Jack_ Secret Vengeance - F. Paul Wilson [48]
Dad harrumphed and said, “Sounds like anarchy to me.”
But it sounded wonderful to Jack.
11
Jack’s dad dropped him and Eddie off in the parking lot, and they had to walk around the side of the high school to get to the football field. They were about halfway there when Jack spotted Levi standing under a stand of trees, gesturing to him.
Aw, jeez. Now what?
He didn’t want to talk to him with Eddie around—who knew what might slip?
“Catch up to you later,” Jack said.
Eddie nodded. “Okay. Sure.”
He didn’t look at Jack. His gaze was fixed on the hot dog stand.
Levi faded back into the shadows as Jack approached.
“I checked around,” he said when Jack reached him.
“About what?”
“A piney getting bloodied up by Toliver—or someone like Toliver, just in case whoever he beat on didn’t know who he was.”
“And?”
“And nothin’.”
“So Saree was wrong.”
“Saree ain’t wrong. That feelin’ she got was too strong. We pineys gossip a lot, and we got a grapevine like you wouldn’t believe, but it ain’t perfect. May just be someone who ain’t in contact, or who ain’t talkin’ ’cause they’re shamed. If we knew whose blood it was, there’d be piney justice comin’ Toliver’s way.”
Jack had heard of pine justice—it was swift and to the point and didn’t involve the legal system.
But all this confusion looked like good news for Jack.
“Guess you’ll just have to wait for someone to speak up.”
“Like hell. If Saree says there’s piney blood on his hands, then there’s gonna be another kinda blood on his head. Or at least on his car.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I brought along some blood.”
Jack felt his stomach curdle. “Blood? Can I ask—?”
“Deer.” He gave Jack a look. “We get our meat on the hoof in the Pines.”
“And you’re going to pour it on him?”
“If I can find a way.”
That had to be the dumbest idea Jack had ever heard.
“You get caught, there’ll definitely be piney blood on his hands.”
Levi nodded. “I reckon there will. That’s why I was thinking maybe that fancy car of his would be better.”
“Go with that thought … but include me out.”
Levi laughed. “Don’t worry. This is a piney matter, and you ain’t a piney.”
Jack was wishing he’d never brought Saree out to Toliver’s car and was about to say so when he noticed the beat-up binoculars hanging from Levi’s neck.
“What are those for?”
“To watch the game. Should be starting soon. Let’s go.”
12
Jack and Eddie found spots high and to the right. SBR fans occupied the south stands—naturally—and NBR the north. Levi had drifted off. Jack scanned the crowd, hunting him. He finally spotted him standing at the lower corner of the SBR stand by himself. Jack didn’t remember ever seeing him at the games before—for the most part, the pineys didn’t seem to take much interest in school sports—but then again, he’d never looked for him.
The game began and it soon became clear that Toliver wasn’t himself. His strength was his passing game—he threw bullets with pinpoint accuracy—but he was off tonight. The ones that weren’t high or low were late reaching the receiver.
Jack’s gaze kept drifting from the game to Levi. Blood … how stupid. He could ruin Jack’s whole plan if he got caught. Had to find a way to talk him out of it.
As he watched, he noticed Levi peering through the binoculars, but only now and again. By the time the second quarter rolled around, Jack realized that he was using them only when South had the ball, and even then, only when Toliver dropped back to pass …
… which he was doing right now.
Toliver shot a bullet to his wide receiver. As Jack watched it arc through the air, he swore he saw it lift in midflight—not much, just enough to make it go high over the raised hands of the receiver who jumped and stretched for it. He got his fingertips on it, sending the ball wobbling through the air and into the hands of one of the North defenders.
Interception! Crap!
The player ran it back for a touchdown. As NBR celebrated, Jack noticed Toliver screaming at his receiver.
Temper, temper …
He had to