“Dougie, you’ll do best ’cause you don’t have any siblings. So here’s our story: we all went over to Dougie’s for pizza and Xbox.”

“I only got Nintendo.”

“What’s the damn difference?” Booker asked.

“No, Booker, that’s important,” Manny said. “We need to keep our details straight. So we went to Dougie’s for pizza and Nintendo. I’ll call in a pizza delivery right now. That’ll leave a paper trail, which is good. ’Lotta criminals get the chair ’cause they don’t have an alibi with a paper trail. Now, I say we all just head over to Dougie’s, eat a pie, play some Shootout and wait for this whole thing to blow over. And remember, anyone asks, we spent this Halloween at Dougie’s, resting up for the big game next week.”

Booker smiled. “That sounds good. You boys go and do that.”

“Where the hell are you going?” Tommy asked.

“I got my own alibi. Her name is Nina Hernandez.”

CHAPTER 15

KIP set his fork down on the plate. “You gonna keep blubbering all morning, Bernice? I mean, I’m heartbroke, too, but I am trying to eat here.”

“I can’t help it.” Bernice wiped tears from her cheek as she topped off Kip’s coffee. “It’s just too awful to even think about.”

The trucker rush at the Buttered Bean Diner, which usually appeared with the sun, was still a half hour away. It was coming up on 5 a.m., and Kip, Bernice, and Don Paul still had the place to themselves.

Kip offered Bernice a wadded bandanna to dry her tears with, then he subtly dabbed some moisture from his own eyes with a napkin. “Still can’t believe it happened,” he said. “What a waste. Just an awful damn waste.”

Don Paul nodded. “Yeah … best football season in Jackrabbits history, pissed away in an instant.”

Bernice slapped Don Paul on the back of the head. “He’s not talking about the damn season, you insensitive ass. What about those boys’ very lives?”

“I’m just sayin’ is all! Geez, good morning to you, too. Say, where’s my patty sausage anyway?”

Bernice ignored him. Turning to Kip, she asked, “What do they even do in this kind of situation?”

Kip leaned back in his seat, thought about it for a minute. “Well, I suppose they’ll just consider it a forfeit, give the win to Stanton High.”

Bernice beat a fist on the counter. “For chrissake, Kip, you’re no better than Don Paul. I’m not talking about the football season!”

“Hell, woman, we know that! Can’t you see we’re as tore up about those boys dyin’ as you? It’s just … well, we all grieve different. Maybe it’s just easier for me and Don Paul to deal with it in terms we’re comfortable with.”