Home Invasion Read Online Free Page B

but I was wrong. My eyes darted around the room as I looked for a hiding place. The couch was tight against the wall, and the glass coffee table wasn’t exactly an option. My best betwas a closet between the living room and dining room. I heard the doorknob turning. I dashed over to the closet, sneaked inside and shut the door behind me.
    It’s a good thing I’m not claustrophobic. It was the smallest closet I’d ever seen. They used it to store cleaning stuff, like brooms and a bucket. The smell of ammonia tickled my nose. I hoped I wouldn’t sneeze.
    The stairs to the second floor were just overhead, and I heard them creak as someone came down from upstairs.
    â€œIs that you, Sylvain?” It was Patsy’s mother. “You said you’d be home by eight.” She didn’t sound happy. I checked my watch — it was 8:37. It wasn’t like Mr. Levesque was all that late. Why was she giving him a hard time?
    She said something else, but she lowered her voice, and I couldn’t make out what it was. I pressed my ear to the door so I’d be able to hear better.
    â€œYou were there again, weren’t you?” she was saying.
    Mr. Levesque didn’t say anything. I heard them head down the hall. The layout wassimilar to our house, so I figured they were probably going to the kitchen. A refrigerator door opened, and I heard ice cubes tinkling into a glass.
    I was surprised when out of nowhere I heard a whimpering sound — the kind of noise a dog makes when it’s hurt. But I didn’t think the Levesques had a dog. If they did, wouldn’t I have seen them outside walking it by now? I strained to hear better. Now I heard a soft groaning sound. That was when I realized it had to be coming from a person.
    It was Mrs. Levesque crying. What could she be so upset about?
    â€œDon’t make a scene, Annette,” Mr. Levesque finally said. He paused for a couple of seconds before adding, “Patsy.” He said it like it was a warning. Whatever they were discussing was something they didn’t want Patsy to know about.
    I heard Mrs. Levesque make a sniffling sound like she was blowing her nose.
    â€œYou have to stop. You’re ruining us,” she whispered.
    Stop what? I wondered. What could Mr. Levesque be doing that would ruin his family?
    â€œI won tonight,” he told her. “I thought you’d be happy.”
    â€œI’d be happy if you worked a regular job. I’d be happy if you stopped gambling. I’d be happy if we could stop running away from all the people you owe money to.”
    So that was it. Mr. Levesque was a gambler. No wonder his wife was so upset.
    â€œOkay,” he said. “I’ll stop. I promise.”
    Mrs. Levesque sighed. “How much did you win?”
    â€œA thousand dollars.”
    Wow, I thought, a thousand dollars was like two years’ worth of allowance. He won all that in just one night?
    â€œThat’s nothing compared to what we owe,” Mrs. Levesque said.
    I heard the sound of more steps overhead. Patsy was coming downstairs. “Hey, Dad!” she called out, and I could hear her run over to him. “Come see the drawing I’ve been working on.”
    After the three of them went upstairs, I let five minutes go by before I left the closet. Partly, I wanted to be sure they wouldn’t come back down. Partly, I needed to think. What I thought about was how there are some secrets you’d rather not know.

Chapter Seven
    â€œWhy did he do that?”
    I was trying to watch a rerun of a NBA playoff game, but Clay kept interrupting with dumb questions.
    â€œWhy are they letting him take an extra turn?”
    â€œHe’s got a free throw, you big idiot.”
    I didn’t really say that. But I wanted to. The guy’s totally clueless when it comes to B-ball.
    It was the Pistons versus the Lakers and the game was really heating up. I dug my fingertips into the couch. Not