Deadliest of Sins Read Online Free PDF Page B

to be nice. He’d been scared of her at first—her eyes had lasered into him as if he were telling lies. But then she’d looked at his EVEDINSE file and paid attention when he talked about Gudger. When he told her about riding on the peach truck, she’d actually smiled—after that, she seemed to think he was okay.
    Though she hadn’t promised to help him find Sam, she’d bought him a big hamburger in a fancy restaurant and then given him two of her cards. All together, it had been a good day. Now, though, he had to get back, and fast. The afternoon sun was sinking behind the trees. When he slipped out this morning, he’d left Gudger a note saying he was going fishing in the creek. But that had been almost twelve hours ago, and he doubted that the shallow little creek had enough fish to hold anybody’s attention for that long. Still, if he could sneak back home without Gudger seeing him, he might get away with it.
    He hurried through the water, mosquitoes whining in his ears while dragonflies hovered low over the water. At one point he slipped on a rock and almost fell, but he caught his balance and continued on. The cane on the banks finally began to thin out, allowing him a glimpse of the rose bushes in Mrs. Carver’s back yard. He was tempted to leave the creek and walk to Gudger’s through Mrs. Carver’s property, but Gudger had forbidden any contact with the old woman. They had a long-standing property dispute that came to a head when both parties drew weapons on the other—Gudger his service pistol, Mrs. Carver her late husband’s shotgun. Gudger had claimed victory, but he’d never forgiven the old woman for making him look like a fool. The battle lines, as well as the property lines, were still clearly drawn.
    Chase waded on, deciding it was better to stay in the creek than to risk Mrs. Carver’s wrath. His pants were now wet to the knees, his T-shirt sticky with dirt and sweat. Maybe if he timed it right, he could just reappear at the exact minute his mother came home from work. Or if his mother wasn’t home, maybe he could sneak through the back yard and jump into the swimming pool that Gudger had set up earlier this summer. That’s it, he told himself. Just get in the pool and wait until Mom drives up. Then go in and tell them that when I got back from fishing I went swimming all afternoon. Of course he didn’t have his bathing suit and would have to swim in his underwear, but Gudger wandered around in his underwear half the time anyway, his gut hanging over his jockey shorts like a watermelon.
    Energized by his plan, Chase scrambled out of the creek at Gudger’s back fence. He slipped between two loose barbed wires and hid behind some bushes while he put his shoes back on. Maybe this won’t be so bad , he told himself. Maybe Gudger had just been out getting the mail earlier and had gone back inside the house to watch one of his stupid ball games. Maybe he’s in there now, passed out, not giving a shit about me .
    â€œYeah, right,” he whispered. He crept through the wild honeysuckle that grew along the fence line. Gudger’s entire back yard was clearly visible—the house with its big picture window, the patio, a brick toolshed where Gudger kept his new tractor and his yard tools. Between the toolshed and the patio, hidden from his view, was the swimming pool. If he could get to the toolshed without Gudger seeing, he could take off his clothes, run around the little building, and just hop in the pool. Float until his mom got home. It was perfect!
    He held his breath, watching the back of the house. Except for a squirrel that scampered along the roofline, the place was still. Gudger wasn’t tinkering with his new motorcycle, nor did he see the glow of the TV screen through the picture window in the den. Just to be safe, though, he dropped his backpack on Mrs. Carver’s side of the fence. If she found it,