accounts. There’s no way we could find out whose address it is ’cause no one gives their real name when they create one of those.’ Aaron looked thoughtful for a minute and then his spine snapped to attention. ‘What about the phone call? Maybe the police could trace the number.’
‘There wasn’t any number. The call came up as
PRIVATE.’
‘I think they can still trace it,’ Aaron said.
‘Even if they can, they won’t,’ Rick said. ‘Maybe if someone’s kid had been kidnapped. But not for this.’ He frowned at the water for a moment and then turned to face the others. ‘Okay, what’ve we got? Number one, the freak follows us to Aaron’s. Can’t prove that I s’pose, even though people saw him there. Two, he shows up at my place in the middle of the night. One of my neighbours might’ve seen or heard him, but it still proves nothing. Three, he emails Aaron, and four, rings Marty. All that and we can’t prove any of it.’
‘Maybe if we can’t go to the police, we can tell our parents,’ Aaron suggested.
‘There’s no way I’m telling my olds,’ Marty said.
‘Me neither,’ Rick added.
They both watched Aaron expectantly.
‘Me?’ he said. ‘Er, no, I can’t tell mine either. I mean, I could, but . . . Okay, what if we rang the police for advice? You know, don’t give any names. Just find out if there’s anything they can do.’
Rick appeared to consider this. He scratched around on the ground and scooped up more stones.
‘Yeah,’ he said, rolling the stones from one palm to the other. ‘You may be on to something there. If we don’t mention the ice-cream man, or our names, then the freak will never find out. If the cops say they can do something then we can decide whether or not to risk it. Is that phone of yours pre-paid, Marty?’
‘Yeah, why?’
‘’Cause I heard the cops can’t trace them.’
‘You watch too much TV,’ Aaron said. Rick glared at him.
‘So will you ring the cops?’ Aaron asked Marty. Marty sighed. ‘Yeah, I guess so.’
Aaron looked relieved. ‘Good.’
‘And in the meantime we’ll try and think of some other way to get the freak off our backs.’ Rick pulled his arm back and flung the stones high into the air. They rained onto the billabong, leaving dozens of ever-widening circles in their wake.
Marty didn’t get the opportunity to ring the police until after dinner. His mother was fuming over his leaving the house that afternoon without permission, so he made himself a toasted cheese sandwich and ate it in his room. The situation with his mother would have to wait. The ice-cream man must be dealt with first.
With the bedroom door firmly closed, Marty dialled the police station number he’d copied down earlier from the calendar hanging in the kitchen. He spent the next five minutes on hold waiting for someone to talk to him. Too bad if he had been holding off a drug-crazed knife-wielding nutter.
When an officer finally got on the line he told Marty he didn’t like hypothetical questions, and that unless he was prepared to give his name, there was nothing the police could do. He then wished Marty a good night and hung up, taking a good portion of Marty’s available call credit with him.
Marty threw the phone on his bed. He had a psychopath on his case and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
9
Rick had a plan. It mightn’t get the freak off their backs, but at least it would keep him off the streets for a while. The idea had come to him early Monday morning, right after the ice-cream man had paid Rick a visit, but he’d dismissed it, knowing it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, knowing it could get him in a ton of trouble if he were caught. But after what the ice-cream man had told Marty on the phone, Rick was no longer worried that the freak would go to the cops. Besides, things had changed. He’d actually threatened Marty – threatened all of them. There was no way Rick would let him get away with that.
Marty
‘There wasn’t any number. The call came up as
PRIVATE.’
‘I think they can still trace it,’ Aaron said.
‘Even if they can, they won’t,’ Rick said. ‘Maybe if someone’s kid had been kidnapped. But not for this.’ He frowned at the water for a moment and then turned to face the others. ‘Okay, what’ve we got? Number one, the freak follows us to Aaron’s. Can’t prove that I s’pose, even though people saw him there. Two, he shows up at my place in the middle of the night. One of my neighbours might’ve seen or heard him, but it still proves nothing. Three, he emails Aaron, and four, rings Marty. All that and we can’t prove any of it.’
‘Maybe if we can’t go to the police, we can tell our parents,’ Aaron suggested.
‘There’s no way I’m telling my olds,’ Marty said.
‘Me neither,’ Rick added.
They both watched Aaron expectantly.
‘Me?’ he said. ‘Er, no, I can’t tell mine either. I mean, I could, but . . . Okay, what if we rang the police for advice? You know, don’t give any names. Just find out if there’s anything they can do.’
Rick appeared to consider this. He scratched around on the ground and scooped up more stones.
‘Yeah,’ he said, rolling the stones from one palm to the other. ‘You may be on to something there. If we don’t mention the ice-cream man, or our names, then the freak will never find out. If the cops say they can do something then we can decide whether or not to risk it. Is that phone of yours pre-paid, Marty?’
‘Yeah, why?’
‘’Cause I heard the cops can’t trace them.’
‘You watch too much TV,’ Aaron said. Rick glared at him.
‘So will you ring the cops?’ Aaron asked Marty. Marty sighed. ‘Yeah, I guess so.’
Aaron looked relieved. ‘Good.’
‘And in the meantime we’ll try and think of some other way to get the freak off our backs.’ Rick pulled his arm back and flung the stones high into the air. They rained onto the billabong, leaving dozens of ever-widening circles in their wake.
Marty didn’t get the opportunity to ring the police until after dinner. His mother was fuming over his leaving the house that afternoon without permission, so he made himself a toasted cheese sandwich and ate it in his room. The situation with his mother would have to wait. The ice-cream man must be dealt with first.
With the bedroom door firmly closed, Marty dialled the police station number he’d copied down earlier from the calendar hanging in the kitchen. He spent the next five minutes on hold waiting for someone to talk to him. Too bad if he had been holding off a drug-crazed knife-wielding nutter.
When an officer finally got on the line he told Marty he didn’t like hypothetical questions, and that unless he was prepared to give his name, there was nothing the police could do. He then wished Marty a good night and hung up, taking a good portion of Marty’s available call credit with him.
Marty threw the phone on his bed. He had a psychopath on his case and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
9
Rick had a plan. It mightn’t get the freak off their backs, but at least it would keep him off the streets for a while. The idea had come to him early Monday morning, right after the ice-cream man had paid Rick a visit, but he’d dismissed it, knowing it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, knowing it could get him in a ton of trouble if he were caught. But after what the ice-cream man had told Marty on the phone, Rick was no longer worried that the freak would go to the cops. Besides, things had changed. He’d actually threatened Marty – threatened all of them. There was no way Rick would let him get away with that.
Marty
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