He didn’t say anything but gave me a look of someone with experience in these types of discussions, a look that said, What do you want from me?
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” I said, unzipping the bag. “I’m going to count this money and make sure it’s all there.” I took out one of the money stacks and pocketed it. I zipped the bag back up and put it in the locker. “Yup, all there.”
Cynthia grabbed my shoulder. “Matt? What are you doing?”
“You can’t just take that!” Will said. “What about the blackmailers? They’ll release my—”
“Photo?” I said. “No, they won’t. If they do that, the gravy train pulls out of the station, never to return. As long as the photo stays hidden, they have a steady income. Oh, they might be miffed that the take is less than it should be, but that’s not your problem. That’s between them and Vinny, right? All you have to do is keep your mouth shut. Both of you.”
“Matt?!?” Cynthia said. “What’re you …? You can’t—”
“Quiet,” I said. “I’m trying to work, here.”
She looked confused, but she stopped talking. And was that a glimmer of realization I saw on her face?
“So, you’re blackmailing me, too,” Will said. He scowled. He bit his lip. He banged his fist on the locker four times. “You’re a real jerk, you know that?”
I shrugged. “You’re not exactly an angel yourself, so excuse me if I take that with a grain of salt. And what are you getting so bent out of shape for? All you have to do is not say anything. It’s not like this is your money.” I paused. “Is it?”
He twitched.
I smiled. “Well,” I said, “not as cool off the court as you are on, are you?”
“You’re blackmailing me,” he said, trying to change the topic back to one in which he was the hero.
“Really? Or are you upset that I’m cutting into your profits? Maybe I should put it back then.” I turned away from him, to face the locker. I opened the door and reached for the bag. Before I could grab it, I heard Cynthia gasp. I had a hunch why.
“Turn around,” Will said.
I did. Will was holding a small blue squirt gun, the kind that’s easy to conceal. It was pointed at me. For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling.
“You weren’t blackmailing me just now, were you?” he asked. “You already knew.”
I pulled out the two ransom notes and held them up. “You wrote these.”
He shrugged, a smug smile uglying up his handsome face.
“You couldn’t see them on the originals,” I said. “They were too faint. But something happens with a photocopy sometimes, where it picks up a little indentation or a little mark that would otherwise be completely hidden. There are four little pen marks on this note, where you tapped the paper. Four … your lucky number. You don’t do anything until you tap it four times.”
“Uh-huh,” Will said. “Keep going.”
Cynthia’s eyes kept darting from me to Will and back again.
“Pete’s main connection for Stix was the Thompson twins. He had worked up a massive debt to them, and they were no longer supplying him. So Pete tried to square up with them by showing them your picture. He hoped he could lead them on, promise to give them the picture, or a copy, for a constant supply of Stix. The Thompsons agreed, then planned to take the picture by force, and use it to blackmail Vinny. If kids still thought the fix was in after all this time, it would put a major dent in Vinny’s gambling operation. After Pete came down from his sugar high, he realized what he’d done by telling the Thompsons, and he assumed that the slimy little jerks would come after him. He freaked out and regretted it. He gave you the box with the photo to hold. You heard through a few connections of your own that Pete had floated your picture out there.”
“You’re serious, Matt?” Cynthia asked.
“Yeah … Will saw an opportunity … the Thompsons wanted to blackmail Vinny, but what if he got there first? Since Will was in the photo, Vinny would have a hard time suspecting him, especially if the photo was out in the wild. So he played a little shell game with it. He gave it to Melissa, sent a note to the Thompsons tipping them off, so they’d get their hands on it, then schemed to have someone—either me or Vinny—take it away from them. The more people who touched the box, the harder it would be to remember that Will had it in the first place. The only person who might suspect something was up was Pete. All Will had to do was play dumb with him.”
“But what if the Thompsons opened the box and took the photo?” Cynthia asked.
