sat in the dark with my hands in my pockets and my collar up. Searsville was just up County Road a few miles. I could ride my bike there. Across the harbor I could see the lights from Edenville Neck. I was too far to see anything except the lights. But I liked them. I liked looking at the lights of ordinary people, while I was alone, mysterious, outside, in the night.
There was a big old empty house on Pearl Street, with the windows all boarded up. Last summer the Owls decided it would be a perfect spot for a clubhouse. So I climbed up a telephone pole and jumped to a small second-floor roof, and crawled in an open third-floor window. I had to hang from a rafter and drop into the darkness to get in. Afterward it scared me to think about it. What if they had ripped out all the floors? I would have fallen three stories. But they hadn’t, and I landed on a solid floor. The other Owls were impressed.
I went to the first floor and opened the back door from the inside and everyone came in and we hung around in there for a while. But pretty soon we decided it was kind of boring in there and we left and never went back. We really just liked breaking in, I guess.
What was I doing? I was fourteen years old, and I was sneaking around in the night spying on a couple of adults, even though Miss Delaney had made me promise not to. I must have been reading Dime Detective too much. I looked around the dark, empty bandstand. It was a school night. Joanie would be home. She wouldn’t be coming down here in the dark. What did I think I was going to do? I was going to save Miss Delaney. And how did I think I was going to do it? I didn’t know yet. But I knew I was going to do something.
I’d have to figure it out.
CHAPTER 21
WE were trailing against Pinefield by one point with seventeen seconds to go when I got fouled and went to the line for two free throws. I was a good ball-handler, but I was a terrible foul-shooter, and all of us knew it. If I hit them both, we would take the lead. I missed them both and felt like I wanted to crawl in a hole. The Pinefield center, a guy named Lou, got the rebound and fired a pass downcourt to one of his forwards for the insurance basket. Nick intercepted and passed to me, alone downcourt, still near the foul line, wanting to die. I took two dribbles and laid the ball in and we won. Nick had saved me. He and I ran to each other and hugged. The other Owls joined in and we did a kind of little dance in the middle of the court, while Pinefield walked sullenly off.
Afterward we hitchhiked back to Edenville.
Nick said to me, “You still friends with Joanie?”
“Sure,” I said. “You?”
“We’re still going out,” Nick said.
“Anything hot going on?” Russell said.
Nick smiled at him.
“You don’t know,” he said. “Do you?”
“Bobby don’t care,” Russell said. “He’s in love with Miss Delaney.”
“How’s that going?” Nick said to me. “You finding anything out?”
“I’m getting there,” I said.
“What’d you find out?” Russell asked.
“You don’t know, do you?” I said.
“Man!” Russell said. “Nobody tells me anything.”
Nick and I looked at each other for a minute. But neither of us said anything.
“You think he’s still bothering her?” Billy said.
“Yes,” I said.
“You been spying on them?” Russell said.
“I keep an eye out,” I said.
“You seen him?” Manny said.
I didn’t even know Manny was interested.
“Yes,” I said.
“He see you?” Billy said.
“Not yet,” I said.
“Whaddya mean ‘not yet’?” Russell said.
“Nothing. I just mean he hasn’t seen me yet.”
“You think he will?” Nick said.
“Maybe,” I said. “I mean, you hang around long enough, you may get spotted.”
Nick looked at me.
“You got some kind of scheme,” he said.
I shrugged.
“You got a plan,” Nick said. “Don’t you?”
“I’m trying to figure it out,” I said.
“You could get into bad trouble,” Billy
There was a big old empty house on Pearl Street, with the windows all boarded up. Last summer the Owls decided it would be a perfect spot for a clubhouse. So I climbed up a telephone pole and jumped to a small second-floor roof, and crawled in an open third-floor window. I had to hang from a rafter and drop into the darkness to get in. Afterward it scared me to think about it. What if they had ripped out all the floors? I would have fallen three stories. But they hadn’t, and I landed on a solid floor. The other Owls were impressed.
I went to the first floor and opened the back door from the inside and everyone came in and we hung around in there for a while. But pretty soon we decided it was kind of boring in there and we left and never went back. We really just liked breaking in, I guess.
What was I doing? I was fourteen years old, and I was sneaking around in the night spying on a couple of adults, even though Miss Delaney had made me promise not to. I must have been reading Dime Detective too much. I looked around the dark, empty bandstand. It was a school night. Joanie would be home. She wouldn’t be coming down here in the dark. What did I think I was going to do? I was going to save Miss Delaney. And how did I think I was going to do it? I didn’t know yet. But I knew I was going to do something.
I’d have to figure it out.
CHAPTER 21
WE were trailing against Pinefield by one point with seventeen seconds to go when I got fouled and went to the line for two free throws. I was a good ball-handler, but I was a terrible foul-shooter, and all of us knew it. If I hit them both, we would take the lead. I missed them both and felt like I wanted to crawl in a hole. The Pinefield center, a guy named Lou, got the rebound and fired a pass downcourt to one of his forwards for the insurance basket. Nick intercepted and passed to me, alone downcourt, still near the foul line, wanting to die. I took two dribbles and laid the ball in and we won. Nick had saved me. He and I ran to each other and hugged. The other Owls joined in and we did a kind of little dance in the middle of the court, while Pinefield walked sullenly off.
Afterward we hitchhiked back to Edenville.
Nick said to me, “You still friends with Joanie?”
“Sure,” I said. “You?”
“We’re still going out,” Nick said.
“Anything hot going on?” Russell said.
Nick smiled at him.
“You don’t know,” he said. “Do you?”
“Bobby don’t care,” Russell said. “He’s in love with Miss Delaney.”
“How’s that going?” Nick said to me. “You finding anything out?”
“I’m getting there,” I said.
“What’d you find out?” Russell asked.
“You don’t know, do you?” I said.
“Man!” Russell said. “Nobody tells me anything.”
Nick and I looked at each other for a minute. But neither of us said anything.
“You think he’s still bothering her?” Billy said.
“Yes,” I said.
“You been spying on them?” Russell said.
“I keep an eye out,” I said.
“You seen him?” Manny said.
I didn’t even know Manny was interested.
“Yes,” I said.
“He see you?” Billy said.
“Not yet,” I said.
“Whaddya mean ‘not yet’?” Russell said.
“Nothing. I just mean he hasn’t seen me yet.”
“You think he will?” Nick said.
“Maybe,” I said. “I mean, you hang around long enough, you may get spotted.”
Nick looked at me.
“You got some kind of scheme,” he said.
I shrugged.
“You got a plan,” Nick said. “Don’t you?”
“I’m trying to figure it out,” I said.
“You could get into bad trouble,” Billy
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