“Bucky . . .” For a moment she appeared ready to pour out her heart, then hesitated.
He waited.
“I . . . my dad . . .” Her eyes reddened. “What’s going to happen to him?”
“What do you mean?”
She looked over at her brother, then back to the tall junior. “He wasn’t very religious or anything like that. I mean, when we were kids we went to church quite a lot. But not for years now. Sometimes at Easter, but that’s it.”
“I think you told me that once.” Bucky remembered a conversation he’d had with her during his freshman year.
“Uh huh.” She looked down at the patterned carpet in the church fellowship hall. “But now . . . he’s gone. And I just don’t know whether he ever . . .” She couldn’t finish.
“What do you mean?” Desperate for an answer, Bucky breathed a quiet prayer. In the stillness, he saw Sam sidling over toward them.
“My dad . . . he wasn’t a Christian or anything. What’s going to happen to him?”
Again Bucky breathed a prayer for wisdom. “So you don’t know if he could be saved?”
She nodded, her eyes still moist.
“Only God knows what’s really in a person’s heart,” Bucky said carefully, his voice gentle. “God knows your dad’s heart better than you or anybody. Your dad might have had thoughts . . . and a response to God that you don’t know anything about.” He looked right into her eyes. “Not one of us is qualified to know another person’s experience, their hurts and the things that might have been barriers to their getting to know the Lord.”
She digested this.
“Plus,” Bucky added, “it’s God, not us, who decides whether a person is going to be saved or not. And I can just tell you, he loved your dad more than even you did. If there’s any possible way to do it, God will find a way to save your dad.” The boy looked over at Sam. “My . . . our pastor always says, ‘God looks for every opportunity to save people.’ He’s just not willing for anyone to perish.”
His teacher’s face began to relax. “So you think I should just. . .”
“. . . Leave it with God.” Bucky nodded, looking Miss Cochran right in the eye. “He’ll do the most fair thing, the most loving thing he can. For your dad, and for everybody.”
She reached out and took Bucky’s hand. “How come you boys know so much about this?”
Sam smiled. “We just learned it at church.”
“So you’re both Christians?”
“Yeah. Dan too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s catching,” Dan, who had just walked up, added. The four of them managed a weak laugh.
“We better get going,” Bucky said at last.
“Sure.” She let go of his hand as the boys stood up. Andy, who had been listening to the whole conversation, fidgeted.
“I can’t tell you how much it’s meant to me to have you guys here,” Miss Cochran said again. “My mom said the same thing.”
“We were glad to come,” Bucky responded. “And I just wanted to kind of tell you one more thing.”
“Sure.”
He caught Dan’s eye before speaking. “Sometimes a funeral is a good reminder to those of us who stay behind,” he began slowly. “To make sure we’re right with God ourselves. Your dad’s gone to sleep now. But you and I and all of us – we’re alive. We’re here and we can think and choose. And it’s only right that we look real hard at God’s invitation and then accept him. Right now while he’s calling and we have the chance to respond.” He paused, noticing the dampness beginning to well up in her eyes. “And if we do that, then it gives some purpose to what happened to your dad.”
She nodded slowly. “I’m going to think about that,” she said, her voice husky.
It was a quiet drive back to Hampton Beach.
Chapter Five: More Dirty Money
Bucky was still in turmoil as he suited up for Tuesday’s road game against the Razors. The funeral and talk with Miss Cochran had been strangely unsettling . . . and he had still not received an e-mail reply from Vasana. In addition, the disagreement with hot - shooting Bill Volker had created a painful locker room resentment that was impossible to miss.
Even Coach Brayshaw seemed to sense that something was wrong. “You boys OK?” The team nodded dully, but the usual spark was absent.
“This ought to be an easy win for us,” the athletic director pointed out, trying to rebuild a feeling of optimism. “These guys are 0-2, and Fred tells me they really stink. He watched their last game and made some notes for us. So just play it cool and let’s stay undefeated!”