“It wasn’t even in there at that point. It didn’t need to be. The promise of the photo was enough to have people fighting over it. Once I found the box, it was time to send out the demand notes and make it seem like there was now a third party involved.”
“And you based this whole theory on four small dots on the bottom of two pieces of paper?” Will asked, that same smug smile on his face.
“Well, the ransom consisted of two hundred and fifty-six dollars, which is four to the fourth power,” I said, “and four boxes of candy. Also, I never said the dots were on the bottom of the ransom notes.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No, he didn’t,” Cynthia said.
Will started laughing. “Looks like you got me again. You are impressive, Matt.”
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically. “That means a lot coming from you.”
“It should. I know a little something about being the best, so I appreciate it when I see it in others.”
“Well, at least you’re humble about it,” I said.
“Why?” Cynthia asked him. “Why would you do that? To Melissa? To the school?”
Will laughed again, but there was no humor in it; it sounded bitter and sad. “Look at me. Do you see this shirt? Do you know how expensive it is? Or these shoes?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Cynthia said. “You betrayed the school’s trust and ruined a girl’s life because of your fashion sense?”
“Who am I?” he yelled. “Huh? Am I Will Atkins, average middle school student? Can I come to school in generic pants and an old shirt?”
“Yes!”
“No. You may know a little about what it’s like to be watched by everyone, every day … but you have no idea what it’s like to be everyone’s hero. Kids idolize me!”
“Quite an ego you’ve got there,” Cynthia said.
“Tell me it’s not true,” he said. “Go ahead.”
We didn’t say anything.
“That’s right,” he said. “Because you know I’m right. I have an image to uphold. And everyone—EVERYONE—including the teachers, wants me to live up to that image.” He moved his hands up and down in front of himself, like a model on a game show presenting potential prizes. “This is the image that everyone wants. And I have to give it to them. I mean, what choice do I have?”
“Your clothes don’t matter,” I said. “Kids look up to you.”
“Ha!” he said. “Right. Because kids around here are soooo thoughtful and understanding. You saw what they did to my girlfriend.”
“YOU did that to her,” Cynthia yelled.
“No!” he yelled back. “NO! I had her splashed with water. That’s it! The kids in this school … THEY did the rest. And you honestly believe that if I came to school in the clothes my parents could actually afford, they wouldn’t turn on me? Start ridiculing me? Huh?”
“But I’ve been to your house,” Cynthia said. “You’re not—”
“Poor? No. We’re ‘middle class,’” he said. “Middle class. Ha! What a joke. Why don’t you ask me how long it’s been since my dad had a job? Huh? No, nobody cares about that. I’m Will, the hero who always puts this school first. I’m the savior of this rotten school!”
“Savior?!?” Cynthia yelled. “You’re the one who’s ruining it!”
“That’s not the story around here,” he sneered. “The story I’m going to tell is that I’m the hero, and you two are just a couple of cheap thug
s trying to blackmail me.” He lifted the squirt gun, aiming it between us, so we couldn’t tell which one of us he was going to soak first. “But I stood my ground and didn’t let you win. The idiots around here are going to eat it up.”
“You do realize you’re being double-crossed, right?” I asked.
His sneer faded. “What do you mean?”
“Your partner,” I said. “He’s double-crossing you.”
“Pff! Yeah, right! What partner?”
“Someone just dropped off a copy of the photo at the newspaper this morning,” I said. “It’s running in a special edition. In fact, it’s being printed right now, as we speak.”
“Pete! That no good, little—”
“Save it,” I said. “It wasn’t him. He gave me the phone with the original picture on it, knowing that Jimmy Mac would have to help me blow it up just to see what was in it. So Pete already knew that Jimmy had a copy of the photo. Why would he waste his time sending it to him again? He wouldn’t. The person who sent that photo to the paper this morning was the only other person to have it, the only other person who might want to see it in print. He used you to get it and make a little money, but now he’s cutting his ties with you. Isn’t that right, Kevin?”
