Adam and Kevin walked as normally as possible past Town Hall. They didn’t look at it, even though they wanted to - given the events that evening. Instead, they walked until they were in the darkness on the other side of the Fire Hall, turning back just in time to see Jimmy closing the door behind him.
Adam watched the door, anxious to see Jimmy come out again. As time ticked on, he began to worry. In his mind, Jimmy had ran into the faceless thing that followed them through the last part of the tunnel. It was at least 400 pounds of pure muscle and 9 feet tall. It grabbed Jimmy and forced him to recount his evening, including the names, descriptions, and locations of his accomplices. It finished him off by doing horrible things. When it was done, it would sneak up behind Adam in the dark, grabbing him and...
A hand touched Adam's shoulder. He jumped and let out a quiet scream, similar to the one Kevin had done earlier. It was only Kevin.
"Whoa, calm down," he whispered. "Look." He pointed up the street toward Jimmy's house where a car was pulling into the driveway. Jimmy's parents had just arrived home.
Adam watched as the car pulled into the driveway and two people stepped out. He heard the doors close and the murmur of quiet conversation as Jimmy's parents walked toward the house.
A hand clamped down on each of their shoulders in the darkness. They both jumped in shock, but managed not to scream. Jimmy was standing behind them, trying to hold in the laughter from shocking his friends.
“Don’t do that!” exclaimed Kevin.
"How did you get here? We only took our eyes off the door for a minute," said Adam.
Jimmy was trying to control his laughter. "That was so worth it! You two look like you might need to change your pants!"
Kevin and Adam looked at him unimpressed.
He composed himself and continued. "When I let you in the side door earlier, I noticed an alarm panel. I locked the front doors from the inside, ran to the side door, and was out of there in no time. I went behind Town Hall and walked to the Fire Hall through the trees. "
Kevin and Adam were still looking at him unimpressed.
Jimmy was still smiling. "Ok. You don't owe me anymore. The look on Kevin's face alone was priceless!" Jimmy was enjoying his moment.
"Good to hear...,” said Kevin. “Oh, by the way, your parents are home," he continued, grinning because he was able to give Jimmy the bad news.
Jimmy's smile disappeared in an instant. He looked at his watch.
"I have 3 minutes to get home. You two have to come in and distract my parents while I take the key back to their bedroom." Jimmy's tone implied there would be no discussion.
They nodded their heads and ran toward Jimmy's house.
"How are we supposed to distract them?" asked Kevin.
"Why don't you show them your interpretive dance? That'll keep them occupied," said Adam.
"Not until you show them the pink tutu you wear when no one is watching."
Even though they were still wound up from the night's events, they all had a good laugh at the comments.
Arriving at the house, Adam and Kevin followed Jimmy up the steps to the back door. They stepped in and took their shoes off in the small entryway. Jimmy looked at them and mouthed, "I need 2 minutes."
"Trevor or Jimmy?" Mrs. Jones' voice came from around the corner.
"Jimmy - and Adam and Kevin," Jimmy replied as they entered the kitchen single file.
"Oh, hi boys!" said Mrs. Jones, "Isn't it getting late for you to be out?" She was standing behind the counter holding a glass of water. James Jones the Second (his friends called him Jim) entered from the living room as she spoke.
"Wait here, guys. I have to use the bathroom." Jimmy motioned his head slightly toward his parents.
"Uh, well...I don't really have a curfew,” Adam answered, “but Kevin needs to be home in about half an hour. We just figured we would walk Jimmy here on our way home.”
"Where did you get the Doritos?" Mr. Jones glanced at the bags and then looked at them with a fatherly ‘don't-lie-to-me, I-can-read-your-thoughts’ expression on his face. It made the boys feel even more uncomfortable than they were already. They had forgotten about the Doritos, even though Adam was still holding his and Jimmy's bags from when they parted at Town Hall.
"Actually, we bought them from Mr. Argue at the bar," replied Adam. "We knocked on the door and no one answered, so we just sort of stepped inside...a little..."
