by John Grisham
But he’d made a promise to April, so he said nothing.
April skipped school. Theo couldn’t find her anywhere, and she wouldn’t answer his text messages. Missing school was not that unusual for her, and he guessed that she was hiding. He was also afraid she had done something stupid like run away. He worried about her all day, and after the final bell he biked to her house, but no one answered the door. He was late for Boy Scouts and received a stern warning from the Major. Since it was Tuesday, the Boones made their weekly visit to the homeless shelter on Highland Street. As always, Theo helped serve dinner to the folks who stayed there, and he helped the younger kids with their homework. Still no word from April.
Late that night, she finally sent a text. She was at home, hiding in her room, afraid to come out. He called but she wouldn’t answer.
“Just great,” he mumbled and turned off his light. An hour later he was still awake, but Judge was unconcerned. From under the bed he was practically snoring.
Chapter 17
Wednesday would be one of those days that, when it was finally over, Theo would look back and wish he could have stayed in his room with the door locked. Just like April. But that would never happen in the Boone household because if he wasn’t downstairs by 7:45 his mother would be upstairs banging on his door and barking orders.
Anyway, the eventful day began promptly at six a.m. when his phone began buzzing. He assumed it was April and debated whether he should answer it. But when he grabbed it, the caller ID revealed someone else: Ike. Ike was not known as an early riser, and for him to be calling at such an hour meant nothing but trouble.
“What’s up?” Theo asked.
“What are you doing?” Ike asked in a scratchy voice.
“Well, I was sleeping until my phone starting making noises.”
“Sorry. Look, Theo, I’m in a bit of a jam and I need your help. Right now.”
When Theo got in trouble he usually called Ike, so he didn’t hesitate. “Sure, Ike, where are you?”
“I’m in jail.”
“Jail? Why are you in jail?”
“We’ll talk about it later, but right now the most important thing is for me to get out. That’s where I need your help. I need some cash to post a bond so I can get out, and I don’t have enough cash with me. I want you to come down here to the jail, get my keys, and go to my office where I keep some cash.”
“Okay, sure, Ike, whatever.”
“And don’t tell your parents. I’m really sorry about this, Theo, but I have no other choice. You know my office, and I can tell you where I keep stuff hidden.”
“Okay, but if I leave now my parents will know I’m up to something.”
“How soon can you leave?”
“I always leave around eight.”
“Can you think of an excuse to leave earlier?”
“I’ll think of something.”
“Well, hurry up. When you get here ask for Officer Stu Peckinpaw.”
“I know him.”
“Okay. Hurry.”
Theo stayed in bed for a moment and tried to organize his thoughts. He couldn’t stand the thought of Ike being in jail and wondered what crime he had committed. It probably wasn’t too serious if he could post a bond in cash. Serious crimes required thousands of dollars to get out.
If Theo started moving around now, taking a shower and getting dressed, his parents might hear him and wonder what was going on. So he stalled. He went online to see if any horrible crimes had been committed during the night. Nothing. Whatever Ike did to get himself arrested had not made it to the local news.
As always, Mr. Boone left at precisely seven a.m. Theo faked another shower, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and hustled downstairs. His mother was in the kitchen in her bathrobe. “You’re up early this morning,” she said.
He’d practiced his fib. “I know,” he said with great frustration. “Mr. Mount wants the Debate Team to practice before class. He’s tied up this afternoon.”
She poured some coffee and said, “That’s unusual.”
“It really stinks if you ask me. It’s not like we don’t get enough school.”
“Smile, Theo. These are the best days of your life. You should enjoy every moment at school.”
“That’s what they say.”
She took her coffee and the newspaper and went to the den. Theo fixed two bowls of Cheerios and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He ate quickly, almost as fast as Judge, and at 7:15 was ready to go. He stuck his head in the den and said, “I’m off, Mom.”
“Do you have lunch money?”