Kevin stepped out from around the corner, a big green squirt gun in his hand. Liz was standing next to him. “Yeah, that about sums it up. You want to finish explaining it to Will? He looks a little lost.”
I stared at them. Liz wouldn’t look at me. Her gaze was fixed on the floor a few feet in front of her. I felt Cynthia’s hand on my shoulder.
“You know what?” Kevin said. “Looks like you need a moment to let this all sink in, Matt, so I’ll explain it.”
“You set me up?” Will asked.
“Sure,” Kevin said. “Haven’t you ever played chess?” He shot me a malicious look and smiled. Liz didn’t move.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Will yelled.
“Look, Will,” he continued, “you’re a powerful piece … maybe even a rook … but you’re still expendable.”
“Kevin—and his sister—have a bigger target than a few blackmail bucks and some candy,” I said.
“That’s right. I told you I was leaving Vinny’s crew, Matt,” Kevin said. “I just didn’t tell you it was because I was taking over.”
“Yeah, I worked that part out all on my own.”
“What gave it away?”
“The Katie hit,” I replied. “Everything you did up to that point had a business reason. Putting Katie in the Outs didn’t. It was personal.”
“Damn straight it was,” he said.
“Was it personal for you too, Liz?” I asked.
Liz still wouldn’t look at me.
“Don’t worry about her,” Kevin said. “Worry about me.”
I glared at Liz for a moment longer. “Fine. The other thing was that little present you left for me in the ‘decorative’ box.”
Kevin laughed, but it was cold and full of hurt. “I’m so glad you figured that out, Matt. I was beginning to lose faith in you as a detective.”
“What the hell is going on here?” Will yelled. “What about our deal?”
Kevin turned on him. “It’s simple. You thought I was just trying to make some money, maybe even show that Vinny was weak because he was getting blackmailed. I’ll admit that was part of it. I was hoping that there would be a bit of an uprising when it was revealed that Vinny had cheated to win money on that game, and all the kids who lost would rise up and take him out … maybe it’ll still happen. We’ll see when the paper comes out.”
“That paper isn’t coming out.”
We all turned to see Vinny and his crew of thugs. One of them was holding Jimmy Mac in his man-size hand. He only needed one. Jenny was standing directly behind Vinny; she was holding a squirt gun pointed directly at the front of Liz’s skirt.
“Vinny,” Kevin said. “So glad you could join us.”
“Getting a little crowded in the hallway,” I said. “Maybe I should go.”
“Stick around, Matt,” Kevin said. “I still have a surprise for you.”
“Can’t wait.”
Vinny’s goons raised their giant soakers and pointed them in Kevin’s direction. For the moment, Cynthia and I were forgotten. “So,” Vinny said to Kevin, “it’s come to this.”
Kevin smiled. “I know you’ve known for a while.”
“I’ve suspected for a while, but I didn’t know,” Vinny said. “I guess I like to imagine my employees are more loyal than they actually are.” He sighed.
“You’ve had a good run,” Kevin said. “Time for someone else.”
“Who? You? Please … You have some smarts and savvy, Carling, I’ll give you that, but you think you know more than you do. You have no idea how to run an organization as broad as mine.”
“You don’t think?” Kevin said. Almost as if on cue, we were suddenly surrounded by kids. They all had giant soakers, too. I recognized a lot of them as kids who were part of Vinny’s crew. It looked like they had decided that Kevin was the wave of the future.
“Huh,” Vinny said. “Seems I’ve underestimated you.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Kevin responded.
Vinny cracked his knuckles. “You know I’m not going to let you just move in.”
“I wouldn’t want it if you weren’t going to fight for it.” Kevin moved his head from side to side, cracking his neck.
“Everybody freeze!” Will shouted. He had his little blue squirt gun in his hand. He was completely panicked, not pointing at anyone specifically … more just waving it around.
Vinny looked bored. Kevin looked amused.
“I almost forgot you were still here,” Kevin said to him. “Sorry, Will, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to back you up anymore. You might want to think about dropping that and walking out of here.”