Mr. Jones had a surprised look on his face. "I don't know if that was smart, brave, or incredibly stupid." He laughed, but Mrs. Jones still wore a frown. Upon seeing his wife, he also returned to a frown, staring at them once again.
There were a few awkward moments of silence, and once more those moments felt like minutes to the boys.
Mrs. Jones took a sip of her water and set it on the counter. Mr. Jones started to turn in the direction of the bedrooms. They had to think of something quick.
"Uh...so...I hear Trevor is dating Kevin's sister," blurted out Adam, grasping for any subject.
The awkwardness created by that one simple statement worked. Mr. Jones stopped in his path and turned to listen to the conversation to come. Kevin had a look of I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that on his face mixed with a small amount of anger that he kept contained.
"Oh...We thought they were just friends right now," said Mrs. Jones, looking at her husband to see if he knew any different. "That would be wonderful for Trevor. She's a lovely girl."
Mr. Jones was nodding his head in agreement with his wife.
Adam had a bad feeling deep in his stomach. He knew the discussion made Kevin very uncomfortable, but it was all he could think of at the time. It was necessary, though, and worked long enough that Jimmy appeared in the kitchen again.
"Here's your Doritos." Adam handed the bag to Jimmy.
"Thanks…I'm just going outside for a minute, ok?" Jimmy looked at his mom.
Mrs. Jones nodded. "Don't be too long. Kevin needs to be home soon," she added, glancing at the clock on the stove.
Adam and Kevin said goodnight to Jimmy’s parents and made their way outside. The group crossed the street before saying anything.
"I can't believe we made it!" said Jimmy. "Thanks for keeping my parents occupied guys. You did great! What did you talk about?"
Adam looked at Kevin. "I'm sorry. It's the first thing that came to my mind,” he said.
Jimmy looked puzzled at first, but caught on quick. His face twisted in fake pain. "Oooooh, you did? Wow."
Kevin looked at Adam. "It's ok, man. I have to learn to deal with it from other people too, not just my friends. If they're dating, they're dating."
"Still, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"If you don't quit apologizing I really will get uncomfortable. People know I hang out with you." Kevin grinned.
Adam smiled as well. All was fine between him and Kevin again.
"Ok, you two can hug on your way home," said Jimmy, "I better get in the house."
They laughed and turned to part company. Kevin stopped and turned back. "Your dad asked where we got the Doritos, so we told him the story about going into the bar. He laughed, but your mom doesn't look impressed."
Jimmy nodded at Kevin. "Thanks. I can talk my way out of that, no problem!"
With that, Kevin and Adam waved a quick goodbye, turned and walked toward home.
CHAPTER NINE
The moon was nearly full that evening, and the air was cool, but not cold. The boys walked to the end of the block in silent thought.
Adam was going through the evening in his head, although it wasn't in order. His thoughts skipped from scene to scene out of sequence. It skipped from running through the tunnels to opening the first door, then back to Jimmy's house and stopped at the point where Lorne Argue brought them the Doritos.
"He asked us if we saw anyone leaving in a hurry," Adam muttered in a quiet voice.
"What was that?" asked Kevin, bringing Adam out of his thoughts.
"Lorne asked
us if we saw anyone leaving. I forgot about it until now, but it seemed a little strange at the time. He said ‘in a hurry’."
"He was probably looking for someone who skipped out on his bar tab," said Kevin.
"But this is Grayson. Lorne knows everyone in this town, and would know exactly who ran out without paying. I don't think he was asking for himself."
"Wait, are you saying that whoever was behind us in the tunnels asked Lorne if he saw anyone?"
"Yep."
"That would mean we would have just stepped outside when the person came up from the cold room into the bar."
"Yep."
They both stopped.
"They have to suspect us," said Kevin.
"I don't think so. I bet Lorne didn't even say anything about us being in his bar. He's got a keen sense for drunks lying to him, but Jimmy even convinced me that we just went in for something to eat."
"Still, I think we need to be on our guard. News that we were in the bar will spread through this town fast."
