Web of Lies by Beverley Naidoo Read Free Book Online

old-fashioned music, yeah? For my mother, yeah. It’s her birthday!” Femi heard Dave, the white boy, ask. He shunted as close to the shelf as possible.
    “What kind of music does she like? Country and western? Rock? Classical?” The assistant had taken the bait.
    In one quick movement, Femi sneaked two cases under his jacket. He thrust his hands into the pockets so his fingers could clasp his booty through the lining. Then, pretending to scan the Top Ten display, he waited for a customer to push open the door. A few seconds later he slipped out.
    He had to restrain himself from running toward James at the far end of the arcade. But he couldn’t stop himself from grinning nervously. Mission accomplished! He would have to be careful not to give anything away here in public. When James and his friends remained expressionless, however, he was surprised.
    “So where are the other brethren?”
    James’s question brought panic. He had hurried away from the record shop as fast as he could, without turning once to see if Jarrett and Dave were behind him. What if someone in the shop had seen something and detained them?
    “You didn’t say to wait for them!” Femi blurted defensively. “I got what you wanted—and you said to meet here!”
    “True. But brethren always look out for brethren.”
    James stung Femi into silence. James confused him. This was the first time he had ever done something like this! The others were older and more experienced, and he was the one who had taken the biggest risk.
    As soon as Jarrett and Dave arrived, however, everyone relaxed. A tight gathering now formed around Femi.The covers were inspected and dropped into a carrier bag. James now smiled, and Femi glowed with pleasure.
    “You’ll learn fast. What was that sports shop where the lady hassled you?”
    The edge in James’s voice pulled him up sharp. He saw what was coming and, for the second time this morning, his heart sank. James was already planning another expedition for him.
    “I can’t go back there! She’ll know me!”
    “No worries, little brother.” James shrugged. “Someone like that can’t tell one black kid from another. Hey, Gul, lend him your things.”
    Before Femi could say anything further, the year-eight boy who had brought Femi the message was holding out a blue jacket and navy wool cap. Gul was small for his age, and they would fit.
     
    As he walked beside James toward AllSports in Gul’s clothes, Femi’s brain seized up. The thought of what might happen if his father or sister were to see him was too much. For the moment he was simply someone else. Under the protection of James Dalton, this someone else was going into AllSports with instructions to choose something he liked for himself. James had offered to show him personally how to divert the attention of a sales assistant.
    The pert young woman was busy with a customer. She glanced at them but didn’t look twice at Femi. An older man with a slight stoop approached them. He looked as if he would rather be sitting by his fireside at home in anarmchair, but he smiled and asked if he could help. James was as good as his word. He too had become someone else: a polite, well-spoken young man whose parents had asked him to take his younger brother around some shops to look for what he wanted for his birthday. It was the second birthday story Femi had heard that day. Surely this man would be suspicious? But once again it worked. While James kept the salesman busy with a discussion about rackets for tennis and squash, Femi scoured the shelves, searching for something that he could tuck under Gul’s jacket. The tracksuits were of course too big, and so was a fine leather football. It was a toss-up between a red peaked cap and a red T-shirt. Arsenal colors. Bending down behind a rack of clothes, he swiftly stowed away the T-shirt. With his arms folded against the jacket, he sidled up to James.
    “Have you found something for Mum and Dad to get you then?” James