The Abduction Read Online Free PDF Page A

He was holding a flyer and he showed it to Theo. “Who printed these?” he asked.
    Theo wanted to say, “Sir, it’s really none of your business who printed the flyers.” But this would only make a tense situation much worse. So he said, “We printed them at school today.”
    “And this is April?” Bard said, pointing to the smiling face square in the middle of the flyer.
    Theo wanted to say, “No, sir, that’s another girl’s face we’re using to make the search even more difficult by confusing everybody.”
    April’s face had been all over the local news. Surely, Bard recognized her.
    Theo said, simply, “Yes, sir.”
    “And who gave you kids permission to tack these flyers on public property?”
    “No one.”
    “You know it’s a violation of city code, against the law? You know this?” Bard had been watching too many bad-cop shows on television, and he was working much too hard to try to frighten the kids.
    Justin and his team made a silent entry into the fray. They rolled to a stop behind the other bikers. Eighteen kids, three policemen, and several neighbors drifting over to check on things.
    At this point Theo should’ve played along and professed ignorance of the city’s laws, but he simply could not do so. He said, very respectfully, “No, sir, it’s not a violation of the city code to put flyers on poles used for telephones and electricity. I checked the law online during school today.”
    It was immediately obvious that Officer Bard wasn’t sure what to say next. His bluff had been called. He glanced at his two pals, both of whom seemed to be amused and not the least bit supportive. The kids were smirking at him. It was Bard against everyone.
    Theo pressed on, “The law clearly says that permits must be approved for posters and flyers dealing with politicians and people who are running for office, but not for anything else. These flyers are legal as long as they are taken down within ten days. That’s the law.”
    “I don’t like your attitude, kid,” Bard shot back, puffing out his chest and actually putting a hand on his service revolver. Theo noticed the gun, but wasn’t worried about being shot. Bard was trying to play the role of a tough cop, and he was not doing a very good job.
    Being the only child of two lawyers, Theo had already developed a healthy suspicion of those people who thought they had more power than others, including policemen. He had been taught to respect all adults, especially those with authority, but at the same time, his parents had instilled in him a desire to always look for the truth. When a person—adult, teenager, child—was not being honest, then it was wrong to go along with their fraud or lie.
    As everyone looked at Theo and waited on his response, he swallowed hard and said, “Well, sir, there’s nothing wrong with my attitude. And, even if I had a bad attitude, it’s not against the law.”
    Bard yanked a pen and a notepad from his pocket and said, “What’s your name?”
    Theo thought, I gave you my name three minutes ago, but he said, “Theodore Boone.”
    Bard scribbled this down in a flurry, as if whatever he was writing would one day carry great weight in a court of law. Everyone waited. Finally, one of the other officers took a few steps toward Bard and said, “Is your dad Woods Boone?” His nameplate identified him as Sneed.
    Finally,
Theo thought. “Yes, sir.”
    “And your mother’s a lawyer, too, right?” Officer Sneed asked.
    “Yes, sir.”
    Bard’s shoulders slumped a few inches as he stopped scribbling on his pad. He looked puzzled, as if he was thinking,
Great. This kid knows the law and I don’t, plus he’s got two parents who’ll probably sue me if I do something wrong.
    Sneed tried to help him by asking a pointless question. “You kids live around here?”
    Darren slowly raised his hand and said, “I live a few blocks away, over on Emmitt Street.”
    The situation was sort of a standoff, with neither side sure