“Yes, and my homework is perfect. I’ll smile all day long and make the world a brighter place.”
“Love you, Teddy.”
“Love you, Mom.”
He grabbed his backpack, sprinted from the house, and hopped on his bike. Ten minutes later he walked into the police station. The jail was in the rear. He spoke to a couple of policemen and saw Officer Peckinpaw pouring coffee from a machine. He walked over and said, “Good morning.”
Peckinpaw smiled and said, “Well, hello, Theo.”
Peckinpaw was a veteran who patrolled downtown on foot. He liked to bark and swagger but was really a nice guy. “Follow me,” he said, and they disappeared into a maze of hallways. Peckinpaw opened the door to a small room and said, “Take a seat.” Theo did and the door was closed. Five minutes later, Ike was brought in wearing handcuffs.
“Your lawyer is here,” Peckinpaw said, and laughed as he removed the handcuffs. He pulled some keys out of a pocket and gave them to Ike. “You got five minutes,” he said, and left the room.
“I’ve known that guy for a long time,” Ike said. He looked across the small table and down at his nephew. Theo looked up and into the red eyes of his uncle. Ike usually looked tired in the mornings, even after sleeping late, but now he looked even worse. He said, “Listen, Theo, I hate this. You’re the one person I would never want to see me in a place like this. I’m really embarrassed and feel awful about calling you.”
“It’s okay, Ike. I call you when I’m in trouble, right?”
“I guess so.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I played poker last night with some friends, had a few beers, too many I guess. As I was driving home I sort of eased through a stop sign, didn’t come to a complete stop, you know, at least according to the policeman, and he pulled me over. I was charged with drunk driving. Spent the night here. I’m really embarrassed, Theo.”
“Don’t worry about it, Ike, okay? I’m always your buddy.”
“Thanks.” He picked up the keys and selected one. “This opens my office door. Behind my desk is a credenza with four drawers.” He showed him another key, a blue one. “This opens the bottom drawer on the left side. In it you’ll find a small metal safe.” He selected another key. “This opens the safe. Inside you’ll find a tray of gold coins and a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills. Get five of them. My bond is set at five hundred dollars. I can post it in cash and get out of here this morning. I’m sorry, Theo, but there’s no one else I can trust.”
“No big deal, Ike. I’m happy to do it.” Theo was secretly thrilled to be involved, but he was also sad that Ike had no one else he could trust.
“What about school?” Ike asked.
“I’ll be late but it’s happened before. Nothing to worry about. Should I tell Mom and Dad?”
“Tell them later, not now. The arrest will be a public record so there’s no sense trying to hide anything. I’ll go to court in a couple of weeks and take my punishment. They’ll stick me with a big fine and take away my driver’s license for a few months. I deserve it, so no complaints here. Guess I’ll get me a bike, huh?”
“Bikes work.”
“Take off. When you get back, find Peckinpaw and give him the money. He’ll take care of the paperwork.”
“Sure, Ike. Anything else?”
“No, not now. And thanks, Theo. I owe you a big one.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Ike
. Happy to help.”
Theo grabbed the keys and hustled out of the station. Minutes later, he parked in front of Ike’s building, one that he owned. He rented the first floor to an old Greek couple who ran a deli, but it was too early for them. No one saw him bound up the stairs and unlock the door. Ike had no secretary, and his office was always a mess. His desk was covered with files and papers, most of which gave the appearance of not having been touched in years. Books were stacked on the floor. The garbage can was overflowing. The room smelled of stale cigar smoke. Theo flipped on a light, found the credenza, fiddled with the keys and opened it. The safe opened easily. He carefully avoided the gold coins and was impressed by the stacks of hundred-dollar bills Ike had stashed away. He plucked five from the pile, folded them carefully, and stuffed them in a pocket. He locked the safe and the drawer, turned off the light, and eased out of the office. He locked the front door and hopped on his bike. He had seen no one and was sure no one had seen him.
