The Puzzle Master by Heather Spiva Read Free Book Online

looking like she’d been crying. But, Marshall wasn’t going to ask that. Maybe she was still sad from leaving her old school.
    “Yeah, got grounded. Mason found me sneaking back in.” He tossed his head. “Doesn’t matter though. I’ll be there today.  After school.”
    Iris looked like she was going to hug him. “Really?” Her eyes were wide and happy now.
    “Sure, I did it last year, a couple days a week. Wouldn’t miss it.”
    She looked around them. “Then we can start on the puzzle?”
    “ Sheesh , of course Iris. My fingers have been itching to do it all week! You haven’t started on it yet or nothing, have you?”
    Iris crossed her arms. “I told you, I don’t know puzzles. This is my first big one.” He still believed she could be a puzzle master. She had that look to her; like she was smart at a whole lot of things which no one knew about. She was a real-life regular mystery, that Iris.
    They went through the day, just waiting for the three o’clock bell to ring.
    ***
    Iris didn’t take the bus. She walked.
    Luke’s home was a few blocks past Marshall’s neighborhood, the other way, past the railroad tracks. The bus went her route, but she didn’t go on it and Marshall wanted to ask her about that.
    If Marshall wasn’t going to Luke’s, he would’ve taken the bus. But because he was meeting Iris there, he walked too. She’d gotten a head start. He took a quick sip of the inhaler on his way there. Something about the heat and hurry he was in got his chest heaving.
    He found her waiting at the door of Luke’s Junk.
    “You didn’t wait for me?” he asked. He wasn’t angry, just wondering. “You didn’t want to walk with me?”
    “Didn’t know if you wanted me to walk with you. After the way Michael spoke to you about …”
    “That idiot is so stupid, he doesn’t even know he’s dumb,” said Marshall, thinking back to what he said about him and Iris being girlfriend and boyfriend. “He’s all talk, you know.”
    Luke was at his usual spot, behind the counter, feet up, smoke billowing around him like a low cloud.
    “Hey kids,” he said. “How was the first day?”
    “Hi Mr. Luke, not so bad.” Marshall slung his backpack on the counter, and Iris followed suit. Luke fired up another cigarette, watching the few customers in the room. Marshall hadn’t even noticed them.
    “So, I heard from Mrs. Kelso that you got grounded on account of me,” Luke blew the smoke away from Marshall and instantly dragged again.
    “Yeah, no big deal.” Marshall looked at Iris who was watching her Uncle smoke.
    “Well now, it is a big deal. Is it okay you being here now?” he motioned at the room.
    “Yep. Got the okay.”
    Luke nodded and dragged from the cigarette again. “To make it up to you, I stocked the fridge back there with water, juice and soda and some snacks too, so you got something to eat after school.”
    Marshall smiled. “That’s awful nice Mr. Luke. Sheesh , you didn’t have to do that.”
    “I got the little missy here to take care of now too, so don’t want you getting all hungry on me.”
    “Thanks Uncle,” said Iris.” We’ll be in the back then.”
    He nodded. “I reckon it’s going to take you all year to finish that puzzle.”
    “No way. We’ll get it done before Christmas.”
    Luke was looking down at him with a pair of reading glasses when his eyes shot up in thought. “Oh really?”
    “Yeah. No sweat.”
    “Is that a bet?” Luke asked almost too quietly.
    Iris groaned, her lips pressed together. “Marshall, don’t do it. My Uncle never loses bets.”
    “No it’s okay. I think we can do it.” He looked at Luke with squinted eyes. “What’s the bet for?”
    Luke took another drag and tamped it out in his ashtray. There had to be about thirty odd cigarette butts in there and it was only 3:15. “You win, you get this fishing pole right here.” He pointed to the case below him. Marshall leaned in, his nose pressed against the glass.
    “You