The squad went through their “Win! – Win! – Win!” chant, and Bucky felt a little bit of enthusiasm return. Maybe the big bettors feeding Bill’s wallet had moved on. He clapped Dan on the back as they headed out onto the basketball floor to a chorus of boos.
The game went as expected. The Panthers, despite their dampened mood, still played like champs, carving out an easy fifteen-point lead by halftime.
“Three and oh ain’t too shabby,” Gorton grinned as he admired the scoreboard. A big grin creased his face as he spotted a friend sitting in the other team’s rooting section. “We’re whippin’ you boys,” he crowed.
“Shhhhhh,” Bucky laughed. “Second half might be different.”
And the hometown Razors did attempt a valiant comeback. Several lucky long shots went in for three - point tallies as the third period ticked away. And early in the fourth, Dan, landing awkwardly on his ankle, signaled for a time - out.
“Is it sprained?” Coach Brayshaw anxiously examined the player’s leg.
“Naaaah.” Flopping down on the bench, Dan exhaled noisily. “Just sore.” He looked up at the coach. “Let me rest a little bit, though. We got a big enough lead.”
As the final minutes slipped by the Razors closed to within ten points but didn’t appear to have enough strength for a last gasp.
“Time-out!” Grinning with satisfied confidence, Brayshaw motioned the regulars to the sidelines. “You boys keep Gorton company. Let’s let the subs finish it off.”
Bill glanced at the clock, which showed 1:22 left in the game. “Hey, no way! I want to play.”
Brayshaw shrugged. “Suit yourself, Bill. You’ve had a hot game.”
Bucky, seated next to Dan, watched as the seconds ticked off the clock. Another Razor basket cut the lead to eight, but with less than a minute left.
“Man, look at old Billy,” Dan grinned. The little guard had grabbed the ball and dashed single - handedly down the court to toss in a layup. Seconds later, diving desperately for a steal, Volker intercepted the Razor ball and tossed in a second basket. Panthers by twelve!
Boos began to rain down onto the gym floor as the home squad scooted down the floor for a hurried shot. The long bomb went awry and Bill, frantically jumping in front of one of his own players, scooped up the ball and scurried down the court again. Just short of the three - point line he sighted and let it fly. Swish!
“What in the world’s goin’ on?” Bucky began to snicker in spite of himself. “That guy’s nuts, rubbing it in like that.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Take it easy, kid! You already got the scoring title locked up.”
Moments later the final buzzer sounded with the Panthers on top by thirteen points. Draping an arm around Litton, Coach Brayshaw led the victorious team to the locker room.
Dan pulled off his drenched jersey and tossed it at Bill. “Man, Volker, that was some mean showboating out there. Runnin’ up the score with half a minute to play.”
“Yeah,” one of the subs put in. “Lighten up, hotshot.”
“Hey.” Bill, still dressed in his uniform, was in a feisty mood. “When I feel hot, I take the shots.” He pulled his locker door open with a clang. “Anyway, I figure the worse we beat these guys up, the more they’ll be thinkin’ about it next time Panthers take the floor here. Just a little psych warfare.”
Retrieving his shirt, Dan said with his charac
teristic bluntness, “Looked kind of tacky to me.”
“Aaaah, shut up.” The little guard had clearly had enough of Dan. Turning his back on both him and Bucky, he began to undress.
The stocky forward returned to his own locker with a shrug. “Weird,” he muttered in a low voice.
“What do you mean?” Bucky’s voice was equally guarded.
“That guy’s so intense. Up by twelve, and he was sweatin’ bullets out there, trying to get another basket. Didn’t you see that look in his eyes?” Suddenly a strange expression crossed Dan’s face.
Bucky spotted it immediately. “What?”
“Nothing. Let’s grab a shower.”
Minutes later they exited from the dilapidated locker room and headed for Dan’s sports car. In the October twilight a familiar figure was leaning against the hood.
“Well, well,” Dan grinned. “My car never looked so good.”
Bucky’s pulse raced. “Hi.”
Deirdre flashed the boys her stunning smile. “We win again.”
