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.At least he thought so.For the second time that afternoon, he had broken the law and trespassed on railroad property.His stomach felt a little queasy about that, and the thought of defying Officer Tibbs made him nervous.If Tibbs saw him he would give him a ticket for sure, and Danny’s dad would be angry.But it looked like he made it okay.There were no police cars in sight.Danny halted at the beginning of Tucker Street Alley and took several measured breaths.If he relaxed for a minute or two and caught his wind, he figured he could make another sprint through the entire length of the alley, or at least most if it.Hopefully he could blaze right passed the bushes, and Charlie the dog wouldn’t have enough free chain to catch him in time.He took a few cautious steps into the mouth of the alley and scanned ahead, mentally charting the path he would take.It looked like a clear shot.If he skirted along the edge he could avoid the deepest part of the mud which was at the very center of the alley.The firm ground would offer steady footing which would help him get to the other side faster.Danny had just begun his trek into the alley when he stopped just as suddenly.The dog’s owner – the sleazy, skinny man with thinning hair – sat on a dirty lawn chair near the bushes.He held a can of beer in one hand, and in the other he swung something metallic that winked in the sunlight.He watched Danny from across the alley.He’d probably been staring at Danny the moment he came within view, and that was a little unsettling to the boy.Sitting in the chair the way he did, relaxed with a can of beer and his bare feet kicked out, it was almost like he was waiting for Danny to return.Even worse, Danny sensed the man was actually glad to see him.He had a wicked grin on his face, and he nodded at Danny when their eyes met, like greeting an old adversary across the battlefield.He made Danny nervous.The man was mean to Charlie the dog, and Danny didn’t want anything to do with him.Danny decided Banana Man wasn’t worth the risk, so he turned and started to walk away.But then he stopped again.Two streets over near the railroad tracks, a police car turned the corner.It was Officer Tibbs.Danny ducked behind a row of bushes and hid.If the officer spotted him, Tibbs would know Danny had cut across the tracks again and would give him a ticket for breaking the law.Tibbs might even take him to jail.Danny thought about his predicament and concluded the only solution was to follow through with his original plan.He had to make it through the alley.Danny crawled alongside the bushes, trying to stay hidden from Officer Tibbs as long as he could.Then he stood, and continued his journey to the other end of the alley, walking fast but not quite running.There was no point in running, at least not yet.He stayed on the edge of the mud where the ground was firm.He didn’t want to slip and fall like last time.If he could get close to the bushes and the block wall, he would start his sprint at that point, and run all the way home.The man kept his eyes on Danny, and kept grinning from ear to ear like he had a secret and couldn’t wait to share it.He tilted his head back and guzzled some beer.In his right hand he kept swinging that metal thing.Danny didn’t know what the object was but it couldn’t be worse than getting a ticket, or going to jail.As Danny neared the bushes, Charlie the dog growled, and Danny finally realized what the man was swinging in his hand: it was Charlie’s chain.Charlie the dog was loose, and he was nearby.Danny sprinted toward the block wall.The dog burst from the bushes, completely free of its chain.The chase was short and quick.Before the dog could bite Danny’s heels, the boy planted his palms on top of the block wall and scampered up in the nick of time.Charlie jumped at Danny and chomped at his feet, but Danny was safely atop the wall.Danny’s heart pounded and his hands were shaking.The dog would have bit him if he hadn’t got to the block wall as quick as he did.The whole idea of cutting through Tucker Street Alley one more time suddenly sounded like a stupid plan.Danny was stuck on the wall, and he had no idea what the man was going to do next.The man slapped his knee and laughed.“Get him Charlie! Get the kid!” The dog responded to its owner’s encouragement and tried harder to climb the wall, barking and snapping, its nails scratching the cinder block.As Danny clung to the block wall for his life, a police siren wailed for a brief moment, and then a patrol sped into the alley.It was Officer Tibbs.Danny knew he was busted.Tibbs would give him a ticket for trespassing on railroad property, and he would probably take him to jail.The patrol car slid to a stop.Faster than Danny could have imagined the big man could move, Officer Tibbs jumped clear of the car and whipped out a canister from his belt.He pointed it at the dog and fearlessly approached the animal.The dog charged Officer Tibbs.The sleazy man stood up from his chair, and slightly intoxicated, wavered on his skinny legs.He had a worried look on his face as he yelled at Tibbs, “Don’t you hurt my dog you pig!” Then he took a final drink from his beer, crinkled the can, and watched to see what happened when canine and police officer collided.The dog had almost reached Tibbs.Ears back and growling mean, it meant to hurt him.Tibbs calmly aimed the white canister.Then he sprayed a long stream of fluid that hit the dog in the face.White liquid splashed all over Charlie’s mug.The dog skidded to a halt, yelped once, and started rolling around in the mud and breathing harsh and loud.The man stomped over to Officer Tibbs and pointed angrily at his face.Spit flew from his mouth as he spoke.“You son of a bitch! Why’d you spray my dog?”Tibbs remained calm.He kept his eyes on the man and yelled at Danny.“You alright Danny?”“Yes, sir.”“Get off that wall and get over here.”Danny carefully dropped off the cinderblock wall and walked over to stand beside Officer Tibbs.He cast a worried glance at the dog but Charlie wasn’t looking good.The dog panted heavily and whined.His tongue hung out the side of his mouth and he scratched at his eyes with both paws.The man pointed his finger at Danny next, and said, “That kid’s been teasing my dog all day!”Tibbs holstered the white canister.“I’m not here to talk about Danny.I’m here to talk about Peter.” Tibbs pointed to his patrol car.Peter Duncan sat in the front passenger seat, his head hung low.The man rolled his eyes in disgust when he saw Peter.“God damn kid.What’d he do now?”Tibbs asked the man, “Are you George Duncan? Peter’s dad?”The man nodded.“Sorry to say I am.That piece of crap is nothing but trouble.”Officer Tibbs gave a sharp whistle between his fingers, and Peter lifted his head.Tibbs waved him over.Peter got out of the police car and walked over to stand beside the officer.“What the hell did you do now Peter?” The man was not happy with Peter and Peter was not happy to be there.Peter stared at the ground and fidgeted with his hands [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]