The Black Cadillac by Ryan P. Ruiz

hour had gone by, and they were over halfway through the book. One of them read one page, and the other followed to double-check. With just twenty pages left to go, Cody suddenly stopped browsing. Zach saw what Cody was looking at.
    “I think we found it,” said Cody.
    “I think you’re right,” confirmed Zach.
    There, on the right page, was the address that matched Cody’s notes.
    It read, “ wermer, melvin t 1291 braxton st. (440)555-2448.”
    The tired boys looked at each other.
    “This is him, Zach. I just know it,” said Cody.
    “Wow,” his friend said, that being the only word that would come out.
    The boys had now put a name to the man’s face. What they thought of next was something unimaginable.
    “I want to go back there,” blurted out Cody. “I need to know.”
    “Dude, I go where you go,” his friend confidently said.
    “We need another plan, and I’ve got one. How far of a bike ride do you think it is?” asked Cody.
    Zach went to the front of the phone book with a map of Crestwood and a few surrounding cities. He looked at the scale that showed how much a mile was.
    “Oh man, maybe forty-five minutes,” Zach responded. “It’s at least six miles based off this map.”
    “We are going to ride to Crestwood. We will park our bikes at the top of the street and hide them somewhere. We will then walk to the house and try to get a look-in,” explained Cody.
    “Okay, when are we going to do this?” asked Zach.
    “This weekend but there’s one catch—we are going near dusk,” said Cody with a little pitch to his tone.
    “Oh man, how are we going to get out and stay that late?” asked Zach, very unsure.
    “We are going to try and pull something off on our parents, and we need to be completely on the same page if we are going to do it,” said Cody, trying to sound convincing.
    Cody’s brain was firing on all cylinders.
    Zach didn’t have a clue what Cody meant by that.
    “We are going to each ask our parents if we can spend the night over each other’s houses. It will work, I promise,” Cody explained.
    “It’s risky, but I think you’re right. I know I will be able to pull that off on my mom,” said Zach.
    The plan had to work. After all, the boys did have quite a few sleepovers at both houses. Both of them believed in the plan.
    “Once we get to the house, what are we going to do?” asked Zach, moving on with other agendas.
    “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