“Yup.” Dan tossed his duffel bag in the trunk. “Did you see the game?”
“Absolutely.” She tossed her head, causing a flurry of blonde hair to swirl about her shoulders. “But I think that little Bill stole the show.”
“No kidding.” For a moment Dan’s voice became a growl, but the blonde’s presence made complaining unthinkable. Suddenly he spotted someone in the background. “Listen, Stone, wait here. I gotta ask that guy something.”
“I, uh . . . sure.” Bucky watched him trot toward the stranger, then turned to face Deirdre again. Even months after they had broken up, he still struggled with his powerful attraction to her. “How’ve you been?” he managed.
She pulled her jacket tighter. “Not too bad.” She looked right at him. “How about you?”
“OK.” He coughed nervously. “I almost didn’t end up going to Hampton this year.”
“Really?” She cocked her head.
For a moment he was sorry he’d mentioned it. “Yeah.” He shrugged. “For a while I thought I might be going to a Christian high school up the freeway quite a ways. But then I decided to stay here.”
“Well, lucky us.” Her voice, always intriguing, carried no hint of sarcasm. “How come?”
It was too hard to explain, he decided. “I don’t know. Just so I could keep an eye on you.” It was a clumsy rejoinder, and he flushed.
She raised an eyebrow, then moved a step closer. “I thought you decided that was a bad idea.” The mystery in her voice made his heart flutter.
There was an awkward pause. “Well, I . . .”
Just then Dan returned. “Hey, let’s get going.” He looked at Deirdre. “Can I give you a ride?”
She shook her head, but her eyes were still on Bucky. “No.”
“OK, then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The last remark mystified Bucky as he climbed into the passenger side of Dan’s car and gave the girl a clumsy wave.
Dan glanced in the rearview mirror at the retreating figure, grunting appreciatively. His teammate shifted in the tight bucket seat, attempting to cross his long legs. “What were you trying to find out back there? From that guy?”
Dan squinted as he flipped on the car’s headlights. “You ain’t gonna believe it.”
“What?”
Dan shifted into third as the Camaro’s engine protested noisily. “Look, there’s that Fiero again,” he commented as they glided past the old Siesta Inn motel.
“Never mind that.”
The older student looked over at Bucky. “You know how Billy was goin’ cuckoo trying to run up the score the last minute there?”
“So?”
“I asked that guy in the parking lot if he had heard any point spread for the game. Guess what?”
Bucky shrugged. “I give up. What?”
“Twelve.” Dan’s expression tightened as he pulled the car into a left-turn lane on Grand Avenue. “Panthers were up by eight when Billy grabbed the ball and went nuts with it.”
“And we won by thirteen,” Bucky said slowly. “So whoever was betting on the game – if they were betting on us – ended up winning again . . .”
“With Billy’s help,” Dan finished. He slammed his fist down on the steering wheel. “Man, that is really something. Especially in a lopsided game where it’s basically ‘garbage time’ the last few minutes. People betting on that. Who would waste money on a lousy high school game?”
Dan’s mag wheels hummed against the uneven concrete as both players mulled over the information. “Turn around.” Bucky’s order came without warning.
“Huh?”
“Just do it. Come on, turn around.”
Glancing around him, Dan pulled the car into a tight U turn and headed back up the street. “What’s the matter with you?”
“I don’t know, just go back to the gym.”
“What for?”
Bucky’s mind was racing. “If Bill gets paid off again, I think we ought to try to find out who’s giving him so much dough.”
Dan snorted impatiently. “He’s probably out of there by now.”
“I don’t think so.” Bucky shook his head. “He was really dawdling in the shower. Like maybe he was waiting for somebody.”
Dan floored the accelerator and the car lurched forward. “If this is for nothing, you can just pay me thirty cents a mile, smart guy.”
“Shut up and drive.”
The two pulled into the long street fronting the Razors’ gymnasium and eased to a crawl. Suddenly Bucky tugged at Dan’s arm. “There!”
