Through the Cracks by Honey Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

The man was frowning, looking down, not looking up, even when one of billiard balls bounced off the table and landed with a loud crack on the tiled floor. He didn’t answer when the others asked him questions.
    ‘He here? What’s going on?’
    ‘What’s happening?’ The man from the pool walked in, wet. He stood dripping on the tiles. ‘We hanging round or what?’
    ‘Billy, what’re we doing?’
    He remained silent. He kept glancing in the direction of the backroom. Adam began to shuffle away, returning to the lounge room. The man must have seen the movement; he turned his head and looked right at Adam, stared at him. He then snapped his gaze away, clapped his hands and walked towards the sliding doors.
    ‘Nup, we’ll pack it in. We’ll grab some food, smokes, and fuck off.’
    The wet man grabbed a towel and began to dry himself. ‘Maybe we should do the place over? If he’s not here? Didn’t get much outta him last time.’
    ‘Nup, we’re going.’
    Adam turned and walked quickly down the hallway. He went back into the lounge room and sat. Monty and Jerry hadn’t moved. That was the problem. It was hard to know what to do. Running and hiding didn’t feel right. Asking for help didn’t feel right. On the TV was an ad for shampoo. Adam stared at it. He wanted the men to leave but it also tightened his throat to know that they would.
    Don’t go
, Adam thought.
    Outside the window he could hear their voices as they left, too muffled to understand, only the swearwords standing out.
    Don’t go
.
    The words were on his tongue, so close to being spoken.
    Help me.
    ‘Kid.’
    Adam twitched in fright, looked up.
    The first man, Billy, was standing in the doorway. ‘Just a hunch, but do you reckon you’d be better off outta here? Splitting might be the best thing for you to do.’
    ‘I don’t know where to go.’
    ‘Fair enough, but you might want to go all the same. I think you’re in more shit than you know. Does Joe put you down in that room?’
    Adam nodded. Tears blurred his vision. Ringing sounded in his ears. There was softness in Billy’s voice and it only made Adam’s chest burn hotter and his throat close tighter.
    ‘Yeah, you gotta get out of here.’
    ‘But I don’t know where to go.’
    ‘Out the door would be a start.’ He tipped his head towards the window. ‘Just wait till we’re gone. Those two aren’t any good. Might see you round, hey? Catch ya.’ He turned to leave.
    ‘He’s in the bedroom.’
    Billy stopped. ‘Hey?’
    ‘He’s in the bedroom.’
    ‘Joe?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Now?’
    ‘Yes.’
    Billy looked over his shoulder. He stepped backwards into the hallway, out of Adam’s sight. Adam listened to him opening the bedroom door. He listened to the silence.
    Billy reappeared. His lips were rolled in.
    ‘Ah . . . you should’ve said he was dead.’
    ‘He’s not.’
    ‘Well, yeah, he is.’
    ‘He wasn’t.’
    ‘Who beat him up?’
    ‘I did.’
    Billy scratched his forehead, frowning. He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Did you kill him?’
    ‘I . . . I don’t know?’
    ‘Who put him in the bed?’
    ‘I . . . I . . .’
    ‘Stop crying.’
    ‘I didn’t mean to kill him. He was alive before. I went next door, the woman wouldn’t come. I didn’t . . . I didn’t know he’d die?’
    ‘Are you saying he’s died while we’ve been here?’
    ‘He was breathing before.’
    ‘Well, he’s not breathing now.’
    There was a sudden rap on the window. ‘Billy!’ It was one of the other men. His hand slapped the glass. ‘Bitch from next door called the cops. They’re pulling up!’
    Billy turned one way and then the other. His hands opened wide in front of him.
    ‘They’re here!’ the man outside called.
    Branches scratched against the side of the house and squeaked on the windowpane as he left. Billy ran a short way down the hall. He stopped, returned.
    ‘You can’t say I was here. Don’t tell them, will you? Don’t say anything