Read Online Three-Point Play by Todd Hafer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Todd Hafer
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the staircase as if an invisible hand were pushing him. As he passed the smaller of two entryways from the living room into the kitchen, he noticed that the door leading into the kitchen from the garage stood ajar about a foot. So thatâs how someone got in without noticing me, and vice versa, he realized.
No way I should be doing this , he reminded himself as he reached the bottom step. This is so not like me. But itâs Momâs wedding ring weâre talking about here. I donât think I could live with myself if I just let some creep walk outta here with it. He stopped suddenly when the third step creaked under his left foot. He closed his mouth, allowing himself to breathe only through his nose. For a few seconds the rummaging sound stopped, then it resumed.
He reached the top of the stairs. The largest bedroom was about fifteen feet down a hallway to the left, just past Codyâs room. He chastised himself for not picking up a weapon while he was downstairs. It was too late to go back now.
He moved along the wall on the same side as the bedrooms, steadying himself with his left hand. Be smart , he warned himself. Just make sure itâs a burglar, not Blake or Pork Chop playing a joke, then youâre outta here. At a neighborâs, calling the police.
He startled for a moment when he heard an abrupt clicking sound, but then he stifled a sigh when he realized it was just the furnace coming on. He clenched his right fist as he eased forward again.
Cody knew he should pray, but, as often was the case when he was tempted to step into trouble, he didnât want to be accountable for the answer, which he figured would reflect the advice in Matthewâs gospel about earthly treasures versus heavenly treasures. He stopped when he reached his fatherâs bedroom. There was still sound, but now it was coming from the bathroom off the bedroom.
I guess Mr. Burglar has moved on to new territory , maybe looking for Percodan or something . Slowly, Cody leaned his head into the bedroom doorway. There was definitely no one near the dresser now. He took two tentative steps into the room. He thought about dropping to his knees and crawling along the floor, as the king-size bed might shield him from view of whoever was in the bathroom. But, just as he was about to bend his knees, he sensed someone behind him.
Oh, heaven help me , he gulped. There are two ofâem .
Cody stood frozen. He didnât want to whip his head around suddenly, as that would surely bring an attack from behind. Maybe if Burglar Number Two thinks I donât know heâs there, heâll just stay put, he reasoned. So, Cody Martin, eyes front. Donât even think about looking behind you!
Then Cody noticed the mirror. It was oval shaped, centered above the chest of drawers. If I move just a little to my right, he thought, I might be able to see if anyoneâs behind me. Or if itâs just my imagination.
Cody pretended to merely shift his weight to the right, but as he did, he picked up his right foot and let it slide about eight inches. He felt his teeth clench as he strained to see what might be reflected behind him.
The figure was large, wearing some kind of long coat. Cody felt the top of his head tingle, as if being pricked by a thousand tiny needles. Without thinking, he wheeled around and drove his right fist right where he hoped the burglarâs throat would be.
He punctuated the punch with an involuntary gorilla grunt, as he heard the figure hit the wall with a loud smack.
He was cocking his fist for a follow-up punch when he felt a sharp blow between his eyes.
Cody stood half-stunned and staring at the large shape in front of him. He wondered why he hadnât gone down when the blow struck him, especially when he realized that it was a board or club that hit him, not a human fist.
âWho are you?â he growled at his opponentâhis voice choking its way through a mess of rage, frustration,
No way I should be doing this , he reminded himself as he reached the bottom step. This is so not like me. But itâs Momâs wedding ring weâre talking about here. I donât think I could live with myself if I just let some creep walk outta here with it. He stopped suddenly when the third step creaked under his left foot. He closed his mouth, allowing himself to breathe only through his nose. For a few seconds the rummaging sound stopped, then it resumed.
He reached the top of the stairs. The largest bedroom was about fifteen feet down a hallway to the left, just past Codyâs room. He chastised himself for not picking up a weapon while he was downstairs. It was too late to go back now.
He moved along the wall on the same side as the bedrooms, steadying himself with his left hand. Be smart , he warned himself. Just make sure itâs a burglar, not Blake or Pork Chop playing a joke, then youâre outta here. At a neighborâs, calling the police.
He startled for a moment when he heard an abrupt clicking sound, but then he stifled a sigh when he realized it was just the furnace coming on. He clenched his right fist as he eased forward again.
Cody knew he should pray, but, as often was the case when he was tempted to step into trouble, he didnât want to be accountable for the answer, which he figured would reflect the advice in Matthewâs gospel about earthly treasures versus heavenly treasures. He stopped when he reached his fatherâs bedroom. There was still sound, but now it was coming from the bathroom off the bedroom.
I guess Mr. Burglar has moved on to new territory , maybe looking for Percodan or something . Slowly, Cody leaned his head into the bedroom doorway. There was definitely no one near the dresser now. He took two tentative steps into the room. He thought about dropping to his knees and crawling along the floor, as the king-size bed might shield him from view of whoever was in the bathroom. But, just as he was about to bend his knees, he sensed someone behind him.
Oh, heaven help me , he gulped. There are two ofâem .
Cody stood frozen. He didnât want to whip his head around suddenly, as that would surely bring an attack from behind. Maybe if Burglar Number Two thinks I donât know heâs there, heâll just stay put, he reasoned. So, Cody Martin, eyes front. Donât even think about looking behind you!
Then Cody noticed the mirror. It was oval shaped, centered above the chest of drawers. If I move just a little to my right, he thought, I might be able to see if anyoneâs behind me. Or if itâs just my imagination.
Cody pretended to merely shift his weight to the right, but as he did, he picked up his right foot and let it slide about eight inches. He felt his teeth clench as he strained to see what might be reflected behind him.
The figure was large, wearing some kind of long coat. Cody felt the top of his head tingle, as if being pricked by a thousand tiny needles. Without thinking, he wheeled around and drove his right fist right where he hoped the burglarâs throat would be.
He punctuated the punch with an involuntary gorilla grunt, as he heard the figure hit the wall with a loud smack.
He was cocking his fist for a follow-up punch when he felt a sharp blow between his eyes.
Cody stood half-stunned and staring at the large shape in front of him. He wondered why he hadnât gone down when the blow struck him, especially when he realized that it was a board or club that hit him, not a human fist.
âWho are you?â he growled at his opponentâhis voice choking its way through a mess of rage, frustration,
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