“We are going to get in,” Cody quickly responded. “Especially if the black Cadillac is not in the driveway.”
“Dude, I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared, but I’m sure as hell not letting you do this alone,” replied Zach.
“I’m scared too, but this is something I have to do. I wouldn’t be mad at you if you wanted out of this whole thing now,” Cody said to his best friend.
“I’m not opting out, I’m just scared,” said Zach.
“I want to leave Saturday around four o’clock,” Cody said but was then interrupted by Zach.
“Wait a minute, though, why don’t we go on Sunday when there’s a good chance he’ll be parked across the street from the church?” suggested Zach.
Cody didn’t think it was a bad idea but decided against it.
“That’s the daytime. People could see us. We need the darkness,” responded Cody.
“Good point but what if the guy is home? I can’t make up another fake lost dog,” said Zach.
“If he is home, we just need to be extra careful,” said Cody. “We have four more days to figure out any other details.”
The plan was in motion, and the boys fully intended to go through with it. It was dangerous and stupid, but Cody believed there was light at the end of the tunnel, and his friend supported him.
The next three days were a blur, and suddenly, it was Friday night. The boys had already told their mothers what they had talked about earlier in the week. As far as Zach’s mother was concerned, Zach was staying over Cody’s house just like normal. As far as Cody’s mother was concerned, Cody was staying at Zach’s house like they would do often. The boys would roam free in just one day.
Cody was sitting in his room, and then the phone rang,
“Hello?” answered Cody.
“Hey, it’s Zach. I wanted to run something by you. Suppose we do find something out of the ordinary, then can we call the police?” said Zach.
“Absolutely! It’s like we have said all along, Zach. This could be nothing, or this could be something,” Cody shot back to his friend.
“I know. I just wanted to make sure we were not going to try to be superheroes and take the man down with our bare hands,” said Zach.
“No, not at all. Our best defense is our legs, Zach. If something seems wrong or we get into trouble, we need to get out of there,” explained Cody, and there was seriousness in his tone.
“I agree, let’s just not leave each other hanging. I have your back, buddy,” Zach said genuinely.
“I know you do, and I have yours. Let’s get some rest, we have a long day tomorrow. Also, pack a book bag of things we will need. Flashlights and tear the map of Crestwood out of the phone book and bring it, in case we get lost in the dark on the way home,” said Cody.
“Okay, good idea. Good night, dude,” Zach responded.
“Good night, buddy,” said Cody.
That night, Cody had one long dream with no talking in it.
Cody’s Papa was standing outside with him, waiting to cross the street of a busy intersection. When the stoplight turned red, the two of them started walking toward the street on the other side. It was Braxton Street. His Papa stopped when they got to the street while Cody continued on.
As the boy turned around, he saw the same worried look on his face from previous dreams, and the index finger of the old man was pointing down. As Cody walked farther down the street, his grandfather faded in the distance. Cody was alone. The black Cadillac sat in the driveway of 1291 Braxton.
The boy walked by the Cadillac and into the backyard. Though it was pitch-dark, Cody could see all kinds of debris in the backyard. Right as he was getting to the back door of the house, there was a loud scream. Everything went black, and the dream ended. The dream occurred multiple times in the night.
Cody woke up at two in the morning drenched in sweat. The boy sat up in bed and looked above his head on the bottom part of the top bunk. There, stuffed in between the support bars, was a pewter guardian angel that his mother had given to him when his Papa died. The angel had been on the visor of his grandfather’s car before he died. When his mother gave it to him, she told her son that his Papa would always be watching over him. Cody reached up, touched the angel, and then fell back asleep shortly after.
It seemed like as soon as Cody closed his eyes, it was time to get up on Saturday morning. There was a knock on his door.
“Cody, are you up? I need you to watch your sister for a couple of hours while I run to the grocery store,” his mother’s voice came through the door.
“I’m up, Mom,” said Cody, his voice a little hoarse from waking up. “Let me change and brush my teeth, then I’ll be right down.”
“Okay, but please hurry. I need to be at the bus stop in twenty minutes,” Cody’s mother said, walking away from the door.
Georgiana didn’t own a car. She took the bus everywhere, even to work in the morning. The grocery store was about three miles down Bunting, and the bus stopped right in front of it.
“All right, Mom, I’ll be right down,” Cody politely yelled so she could hear him.
He hopped out of bed and went straight to his desk, opening the bottom drawer with the secret compartment. Cody pulled out all the items in the drawer and stuffed them into a drawstring sack. Then he opened his top drawer, took out a small black flashlight, and dropped it in the bag also.
Cody hung the bag on the back of his desk chair and walked downstairs.
“Morning, Ol!” he said to his sister, who was in front of the television, watching cartoons. Their mom walked into the living room.
“Okay, guys, I’ll be gone for a couple of hours. Behave and try not to get on each other’s nerves,” their mom told them.
“We won’t, Mom,” Olive softly replied.
“Oh, Mom, I just wanted to remind you that I was sleeping over Zach’s house tonight,” Cody said.
“That’s fine, after this one, cool it on the sleepovers. Spend some more weekends with your sister and I, please,” his mom said.
“Okay, Mama,” said Cody, feeling a little guilty.
“I have got to catch the bus, guys. Love you both!” his mom said and headed out the front door.
The door slammed shut.
“Ol, don’t worry about it. Soon, we will hang out more and have fun. I just have to finish this project with Zach,” explained Cody.
“I understand, brother. Want to watch cartoons with me?” she asked, pointing at the other end of the sofa.
“Sure, sis,” he replied and sat down on the couch.
He stared at his sister as her eyes gazed at the flashing lights on the television. Part of him thought this could be the last time he spent quality time with her if things didn’t go well tonight. Cody came to the realization that the major part of why he was doing this was because of Olive. As her big brother, he was her protector and swore to his Papa he would take care of his family.
The thought of being a hero by catching the creep didn’t ever occur to him. The helpless kids in the world that were taken, abducted, or kidnapped did.
“Hey, Ol?” asked Cody.
“Yeah, Code?” she responded.
“There is going to come a time when I’m not around, you know. As we get older, both of our lives are going to change. Though it hurts me to say this, but, Ol, I’m not always going to be there when you need me. You have to learn to protect yourself and learn what’s right and what’s wrong,” said Cody.
His sister stopped and looked over at him with a puzzled look on her face.
“I don’t understand what you mean, Cody. You’re my brother, and I’m your sister,” she replied, so confused.
What Cody was trying to say to his eight-year-old sister was too much to comprehend.
“Never mind, Ol. You will understand when you’re a little older.”