police hadn’t found T.J. in the meantime, Brody was almost certain to attract their attention when he tried to sell the old carousel animals.
“Turn that light off,” Brody said, and then did it himself.
The horses were heavy. Brody and T.J. each carried one to the truck. Partway there, T.J. had to put his down and rest.
“They aren’t all going to fit,” Brody said.
“No. After we sell the first load, we’ll need to make another trip.” The more the better, T.J. thought. Maybe someone will notice that some of the animals are missing. Maybe the cops will be waiting for us to come back for the rest.
“We need blankets or something, to protect them,” T.J. said, when he had his horse on the ground beside the truck.“We can’t just pile them in the back of the truck. They’ll get scratched.”
“We can use the tarp.”
“That will do for one or two animals. We’ll need something else to protect the others.”
Brody lifted the tarp and stopped. He looked at the cans of gasoline. He slipped his hand in his pocket and removed the cigarette lighter. He stood beside the truck, turning the lighter over and over in his palm. With his other hand, he picked up the end gasoline can, the one he took with him to the pony shed, and lifted it out of the truck.
T.J. climbed into the back of the truck and reached for the tarp. He spread it on the bed of the truck. “We can lay two horses on this tarp and then wrap the tarp over the top of the horses, to protect them,” he said.
There was no answer.
T.J. turned to look at Brody. He was walking toward the storage sheds, carrying the can of gasoline.
“Wait!” T.J. yelled.
He jumped off the truck and ran after Brody. He grabbed Brody’s sleeve. “We have to get the carousel animals out first,” he said.
“No,” Brody said. “This is my chance for the perfect revenge.” His eyes had a glazed look. He pushed T.J.’s hand away and strode into the shed that held the carousel animals. He began pouring the gasoline around the inside of the shed.
“What about the money?” T.J. said. “We can’t sell the animals if you burn them. You might just as well set fire to a stack of one hundred dollar bills.”
Brody appeared not to hear or see T.J. Once he had thecan of gasoline in his hand, his mind seemed to block out everything else. Slowly and methodically, he trickled gasoline around the inside of the shed.
“You can’t do this,” T.J. said. “Not with the carousel animals still inside.”
But even as he said the words, he knew Brody would do it. If it didn’t bother him to set fire to a building that contained a live pony, it certainly wasn’t going to bother him to burn a collection of old wooden animals.
T.J. rushed into the shed and dragged the wooden pig out through the door. He pulled it across the ground until it was far enough from the shed that it should be safe. He started back to get another animal and then stopped just inside the door.
Brody was on the far side of the shed now, bent over. It was too dark for T.J. to see for sure what Brody was doing but undoubtedly he was trickling the gasoline along the base of the wall. At any rate, he wasn’t paying any attention to T.J.
T.J. hesitated for only an instant. He was tempted to keep dragging the animals out, trying to remove as many as he could. If he worked fast, he could probably remove most of them before the fire got too bad. He should try to save the unusual ones, anyway—the ostrich and the sea horse and the organ. Besides being valuable, they were beautiful.
Instead of reaching for another animal, he backed away from Brody, stepped away from the shed and ran.
Chapter Ten
Dane left the TV on when
Top Gun
ended. The news was on next and he wanted to know if the Seattle Seahawks had decided who would start as quarterback on Sunday. Since the sports news was usually last, Dane went out to the kitchen and got a bag of peanuts. When he came back, the announcers were finishing a
“Turn that light off,” Brody said, and then did it himself.
The horses were heavy. Brody and T.J. each carried one to the truck. Partway there, T.J. had to put his down and rest.
“They aren’t all going to fit,” Brody said.
“No. After we sell the first load, we’ll need to make another trip.” The more the better, T.J. thought. Maybe someone will notice that some of the animals are missing. Maybe the cops will be waiting for us to come back for the rest.
“We need blankets or something, to protect them,” T.J. said, when he had his horse on the ground beside the truck.“We can’t just pile them in the back of the truck. They’ll get scratched.”
“We can use the tarp.”
“That will do for one or two animals. We’ll need something else to protect the others.”
Brody lifted the tarp and stopped. He looked at the cans of gasoline. He slipped his hand in his pocket and removed the cigarette lighter. He stood beside the truck, turning the lighter over and over in his palm. With his other hand, he picked up the end gasoline can, the one he took with him to the pony shed, and lifted it out of the truck.
T.J. climbed into the back of the truck and reached for the tarp. He spread it on the bed of the truck. “We can lay two horses on this tarp and then wrap the tarp over the top of the horses, to protect them,” he said.
There was no answer.
T.J. turned to look at Brody. He was walking toward the storage sheds, carrying the can of gasoline.
“Wait!” T.J. yelled.
He jumped off the truck and ran after Brody. He grabbed Brody’s sleeve. “We have to get the carousel animals out first,” he said.
“No,” Brody said. “This is my chance for the perfect revenge.” His eyes had a glazed look. He pushed T.J.’s hand away and strode into the shed that held the carousel animals. He began pouring the gasoline around the inside of the shed.
“What about the money?” T.J. said. “We can’t sell the animals if you burn them. You might just as well set fire to a stack of one hundred dollar bills.”
Brody appeared not to hear or see T.J. Once he had thecan of gasoline in his hand, his mind seemed to block out everything else. Slowly and methodically, he trickled gasoline around the inside of the shed.
“You can’t do this,” T.J. said. “Not with the carousel animals still inside.”
But even as he said the words, he knew Brody would do it. If it didn’t bother him to set fire to a building that contained a live pony, it certainly wasn’t going to bother him to burn a collection of old wooden animals.
T.J. rushed into the shed and dragged the wooden pig out through the door. He pulled it across the ground until it was far enough from the shed that it should be safe. He started back to get another animal and then stopped just inside the door.
Brody was on the far side of the shed now, bent over. It was too dark for T.J. to see for sure what Brody was doing but undoubtedly he was trickling the gasoline along the base of the wall. At any rate, he wasn’t paying any attention to T.J.
T.J. hesitated for only an instant. He was tempted to keep dragging the animals out, trying to remove as many as he could. If he worked fast, he could probably remove most of them before the fire got too bad. He should try to save the unusual ones, anyway—the ostrich and the sea horse and the organ. Besides being valuable, they were beautiful.
Instead of reaching for another animal, he backed away from Brody, stepped away from the shed and ran.
Chapter Ten
Dane left the TV on when
Top Gun
ended. The news was on next and he wanted to know if the Seattle Seahawks had decided who would start as quarterback on Sunday. Since the sports news was usually last, Dane went out to the kitchen and got a bag of peanuts. When he came back, the announcers were finishing a
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