Halversham Read Online Free Page A

the old gardener noticed it.
    “Doesn't matter, my boy. Plenty of things to do here.” Mort grinned. “What’s your plan while you’re in town?”
    “Well, today I’m planning on taking the trail my mom used to take. I want to walk by the river and feed the dogs at the foothill. See how Halversham’s changed.”
    “Oh, you’ll be surprised. Things have changed. Strange things have been happening in the garden as well,” Mort said in a conspiratorial voice, leaning close to Andy.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Andy!” Piffy’s voice exploded from the back door. Both Andy and Mort turned toward Piffy, who was standing with her hands on the door frame. “Your father’s on the phone.”
    Andy patted his pockets and remembered he had left his iPhone on the dining table. He dashed in and picked up the landline.
    “Dad?”
    “Son? Are you all right?”
    “Yes, I’m fine.”
    “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
    “I was out in the garden talking to Mort. I left my phone on the table.”
    “I see. I almost called your Aunt Magda’s neighbors, and you know how much I hate bothering them. I wish she’d let me buy her a phone. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I’m on my way to the airport.”
    “Oookay.” Andy dragged out the word.
    “Did you sleep well?”
    “Yeah.”
    “How’s Mort?”
    “He’s fine.”
    “Good. Did you have breakfast?”
    “Yeah, I did.”
    “Alright. I’m almost at the airport. Try to have some fun while you’re there. I’ll talk to you soon.”
    “Bye.”
    Andy hung up and lifted an eyebrow at the phone. The call had seemed contrived, but then, his father had hardly ever called him before. At least not for something as trivial as to say he was on his way to the airport.
    Piffy stepped into the living room with a brown paper bag. “Here’s your lunch, Andy. I also included some salad, apples, cheese, and crackers in case you decide to stay out a little longer.”
    “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
    Andy went to his room, picked up his backpack, and put the lunch bag inside. He tucked a water bottle into the side pocket and made his way to the dining room again. He checked the five missed calls from his father, then slipped the phone in his pocket before heading out.
    His first stop was the biggest convenience store in Halversham, Dorrie’s. He took two steps at a time to get to the third-floor pet section and walked past aisles displaying cat food, dog bowls, leashes, cages, and colorful toys. Finally, Andy found Wenley’s brand of rawhide and dog treats and grabbed a few packets. It was still early, and the cashier lanes downstairs only had a few shoppers queueing. One of the lanes was free, so Andy walked over and placed his items on the counter.
    “Hey—you’re Crazy Corrine’s cousin Andy, right?” the cashier asked, jerking Andy’s eyes up to face him.
    Andy tried to remember the smiling face in front of him; he looked about twenty and certainly familiar, but no one specific came to mind. “Yeah,” Andy said tentatively a few seconds later.
    “You don’t remember me, do you?”
    Andy blushed and smiled. “No.”
    “I’m Chuck Navasky, Colin’s brother.” Andy thought hard to place the names, but drew a blank again. “Corrine pierced a fish hook through my brother’s fingernail years ago. Remember?”
    “Oh, yeah. I remember. I’m sorry about that.”
    “No worries. He’s fine,” Chuck said, scanning Andy’s dog treats. “You look like your dad.”
    “Yeah.” Andy smiled. “I get that a lot.”
    “Your mom’s not here today?”
    Andy averted his eyes and hesitated. “She… she died two days ago. Cancer.”
    Chuck paused his scanning and licked his lips. “I’m sorry, man.”
    “That’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
    “Why are you here?”
    “Just hanging out.” Andy shrugged.
    “How long?”
    “A month.”
    “That’s a long time,” Chuck said, rounding up the total. “Twenty-seven-twenty,” he said, looking at the