Web of Lies by Beverley Naidoo Read Free Book Online Page B

The first time we saw him in his special uniform, he looked so embarrassed. I remember thinking it was strange because in Lagos a uniform was a big thing. He would have been really proud of it there!
    Well, two weeks ago his parents got hints that he was involved in something bad. They pressed him and pressed him, but he wouldn’t say what it was. So last weekend, they grounded him. His mum told Aunt Gracie that they had to lock him in hisroom to keep him at home. He was crying that he would be in trouble if they didn’t let him go out.
    Then, late Sunday night, someone kept ringing their bell and knocking on the front door until Marco’s dad opened it. Luckily he had it on the chain. Bonzo stuck his head out of the door, barking and yapping. Marco’s dad couldn’t see clearly in the dark, but he made out the figure of a man who said he had a message for Marco. He wanted Marco to come and get it. A car engine was running, out in the road behind him. Marco’s dad tried to slam the door but Bonzo was in the way. Next thing the man pulled out a gun and shot Bonzo dead!
    Uncle Roy and Aunt Gracie were asleep, but the noise woke them and Uncle Roy went to investigate. Marco’s family was in a terrible state. His parents have sent Marco away now and won’t say where he has gone because they are so frightened. I felt quite sick after I heard this. Femi looked shaken too. What harm did Bonzo ever do anyone?

9
“No Buts, Little Brother”
    Femi’s tears soaked into his pillow. What kind of person would shoot a harmless little dog like Bonzo? They had been friends ever since the white terrier came to live next door to Aunt Gracie and Uncle Roy. Near the end of the long garden, behind the shed and the compost heap, Femi had found a loose plank in the neighbors’ fence. By swinging it sideways, he could let Bonzo squeeze through. He only did this when no one else was around. He used to give Bonzo special treats and soon knew that oatmeal cookies and crisps were his favorites. Then they would rough and tumble. When it was time to go, he used to push the little dog back through the hole and secure the loose plank with a couple of bricks.
    If others were there, Femi restricted their games to playing tug-of-war with sticks through the slits between the fence. The terrier would bark frantically, running backand forth, calling his friend to come to the bottom of the garden. But Femi was not going to reveal their secret. Sometimes he would come back inside the house rather than drive Bonzo mad by ignoring his signals. Occasionally, from his bedroom window upstairs, Femi had watched how Marco acted with Bonzo. He might throw a stick or a ball for Bonzo to fetch, but Femi never saw him pick the little dog up and cuddle him like Femi did.
    When Papa had taken them to live in their own flat, Femi had begged to get a puppy of their own. But Papa had said it would be irresponsible. Apart from the space and the cost, what would happen if the immigration officers told them to leave the country? Hadn’t Femi seen the ads: “A dog is for life”? He would have to wait.
    Whenever they visited Aunt Gracie and Uncle Roy, the first thing Femi did was to run out to the back to see if his friend was there. But today there had been no barking. Bonzo was dead. Someone had put a bullet through his head to send terror into the heart of the boy who owned him. Femi curled up more tightly and sobbed under his bedcovers.
     
    “Hey, little brother, this time you’ve really been avoiding me! What’s the deal, man?”
    Femi froze in front of the bicycle shop on the High Street. It was true. James had sent a message to meet the gang in town, but Femi had made up an excuse about being busy. Aunt Gracie’s story had scared him. It wasn’t that he believed that James, or even Errol, would do sucha wicked thing as killing an innocent little dog. They might take a few things from shops, and Errol and his friends smoked stuff. But that didn’t make them like