We Could Be Heroes by Margaret Finnegan

Author:Margaret Finnegan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 2020-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Hello, sir,” said Maisie when Frank, accompanied by Honey and Cowboy, answered the door. She reached her hand past the dogs and held it out to her neighbor, who gave it a limp shake. He did not have his aggressive walker, and, like before, he kept one hand propped on the door frame.

She said, “My associate and I are interested in performing good deeds for absolutely no other reason than because we are do-gooder sorts of people. Might you, perhaps, have some odd jobs you would like us to do for you?”

From the corner of his eye Hank watched Frank pull himself taller and give his head a little roll.

The man sighed and said, “Look, Maisie, I wasn’t going to say anything because I know you have your reasons, but now this has gone beyond Booler. You seem to think I cannot take care of my own property. Peeking in my windows… picking up my dog poop. I am as capable as I’ve ever been.”

A nervous shiver ran through Hank. Frank had not been yelling, but everything about his words and his tone stank of yelling.

But Maisie barely seemed to notice. Calm as could be, she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Jorgensen. We just want to do good deeds. You see, we are do-gooder sorts of people. When people see us walking down the street, they are all, ‘My goodness, there go Maisie and her associate, Hank. They are always making the world a better place.’ It’s sort of our brand.”

Frank started to close the door. “Well, that’s very nice, but—”

She took a step forward. “Actually, it’s for school.”

The man squinted. “School?”

“We have to help a neighbor and then write about it.”

Hank moved to the side of the porch, the better to distance himself from Maisie. A school project? To help a neighbor? That was definitely not part of the plan. The plan was to go undercover, pretend to be do-gooders, figure out whether Frank was really nice or mean—figure out what was really best for Booler. Hank licked his lips and looked over at Booler, who was asleep in the grass. He twisted the belt loop of his jeans.

The door squeaked open a little. Frank said, “For how long?”

Hank turned around and saw Maisie shrug, so, holding his breath, he stepped even farther away and did the same.

Maisie’s neighbor was quiet for a while. Sounding reluctant, he said, “Well, my dogs are always itching for walks. How would that suit you?”

“We would be delighted, sir. Wouldn’t we, my-associate-Hank?”

His voice flat, Hank said, “We would be very delighted, sir.”

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