Whistling in the Dark by Tamara Allen Read Free Book Online Page B

start." He opened the top of another phonograph machine and peered inside. "Ah. First class."
    Sutton didn't see anything first class about scraps, but he held up the lid while Jack plundered parts. Keeler looked them over and gave Jack ten cents for the knife. The two of them argued over the radio parts while Sutton waited in increasing concern at the hour. When he couldn't bear to wait any longer, he plucked at Jack's sleeve. "It's after eight."
    "Ah, hell. Let's go." Pockets clinking, Jack bid good-bye to Keeler and pushed Sutton ahead, out the door. "Sorry," he said as they took the bike down to the curb. "I lose track of time in Keeler's. You should've warned me."
    "Yes, my fault entirely."
    The easy grin came back. "Don't take all the blame. How about half?"
    "Half in theory, if you like, since I should have known better after all the time you took on Dan's radio. But as far as Mrs. Carlisle's concerned, the burden of fault lies entirely with you."
    "All of it?"
    Sutton noted the mock horror and nodded. "She can't fire you."
    "Buy me a cup of coffee when we get back?"
    Sutton planted himself on the handlebars and Jack pedaled like a man possessed, until they had gotten as far as the house where they'd made the delivery an hour before. There, Jack braked so abruptly, Sutton lunged off the bar and staggered for a minute to stay on his feet. "Jack? What--" Jack was already up the steps to the door. "Jack!"
    "I'll be right back," he said before vanishing inside.
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    - Seven -
     
     
    Sutton stared after him. They had been making such good time and now another unscheduled stop was surely going to have him fired and back looking for work--a dreadful possibility that clearly didn't matter at all to Jack.
    Done with being a good sport, Sutton pushed the bike into the road and climbed on. It was a struggle to keep the wheels aligned, but he pedaled a few feet before he and the bike toppled over, much to the amusement of a group of boys on the stoop across the street. Ignoring them, he yanked the bike off the ground and climbed back on. The disrepair of the road made a wobbly ride even wobblier. He pedaled faster straightaway and though with each revolution of the pedals the bike veered from one side to the other, he stayed upright for several feet before toppling again.
    "My old granny rides better!" one boy yelled and the others whooped with laughter.
    Sutton brushed dirt off his trousers, wincing at his bruised palm. If he could just pick up enough speed to stay balanced, he knew he'd be all right. But when he tried, he started again to veer. Suddenly a hand was at his back and a firm grip forced the handlebars straight. He glanced wildly around to see Jack beside him, running to keep up. "You're doing it. Get your balance and keep pedaling. Come on, faster. Go, go!"
    Sutton pedaled for all he was worth and Jack let him loose. The boys on the stoop cheered him onward, but as he neared the corner, cheers turned to shouts, with Jack joining in. Sutton caught his breath in alarm at the sight of a grocer's truck lumbering through the intersection ahead. He tried to circle back, but went into a slide toward the curb. The front wheel slammed into a lamp post and he landed on the pavement, entangled with the bike.
    A breathless Jack stumbled to a stop beside him. "Jesus, I thought I'd killed you. Everything in one piece?"
    "I am, but I'm not as sure of the bicycle."
    Jack looked it over. "Damn tire's punctured. We'll have to hoof it back."
    Sutton stared in dismay at the damage. "How can I explain this to Mrs. Carlisle?" Or pay for the repair if she decided to fire him.
    "She won't ever know about it--"
    "I have to tell her."
    "Not if I patch it up."
    "Can you?" He could forgive Jack everything else in exchange for such a rescue.
    "Let's get it home. You'll have to tell Ida a story to put her off till I've finished."
    They wheeled the bike into the emporium sometime later, to find Harry in the midst