The Black Cadillac Read Online Free PDF Page B

The partial brick front went up past the front green door to the awning. The boys approached the house.
    “Do you want me to do the talking?” asked Zach.
    “Sure, I’m going to try to keep my head down a little in case I recognize the person.” said Cody.
    Cody pulled his baseball cap down so his eyes were well underneath the brim. Zach reached for the faded doorbell with chipped green paint surrounding it. Before he could fully press it in, the front door swung open. An old lady was standing right in front of them.
    “Can I help you two?” she said in a raspy voice.
    “Um, we are from Franklin Middle School and we are selling candy for a fundraiser.” blurted out Zach. “I’m Zach and this is Cody.”
    Cody put his head up and motioned a small wave.
    “Oh, well I’m not interested in your candy.” the old lady said.
    The old lady looked at Zach and Cody, and then spoke again.
    “I saw you two here yesterday looking at my house. What are you two doing at my house?” the old lady questioned.
    “Um, like I said, we are doing a fundraiser for our school and we were scoping which neighborhoods we should go to. Sorry to bother you, Ma’am. We will leave now.” explained Zach.
    “Wait a minute, I’m sorry boys. I just don’t like people snooping around. How much is the candy?” the old lady said, changing her mean tone.
    “Um, a dollar for the box.” replied Zach. “And we actually have just one box left. It’s chocolate?” said Zach while nudging his friend.
    Cody pulled the box of candy out of his draw string back pack and started handing it towards the door. The old lady looked at the box and made a face. Cody nudged his friend back.
    “Well, I don’t like chocolate, but just hang on there.” the old lady said and then disappeared from the doorway.
    “Let’s get outta here. We are obviously way off on this.” Cody whispered to his friend.
    “Ok, just hang on. Here she comes, shh.” replied Zach.
    The old lady appeared back in the doorway.
    “Here you go boys, here is a dollar for your fundraiser, but I don’t want the candy, you keep it.” the old lady said trying to sound nice. She kept looking at the boys and around her front yard.
    “Oh wow, thank you Ma'am. Thank you very much. By the way, is that your car in the driveway?” Zach said with a smile.
    “Yes it is. Why? Stay away from it.” the old lady snapped.
    “Oh, uh, we just thought it was a nice looking car. We were just admiring it. What kind is it?” replied Zach, still with a half-smile on his face.
    “That is 1987 Cadillac Brougham in black sapphire metallic. That is my baby.” she snapped back.
    The woman was peering out at her vehicle in the driveway. Cody nudged his friend to get going. Zach just pretended he didn’t feel it.
    “Oh, well we like it. Thanks again for the dollar.” said Zach holding up the dollar bill.
    “You are welcome. Now leave and stay away from my car. I mean it!” the old lady exclaimed and slammed the front door.
    “Well that was weird.” said Cody turning around and heading back towards the bikes on the sidewalk.
    “That was definitely weird and also a huge strikeout.” replied Zach.
    “Yes it was. Let’s head home.” said Cody.
    The two friends hopped on their bikes and headed back home. The search was becoming hopeless. The old lady watched from behind her curtains in the front window as the boys rode off.
    The week went by fast, and the kids both told their mothers that they were working on a science project together and needed to collect things from around the city. It wasn’t known if their mothers knew they did not have a science class together.
    By the end of the week, Cody and Zach were completely wiped out. They used Cody’s room as a headquarters for all clues and information. The old lady was definitely the highlight of the week for the boys. They had to be careful and hide all the maps, drawings, pictures, and notes in the desk drawer.
    Cody had made a secret