Garry’s face. “You just kissed your place on this team goodbye, Wallis!”
He whirled around and thundered over to Coach Hasbrouck. “Coach, I have something I think you, and the authorities, will be
very
interested in seeing!” he cried. With a triumphant flourish, he reached into his duffel bag and pulled out the matchbox.
The coach looked at the box for a long moment. “You know, Michael,” he said finally, “I think you’re right. I think the authorities
are going to be very interested in seeing this. But tell me something first.”
He fixed the boy with a steely stare. “Where exactly did you get these matches, and why are you carrying them around in your
duffel bag?”
17
M ichael blinked. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. At last, he jerked a thumb at Garry.
“They’re his!” he blurted. “He’s the one who started the fire!”
“You saw him?” the coach asked calmly.
Now Michael puffed out his chest. “I sure did! He was lighting matches up on that big boulder! And … and …” Suddenly, he faltered.
“And?” Coach Hasbrouck prompted.
Now Michael clamped his mouth shut and didn’t open it.
“I’ll tell you what happened, Coach,” came a new voice.
Garry stared at the speaker, dumbfounded. “Evan?”
Several other Rockets looked up with interest.
“E-man, my friend, what’re you doing?” Michael said.
Evan held up a hand in warning. “Don’t ‘E-man’ me, Donofrio. I’m sick and tired of you and your stupid mind games!”
That caught the Rockets’ full attention. They gathered around to listen to what Evan had to say. Scottie came over from the
stands too.
Evan turned back to the coach. “I was with him the other night in the woods. We followed Garry out there.” He shot Garry a
quick look of apology. “I honestly don’t know what Michael planned to do if we foundyou. I just hope I would have had the guts to stop him if … well, you know.”
Garry nodded grimly.
“Anyway, when we didn’t find you right away, we split up. I went on one side of the river, Michael went on the other.” Now
Evan looked at Scottie. “You thought I was Garry, didn’t you? When you shouted his name, I panicked and ran farther up the
river. There’s a little footbridge up there. I crossed over and headed down the other side. That’s when I saw Michael light
the match.”
“It’s a lie!” Michael yelled suddenly. He rounded on Evan. “You’re the one who lit the match, not me!”
Evan shook his head. “No,
I’m
the one who grabbed the cell phone from your sweatshirt pocket and called 9-1-1!
You’re
the one who freaked out when your match accidentallylanded in that pile of sticks! You ran away, leaving me to deal with the flames!”
“Prove it!” Michael challenged.
At this, Evan grew silent. “I can’t,” he said finally.
Michael snorted. “Then it’s your word against mine, isn’t it?”
At this, the coach cleared his throat. “Actually, it may be Evan’s
words
against yours.” When everyone looked at him in confusion, he explained. “Emergency calls are recorded. That’s probably why
the fire chief thought Michael had made the call, because Michael’s cell phone number showed up on the caller identification.
But if we can hear the actual recording —”
“ — we’ll hear Evan’s voice, not Michael’s!” Garry finished excitedly.
Coach Hasbrouck nodded. “I think you two boys better come along with me to thefire station,” he said to Michael and Evan. “I’ll want the chief to hear your stories. The rest of you, shower up and get
some dinner. Oh, and good game, Rockets!”
Garry, Scottie, and the rest of the Rockets murmured their thanks as the coach placed a firm hand on Michael’s shoulder and
led him away. Evan followed.
“Wow,” Garry said after they’d gone. “That was …” But he couldn’t come up with a word to describe it.
“What do you suppose turned Evan against
He whirled around and thundered over to Coach Hasbrouck. “Coach, I have something I think you, and the authorities, will be
very
interested in seeing!” he cried. With a triumphant flourish, he reached into his duffel bag and pulled out the matchbox.
The coach looked at the box for a long moment. “You know, Michael,” he said finally, “I think you’re right. I think the authorities
are going to be very interested in seeing this. But tell me something first.”
He fixed the boy with a steely stare. “Where exactly did you get these matches, and why are you carrying them around in your
duffel bag?”
17
M ichael blinked. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. At last, he jerked a thumb at Garry.
“They’re his!” he blurted. “He’s the one who started the fire!”
“You saw him?” the coach asked calmly.
Now Michael puffed out his chest. “I sure did! He was lighting matches up on that big boulder! And … and …” Suddenly, he faltered.
“And?” Coach Hasbrouck prompted.
Now Michael clamped his mouth shut and didn’t open it.
“I’ll tell you what happened, Coach,” came a new voice.
Garry stared at the speaker, dumbfounded. “Evan?”
Several other Rockets looked up with interest.
“E-man, my friend, what’re you doing?” Michael said.
Evan held up a hand in warning. “Don’t ‘E-man’ me, Donofrio. I’m sick and tired of you and your stupid mind games!”
That caught the Rockets’ full attention. They gathered around to listen to what Evan had to say. Scottie came over from the
stands too.
Evan turned back to the coach. “I was with him the other night in the woods. We followed Garry out there.” He shot Garry a
quick look of apology. “I honestly don’t know what Michael planned to do if we foundyou. I just hope I would have had the guts to stop him if … well, you know.”
Garry nodded grimly.
“Anyway, when we didn’t find you right away, we split up. I went on one side of the river, Michael went on the other.” Now
Evan looked at Scottie. “You thought I was Garry, didn’t you? When you shouted his name, I panicked and ran farther up the
river. There’s a little footbridge up there. I crossed over and headed down the other side. That’s when I saw Michael light
the match.”
“It’s a lie!” Michael yelled suddenly. He rounded on Evan. “You’re the one who lit the match, not me!”
Evan shook his head. “No,
I’m
the one who grabbed the cell phone from your sweatshirt pocket and called 9-1-1!
You’re
the one who freaked out when your match accidentallylanded in that pile of sticks! You ran away, leaving me to deal with the flames!”
“Prove it!” Michael challenged.
At this, Evan grew silent. “I can’t,” he said finally.
Michael snorted. “Then it’s your word against mine, isn’t it?”
At this, the coach cleared his throat. “Actually, it may be Evan’s
words
against yours.” When everyone looked at him in confusion, he explained. “Emergency calls are recorded. That’s probably why
the fire chief thought Michael had made the call, because Michael’s cell phone number showed up on the caller identification.
But if we can hear the actual recording —”
“ — we’ll hear Evan’s voice, not Michael’s!” Garry finished excitedly.
Coach Hasbrouck nodded. “I think you two boys better come along with me to thefire station,” he said to Michael and Evan. “I’ll want the chief to hear your stories. The rest of you, shower up and get
some dinner. Oh, and good game, Rockets!”
Garry, Scottie, and the rest of the Rockets murmured their thanks as the coach placed a firm hand on Michael’s shoulder and
led him away. Evan followed.
“Wow,” Garry said after they’d gone. “That was …” But he couldn’t come up with a word to describe it.
“What do you suppose turned Evan against
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