Alibi Junior High (16 page)

I’m determined to get these ropes off my wrists. I’m not just going to sit here and hope for the best. I work my finger through a small opening and pull. I can feel the rope suddenly loosen further. I pull my wrist upward and it slips through to freedom. I start to untie the rest of the ropes.

I’m careful. I work slowly. I don’t want anyone to notice what I’m doing.

Jenny looks at me, and realizing I’ve untied my ropes, she gives me a little nod of approval then flicks her head toward the
back of the room. I know what she’s trying to say. She wants me to leave her and run if I get a chance.

I shake my head no and I mean it. I’m not leaving without her.

“Yeah!” Dawg starts clapping his hands. He looks over at us. I keep my hands behind my back. “One more strike and this game is over!”

I stare at the screen; I can’t help myself. The pitch comes inside, the batter tries to get out of the way but it bounces off his thigh. He runs down to first base.

Dawg is up on his feet. “Oh, man! Dude, did you see that? He had him! He didn’t even try to get out of the way. This game should be over!”

It seems like the next batter is up forever. He keeps fouling off one pitch after another. It’s become more than just a baseball game to me. The tension is unbearable. Dude leaves his post by the window and joins Dawg in front of the screen.

I notice that his gun is still next to the window. This is it, the opening I’ve been waiting for. If I can get the rest of the ropes off my legs fast enough there’s a really good chance I could get to that gun before he does.

The noise level of the game suddenly increases; there’s a surge of excitement and urgency. I look at the screen and see the camera tracking a baseball sailing through the night sky. The announcer is shouting, “Long fly ball…deep to center field…
this one’s going to be close…Damon’s at the wall…he jumps…did he get it…no…it’s a…home run. Mets win! Mets win!”

Dawg kicks over a chair and Dude starts to curse loudly.

Thump.

Andy jumps in through the window, rushes across the room, and places a gun against Dawg’s head. He yells, “Nobody move!”

Dude makes a move toward the rifle and Andy quickly fires a shot into the television. The sound is deafening. It’s like an explosion, the sound echoing all around the large empty building. “Next one goes into your head.”

Dude stops moving and raises his hands.

I get the final rope off my legs and rush across the room and grab the rifle. I point it at Dude.

Andy looks at me. “You know how to use that thing?”

“An AK-47? Come on, it’s the simplest weapon in the world. I’ve read that you can take them apart and put them back together again blindfolded.”

“No need to try that now, just cover me.” He looks around the room. “Is there anyone else?”

I’m surprised how heavy the gun feels in my hands. I know it doesn’t weigh much but it has its own kind of dense weight. My hands start shaking. This thing could kill everyone in the room with just a twitch of my finger. I can feel its deadly power; it feels
alive, angry, and vicious. It’s making me nervous.

“Cody!”

“Huh?”

Andy seems annoyed. “I said is there anyone else here?”

I glance around. “Not that I know of.”

He points at Jenny. “Get her out of those ropes.”

I grab the knife off the desk, run over and quickly cut away her ropes. She pulls the tape away from her mouth, stands up and throws her arms around me. “Are you okay, hon?”

“I’m good.” I kiss the side of her head. “I love you, Aunt Jenny.”

She’s smiling and crying at the same time. “I love you too. I was so worried something would happen to you.”

Andy yells, “Cody, bring me the rope!”

I run to his side with the rope and tape. He gives Jenny his gun. “You know how to use this?”

“Like a camera, point and shoot?”

He nods. “Yeah, that will work. I’m going to tie up our two friends while you and Cody keep them honest with your guns. But first give me that knife.”

I hand him the knife and he quickly slices the clothes off the two men. He makes it look easier than peeling an orange. Dawg and Dude are soon left standing in their underwear, shivering from both fear and the cold, damp air. There’s no need to worry about concealed weapons now.

Andy takes the ropes and moves with the speed of a rodeo cowboy binding a couple calves. A moment later they’re tied to chairs; these guys aren’t going anywhere.

When the men are finally secured, Andy seems to relax a little. It’s strange how I didn’t notice how nervous he was until now. He lets out a long breath of air. “Who are these guys?”

