Catboy - Eric Walters [37]
“If they knew they had to escape. I wish I could tell them what was happening. I wish they understood how much danger they are in,” I said.
“And it is big danger. They will be injured, crushed, killed when the cars are moved. I wish…” Mr. Singh’s voice trailed off. “But we must not give up hope. Where there is life, there is hope.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. Only I didn’t know how long there was going to be any life in the junkyard.
Twenty-One
I looked at my watch. It was still early. Early enough for me to avoid “the boss,” who didn’t show up in the mornings. Early enough for Mr. Singh to let me into the yard so I could feed the cats and still get to school on time.
I strolled along the outside of the fence. The advertisements for the condos were still bright and fresh. I wished somebody had taken a can of spray paint and covered them up. Wait, if I got a can, I could do it. Nobody would know about the condos, so nobody would buy them. But it wouldn’t stop the condos from going up, and it might get me in big trouble. Besides, I’d promised my mother I wouldn’t do anything stupid. Spray-painting a fence was stupid, and useless, which made for a bad combination. If it was stupid but could lead to something positive, that would be different.
I looked up and jumped. Hunter was standing on the top of the fence, looking down at me.
“It’s good to know the fence isn’t too high for you,” I said.
He crouched down and continued to look at me.
“Your foot must be almost perfect now,” I said.
He lifted his front paw to show me it was…no, it was the other foot, the one that wasn’t hurt, that he raised. He wasn’t showing me his foot was better after all. That was just wishful thinking on my part.
But, wait, he was holding up the good one, so that meant the foot he had hurt was supporting his weight. Maybe he was showing me it was better. Dr. Reynolds would think I was nuts if I told him that, but still.
“I’m glad it’s better,” I said. “I bet that fence is too high for King to climb. He’d be like Humpty Dumpty if he fell.”
I walked over until I was right beneath him. He stayed seated.
“I’ve got some food,” I said. “I just wish I had a solution. I’m trying to come up with an answer. I just don’t have it yet. But I do have something you’ll like.”
I opened up the bag I was carrying and pulled out a piece of sweet-and-sour pork, left over from Simon’s dinner the night before. I reached up, and Hunter bent down and gently took the piece of meat from my fingers.
“I’ve got some more of this,” I said. “Plus, I have some other stuff. How about if I meet you inside?”
He swallowed the tidbit I’d given him and jumped off the top of the fence, disappearing inside, as if he’d understood what I’d said.
I came around the corner cautiously. The gate was just ahead, and Mr. Singh was standing out front. I didn’t yell or wave. I had to make sure he was alone. When he saw me, he waved me over.
“Good morning, Taylor,” he said. “This is a good time to go inside. There is nobody here yet.”
“Do you think the boss will be here soon?” I asked.
“Not him. Not until noon. But soon the trucks will start arriving, probably within the hour. Come, please.”
He led me in through the gate and locked it behind us.
The whole front area had already been cleared out completely. Where there once had been old parts, machinery pieces and car skeletons, all that remained was the crushed- and chipped-brick-covered ground.
“It’s so empty. I can’t believe how fast they’re removing things,” I said.
“They are taking everything away quickly. They cannot start excavating the site until everything is gone.”
“Excavating?” I asked.
“Digging. They must dig down deep before they can build up high,” he explained. “The new boss keeps saying ‘Time is money’ and yells at everybody to work faster. I do not think I want to work for him.”
“You’re going to quit?”
“Oh, no, I will not leave here now, but he has offered me a job,” he said.
“A job? Wait, I’m sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in what