The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull by Barry Jonsberg Read Free Book Online Page B

sweating, Miss Payne could have smelled me. I nudged slightly closer to Kiffo as the Pitbull struggled with the gate. The dog was so keen to get out for a walk that it nearly pulled her arm through the chain links. I smiled as Miss Payne swore, but the smile froze on my lips when she smacked the dog around the head with one huge fist. The poor old pooch damn near collapsed. You could see the stars circling around its head. Now this dog looked like it could savage and eat an entire army battalion and still have room for dessert, but it was clear who was the boss in the household. The dog whined and cowered as the Pitbull raised her voice.
    â€˜Down, Slasher, down. Blast you.’
    Slasher! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I felt hugely sorry for the hound then. Even though it was as big as a Holden ute, it stood no chance against the Pitbull. I knew how it felt. Kiffo and I crouched together and watched as the two brutes thundered down the road. The last I saw of the dog was when it bulldozed around a corner, under a streetlight, almost leaving gouges in the pavement. Kiffo had been cupping his cigarette in his hand, shielding the glow. Now he took a final drag and threw the butt onto the road. He stood up and pulled the balaclava over his head. Normally I would have considered this a blessing. Kiffo’s face was not exactly a thing of beauty and a joy forever. But now there was something extremely menacing about him. I felt scared. Of him, of the dark, of what we were about to do. I wanted to turn and run, but it was too late. Kiffo pulled me closer to him and whispered urgently.
    â€˜Keep an eye out. I’ll be ten minutes, tops.’
    And he was gone. He slipped into the dark, across the road and was through the Pitbull’s gate before I could say anything. I caught a quick glimpse of his small figure as it moved around the side of the house. I realised that I had been holding my breath and I let it go in a long, slow exhalation.
    To be honest I was panicking. It might sound like an easy job, just standing under a tree looking around, but I felt the eyes of the world upon me. What would I do if a police car pulled up? What excuse would I have for standing under a casuarina tree in a quiet residential area? I know it’s not a crime, but it’s a strange thing to do, isn’t it? I tried to get further into the shadow, but I was also conscious that I needed a clear view of the road both ways. I was starting to wish I had put on a different pair of glasses. Were these ones luminous? I couldn’t remember but they certainly felt like they were glowing. I could imagine curious neighbours ringing the police and saying, ‘Please come at once. The casuarina tree across the road is wearing glasses and it’s starting to spook me.’
    I needed to empty my bladder as well. Could I risk it here? Knowing my luck, I’d be caught with my knickers around my ankles and that would be a hard one to explain away. I swivelled my eyes from one side of the street to the other. The least movement made my head snap around. I was starting to get dizzy and I felt sick. How long was he going to be in there? I glanced at my watch and saw that he had been gone for exactly a minute! The whole concept of time was messing my head up. And then I froze. I couldn’t believe it. Around the corner, like a shaggy tank, appeared Slasher, followed in quick succession by the vast bulk of the Pitbull. My tongue spot-welded itself to the roof of my mouth and my legs turned to cottage cheese.
    What the hell was I going to do now? For one wild moment, I thought that maybe she had gone the wrong way and was simply re-tracing her steps to pass the house and go in the opposite direction. Yeah, right! The streetlights etched her face in sharp relief and I shuddered. She was coming back. God knows why, but it looked like walkies was finished for today. What was it Kiffo had said? An hour and a half. You could set your