Ryan Ruiz - The Black Cadillac

After getting ready for school, Cody grabbed his book bag, hobbled gingerly downstairs, and sat at the kitchen table. Olive was eating a bowl of cereal, and Phyllis had just walked through the front door.

The babysitter always arrived in the morning so Cody’s mom could catch the bus for work. Phyllis acted so fake in front of the kids’ mother.

Cody pulled his math homework out of his book bag and started working on it.

His mother looked at him with disbelief.

“Tell me that’s not homework that was supposed to be done already?” Georgiana said to her son as she grabbed her purse and brief bag.

“Um, not really. Most of it’s done, Mom,” said Cody, lying to his mom.

She glanced down at the sheet of paper.

“You’re lying, Cody. You can’t pull a fast one on me. I’m your mother,” she said. “You better get that done by the time you leave,” Georgiana informed him. “And don’t lie. I cannot stand liars.”

“Okay, Mom. Sorry,” Cody said meaningfully.

His mother set down a mug with his tea in it. Cody gave Olive a playful stare. Olive just smiled, remembering her brother put down his homework so they could play Sorry.

Cody took a sip of the hot tea his mother had just set down for him on the kitchen table. It was twenty after seven. Georgiana said good-bye and headed out the front door. Her bus stop was just at the corner of their street.

Cody finished his math homework by just guessing and jotting down random numbers under the problems. He jammed the paper into his folder and stuffed it in his bag.

After saying good-bye to Olive, Cody headed out the front door. He took the long way to school. Cody caught up to Zach right before the playground. Zach had headphones on and was listening to a cassette tape on his Walkman.

“Hey, buddy!” yelled Cody.

“Oh, what’s up, dude?” said Zach, removing his headphones.

Zach noticed his friend hobbling.

“What happened to you?” asked Zach.

“Oh, nothing. Ol and I were playing tag, and I twisted my ankle trying to catch her. No big deal, it’s just a little sore,” replied Cody.

“Oh well, that sucks,” said Zach.

“Wanna shoot some hoops after school?” asked Cody.

“Yeah, dude. We could use a break from this work we have been doing,” replied Zach, looking at his friend in disbelief. “Are you sure you’re okay to play?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine by after school. Do you want to play or what?” said Cody.

“Yeah, let’s play some b-ball after school at my house,” replied Zach with a smile.

“Okay, cool. I’ll call Phil from your house after school and tell her,” said Cody.

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Zach.

The two headed into the school building just as the first bell rang.

For a dreaded Monday, which every student hated, the day went by quickly for Cody. Two of his teachers were sick, and the substitutes in each class were cool. They just let the class do anything they wanted within reason.

During a few classes, Cody thought about his neighbor’s garage. Could Mr. Durkbridge own the car the boys had been looking for? Was that even possible? But who was the man they saw at the church? Thoughts and questions ran through Cody’s mind all day about his adventure a night ago. The pain in his ankle also reminded him of it. Things were starting to confuse the boy. Cody met up with Zach after school by the playground, and they headed to Zach’s house.

The house was a little smaller than Cody’s, but it was very homey. The house was white with green shutters. It had a porch with two green columns. Zach’s driveway was fairly big and made a great basketball court. Zach had gotten a mounted basketball hoop when he was in fifth grade. Zach was a great basketball player, and it was his reward for making the team.

“Let’s go inside and put our book bags down. I’ll give you a T-shirt to throw on,” offered Zach.

Before Cody could respond, Zach’s mother interrupted.

“Are you guys watching this?” she asked, pointing at the television.

“No, what is it?” responded Cody.

The news was on the TV, and there was a flashing emergency alert sign going across the bottom. Zach’s mother turned the volume up on the television.

“Again, everyone, we have breaking news. An eight-year-old girl is missing in Sheldon Township. Her name is Mandy Coefield, and she was last seen walking home from school by friends earlier today. If you have any news or information regarding Mandy, please call the Sheldon Township Police Department. Or call 1-800-MISSING with any tips,” the newscaster said through the television’s speakers.

“This is just terrible. There are some evil people in this world, kids. You just never know anymore. God bless that little girl and her parents,” Zach’s mom said.

Cody and Zach looked at each other, very worried. Sheldon Township was just two cities away from the town of Tippwood. In fact, one part of Tippwood actually bordered Sheldon.

Zach set down the basketball. The boys went up the stairs to Zach’s room and shut the door.

“Dude, you don’t think…” Zach’s voice trailed off.

“I don’t know, man, this is too coincidental. It’s two cities from us, and the girl was walking home from school,” replied Cody.

“We should go to the police,” said Zach.

“No, we can’t. No one knows what we’re doing. Our moms will kill us if they found out what we were up to,” Cody said.

“We are not police officers, dude. We are twelve years old and in seventh grade,” replied Zach with an edginess to his tone.

“I know, but trust me—we are better off continuing our own investigation,” fired back Cody.

Zach could tell that Cody was obsessed with the man in the black Cadillac. For some reason, Zach completely understood the pain and determination on his friend’s face. Zach dropped it.

“What next, then?” asked Zach.

“We need to figure out where that man we saw lives,” said Cody.

There was a long pause in between.

“I have an idea, dude. It may not be the best idea, but we may have a shot,” said Zach.

“Okay, let’s hear it,” said Cody.

“My brother… He’s going to be home this weekend, I heard my mom talking to him on the phone. He has a car, dude. We can see if he would drive us to Lincoln Street on Sunday,” said Zach with excitement in his voice.

Cody knew Zach’s brother but not well. He was a freshman in college at a school two hours away from Tippwood. Cody was intrigued by the idea.

“Go on,” replied Cody.

“We could tail the car with my brother’s help. This is a long shot, but it’s a shot. We are going to have to let him in somewhat about what we are doing, though,” responded Zach.

“I think it’s a great idea. The only thing is, we need to hope and pray that the Cadillac is there this Sunday. Do you think you could convince your brother?” Cody asked.

“I don’t know, man, it’s worth a shot. Maybe we could give him some money or something? I don’t know,” Zach said in a worried tone.

“You need to be the best salesman on the planet,” Cody said.

“I know,” replied Zach.

The boys talked more about the missing girl in Sheldon. It made Cody sick to the stomach that the girl was exactly Olive’s age. Cody was angry and upset over the whole situation. Zach understood exactly why.

The two friends went back downstairs and made a snack. Zach’s mother was still watching television. The emergency alert flashing sign was still streaming across the bottom of the color television.

“Do you want to play basketball now?” asked Zach hopefully.

“No, I’m going to head home. I have a lot of homework and reading to catch up on. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Call me if you think of anything else for our project. Bye, Mrs. Madden,” said Cody.