“You set me up!” Will yelled at Kevin. “I’m supposed to trust you now?”
Vinny smiled. “Looks like he didn’t give you a choice.”
“No, you fat little twerp! You’re the one without a choice! I’m the hero in this school! I’m the capta—!” A burst of water came from behind Vinny, catching Will square in the front of his pants.
“Shut up!” Jenny cackled, water still dripping from her freshly fired Super Soaker.
The wet spot started spreading on Will’s pants. He shrieked.
“You’re next, Matty-boy!” Jenny said, walking toward me, pumping her soaker.
I cocked my fists, ready to go down swinging. Before I could move, Cynthia stepped forward. “Hey, sweetheart!” she said, then punched Jenny square in the nose.
“Gahh!” Jenny yelled. She went down hard, blood pouring out of her nose, her soaker clattering to the floor, forgotten.
And that’s when all hell broke loose.
Water blasted everywhere. Everyone scattered. I hit the floor and started crawling. Two of Vinny’s guards went down screaming. Vinny was splashed, but the water caught him too high to do any good. His remaining guards formed a barrier around him. They blasted the hallway, providing cover for Vinny to escape.
I was on the floor, looking for Cynthia, but found Kevin instead. It might’ve been more accurate to say that Kevin found me. He grabbed me by the collar and turned me over on my back. I looked up at him. “Congratulations,” I said. “You fooled me. I thought you had a heart instead of a money-filled hole in your chest. I thought—”
“What? That we were going to be friends again?” He laughed. It sounded like a metal pick being dragged across a chalkboard.
“So you’re just a complete jerk, then? Is that it?”
“Oh, Matt … you think you can get under my skin? You really have no idea, do you?”
“I do now, cousin. Is it because your mommy doesn’t love you? Or because your daddy doesn’t love your mommy?”
I had found Kevin’s button. He dropped the squirt gun. He didn’t want humiliation for me anymore; he wa
nted pain. He picked me up off the floor, then threw me across the hallway like a cheap rubber ball.
“Your crappy parents are the reason that my family is miserable,” he said, striding toward me. He picked me up again, but this time he punched me in the stomach. The pain was so sharp, I almost threw up on his shoes. He held me upright. “I wanted you to know why we’d never be friends again!” he yelled into my face. “Never!” He reared back to punch me again.
“Back off!” came a voice from behind me. Kevin looked up. After catching my breath, I turned around. Cynthia was holding Jenny’s Super Soaker, aimed at Kevin. “Now!”
“And if I don’t?” Kevin asked.
Cynthia pumped the soaker as an answer.
Kevin did as he was told, letting me drop back to the floor.
“Matt … are you okay?” Cynthia asked.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Hi, Cynthia,” Kevin said, smiling. “I’m not sure we’ve met. I’m Kevin Carling.”
“Shut up, Kevin Carling,” Cynthia said. “I’m taking you in.”
Kevin smiled. “Taking me in? That sounds like hall monitor talk. But you’re not a hall monitor, are you?”
Cynthia didn’t say anything. She gave me a quick, guilty glance. It was the only answer she needed to give.
“Oooh!” Kevin squealed. “You ARE a hall monitor! And undercover this whole time! Does lover boy know you’ve been playing him?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I knew.”
A small smile passed over Cynthia’s face, as if I had just passed another one of her tests.
Kevin’s smile didn’t disappear, but it hardened. “It’s a shame,” he said. “You’re so pretty.”
“What?” she asked.
“Cynthia!” I yelled. “Get down!”
I was too late. The blast came from the right, and caught her mostly on the left leg. Not a full frontal shot, but still effective. She fell backward, firing her soaker harmlessly at the ceiling.
Liz stood there, water dripping from the barrel of her soaker. Her face was frozen in a blank expression. It looked like she was in shock.
The door to the school opened, and kids started pouring in from the outside.
The Quick Fix Page 16