The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale Read Free Book Online

not exactly sure she heard what she thought she just heard. Then she blew a gasket. “That’s what you got me over here for? He missed the biggest game of the yearand . . . wait a minute . . . did Bobby tell you about us? I’ll kill him!”
    â€œC-Courtney . . . wait . . . it’s not like that.” Mark tried to stop her angry tirade, but Courtney was on a roll.
    â€œI don’t care who he is. He can’t go around telling private stuff that—”
    â€œStop!” shouted Mark.
    Courtney did, mostly because she was so surprised Mark had made such a bold move. That wasn’t like him. They both looked at each other, not sure of where to go next.
    Mark now had her attention and it was up to him to make the next move. When he spoke, it was slow and thoughtful. He didn’t want to stutter and he didn’t want to make a mistake. So he pushed his glasses back up on his nose and said, “I think something strange happened to Bobby. What went on between you two last night was a part of it. I . . . I’m sorry if it upsets you, but I’ve got to know. Did you two make out at his house last night?”
    Courtney tried to read Mark. He was a shy guy and the fact that he’d ask a personal question like this was hugely out of character. Clearly there was more going on here than guys bragging to each other about getting to first base with a girl. She could see it in his eyes. Mark was scared.
    â€œYeah,” she said. “We did. Where is he?”
    â€œI . . . I don’t know,” he said, downcast. “I hope he’s at his house. Will you come with me and talk to him?”
    The two held eye contact for a long time. Courtney was trying to read Mark’s thoughts, and Mark was praying that Courtney would come with him so he could share some of the burden of what he knew. Maybe she could even help him figure things out.
    Courtney walked past Mark and gave him a simple, quick, “Let’s go.”
    Courtney was now on a mission. She wanted to talk toBobby. If she had to go to his house to find him, so be it. Mark was relieved that he now had an ally, but he had no idea how to tell Courtney what he knew, or if she’d believe him. For now though, he was happy just to have someone to talk to.
    The Pendragons lived on a quiet cul-de-sac not far from school. It was lunchtime, so Courtney and Mark figured they could reach Bobby’s house, get to the bottom of what was going on, and be back at school before anyone missed them. As they hurried up the sidewalk, Mark had to walk quickly to keep up with Courtney’s long, purposeful strides. He wanted to tell her about the visitor he had had the night before, and the ring, and the parchment with Bobby’s story, but he was afraid she’d dismiss him as a mental case. He had to choose his words carefully.
    â€œDo you know Bobby’s Uncle Press?” he asked cautiously.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œDid, uh, did you see him last night?”
    â€œUnfortunately. He’s the guy who caught us making out.”
    Mark’s heart sank. Not that it mattered if Bobby and Courtney made out, or that they were caught by Bobby’s uncle. The problem was, Courtney’s answer confirmed more of the story contained on the parchment papers. Mark feared that if some of the story were true, then maybe all of it was true. The thought made him sick.
    They were nearly at Bobby’s house now. Mark hoped that Bobby would be there to settle everything. He imagined walking up to Bobby, holding out the parchment paper, and seeing Bobby bust out laughing. Bobby would say it was all a goof and that he never expected them to think it was real. It was a prank, like Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast that made everybody think the Earth was being invaded by Martians. That’s what Mark was hoping for, but what they both saw in the next instant dashed that hope entirely.
    Two Linden Place.