The Wildman Read Online Free PDF Page A

Mike took it personally. And he always lost his temper because when his team lost—which was rare—it was never his fault. It was always someone else who had blown the game.
    “’ Sides,” Jeff said, eyeing Mike cautiously, “we had a man on first and third, and you were on deck. We were gonna at least tie the game.”
    “A tie ain’t good enough,” Mike said through clenched teeth. His dark eyes gleamed with a strange light as if not winning was a personal affront.
    “The question is, where the hell—” Tyler tensed and cast a wary glance at the counselors to see if any of them had heard him swear. Lowering his voice, he finished his thought. “So where the heck is he?”
    “ Someone must have seen him … wherever he went,” Jeff said.
    Again, Jeff eyed Evan, looking at him as though he didn’t quite trust him. There was an odd blankness in Evan’s expression, and Jeff had the impression he knew more than he was letting on.
    “So what’re we gonna do about it?” Fred Bowen piped in. Fred had an edge of nervousness about him that never went away. When he was really upset, he even stuttered, but the kids felt bad for him and never made fun of him.
    Fred didn’t speak much. Maybe, it was because of the stutter. Or it might be because he lived in Chelsea, right outside of Boston. He had a shy quality that had always made Jeff feel sorry for him. The first summer they met at Camp Tapiola, when they were eight, Fred had confided in Jeff, telling him about how his stepfather, who was a drunk who worked at the docks, beat up on him on a regular basis—especially when he was drunk, which was most of the time. The two weeks at camp, he said, were the only time all year when he felt as though he could actually breathe. Jeff couldn’t imagine living with such fear in his life, and it bothered him that, even with the safety of his friends at camp, Fred never seemed to relax fully.
    “We can’t do anything,” Evan said, straightening up and drawing everyone’s attention away from Jeff. “The counselors and staff are gonna organize a search party. ‘Sides. He couldn’t have gone far … certainly not off the island.”
    “How do we know he didn’t take a canoe or try to swim?” Jeff asked. “Has anyone checked to see if all the boats are in?”
    Evan pursed his lips and shook his head.
    “Do you think maybe he got, you know, like, homesick and took off?” Tyler asked.
    Jeff snorted with derision. “He lives in freakin’ Connecticut, f’rchrissakes. What do you think he’s gonna do, walk home?”
    “I think we should be in the search parties,” Evan said. “The more people involved, the better chances of finding him.”
    Tyler’s blue eyes suddenly lit up. “You mean like a wide game—a camp-wide hide ’n seek?”
    “Island-wide,” Mike said. “There’s no guarantee he stayed on the campgrounds.”
    “This is freakin’ serious,” Jeff said, feeling a surge of anger at Tyler and Mike. He wanted to tell them about the bad feeling he had, but he wasn’t quite sure how to explain it. He didn’t want any of them to think he was nuts or something, either, especially if Jimmy showed up later and was perfectly fine.
    But he’s not perfectly fine, Jeff thought. He’s not fine at all because he’s dead.
    He had no idea how he knew that or even why he would think it, but he was convinced it was the truth. It was just a matter of time before everyone else at camp found out.
    The boys fell silent when Mark broke away from the other counselors and walked back to the tent. He stared down at the ground as he walked, and it bothered Jeff to see him looking so upset. It was obvious the adults in charge had begun to realize just how serious this situation was. Jeff had the distinct impression the counselors weren’t sure how to handle it.
    “All right,” Mark said, standing a short distance from the tent and rubbing his hands together as he looked from one boy to another. “We’re not sure