"When we go back into the tunnels, we'll have to make sure we're quieter. Hopefully tomorrow." Adam looked serious.
Kevin nodded, "I just want to look through the files. There's got to be something in there to explain all of this."
"You must be curious if you're willing to read. Not to mention breaking into Town Hall again." Adam laughed, soft punched Kevin in the shoulder and started walking again.
"It's not really breaking in when you have a key and know the alarm code. We're not looking to steal anything...I just hope you can convince Jimmy to 'borrow' the keys again."
"He won't be a problem. He wants to know what's going on as much as we do."
They stopped at the corner where they would have to part.
"Come and get me as soon as you can get out of the house tomorrow," said Adam, hoping it would be early.
Kevin nodded. "See ya tomorrow."
"See ya."
Adam turned toward his home and remembered he had dishes to wash in the morning.
Adam couldn't remember when he finally fell asleep. The previous night's excitement made his mind work hard when it should have been calming down. His alarm woke him at 7 am so he could wash the dishes before his mother woke, but he still felt tired, as though he hadn’t slept at all.
He dragged himself out of bed and threw on some clothes, making sure to put the pin in his pocket. He tiptoed downstairs to eat some breakfast and wash the dishes. Mary didn't have to work that day, and she hadn't fallen asleep in her chair the night before. He knew she would be sleeping late that morning, or just lying on her bed as long as she could.
Adam ate fast and then washed the dishes. By 7:45 am he was outside sitting on the step, waiting for Kevin to arrive. It was another beautiful summer day, and the birds sang in appreciation. The lack of a good rest, combined with the birdsong, kept Adam in a delightful daze until Kevin arrived nearly an hour later.
"You look like I feel," said Kevin with a weak chuckle.
"I slept so bad that I can't even come up with a smart reply, and you always make it so easy." Adam gave him a smile. His mind was starting to work again, now that he had someone to talk to.
Kevin sat and handed Adam a plastic travel mug. "Here, have some coffee. I thought you would have slept as bad as I did and might need something to get you started."
Adam looked at him. "Since when do you drink coffee?"
"I don't. I just tried to think of something that would help me get going today. I don't really like the taste much…anyway, bottoms up!" Kevin tipped his cup to his lip and took a big swig.
The first sip shocked Adam. The coffee was strong and bitter. Kevin had tried to kill the overpowering burnt taste with a lot of sugar.
Adam coughed and took a couple more swigs. He put the mug down and looked at Kevin. "That's a lot of sugar."
Kevin smiled, "Yeah, I made the coffee strong too. I figure that if the coffee doesn't wake us up, the sugar will."
Adam laughed at Kevin's logic, followed by another swig on the mug. He wiped his mouth after a small cringe from the aftertaste. He didn’t want to insult Kevin, as it was thoughtful of Kevin to make the effort. The more he drank the concoction though, the easier it was to drink.
He and Kevin sat silently sipping away for a few minutes, hoping the mixture would soon give them some energy.
Adam broke the silence. "So, one of the thoughts I had last night is that we need to get the keys to Town Hall again. It's going to be difficult to keep getting the keys from Jimmy's mom, so we should make a copy at the hardware store."
Kevin nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”
"When we go in, we should spend a bunch of time looking through the files,” added Adam.
"I want to go in right now, but I know that would be crazy," added Kevin while Adam gulped the last of his coffee down.
Adam tried hard not to make a face while finishing the coffee, although he was feeling the haze leave his mind more each minute. Maybe Kevin’s mixture was working, he thought.
"I think we should bring Mark with us this time," said Kevin, "He might remember something he heard from George that could help us."
Adam agreed. "We should get him and Jimmy over here and have a meeting as soon as possible. That way we can tell Mark what happened last night." Besides being Adam's workshop, the old garage doubled as a meeting place for him and his friends. He had salvaged some old lawn chairs and a coffee table from the dump so they had places to sit. Sometimes, if there was nothing else happening, they would hang out in the garage all day. They never stayed too late, as Mary would send them home if she saw lights on in the garage. Adam was sure she just didn't want to pay for the extra power.
