Lucy’s “Perfect” Summer Read Online Free PDF Page B

bleachers and then at what used to be the refreshment building. “This place sure took it heavier than anything else in town.”
    “Figures,” J.J. said under his breath.
    “Well, for now, you all need to clear out.” The sheriff waved toward the gate. “It’s not safe here until we can assess the damage.”
    “What does ‘assess’ mean?” Lucy said.
    “It means we have to figure out how bad it is.”
    Lucy held back a grunt. She could tell them that. It was destroyed. They had to start from the beginning again, and Lucy wanted to do it right now.
    But it was clear that Sheriff Navarro wasn’t letting any of them out of his sight. Lucy looked around again for her bike — and spied a twisted piece of metal stuck under one of the fallen bleacher seats. It might as well have been a scrap in J.J.’s yard. This was turning out to be the most un perfect summer ever.
    Lucy could feel Sheriff Navarro watching the seven of them as they straggled away from the tumbled bleachers, but when Lucy looked back, he had shifted his focus to the leaning refreshment stand. Arms bowed out at his sides, he approached it like the cops did on TV when they were onto something.
    “What, Lucy?” Dusty whispered, hugging Lucy’s arm.
    “We should go,” Veronica said. “My mom doesn’t even know I’m here. If the sheriff brings me home, I am in so much trouble.”
    “Busted,” Oscar said, though without his usual wicked smile.
    “I’m coming,” Lucy said, but she stayed a few seconds longer. Sheriff Navarro squatted beside the refreshment stand and peered closely at the mud. He wasn’t looking at wind damage, that was for sure.
    “I’m hungry!” Januarie wailed.
    Lucy didn’t see how she could even think about food. Her stomach was one giant knot. She stepped over a tangle of splintered wood and went to what was left of her bike. It was bent beyond hope, even though it was still hanging together – except for one hunk of metal that lay a few feet away.
    But when Lucy leaned over to pick it up, she realized it didn’t belong to her bike at all. It was heavy and straight and looked like some kind of tool. She looked around to see where it might have come from, and her eyes snagged right on J.J. who had come up behind her. He was staring at it as if he knew it from someplace.
    “What is this thing?” she said to him under her breath.
    He glanced back at the others, who were almost to the road now.
    “Tire iron,” he said.
    “Somebody was changing a tire out here? Nah – it had to blow from someplace.” Lucy felt her eyes bulge. “That wind was stronger than I thought.”
    “No, it wasn’t,” J.J. said. And from the way he clamped down his jaw, Lucy knew that was all he was going to say. Something dark passed through her. Something she couldn’t even name.
    Things did brighten up a little when she got home and saw that Inez’s truck was gone, which meant a Mora-break, And — even better — she could see Dad and Mr. Auggy through the kitchen window. Lucy took the back steps two at a time, but she stopped at the door when she heard Mr. Auggy’s voice. He was using the serious tone she didn’t hear that much from him.
    “I’m with you, Ted,” Mr. Auggy said. “I didn’t see any other property in town torn up like it was. I didn’t get that close a look at it because it was still dark, but at first pass — I’m thinking something more than the storm hit it.”
    “Really?” Dad said.
    “Maybe I’m just overreacting.”
    Overreacting to what? Were they talking about what she thought they were talking about?
    Lucy shoved open the door, and the smiles appeared that meant a change of subject because a kid was there. Besides, Dad had his arms open, and Lucy had to fly into them.
    “Are you okay?” she said as she dove against his chest.
    “I had an adventure, that’s all.” Dad chuckled. “The good thing is, it didn’t make any difference to me that the lights were out. You survived