Blood on My Hands by Todd Strasser

Author:Todd Strasser
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Murder, Mystery & Detective, True Crime, Juvenile Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories, General, Family & Relationships, Love & Romance, Fiction
ISBN: 9781606842393
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: 2010-09-28T06:03:41.063000+00:00

Chapter 27

Tuesday 6:08 A.M.

“I CAN HELP you get what you want.”

“But there’s a catch, right? Something I’ll have to do for you?”

“Of course.”

“So what is it?”

“When the time is right, I’ll let you know.”

I wake to a roar in my ears and sit up, disoriented. It sounds like a jet engine. The air in the tree house is heavy with moisture, and here and there water drips in through the slats of the roof. A downpour thunders from above. I check my cell phone for the time—just after six in the morning—and debate whether to call Slade, who is a late sleeper. Giving in to urgency, I call, knowing that it will surely wake him.

“Hello?” He picks up right away.

“You’re up!”

“Haven’t been getting much sleep lately. What’s going on? Where are you? I thought you were worried the police were tracing your calls.”

“Jerry fixed it so they can’t trace me.”

“Jerry?”

“Sebastian’s old friend. I’ve told you about him. Crazy reclusive tech whiz?”

“Oh, yeah. So where are you? Can I see you? There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Uh …” I’m about to tell him where I am when I catch myself. What if the police are listening to his phone … or sitting there in the room with him, threatening to arrest him if he doesn’t help them? “Can’t you tell me over the phone?”

“I … No, I’ve been thinking, Cal, and this is something I have to tell you in person.”

I feel myself fill with apprehension. “Why? What is it?”

“It’s better if it’s face-to-face.”

I can’t imagine why he can’t tell me over the phone. It doesn’t feel right. “Slade, it would be better if you just tell me now.”

“Come on, Cal, can’t you just tell me where you are? I can probably be there in five minutes. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”

After everything that’s happened, I can’t help feeling suspicious and cautious. I want to trust him, but some sixth sense is sending me warning signals. They might be about him, or they might be about something else. I only know I have to be extra careful. Paranoid, just like he said. “Slade, it’s better if you tell me over the phone. Really, it’s okay. No one’s listening.”

“I know no one’s listening,” he snaps, suddenly becoming angry. “Why can’t you just cooperate for once? Why do you always have to have everything your way?”

“Slade, it’s not that.… You know it isn’t.”

“Yeah, yeah.” His words seethe with sarcasm.

“It’s true!” I insist, stung.

“Right. Just like the reason you broke up with me had nothing to do with the fact that I wasn’t going to college. Or I didn’t know the right way to hold a fork and that my family didn’t belong to the right clubs. Damn, I’ve heard this all before. Why do I even bother?”

“Slade, what are you talking about?” I’m truly bewildered. I can’t remember ever talking to him about forks or belonging to clubs.

“Forget it, Cal.”

“Forget what?”

“I said forget it. Oh, and listen, your cover’s been blown.

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