pretty and I forgot.”
“It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
“Then she screamed. Why did she scream?”
“She just didn’t understand.” Ellis slumped in his seat. The truck veered toward the shoulder again, nearly clipping a mailbox. He jerked the steering wheel.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No. No. Everything is fine.”
“You sound funny. Do you need a nap? When my words get all fuzzy you say I need a nap.”
“Yeah. That’s a good idea. When we get home I’ll take a nap.”
Chapter Three
Painted white with tall windows flanked by dark red shutters, the house was right out of the fifties. Trees edged both sides of the property and hid it from the road.
Jon parked beside Ellis’s truck and got the pans of pizza from the back seat. The wrap around porch met him at the top of the steps. He knocked on the door.
No one answered so he knocked again.
The curtain parted and Rudy looked out.
“Hey, Rudy. I brought your pizza. Mushrooms and black olives. No anchovies.”
“We can’t have pizza. I’m sorry, Jon.” He scrubbed a hand across his cheek and sniffled. “Ellis is sick so no pizza. Maybe tomorrow.” Rudy disappeared.
Ellis was sick? “Rudy, open the door.” Jon tried the doorknob but it was locked.
“I can’t. I promised so I can’t open the door.”
“Rudy, if Ellis is sick, he might need a doctor.”
“He said he didn’t. He said he was fine. He’s taking a nap so he’ll feel better. You’ll have to come back tomorrow. He’ll feel better tomorrow then we can have pizza.”
The floorboards creaked and Rudy’s hazy shape moved behind the curtain. Jon banged on the door hard enough to make the glass rattle. “Rudy, please open the door.”
The curtain parted again. “I can’t. I want to. I do. But I promised I wouldn’t.” Rudy’s voice cracked.
“Rudy, I need you to listen to me. I’m your friend, right?”
“I still can’t let you in.”
“I’m your friend and you gave me baseball cards. How many people have you given baseball cards to?”
Rudy shrugged. “No one.”
“So that means we’re really good friends, maybe best friends. And friends help each other, right?”
He nodded.
“If Ellis is sick then he need a friend to help him.”
“But I promised.”
“I know. I know you did, buddy. But I can’t leave. I need you to open this door.”
A tear ran across a bloody gouge on Rudy’s cheek.
“What happened to your face?”
“The lady at the store. I broke rule number three. She screamed and then Lenny hurt Ellis. Now Ellis is sick. So we can’t eat pizza.”
Jon put the pizza on the swing. “I’m going to ask you one more time, Rudy. Open the door. If you don’t I’m going to have to break one of the windows and let myself in.”
“Ellis will be mad.”
“Yeah, he will. And we don’t want that, do we?”
Rudy dropped the curtain. Jon started to unbutton his shirt so he could wrap it around his fist. There was a snick and the door pulled out of the way. Rudy hid behind it.
The inside of the house was just as neat as the outside. The faint smell of burned oats and plastic hung in the air.
“Where’s Ellis?”
“In the bathroom.” Rudy pointed to the stairs.
Jon took the steps two at a time to the top. He knocked on the bathroom door.
“G-Go watch…watch…TV, Rudy. I’ll be down later. I’m…resting.”
Jon opened the door. Ellis sat on the floor next to the tub. Under the matted hair on one side of his head was an ugly cut. Blood cut a crimson trail down his cheek, soaking his shirt. Dark bruises covered most of Ellis’s face and one of his eyes was swollen shut.
“Ellis?” Jon stepped inside.
Ellis braced an arm against the tub like he was going to stand but he wound up slumped against the wall. “I told Rudy not to let anyone in.”
“I threatened to break the windows.” Jon knelt.
“You should go.”
“And you should be at the hospital. What the hell happened?”
“Don’t worry about
“It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
“Then she screamed. Why did she scream?”
“She just didn’t understand.” Ellis slumped in his seat. The truck veered toward the shoulder again, nearly clipping a mailbox. He jerked the steering wheel.
“Am I in trouble?”
“No. No. Everything is fine.”
“You sound funny. Do you need a nap? When my words get all fuzzy you say I need a nap.”
“Yeah. That’s a good idea. When we get home I’ll take a nap.”
Chapter Three
Painted white with tall windows flanked by dark red shutters, the house was right out of the fifties. Trees edged both sides of the property and hid it from the road.
Jon parked beside Ellis’s truck and got the pans of pizza from the back seat. The wrap around porch met him at the top of the steps. He knocked on the door.
No one answered so he knocked again.
The curtain parted and Rudy looked out.
“Hey, Rudy. I brought your pizza. Mushrooms and black olives. No anchovies.”
“We can’t have pizza. I’m sorry, Jon.” He scrubbed a hand across his cheek and sniffled. “Ellis is sick so no pizza. Maybe tomorrow.” Rudy disappeared.
Ellis was sick? “Rudy, open the door.” Jon tried the doorknob but it was locked.
“I can’t. I promised so I can’t open the door.”
“Rudy, if Ellis is sick, he might need a doctor.”
“He said he didn’t. He said he was fine. He’s taking a nap so he’ll feel better. You’ll have to come back tomorrow. He’ll feel better tomorrow then we can have pizza.”
The floorboards creaked and Rudy’s hazy shape moved behind the curtain. Jon banged on the door hard enough to make the glass rattle. “Rudy, please open the door.”
The curtain parted again. “I can’t. I want to. I do. But I promised I wouldn’t.” Rudy’s voice cracked.
“Rudy, I need you to listen to me. I’m your friend, right?”
“I still can’t let you in.”
“I’m your friend and you gave me baseball cards. How many people have you given baseball cards to?”
Rudy shrugged. “No one.”
“So that means we’re really good friends, maybe best friends. And friends help each other, right?”
He nodded.
“If Ellis is sick then he need a friend to help him.”
“But I promised.”
“I know. I know you did, buddy. But I can’t leave. I need you to open this door.”
A tear ran across a bloody gouge on Rudy’s cheek.
“What happened to your face?”
“The lady at the store. I broke rule number three. She screamed and then Lenny hurt Ellis. Now Ellis is sick. So we can’t eat pizza.”
Jon put the pizza on the swing. “I’m going to ask you one more time, Rudy. Open the door. If you don’t I’m going to have to break one of the windows and let myself in.”
“Ellis will be mad.”
“Yeah, he will. And we don’t want that, do we?”
Rudy dropped the curtain. Jon started to unbutton his shirt so he could wrap it around his fist. There was a snick and the door pulled out of the way. Rudy hid behind it.
The inside of the house was just as neat as the outside. The faint smell of burned oats and plastic hung in the air.
“Where’s Ellis?”
“In the bathroom.” Rudy pointed to the stairs.
Jon took the steps two at a time to the top. He knocked on the bathroom door.
“G-Go watch…watch…TV, Rudy. I’ll be down later. I’m…resting.”
Jon opened the door. Ellis sat on the floor next to the tub. Under the matted hair on one side of his head was an ugly cut. Blood cut a crimson trail down his cheek, soaking his shirt. Dark bruises covered most of Ellis’s face and one of his eyes was swollen shut.
“Ellis?” Jon stepped inside.
Ellis braced an arm against the tub like he was going to stand but he wound up slumped against the wall. “I told Rudy not to let anyone in.”
“I threatened to break the windows.” Jon knelt.
“You should go.”
“And you should be at the hospital. What the hell happened?”
“Don’t worry about
Similar Books
