Free Theodore Boone: The Scandal by John Grisham Page A

I have an upset stomach.”
    Mr. Boone said, “What a surprise. It’s Sunday morning, time to get ready for church, and you don’t feel well. This seems to happen a lot.”
    Mrs. Boone said, “You look fine to me.”
    “Are we really going to brunch at the Baileys’?”
    His mother said, “Why yes, Theo, it’s the second Sunday of the month, and we always have brunch with our friends after church.”
    “Your friends, not mine. I’ll be the only kid there, and I’ll be bored out of my mind. I hate these brunches. Boring. All that adult talk. All those geezers grinning at me and asking me about school and trying to be funny, like I’m some cute little puppy who needs to be entertained. It’s just awful.”
    His parents looked at each other, looks that meant they had actually heard him. Such looks were rare when discussing Boone family traditions. Their little rituals were important to them, or at least to his parents, and they didn’t like to upset the structure of their lives.
    Mrs. Boone finally said, “So what would you do for lunch?”
    Something, anything. “I’ll just come home and eat a sandwich. Please, Mom, let me skip it.”
    Mr. Boone exaggerated when he said, “Well, the Baileys will be disappointed.”
    Who cares about the Baileys? Theo said, “Oh, they’ll get over it. You guys will have a great time with the other adults, and no one will miss me. Please.”
    She asked, “Well, what do you think, Woods?”
    “I’d like to skip it myself,” he blurted and laughed, though Mrs. Boone did not see the humor. She looked at Theo and said, “Okay, just this once.”
    Theo couldn’t believe his luck. “Thanks, Mom!”
    “Now run upstairs and get ready for church.”

Chapter 14
    T heo arrived at school a few minutes early on Monday morning. He was met at the bike rack by Pete Holland, who had a smile on his face. As Theo was chaining his bike, Pete said, “My dad came home yesterday, Theo, a week early, and he’s in great shape. He looks good and healthy, and he promised us again that he has quit drinking. We had a great time. Last night he took us out for pizza and subs, something we’ve never done before. I’ve never seen my parents smile and laugh so much.”
    “That’s great to hear, Pete.” They were walking slowly into the school.
    “Things are gonna be tough for a while because he lost his job, but he thinks he can find another one pretty soon. He left home early this morning to look for work. He stopped smoking, too, and he promised there would never be alcohol or tobacco in our house. It’s really hard to believe, Theo.”
    “I’m really happy for you, Pete.”
    “I just want to say thanks. Thanks to you for being my friend, and especially thanks to your mother. She’s awesome, Theo.”
    “Happy to help, Pete. And you’re right. She is awesome.”
    “And your dad, too.”
    “I’m very lucky, Pete.”
    They shook hands and went to their homerooms.
      
    The week began as usual at Strattenburg Middle School. However, four miles away at East, things were off to a rocky start. As first period was beginning, the principal appeared in Mr. London’s classroom and asked him to follow him to the office. Three investigators were waiting, and none of them was smiling. On the small conference table there was a suspicious-looking black box, with gauges and wires and cords running everywhere. It looked dangerous. Mr. London sat down and stared at it.
    The principal said, “We are asking you to take a polygraph exam.”
    Mr. London looked bewildered and asked, “A lie detector?”
    “That’s correct,” said an investigator.
    “What’s this all about?”
    “I think you know,” the principal replied.
    An investigator said, “We’re going to ask you about your involvement with Geneva Hull, Emily Novak, Tom Willingham, and Penn Norman on the day after the standardized testing was completed.”
    Mr. London dropped his head. They knew. They had all five names. His job was