Marja McGraw - Bogey Man 03 - They Call Me Ace Read Online Free PDF Page A

licked her paw and glanced up at him as though thinking, What an idiot .
    Chris Sr. laughed, the only time he smiled with his mouth open. “Doesn’t he ever hurt himself?”
    “I think he must have the hardest head this side of the Mississippi River,” I said.  I’d seen Sherlock do this time and time again, and yet no matter how many times he slid into the wall, he never quit doing it. Sherlock and Watson are very intelligent dogs, so this behavior was unexpected.
    Chris hung up the phone and walked back to the living room. “Wrong number. Sherlock practically gave himself a concussion for nothing.”
    Judith and Chris Sr. had driven their motor home from Michigan to California, and they were hauling an ATV, a two-seated all-terrain vehicle, behind them. I had no idea where they were going to use it, but I wanted a ride in it. It looked
    like it might be fun. It kind of reminded me of a very small
    military Jeep. I was sure Mikey had probably already hinted
    to Judith that he wanted a ride, too. I wasn’t sure if they were legal on the streets of Los Angeles because it was something that had never come up before. They probably weren’t, but I figured we could probably get away with a ride around the block.
    Chris’s parents had insisted on staying in their motor home while we insisted they use the guest room. Judith explained they had everything they needed in the motor home and she didn’t want to move all of her things into the house. We gave in, and they parked in front of the house.
    Judith returned to the house wearing jeans and a long blue blouse. Her shoes were old-fashioned tennis shoes. She looked stylish, even in jeans.
    While she talked to the men, I ran upstairs to change my clothes. Mikey was just coming out of his room. He waved at me and took the stairs two at a time.
    “Slow down, Mikey. I don’t want you falling.” As if he’d listen to me.
    Bogey Nights was closed on Sundays and Mondays, and it was nice to have a couple of days when I didn’t have to dress up.  I pulled out a pair of jeans and a yellow shirt, added some flip flops, and I was ready for anything. The sound of voices outside caught my attention and I walked to the window. Judith was unloading the ATV from its trailer, so I figured Mikey must have done some fast talking. Looking at the trees, I saw the wind was picking up. I heard them take off as I came down the stairs.
    Father and son were so involved in the game that they didn’t even notice me. I walked outside and waited for Judith and Mikey to come home. I could hear the whine of the engine on the street behind ours and wondered if the neighbors would complain. The ATV was loud, very loud.
    As they turned the corner and headed back up our street, I stood by the curb. They stopped right in front of me.
    Judith’s hair stood on end, and she ran her fingers through it.
    “That was fun, Grandma! Can we do it again?” Mikey had a look of sheer joy on his face.
    “Hey, wait a minute, Ace. It’s my turn. Okay?”
    Judith nodded, and Mikey and I traded places. He stood on the curb and watched us take off.
    “ Let’s go a little farther than you went with Mikey ,” I yelled, leaning close to Judith. She heard me and nodded.
    We’d driven about three blocks before a copper pulled us over.
    Judith turned off the engine and glanced at her watch. “Oh well, we need to head over to meet the Realtor anyway.”
    “ What? ”  My voice was loud and I realized I was yelling. The sound of the small vehicle had been almost deafening. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell.”
    The copper approached the ATV with a grin on his face. “I see you’re from out of state,” he said. “How do you like your all -terrain vehicle?”
    Was he going to give us a ticket or did he just like the ATV? He and Judith discussed it for a few minutes before he waved us off.
    “Remember, ladies, these are for mountain trails and the like. They’re too loud for city streets, and even if it’s street