the corridor and made Jack sit down. She scanned the shelf. Jack could see her counting
“Go back thirty years and grab the books through twenty-five years ago to be on the safe side,” he mumbled. She handed the stack of books to Jack, and he handed three back to her. “Look for my father’s class first. I don’t know if her class is the same.”
Replacement nodded and leafed through the pages.
Jack flipped through the photos until he landed on the Rs. “Got it.”
He stared at the picture of his father. It was the same picture as the one in the paper, although this one was in color. Replacement leaned over his shoulder.
“You look so much alike. Look at his cheekbones and chin. But your eyes…they’re the same. Totally.”
Jack read the text below the photo. STEVEN RITTER. “ACTA NON VERBA” IN MEMORIUM. Puzzled, he looked up at Replacement, but she was typing on her phone.
“Acta non verba?” she repeated as she continued to type. “It’s Latin. It means deeds, not words.”
“I wonder if he picked it?” Jack flipped to the Cs. He exhaled when he saw the photo. His mother was smiling from ear to ear. She had long blond hair and was posed leaning against a tree. She wore a simple white dress, and she was beautiful. Jack squeezed the yearbook, and his eyes narrowed.
The yearbook text read, PATRICIA COLE, but underneath her name, someone had written in pen, CLASS SLUT.
“They were in the same class.” Replacement took one of the scraps of paper and scribbled that fact down.
“We need to look for any guy named Terry. She said Terry told her to get Steven to come to the pond. If you find one, flag the page. You start on the previous year.”
“Do we know if Terry even went to her school?” Replacement held up her hands.
“No. We don’t. I’m assuming. You know what that means?”
Replacement smiled. “Assume makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘you’ and ‘me.’”
“And that would make me a jackass.”
Replacement laughed hard but tried to stop so quickly that she snorted. Her eyes went wide, and she turned beet red. Jack chuckled.
“I’m sorry.” She held up a hand.
“Why? I need to laugh. If I don’t, I’ll start crying like a pansy again.” Jack sighed.
She looked down and blurted out, “Found one.” She pointed to the page.
Jack looked at the picture. A young, smug-looking guy. Dark hair and brown eyes. TERRY BRADFORD.
“He’d have been a year older than my par—than them. Keep looking.”
Replacement flagged the page and added to her notes. Jack kept scanning.
All these kids. They knew my father. I wonder…
He shut his eyes and tried to concentrate. His finger moved across every name before he flipped the page. At the Ms, he stopped.
“I’ve got two. Terry Martinez and Terry Martin.”
“He looks like a jerk.” Replacement poked Terry Martin’s picture.
He was dressed in a football sweater with an open collar around his thick neck. Jack looked at the kid’s cocky grin and wanted a chance to knock it off his face.
She pointed to Terry Martinez. “He looks nice. Nerdy, but nice.”
Dressed in a white shirt and plain blue tie, he looked younger than the other students. He was thin, had a mop of black hair, and wore thick glasses that looked too big for his face.
The book’s backing made a cracking sound as Jack’s hand tightened around it. He relaxed his grip and continued to flip pages. Replacement quietly started again, too. After ten minutes, Jack got up, grabbed two more years, and handed one to Replacement. Neither of them found any reference
“Please let me know if I can be of any more assistance.” She smiled.
Jack gave a slight grin. She was so awkward, yet seemed so earnest that, in spite of his pain, he smiled.
Replacement stepped forward. “Thank you so much, Mae.”
The librarian’s face lit up, and she flitted off.
Replacement grabbed a step stool from the corridor and made Jack sit down. She scanned the shelf. Jack could see her counting
“Go back thirty years and grab the books through twenty-five years ago to be on the safe side,” he mumbled. She handed the stack of books to Jack, and he handed three back to her. “Look for my father’s class first. I don’t know if her class is the same.”
Replacement nodded and leafed through the pages.
Jack flipped through the photos until he landed on the Rs. “Got it.”
He stared at the picture of his father. It was the same picture as the one in the paper, although this one was in color. Replacement leaned over his shoulder.
“You look so much alike. Look at his cheekbones and chin. But your eyes…they’re the same. Totally.”
Jack read the text below the photo. STEVEN RITTER. “ACTA NON VERBA” IN MEMORIUM. Puzzled, he looked up at Replacement, but she was typing on her phone.
“Acta non verba?” she repeated as she continued to type. “It’s Latin. It means deeds, not words.”
“I wonder if he picked it?” Jack flipped to the Cs. He exhaled when he saw the photo. His mother was smiling from ear to ear. She had long blond hair and was posed leaning against a tree. She wore a simple white dress, and she was beautiful. Jack squeezed the yearbook, and his eyes narrowed.
The yearbook text read, PATRICIA COLE, but underneath her name, someone had written in pen, CLASS SLUT.
“They were in the same class.” Replacement took one of the scraps of paper and scribbled that fact down.
“We need to look for any guy named Terry. She said Terry told her to get Steven to come to the pond. If you find one, flag the page. You start on the previous year.”
“Do we know if Terry even went to her school?” Replacement held up her hands.
“No. We don’t. I’m assuming. You know what that means?”
Replacement smiled. “Assume makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘you’ and ‘me.’”
“And that would make me a jackass.”
Replacement laughed hard but tried to stop so quickly that she snorted. Her eyes went wide, and she turned beet red. Jack chuckled.
“I’m sorry.” She held up a hand.
“Why? I need to laugh. If I don’t, I’ll start crying like a pansy again.” Jack sighed.
She looked down and blurted out, “Found one.” She pointed to the page.
Jack looked at the picture. A young, smug-looking guy. Dark hair and brown eyes. TERRY BRADFORD.
“He’d have been a year older than my par—than them. Keep looking.”
Replacement flagged the page and added to her notes. Jack kept scanning.
All these kids. They knew my father. I wonder…
He shut his eyes and tried to concentrate. His finger moved across every name before he flipped the page. At the Ms, he stopped.
“I’ve got two. Terry Martinez and Terry Martin.”
“He looks like a jerk.” Replacement poked Terry Martin’s picture.
He was dressed in a football sweater with an open collar around his thick neck. Jack looked at the kid’s cocky grin and wanted a chance to knock it off his face.
She pointed to Terry Martinez. “He looks nice. Nerdy, but nice.”
Dressed in a white shirt and plain blue tie, he looked younger than the other students. He was thin, had a mop of black hair, and wore thick glasses that looked too big for his face.
The book’s backing made a cracking sound as Jack’s hand tightened around it. He relaxed his grip and continued to flip pages. Replacement quietly started again, too. After ten minutes, Jack got up, grabbed two more years, and handed one to Replacement. Neither of them found any reference
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