“They work…” My voice cracks. I guess I’m nervous, too. I push on, “They work for that arms dealer.” I point at Dawg and can hear the anger rising in my voice. “Guess what? He’s the one who blew up the café. He killed all those people.”

Andy snatches the pistol away from Jenny, stomps over to Dawg, and jams the gun against his head. For a second I think he’s going to pull the trigger. Instead he starts talking in a calm, lifeless voice that is somehow incredibly terrifying. “I’ve had it with worthless garbage like you killing innocent bystanders, so here’s my question: Is there anyone else in this building I should know about? You only get one chance to answer.”

Dawg’s eyes open wide with sudden terror. He blubbers, “No…just me and Dude. Really. We were told to hold the woman and boy until we heard from the boss.”

Andy pushes his head with the gun and asks, “How was he going to contact you?”

“Cell phone…he was going to call our cell phone.”

Andy points the gun at Dude. “That true? Nobody else is here? Nobody’s coming?”

Dude shakes his head so hard it looks like it might fall off. Then he says, “Yeah, it’s true. Don’t kill us, please.”

Andy turns and glares at me, and for a moment I don’t recognize him. He seems possessed, there’s a fierce, wild look in his eyes, he looks more animal than man. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I’m looking at a brutal warrior who has killed many people in the service of his country. I’d never seen this side of him before. I’m shocked, it’s like stepping on a garden hose and discovering it’s a snake.

I take a few steps backward and his face suddenly changes. I think he can see the fear in my eyes. I watch him take a deep breath and slowly let it out. He closes his eyes and his face softens, becomes calmer, less threatening. When he opens his eyes again they belong to the Andy I know.

He shakes his head and looks at Dude and Dawg. “We’re spending too much time here. Let’s lock them up someplace and get out of here. No sense waiting around for trouble. I’ll make some calls when we’re safe.”

We tape their eyes and mouths before adding more rope. The three of us quickly push them across the floor, lock them in a closet, and move a heavy desk in front of it.

Jenny’s got a huge smile on her face as she pats the dust and dirt off her shirt and pants. “That felt really good. I know it shouldn’t have, but tying those guys up after what they did to us was very therapeutic.”

I start to laugh. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Andy did that…” He’s gone. I look around the room and he’s nowhere in sight, it’s like he just vanished.

“What happened to Andy?”

Jenny glances around the room. “I don’t know. He was just here a second ago.”

I yell, “Andy!”

We quickly search the room before checking the hall. I jump because he’s standing just a few feet beyond the door. I notice that his gun is on the floor in front of him. “Hey, what are you doing? We were beginning to wonder if you fell in a hole or something.”

He doesn’t smile. There’s panic in his eyes, then I notice a dark, masked figure standing in the shadows behind him with the barrel of a gun placed in the center of his back.

The man in black hisses from the darkness, “Slowly place your hand behind your head.”

There’s something about his voice.

Andy does as he’s told.

“Now kick the gun over to the boy and get on your knees.”

I know that voice.

The Glock slides across the floor and I pick it up. What’s going on? As Andy moves to his knees, I strain to get a good look at the man in black, the bulletproof vest under his jacket making him seem larger, the black ski mask, the Swiss Army watch peek
ing out from below his sleeve.

I can’t believe that he’s really here. I swallow hard. “Dad, is that you?”

He steps into the light and slowly pulls the ski mask off. There’s the familiar beard, the piercing blue eyes, the long scar on his cheek. “Yes, son, it’s me.”

I want to run and throw my arms around him and tell him I’ve missed him, but there’s also this part of me that wants to hit him, scream and shout, and to tell him how much I hate all this. I’m torn between this love and hate and I wind up not doing anything. I just stand here, lost somewhere in the past and confused by the present.

“Dad, Andy’s my friend. He’s been helping me. You don’t have to point your gun at him.”

He looks at me. “There’s something not quite right here. Remember how I told you that you’ve got to trust your gut? My gut tells me he’s working for someone.”

I glance over at Jenny. She’s terrified. I guess I never realized how scary my dad could be.

“Dad, stop pointing the gun at Andy.”

