Kerry glanced across the street, where one of the Brody brothers was standing in the street, flipping hisCHEAP TREESsign around like a majorette’s baton.
“What if,” she said, musing out loud, “we made the bad guys brothers?”
“Yeah!” Austin said.
Suddenly, Patrick was on the sidewalk, directly behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them a slight squeeze in greeting.
“What did those two do now?” he asked, gesturing at the Brodys.
“Pretty sure they stole Murphy’s bike and trailer last night,” she said.
“Here comes Mr. Heinz,” Austin announced, pointing at the elderly man, who was walking slowly toward them.
He made his way into the stand and nodded a hello to Patrick and Kerry.
“Well, look who’s here today,” Heinz said. “I’ve missed seeing you this week, young man. Any new ideas for our story?”
“Yeah. The bad guys are brothers, cuz they stole Murphy’s bike,” Austin said indignantly.
“Really?” Heinz held out his hand for a pencil.
He turned to a blank page in the sketchbook. His gnarled fingers clutched the pencil, and it flew over the paper. In the blink of an eye, he’d drawn two menacing figures, black clad, crouched in front of the merest suggestion of the gate Kerry had drawn, and peeking furtively in at the forest beyond.
“That’s them,” Austin said, nodding vigorously. “But what are their names?”
“Malvolio and Iago,” Heinz suggested.
“Those are funny names,” Austin said, wrinkling his nose.
“Two of Shakespeare’s most despicable villains,” the old man informed him. “Unfortunately, you’re correct. Those names are hardly familiar to young people these days.”
“Sad but true,” Patrick agreed.
“I know. Gordy and Payton,” Austin said. “Those are the two worst kids in first grade.”
“What makes these children so bad?” Heinz asked.
“Well. Gordy is a biter, and Payton sits behind me and kicks my desk when the teacher isn’t looking,” the boy reported.
“Looks like we have our villains,” Kerry agreed. “Nobody likes a biter. Now. How do they manage to sneak into the forest?”
“I think they should parachute in out of a helicopter,” Patrick said. “And then maybe throw in some smoke grenades.”
“Daaad.” Austin rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that what happens in those movies Mom won’t let me watch?”
Kerry got up and walked to the front of the trailer, where she’d just noticed something she’d overlooked earlier in the day. It was the chain Murphy used to secure his bike and trailer.
“I think they used bolt cutters,” she said, showing the men the chain.
chapter 31
Patrick extended his hand. “May I?”
She handed him the bike chain. He turned it over and over, then handed it back, his expression troubled. “When did this happen?”
“Last night. Sometime after I fell asleep. I think those two creeps across the street probably saw Murphy loading his stuff into the truck and saw their chance to mess with us.”
“Where did Murphy go?” he asked.
