Edison's Gold by Geoff Watson

Author:Geoff Watson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781606844717
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Published: 2012-09-10T21:00:00+00:00

The digital clock on Tom’s bedside table read 10:16. His parents had only gone to bed fifteen minutes ago, but in order to catch the 10:31 Metro-North out of Yonkers, he would have to leave now.

Quietly, Tom rolled out from under his comforter, fully dressed in black like a ninja. The computer printouts, extra pens and notepads, a triple-sealed plastic bottle of hydrochloric acid, two steel shovels, a mallet, and one chisel had already been stuffed into a duffel bag under his bed. Tom had no idea what was waiting for him at mile nine, but whatever it was, he figured he was probably going to have to dig, hammer, or burn his way through something sturdy to get to it.

He held his breath as he slid the heavy duffel bag out into the open, careful not to let the shovels clank against each other.

“Phase one complete,” Tom mumbled to himself.

Phase two: escape.

Tiptoeing toward the bedroom door, he opened it an inch at a time, braced for any telltale whispering or rustling from his parents’ bedroom, but all he could hear were the faint sounds of the local TV news coming through their door.

Then, with his shoes in hand and the duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he stepped into the upstairs hallway.

All night, Tom had been at the computer, researching the history of the New York railroad system. As his bedtime came and went, he could feel the scratch behind his eyelids and the heaviness in his bones. He’d have to keep his wits sharp tonight, and that wouldn’t be easy.

Though the Edison family’s narrow Victorian home had a back staircase, a hidden ladder, a gabled attic, a basement plus root cellar, and a functioning dumbwaiter, the one thing it didn’t have was an easy escape route. There was no sturdy ledge under Tom’s bedroom window, and it was a good twenty-foot free fall to the street. The only ways out were the obvious routes: front door or kitchen door. Tom chose the front.

It took him a full three minutes to creep down the main stairs. After each creak or squeak, he’d catch his breath, frozen in the darkness, praying he hadn’t tipped off his parents, who were probably just dozing off right about now. The living room was a minefield of half-packed boxes, furniture, book piles, and the most dangerous obstacles of all, Rose’s strewn toys. One false move would send Tom crashing to the ground for sure.

After what felt like six lifetimes, he finally reached the front door, stepping through and locking it ever so gently behind him. Outside, the neighborhood was settling down for the night. All along the line of modest homes, lights were being snapped off and doors bolted.

As he continued along the sidewalk, all Tom could hear was the mosquito-like buzz from the streetlights. But no sign of life. Once he’d reached the end of the block, he was welcomed by darkness. And then …

Blink, blink, blink the flashlight signaled in the distance.

Tom

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