The Adventures of the Flash Gang by S.J. Waugh

Author:S.J. Waugh
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regal House Publishing
Published: 2024-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

14

Worse and Worse

I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry…

Lewis repeated this all the way back to the Grub Factory. By the time he arrived he was hoarse, and his head hurt, which only made him feel worse than he did in the elevator at the William Penn.

“If you could have seen her, preening between the two,” he ranted to Duck as they huddled by the rusted barrel, the last bits of coal smoldering. “And there was enough pink to…” He tried describing Pearl again, waving his arms. “It was like a cotton candy machine exploded.”

“That ain’t why yer mad,” murmured Duck, examining the photos Lewis had handed him.

“Of course it’s why!” argued Lewis. “She hasn’t told her papa that Gimlick kept her prisoner the entire time she was living with her. How can she not tell him that?”

“She wants him ta be happy.”

“What?”

Duck looked up. “Ya never asked yer dad ’bout the Recipe experiment, right?”

“That’s different,” Lewis said hotly. “I didn’t know what the Recipe was.”

“But ya knew that yer dad was actin’ strange an’ even so, ya didn’t say nothin’.” Duck gave Lewis a half-grin. “That’s cuz you was lookin’ out fer him, thinkin’ he’s got enough ta worry about. Same as Pearl. She jes’ wants her dad ta be happy.” He shook his head. “Why not? So many unhappies ’round here.”

“So she’s just going to keep pretending everything was fine? What if she blurts out our whereabouts or anything else?”

“Blood Oath, remember? Pearl’ll die or, like she says, expire before she tells on us. Anyways, Sir Papa’ll go back ta explorin’ Timbuktu or whatever, an’ she’ll come back ta the factory.” Duck looked at Lewis. He swallowed. “I mean, it’s the Flash Gang’s secret hideout! She’s gotta come back!”

Just as Duck insisted this, a splatter of ceiling plaster landed squarely on his cheek. Duck gave Lewis a rueful grin and Lewis grinned ruefully back. It was better than saying he wasn’t sure Pearl would return.

“Any other streeters you recognize?” Lewis asked instead, nudging the photo in Duck’s hand.

Duck held the candle stub closer to the photo of the uniformed boys. Then he set down the photo and pointed to two boys in the front row. “That’s Oakey. An’ this is Lee. Ain’t seen them in a month.”

Lewis moved the photo with Mac closer to the other photo. “So Oakey and Lee have been gone a month. And here’s Mac and Frankie who’ve been gone since Wednesday. And Seamus left PB’s newsstand last week, and we haven’t seen Spike since the riot. You saw Gunner?”

“A week or so back.” Duck nodded.

Lewis considered the photos again, looking from one to the other. “It’s like these boys who are all serious and spiffy in their clean shirts are ready for something and Mac and the others are the new ones, still sloppy, you know?”

“Uh-huh, but ready fer what?” Duck said, then sighed. “We gotta find Mac an’ talk ta him. Bring him home.”

“If he’ll come home,” Lewis said, not able to help sounding pessimistic.

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