So I make a mental note to tell Huey every piece of dirt I’ve learned about Big Dale. This so-called big-time cop has to go down, and I decide I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it happens. At the same time, however, I decide I need to dig for more information about the steroid thing, which means poking around more into the lives of Dale and Tank. And if I can do all of this while still earning cash from Huey … well, that sounds like a sweet deal to me.

Looking at my cell, I suddenly remember punching in that phone number from the back of Big Dale’s magazine: 729-8274.

Tiptoeing out of my bedroom, I enter the living room and find Justin snoring away on the sofa. Like me, he’s wearing the same clothes from the night before. Passing him, the odors of stale beer and cigarettes gag me. I study him for a few moments and think back to what he said last night, that stupid comment about taking another year off. If he takes that route, he might as well stay drunk forever.

Anyway, he stinks so bad that I have to cover my mouth on the way to the kitchen, where I quickly use our landline to dial the mysterious number. On the second ring I glance at the microwave clock and realize it’s barely seven o’clock, Saturday morning. I’m about to hang up, but somebody picks up after the third ring. My stomach feels like it’s dropped a mile, and just as I’m ready to say something, I hear a female voice deliver the following recorded message: “Hello, you’ve reached Helen Dawkins. Unfortunately, I can’t take your call right now. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a great day.”

I hang up without saying a word, my heart thumping wildly against my ribs.

I know Helen Dawkins. She’s Huey’s wife. When Justin was a stock boy, he was always complaining about how mean she was to everybody when she came into the store. He said she was the only bad part about the job.

So, if this is the same Helen Dawkins, why does Tank’s dad have her number written on the back cover of an adult magazine?

Man, no wonder Huey is so interested in Tank’s dad.

Chapter_9

9

Turns out Huey is more than happy to hire me, almost desperate. He needs a stock boy badly. In addition to Justin’s recent departure, Brandon Watkins apparently found a better summer gig. He put in his two weeks’ notice on the same day Tank stole the pint and cigarettes.