It was almost 8:30 when he returned to the police station. Peckinpaw was nowhere to be seen. Theo waited and waited, and finally took a seat in a folding chair. He sent a text message to Mr. Mount explaining that he would be late for class. Instead of a response from his teacher, he got a text from April. She was skipping school, too, and said she needed to talk. She needed a friend. Great.
Peckinpaw finally showed up a few minutes before nine. Theo gave him the cash and the keys. The officer explained that it would take about an hour for Ike to get out, and, in his opinion, Theo should go straight to school. Theo preferred to wait for his uncle, but if a police officer told him to go to school, then he really had no choice. Strattenburg had two truancy officers who patrolled the streets looking for kids playing hooky. If you were caught your life got complicated.
As he was leaving the police station, his phone vibrated. It was April and she wanted to talk. They met half an hour later at Truman Park, near downtown, and sat on a bench that was hidden by some trees.
“Why are you skipping school?” she asked. Theo told her Ike’s story and finished with, “At least I have a good reason. Why are you skipping school?”
“I’ll probably go tomorrow,” she said. “Right now I’m just too worried and upset. I had no right to stick my nose into their business like that.”
This was the same conversation they’d had a dozen times already, and Theo was tired of it. “Look, April, what’s done is done, and I’m not so sure what you did was a bad thing. It looks like the teachers are guilty. They cheated and now they have to face their punishment.”
“You keep saying that but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“I don’t know what else to say, April.”
They sat for a long time and said nothing. Theo really wanted to go to school, to check with Mr. Mount and see how much trouble he was in. He also wanted to run by Ike’s office and make sure the old guy was okay. But at that moment April needed a friend, and Theo was the nearest one.
He received a text from Mr. Mount: Theo, u okay?
He replied: Ok here. C U later.
April asked, “Who was that?”
“Mr. Mount. He’s looking for me. We really should go to school.”
“I’m not going to school today,” she said, and that was final.
They sat for another five minutes without talking. Finally, she said, “You know what I want to do?”
“Not really.”
“I want to have a picnic. Let’s run by Gibson’s Grocery near the college, get a couple of their corn dogs, and bike over to that spot above the river. No one will see us there, and we can have a quiet lunch.”
“I think we should go to school.”
“No, and besides, we’ve already missed half a day. Who cares? So we get in trouble. They can’t shoot us or anything bad like that.”
“My parents will shoot me.”
“No they won’t. They’ll get mad and slap you on the wrist, but you’re tough. You’ve been in enough trouble before. Please, Theo. I need a friend today.”
He couldn’t say no. Plus, he loved the corn dogs from the grill at Gibson’s.
That afternoon, after he finally shook loose from April, Theo walked into the offices of Boone & Boone and said hello to Elsa. She asked how was school. He replied, “The usual. Is Mom in?”
“She’s in court and your father has a client in his office.”
Theo’s plan was to march into his mother’s office and admit to playing hooky all day. If she was busy and couldn’t see him, he would go upstairs and confess to his father. But since both were occupied, he went to his office with Judge and closed the door, somewhat relieved that his big moment would be delayed. Now, he planned to announce it over dinner that night. After ten minutes he was bored. He left through the rear door and biked over to Ike’s office.
Ike was busy at his desk, barefoot, with Bob Dylan playing quietly on the stereo, and an open can of beer near his phone. It was as if nothing had happened. He smiled at his nephew and said, “Great to see you, Theo.”
“How are you doing?” Theo asked as he fell into an old chair.
“I’m fine. I feel lousy for what happened and for getting you involved. Believe me, Theo, you’re the last person I’d ever want to see me in jail.”
“It’s okay, Ike. I’ve worried about you all day.”
“Don’t worry about me, Theo. I’ve been in worse trouble.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“You know, Theo, I’m thinking about giving up alcohol. I think I’d feel better.”
