Deranged by Harold Schechter Read Free Book Online Page B

with a good steady income. At present, he was able to employ a full-time Swedish cook and five farmhands.
    One of his most dependable workers had decided to move on, however, and Howard was looking to replace him. Edward’s ad had appeared at a most propitious time. He smiled up at the boy. “You look strong enough to work.”
    “Yes, sir,” Eddie answered, leaning forward eagerly. “And I ain’t afraid of hard work, either.”
    Howard nodded approvingly. “I am prepared to pay fifteen dollars per week for as long as you can stay with me.”
    “That sounds good to me,” Eddie said, turning to his mother, who was sitting beside him with a look of perfect satisfaction on her face.
    A moment of silence passed, during which Eddie and his friend exchanged a glance. “We was wondering, Mr. Howard,” Eddie said, pointing a thumb at his friend. “My chum Willie here is also looking for summer work.”
    Howard turned his gaze to Willie, then asked if he would mind standing for a moment. The boy got to his feet, drawing himself up to his full height, while the old man looked him up and down.
    “All right,” he said after a moment. “I can use a fine, big fellow like you on my farm.”
    Grinning broadly, Willie plopped himself back onto the sofa.
    Reaching a finger into his vest pocket, the old man fished around for a moment, then pulled out a big stemwinder. He snapped open the lid and held the timepiece close to his face. “I must be on my way. I have a business engagement out in New Jersey.”
    Lifting himself gingerly from his seat, he told the boys to pack the “oldest clothes you have.” He would return on Saturday afternoon with a car and drive them out to Farmingdale.
    The boys, followed by Mrs. Budd and Beatrice, escorted their benefactor to the door, where Howard shook hands all around, thanked Mrs. Budd for her hospitality, and patted the little girl on her head. Then he was gone.
    No sooner had the door shut behind him than Edward and Willie began doing a little dance around the living room, as tickled as a pair of ten-year-olds who have just received a particularly profitable visit from Santa Claus. The classified that Eddie had invested in had paid off in spades. Mr. Howard’s offer seemed too good to be true.
    And so, over the next few days, Edward Budd and William Korman excitedly began making their preparations, while the little gray man who called himself Frank Howard set about, in a state of even greater excitation, making his.

6

    Workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts. PSALMS 28:3
    Eddie and Willie passed most of the appointed day—Saturday, June 2—inside the Budds’ apartment, impatiently awaiting Frank Howard’s arrival. A pair of canvas duffel bags, crammed to capacity with well-worn but freshly washed work clothes, lay in a corner of the living room.
    The two teenagers had spent the week crowing to their acquaintances about their good fortune, about the “gentleman farmer” from Long Island who had offered them summer jobs in the country and fair wages to boot. Now Eddie and Willie were eager to get going. But the day wore on with no sign of Frank Howard.
    Late in the afternoon, someone finally knocked on the door, and Eddie hurried to open it. Much to his disappointment, he found himself face-to-face with a Western Union delivery boy, who handed him a message and hovered in the doorway until Eddie forked over a dime.
    With Willie peering over his shoulder, Eddie read the terse, handwritten note: “Been over in New Jersey. Call in morning.” The message was signed “Frank Howard.” The boys exchanged a brief, crestfallen look. Then Eddie shrugged. By now, it was four o’clock. Evening was just a couple of hours away. They had managed to wait this long. Waiting another day wouldn’t kill them.
    *  *  *
    Though he had decided, for reasons of his own, to delay his plans until Sunday, the old man, too, had been impatient for the