The Ravine by Robert Pascuzzi Read Free Book Online Page B

of his legs and tell him to “cut right, turn left”; he would put his head down and run, and a few seconds later look over his shoulder to see the pigskin about to land in his hands.
    He remembered one day when he was a little kid, maybe around nine or ten, and was in the supermarket. He had a Hershey bar in his hand and was heading for the cash register, when the voice said “just put it in your pocket and walk out,” and he did. “Just walk like nothing’s wrong,” it said. He walked to the corner, convinced the store owner was on his heels, but he did what the voice said to do. He resisted the urge to run until he turned the corner, and then he scooted behind a building. Much to his relief, no one came after him, and he squatted there, trembling, eating his free candy bar. As time went on, things like that became easier, because he came to rely upon the secret guidance he knew was his and his alone.
    Once, when he was doing fifty-five on Mayfield, in a stretch where the limit was thirty-five, he looked into the rear view mirror and saw the flashing lights behind him. He thought, “I’ll make a break for it,” but the voice shouted, “Just pull over; I’ll make sure you get off.” And sure enough, the cop turned out to be the father of the kid who played center on the team, and there was no way he was about to give a Turner boy a ticket. “Just try not to have such a heavy foot, Danny,” he said. The voice knew.
    So when Danny got a very strong message to reach under his seat and take the tire iron with him, he knew it was the right thing to do.
    Tony looked at him like he was out of his mind. “What the hell are you bringing that for? You know the place is empty. We have to get in, open the safe, take the cash, and get out of there as fast as possible. You won’t need that!”
    “Who knows if we will? What’s the difference? I’ll just leave it in the gym bag, just in case.”
    “In case of what?” At times like these, Tony knew there was no talking sense to his brother, who could be so thick-headed. Anyway, Bags was on his way across the street, pulling on his gloves; it was time to get to work.
    Tony unlocked the front door while Danny and Bags pressed into the shadows, following him inside once it was open. Great! The key worked. They shut the door. Now it was up to Danny to punch in the security code while Bags shined his flashlight on the keypad. It beeped a few times, but they were done in a flash, and, amazingly, good old Jack had given them the right code.
    The plan was for Tony to take the lead, using only his flashlight to illuminate the way. They would head directly to the master bedroom, open the safe, take out every last dollar, scoot down the stairs, punch in the exit code, and close and lock the door. There would be no stopping to look for jewelry or pinching something one of them might want to grab. By the time the robbery was discovered, the crocuses would be forcing their way up through the earth. So far things were going just as planned. It bothered Tony that the lamp he thought was on a timer wasn’t on. The bulb must have burnt out, he reasoned.
    They crossed the foyer and started up the steps. The house was old, so the steps creaked, but that didn’t concern them because they knew the house was vacant. In a hushed voice, Danny said, “Remember, we have to turn left at the top of the stairs.” He could hear his heart pounding and the blood rushing through his head; he barely could find the breath to speak. Suddenly he wanted this to be over with. Something was wrong; he knew it, but he dared not say anything to his brother because Tony hated it when Danny had one of his stupid “feelings.”
    They gathered at the landing and the beam from Tony’s flashlight hit the chrome of the bathroom faucet, and then lit on the door to the master bedroom, which was closed. They were at the door in a few seconds, and it clicked open when Tony twisted the knob. Kevin stirred in the guest