“Son, think about it. Use your head—why didn’t he call the police? What do you really know about this man?”

I snort. “I know he just saved me! Where were you?”

“I was always by your side, always watching. I wouldn’t have let anything happen. I knew they’d come after you to get to me.
This was the only logical way to eliminate our problem.”

It sinks in. I shout, “You mean you used me as
bait
? I don’t believe it! How could you do that to me?”

“You weren’t bait. Bait is something you sacrifice. We’re a team. We work together. You were never in any danger.”

Jenny snaps, “Robert, what are you talking about? Men with guns kidnapped us! Cody was beat up!”

“He was perfectly safe. I would never let anything happen to him.”

Andy mutters, “Yeah right. That’s why he was almost blown to bits.”

My dad pushes him with the gun. “How do you know about that? See, Cody, this man knows more than he should.”

“It’s because I told him what was going on.”

He looks stunned. “Why would you do that? You know you’re not supposed to tell anyone what we do. It’s our number-one rule.”

My voice strains, “Because I needed help.”

Something dawns on me and it’s like my head explodes. “I don’t believe it!” I point at him. “That was you in the woods! Wasn’t it?”

My dad nods.

I throw up my arms. “How was I supposed to know that? Guns, wireless cameras—I didn’t know what I was up against! I needed help. I trusted
my
gut. I trusted Andy. Why didn’t you
trust me with the truth?”

“Son, try to understand. It was important that we didn’t tip our hand. We had to make everything look like you just moved here and you were trying to start a new life. I was close, really close, to ending all this. One more day and I would have caught everyone responsible and we could have been on our way. They just moved a little quicker than I thought they would.”

I practically shout, “But you used me as bait! You could have at least told me what the plan was.”

Anger slips into his voice. “Don’t you take that tone with me. I worked out a plan, the best plan for the situation. It was imperative that you behaved naturally. You wouldn’t have acted natural had you known the plan.”

My dad looks down at Andy and pokes him again with the gun. “But I’ve got a big question for your one-armed friend here. Anyone else would have called the police, especially when these two were kidnapped. Why didn’t you?”

“I used to work for military intelligence.”

“So?”

“So, a few days ago I made a phone call to an old friend who’s about as connected as you can be. It didn’t take long before someone came knocking on my door. He told me to observe, report, and above all not to involve the local police.”

Andy looks at me. “Cody, I was wrong. Only a few people know this, but your dad’s still with the Agency. He has a lot of
freedom but he’s still with them. The stories about the New Order aren’t true. That’s his cover; it’s allowed him to do some truly great things. He’s not some renegade running around the world with his own agenda, he’s one of our top agents. I know I should have told you before but I didn’t get the chance.”

My dad removes the gun from Andy’s back. “If you were able to find that out maybe I
do
have something to worry about. I’m just trying to do what’s right. It’s all about keeping our country safe.”

Jenny reaches down and helps Andy to his feet. She glares at my dad. “Don’t you think it’s time you made sure Cody’s safe, too? This is crazy.”

“He is safe. Listen, you can be hit by a car walking across the street. There are no guarantees in life; you just do what you have to do. If I didn’t think he was safe, I’d let him stay with you, but trust me, he’s safe.”

Andy brushes off the knees of his pants before turning to my dad. “Talking about being safe, we’ve been here way too long. Maybe we could have this conversation someplace else? I’d like to get out of here.
My
gut tells me to move on.”

“Fair enough.”

“Can I give him his gun back?” My dad nods and I hand it over.

Dad gives me his first real smile of the night. He holds out his arms. “Before we go, aren’t you forgetting something?”

I move toward his outstretched arms but at the last minute
I’m overcome with rage. I start beating on his chest. The vest feels hard under my fists. “I hate you. Why did you use me like that?” He puts his arms around me and holds me tight.

I mutter, “Why didn’t you trust me? I love you, but this is all wrong. I can’t believe you did this to me.”

He rubs my back and whispers into my ear. “Everything will be different now. I promise.”

I push myself away from him. “Dad, was this really all about the arms dealer? The café? All those dead people? That’s what this was all about? I thought you said they were nobody.”