Let the Monster Out by Chad Lucas

Author:Chad Lucas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2022-05-17T00:00:00+00:00

17.

THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE

The boys canvassed Langille using a strategy Albert came up with, which Bones grudgingly had to admit was brilliant. They wandered around town with phones in hand, gauging where they could pick up a Wi-Fi signal. If anyone questioned them, they pretended they were doing an online scavenger hunt. After two hours, they regrouped at the Tim Hortons coffee shop downtown. They unfolded a town map that Marcus had snagged at the tourist booth near the river and plotted their findings.

The news wasn’t good. Every street had at least one hot spot. Downtown and the university campus were almost completely blanketed, which caused Kyle to start worrying about his father in the Royden Science Center. Among Langille’s businesses, the lone holdouts were J&B’s Appliance Repair and Woody’s Burgers.

“I asked Woody if he had Wi-Fi, and he lectured me for five minutes that we all walk around with phones up our noses and are forgetting how to enjoy life,” Albert relayed. “He told me to go build a tree fort in the woods.”

Marcus grinned. “Woody’s the best.”

There wasn’t much else to smile about, though. Bones observed another trend that the others corroborated: Fluxcor’s name and logo were spreading around town. FLUXCOR appeared in a larger font than LANGILLE on the Jamboree banners and posters. The electronic bulletin board outside the community center boasted of events “presented by Fluxcor,” and every restaurant but Woody’s had a Fluxcor Jamboree Special. Even the Tim’s they were in offered a limited-time Jamboree doughnut with a stylized Fluxcor logo in the icing.

“I bet the secret ingredient in the cream filling is pure evil,” Bones muttered.

Marcus pointed out the window. “Check it out.”

Across the street, Ray Giraud walked out of Town Hall with a tall man in a police uniform.

“That’s Chief Schofield,” Kyle said.

The men shook hands on the top step. The chief headed to the parking lot, while Giraud slid on his sunglasses and started across the street.

“See?” Bones declared. “Giraud and the chief are working together. Maybe they were visiting the mayor. They probably have an Evil Rich White Guy Club.”

“We don’t know that,” Albert replied. “You make a lot of assumptions, you know.”

Bones started to argue, but Marcus shushed them as Giraud strode through the doors, pushing up his sunglasses onto his head. He waved to a handful of patrons and strolled to the counter.

“What’s his deal, anyway?” Bones whispered. “Why would a super-rich tech guy come back to Langille?”

“To be worshipped as the town savior, probably. Seems like he loves attention.” Marcus shredded a napkin to bits as he watched the man place his order.

“See? Marcus doesn’t trust him either,” Bones pointed out.

Marcus dipped his head. “He just has such a giant ego. He was so mad when Dad convinced the Town Council not to call the Common ‘Fluxcor-Robeson Park’ or whatever. He wanted his name on it so bad. And he’s so petty that now he calls Dad Carl, like he pretends he doesn’t know his name is Carlos.”

The boys watched as Giraud stepped away from the counter and took a sip of his coffee.

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