They put the travel mugs in the garage and walked toward Jimmy's house, since it was closest. Adam could feel the full effect of Kevin's concoction soon after they left. His mind flew through images and ideas at a rapid pace. It made him feel like running the rest of the way.
When they arrived at Jimmy's house, Jimmy was attaching a 'For Sale' sign on the bike Adam and Kevin had fixed. It already seemed like a week since they did the work, even though it was the previous day.
"Mom, I'm going with the guys," yelled Jimmy toward the house.
"Ok, be good," came the muted reply.
The three walked toward Mark's house, and made generic small talk along the way. Adam told Jimmy they were going to have a meeting at the garage to tell Mark about the previous evening, but they shouldn't speak about it while they walked. The rest of the short walk to Mark's was filled with typical teenage teasing and sarcasm, light-hearted without real intent to harm.
Adam walked to the side door and rang the doorbell. The ring stirred the sound of excitement inside the house. Siri and Miri could be heard exclaiming, "Someone's here!"
After a short time, the door opened a crack and little eyes appeared. "Mark, it's just your friends," yelled the mouth belonging to the eyes as they disappeared from the crack in the door. Immediately, the first set of eyes was replaced by another nearly identical set.
"Yep, just your friends again," yelled the other sister.
A hand reached through and opened the crack while another pushed the face out of the way. "Go away, Siri..."
Siri struggled against her brother’s hand, but gave up soon and ran away. Mark smiled at his small triumph. He looked at Adam and held up his index finger telling Adam to wait. Adam stepped away from the door and joined Jimmy and Kevin on the driveway. Shortly, the door opened again and Mark stepped out, still chewing his breakfast. He was washing down the food with a canned soft drink he had just opened.
"You're having a Coke for breakfast?" Kevin's face showed how poor of a dietary decision he thought that was.
"shhhh......" Mark ushered the group off the driveway and back the way they came. "Mom and Dad don't know, and I don't want them to find out."
Kevin shook his head while the other two smiled. Too easy of a target, too early in the day, thought Adam.
/> "So, what happened last night?" asked Mark.
Adam made the motion of a zipper over his lips. "We're going to my garage." Mark caught on quick and was silent for the rest of the trip.
They all took seats around the small rectangular coffee table, with Adam across from Mark. Adam started telling the story, with Jimmy and Kevin filling in the holes and providing small skits of live-action replay. Mark was so intent on the story that he forgot he had a soft drink in his hand.
When they finished telling the story, they sat in silence for a while. Recounting the events brought out their curiosity as they thought about the previous night.
"Wow! That's all I can say." Mark looked at each of them in turn, breaking the silence. "I'm not sure if I'm happy or mad that I missed being there!" He sipped his drink for the first time since the story started.
"Adam and I were thinking, Jimmy, that we can't keep having you borrow the keys from your mom. You might get caught," Jimmy was nodding in agreement as Kevin continued, "so, we want to make a copy of the key."
Jimmy's nodding in agreement turned to head shaking in disagreement halfway through the sentence. "No way. That was way too close last night." He folded his arms in weak defiance.
Adam and Kevin looked at each other. They knew Jimmy was just as curious as they were, but Jimmy sensed an opportunity to get something out of his friends.
"Don't try and tell us you aren't bursting with curiosity after last night?” asked Adam.
"Of course I'm curious, but I'll be grounded for the rest of my life if I get caught. I actually do want a girlfriend someday! You have to be able to leave the house for that." The politician side of Jimmy came out, trying to minimize the bad press if he got caught doing wrong.
"Ok, we understand," said Adam. "How about this; if you get caught, we'll swear to everyone that we forced you to come along with us. Kevin threatened to crush you, and I said you might have an 'accident' riding your bike. Will that do?" Kevin looked hurt that he was being positioned as mean.
Jimmy was thinking it over. "Just one more time?"
Town Secrets (The Book of Adam 1) Page 6