“What?” The older boy strained to see in the growing darkness.
“That’s Bill right there.”
Dan whistled softly. “Who are those guys?”
“I don’t know.”
The two watched in silence as a tall stranger handed the little guard an envelope, then grinned at his companion, a dark - skinned man with expensive jewelry. Easing the window open a crack, Dan strained to hear what they were saying.
Giving Volker a comradely punch on the arm, the two men walked across the street. Pulling a set of keys from his pocket, the taller man thumbed a remote control device that emitted a tiny beep. The two men eased into an expensive automobile and drove down the street right past Dan and Bucky.
“Look for their license plate,” Bucky hissed.
“Can’t see it.” Dan started up the engine and pulled the car around, crouching low behind the steering wheel.
“Hurry up!”
The boys drove three blocks before giving up the chase. The other car had vanished in the October darkness.
Pulling into a drive - in restaurant parking lot, Dan shut off the engine and leaned back in the leather seat. “Well, Superspy,” he grunted, “what do you make of that?”
Bucky didn’t answer. Witnessing the incident had left him speechless. He realized with a start that it was a situation they dared not ignore any longer. “Let’s go over to Hampton,” he said at last.
“Now what?” Dan scowled. “Your bright ideas are emptying my tank.”
“We need to talk to Brayshaw,” Bucky retorted, his voice rising. “Plus my car’s there, remember. We have to go anyway.”
“Yeah, yeah.” With a sigh, Dan turned the ignition key again.
Hampton Beach High School was nearly deserted by the time they arrived. A hastily erected banner – “Still Undefeated!” – hung at a crazy angle from the huge marquee sign in front of the ad building. Parking in a side lot, the two boys looked around carefully before heading for the athletic complex.
“Coach is still here,” Dan observed as he spotted Brayshaw’s car in its usual spot.
“Well, just make sure Bill doesn’t see us.”
The muscular basketball forward kicked at a rock. “Shoot, he’s probably gone off to Disneyland to spend his latest wad.” He sniffed angrily. “From the looks of that car those guys were driving, they could afford to send Volker to Disney World in Florida instead. An
d fly him first class.”
Bucky knocked on Coach Brayshaw’s office door, butterflies beginning to squirm up his insides.
“Come in.” The athletic supervisor smiled as he saw the two players. “Hey, guys, how’s it goin’? Great game!”
“Thanks.” Dan eased himself into a chair.
“What’s up?”
Without fanfare, Dan laid the situation out for the older man. “You gotta give him credit, Coach. Three games in a row he’s been hotter ‘n a firecracker. But tonight . . . I mean, he was desperate to get those last points and beat the spread.”
Brayshaw’s face tightened in rage. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
Bucky remembered a similar scene a year ago, when another basketball player had forfeited his life to a fling with cocaine. Intervention that time had come too late. A look at his coach’s face told him they were both recalling the same incident.
“Well, never mind that,” the older man grunted, his eyes still flashing in frustration. He looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. “Boy, this is bad.”
“What are we going to do, Coach?” Dan wanted to know.
Mr. Brayshaw sat in momentary silence, deep in thought. “I don’t know,” he managed at last. “You don’t think this is just a one - time thing? A couple of local smart guys trying to score a fast hundred bucks?”
“No way,” Dan asserted. “You should have seen their car.”
“Plus they gave Bill a whole wad of money,” Bucky pointed out.
“So they probably won a whole bucketful more than that.” Coach nodded his dour agreement. He looked from one boy to the other.
“What are you going to do, Coach?” Dan asked again.
“Well,” the older man said at last, “I’m gonna have to do something. What that’s going to be . . . I just don’t know.”
Chapter Six: Strange Defeat
The extra bed covers sheltered Bucky from the November chill as the following weekend crept over Hampton Beach, dawning cold and clear. Lingering in the warmth as long as he dared, he finally pulled himself out of bed, shivering as his bare feet hit the floor. Outside his second - story window he could see frost covering the windshields of all the cars parked out on Woodman Avenue.
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 56