Theo nodded at the can of beer and asked, “When do you plan to start?”
“That’s what I can’t decide. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next Monday. I might even go away to one of those fancy rehab places for thirty days and do a complete dry out. Get it all out of my system and learn some new habits. I’m really embarrassed right now.”
Theo wasn’t sure what to say about this. Ike was the last person to be embarrassed about anything. He saw himself as a rebel with little regard for rules and laws and those in authority.
Theo said, “I skipped school all day, and I need to tell my parents about it. They will want to know why.”
“You can tell them. I’ll call Woods tomorrow and explain everything.”
Mr. Boone and Ike rarely talked, and this had always bothered Theo. The fact that Ike would call Theo’s father and talk about this was perhaps a good thing.
“Why did you skip all day?” Ike asked.
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m not that busy.”
So Theo told him about April, and her anonymous letter, and the suspensions of the five teachers at East. Ike could be trusted with any secret. He seemed to like the idea that April nailed the cheaters with an anonymous letter.
Chapter 18
When Theo returned to the office, his mother was standing at Elsa’s desk, talking to Mr. Boone and Elsa and Vince, her paralegal. It was obvious that something bad had happened. For a split second, Theo thought maybe the school had called and reported him.
But it was far worse. That afternoon, the police had arrested Geneva Hull and the other four teachers. They were being charged with conspiracy and fraud, and Mrs. Boone was furious.
“These people are not criminals,” she said more than once. “What is Jack Hogan doing? You’d think he and the police have more important crimes to prosecute, bigger criminals to go after. This is ridiculous.”
Jack Hogan was the chief prosecutor and a well-respected lawyer. Theo had watched him in many trials.
Mr. Boone said, “Well, the important thing right now is to get Geneva out of jail.”
“I know that. The poor girl is probably terrified. Picked up by the cops, handcuffed, thrown into the backseat of a patrol car, hauled off to jail. And I’m sure the police notified the reporters just to add to the embarrassment. This is an outrage.”
“Has a bond been set?” Mr. Boone asked carefully. His wife was really upset, and he wanted to be support
ive. For once, Elsa had nothing to say. Theo tried to hide in a corner, though he wasn’t about to miss the drama.
“I don’t know,” Mrs. Boone said. “I’m going down to the jail right now to find out. See if you can get Henry Gantry on the phone and call me.”
“Can I go with you?” Theo asked. “Maybe I can help.”
“I don’t see any way you can help matters, Theo,” his mother said.
“Probably not, but I’d hate to miss all the fun.”
“This is not fun, Theo,” she scolded. “This is an extremely important matter, and an outrage.”
“I’ll stay out of the way. I’ve already been there once today.”
All four froze and looked at him. He said, “It’s a long story, for later.”
“I don’t have time for a story,” Mrs. Boone replied. She threw up her hands and walked to her office. Seconds later, she came out with her briefcase and stomped out the front door. Vince followed her. And Theo decided to follow, too. He wasn’t sure how far he would get, but he was willing to try. What did he have to lose? Mrs. Boone got behind the wheel of her car and slammed the door. Vince hopped into the front passenger’s seat. Theo crawled into the backseat and waited for his mother to order him out. She did not. She drove fast and recklessly to Main Street and parked illegally, as if she was just looking for a fight. Vince and Theo followed her into the police station, and she barked at the first officer she encountered.
“My name is Marcella Boone, attorney-at-law, and I represent Geneva Hull, who was arrested about an hour ago. I demand to see her immediately!”
Theo could not remember a time when he’d seen his mother this angry. Luckily, there were no reporters hanging around.
There were a few other cops milling about, and they disappeared into thin air. The first officer said, “Well, uh, sure, Mrs. Boone. I think you need to see the head jailer, just down the hall.”
“What’s his name?” she demanded. Mrs. Boone handled few criminal cases and as far as Theo knew had never been to the jail. At the moment, though, that didn’t matter.
