Christopher snapped out of it and realized they were waiting for him, their drinks hoisted and ready for the toast. Christopher raised his drink, and Special Ed’s Yoo-hoo came together with three little milk cartons to toast the glory of the tree house. As he drank the cold milk, Christopher looked at the picture of the missing girl on the carton.
Emily Bertovich.
Her name was so easy to read now.
Christopher was so excited about the tree house, he barely paid attention when he got on the school bus to take him home. He didn’t know any of the kids on his new bus route or neighborhood. Except one.
Jenny Hertzog.
“Floods! Floods!” she teased, even though Christopher’s mom got him new longer pants from the outlet mall.
Their bus stop sat at the end of a long street, next to an old house on the corner. Jenny ran into her house next door with the aluminum siding. Christopher walked down to his cul-de-sac. He looked at the log cabin across the street and the Mission Street Woods that surrounded all of them.
The woods where they would build the tree house.
Christopher felt bad that he didn’t tell his friends everything. But he didn’t want them to think he was crazy. Like his dad. He also didn’t want to frighten them. But there were other things the nice man had told Christopher as they stayed up all night, talking. Most of them were confusing. Some of them were scary.
But Christopher trusted the nice man. There was something about his voice. A kindness. A warmth. And even when Christopher was skeptical, everything the nice man told him was true. As it turned out, Special Ed’s father did have a garage full of tools. Mike and Matt did help their uncle George build things. Christopher was taken out of Mrs. Henderson’s remedial reading class that day. Jenny Hertzog was at his bus stop.
And he had to finish the tree house before Christmas.
“But what’s the hurry? What does the tree house do?” he asked.
you’d never believe me. you’ll have to see it for yourself.
Chapter 21
They began on a Saturday.
It was freezing, late November, and the trees blocked out whatever sun the clouds had spared. But the boys were too excited to care. The week could not have gone any better. The M&M’s found the place where the Collins Construction Company stored building supplies. And the team figured out a way to move everything to the clearing.
“You ever heard of a wheel barrel?” Special Ed said in CCD.
“You mean a wheelbarrow?” Christopher said.
“I know what I meant,” Special Ed said with a huff.
What he lacked in vocabulary, Special Ed made up for in business savvy. He had raided his father’s tool chests and found two dirty magazines to boot (great for resale value!).
On Saturday morning, Christopher woke up early and got out his favorite backpack. The special one with Bad Cat asking, “Do you have any food in here?” He went downstairs and sat next to his mom on the couch. She was as warm as her coffee and smelled even better.
“Where are you off to so early?” she asked.
Ever since Christopher had gone missing for a week, his mother was extra protective of him leaving.
“I’m hanging out with Eddie and the M&M’s,” he said. “We’re meeting at Eddie’s house. We were going to play all day. Maybe have a sleepover.”
“Does his mother know that?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
And sure enough, a text chirped through almost on cue.
Kate. Eddie is bugging me for a sleepover. Virginia and Sage already said yes. OK with you?
Christopher’s mom had no idea that Special Ed was the one typing and then immediately erasing the texts at precisely 8:30 a.m. Nor did she suspect that the M&M’s had already done the same thing on their end to free Special Ed for the night. The boys didn’t know how kids got away with anything when people actually talked to each other. But their texting plan worked like a charm. Christopher’s mom typed back.
Sure, Betty. I’ll grab an extra shift at work now. Thanks.
Phew.
“Keep your phone on,” she said as she dropped him off at Special Ed’s house. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at ten sharp.”
“Mom, please—”
“Fine then. Nine thirty.”
“Okay. Ten. No problem!” he said before things went south.
“You be careful,” she said. “No leaving Eddie’s house. No wandering off. No kidding.”
“Yes, Mom,” he said.
She put him out of the car with a hug.
Christopher found the boys in the garage, where Special