parents didn’t even know he was gone.”
I gaped. “Get out of here.”
“True…. See…according to Dad, Louie’s family is kind of…well…as Dad said it, the family had completely disintegrated.”
“Meaning?”
“The mother and father were like zombies. Dad said they were so depressed they had no idea Louie had left the house to live somewhere else. Anyway, his older brother did it all the time.”
“Why were they depressed?”
Casey shrugged. “Out of work. Drinking. Drugs. No money, no hope…who knows?”
I whistled, low. “What about his brother?”
Casey glanced back to make sure Louie and Mike weren’t coming up on us. “Kind of a nasty guy. One day he got in a fight with the dad, beat him up, and took all his money. Put the dad in the hospital. The cops arrested Louie’s brother, and he ended up in youth correction for a while.”
“Hoo,” I said, shaking my head.
“No kidding.”
“What about the dad? He all right?”
“I guess, but after that, he started sliding. Him and the mother both, straight downhill. Eventually they got so out of it that Louie couldn’t take it anymore, so he left and found that warehouse and moved in.”
“And he still went to school?”
“Yeah, and he got that job at Jimmy’s Place. He gave almost all his cash to his parents to pay the bills, because neither of them had a job.”
Ho, I thought, the schoolkid taking care of the parents. Paying the bills.
“When payday came, he cashed his check, bought some food for his hideaway, then took the rest and left it on the kitchen table at home. His parents just picked it up and spent it…didn’t even wonder where it came from.”
“Can you really be that far out of it?”
“Looks like it. Dad’s seen other people like that.”
I lifted my head as a breeze blew in off the water. It felt like a silk scarf flowing over my face. “So what did your dad do? I mean, about Louie?”
“Made a deal with him. If Louie went back home, Dad wouldn’t turn him in for trespassing.”
“And Louie just did it?”
Casey nodded. “Not only that, he was respectful about it, and that’s why Dad took a liking to him. He doesn’t see that very often. Dad went out of his way to get someone from social services to work with Louie’s parents, and he goes by once or twice a week, too. Takes them fresh fish when he can get it, fruit, stuff like that. But here’s the kicker…part of the deal was that Louie had to come to Scouts.”
“Jeese,” I spat.
“Why?”
Casey lifted his shoulders. “I guess he thinks Scouts will help him.”
“Or ruin us.”
“Maybe.”
“No relatives?”
“Guess not.”
I shook my head. “Why Louie? Your dad must run into a hundred tough guys every week. Got to be more to it.”
Casey tossed a pebble into the ocean. “Most of those other guys go in and out of the police station five times a day. Dad said Louie was clean as a bar of soap.”
“Clean?”
“No police record…. Did you know he walks to the meetings?”
I squinted at Casey.
“You didn’t know?”
“Never thought about it. He just shows up…when he comes.”
“You saw how far away his house is.”
I nodded.
“Five miles,” Casey said. “That’s how far he walks for Scouts.”
“Not for Scouts, Case…for your dad. Louie couldn’t care less about Scouts.”
“That’s probably true.” Casey cocked his head and thought a moment. “You know, Dad could be the first guy in Louie’s life that ever gave a rip about him.”
“But what—”
“Shhh. Here they come.”
I looked over my shoulder. Louie and Mike were slouching toward us, shirtless. A pudge and a muscleman. The shark’s tooth hanging around Louie’s neck made me think of the shark Mr. Bellows had warned us about. The skull just gave me the creeps.
“You ready?” Mike said.
Casey stood and took off his T-shirt. “Ready yesterday.”
I couldn’t help looking at Louie. It was as if there was some kind of weird magnet
I gaped. “Get out of here.”
“True…. See…according to Dad, Louie’s family is kind of…well…as Dad said it, the family had completely disintegrated.”
“Meaning?”
“The mother and father were like zombies. Dad said they were so depressed they had no idea Louie had left the house to live somewhere else. Anyway, his older brother did it all the time.”
“Why were they depressed?”
Casey shrugged. “Out of work. Drinking. Drugs. No money, no hope…who knows?”
I whistled, low. “What about his brother?”
Casey glanced back to make sure Louie and Mike weren’t coming up on us. “Kind of a nasty guy. One day he got in a fight with the dad, beat him up, and took all his money. Put the dad in the hospital. The cops arrested Louie’s brother, and he ended up in youth correction for a while.”
“Hoo,” I said, shaking my head.
“No kidding.”
“What about the dad? He all right?”
“I guess, but after that, he started sliding. Him and the mother both, straight downhill. Eventually they got so out of it that Louie couldn’t take it anymore, so he left and found that warehouse and moved in.”
“And he still went to school?”
“Yeah, and he got that job at Jimmy’s Place. He gave almost all his cash to his parents to pay the bills, because neither of them had a job.”
Ho, I thought, the schoolkid taking care of the parents. Paying the bills.
“When payday came, he cashed his check, bought some food for his hideaway, then took the rest and left it on the kitchen table at home. His parents just picked it up and spent it…didn’t even wonder where it came from.”
“Can you really be that far out of it?”
“Looks like it. Dad’s seen other people like that.”
I lifted my head as a breeze blew in off the water. It felt like a silk scarf flowing over my face. “So what did your dad do? I mean, about Louie?”
“Made a deal with him. If Louie went back home, Dad wouldn’t turn him in for trespassing.”
“And Louie just did it?”
Casey nodded. “Not only that, he was respectful about it, and that’s why Dad took a liking to him. He doesn’t see that very often. Dad went out of his way to get someone from social services to work with Louie’s parents, and he goes by once or twice a week, too. Takes them fresh fish when he can get it, fruit, stuff like that. But here’s the kicker…part of the deal was that Louie had to come to Scouts.”
“Jeese,” I spat.
“Why?”
Casey lifted his shoulders. “I guess he thinks Scouts will help him.”
“Or ruin us.”
“Maybe.”
“No relatives?”
“Guess not.”
I shook my head. “Why Louie? Your dad must run into a hundred tough guys every week. Got to be more to it.”
Casey tossed a pebble into the ocean. “Most of those other guys go in and out of the police station five times a day. Dad said Louie was clean as a bar of soap.”
“Clean?”
“No police record…. Did you know he walks to the meetings?”
I squinted at Casey.
“You didn’t know?”
“Never thought about it. He just shows up…when he comes.”
“You saw how far away his house is.”
I nodded.
“Five miles,” Casey said. “That’s how far he walks for Scouts.”
“Not for Scouts, Case…for your dad. Louie couldn’t care less about Scouts.”
“That’s probably true.” Casey cocked his head and thought a moment. “You know, Dad could be the first guy in Louie’s life that ever gave a rip about him.”
“But what—”
“Shhh. Here they come.”
I looked over my shoulder. Louie and Mike were slouching toward us, shirtless. A pudge and a muscleman. The shark’s tooth hanging around Louie’s neck made me think of the shark Mr. Bellows had warned us about. The skull just gave me the creeps.
“You ready?” Mike said.
Casey stood and took off his T-shirt. “Ready yesterday.”
I couldn’t help looking at Louie. It was as if there was some kind of weird magnet
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