第37部分(第1/7 頁)

e　ended　up　in　prison　himself。

〃No；〃　I　said。

〃What　do　you　mean；　no？〃　he　asked　me　furiously。　〃How　can　you　say　no？　You　saw　what　he　did！　What　are　you　telling　me？　That　you're　still　going　to　let　his　connections　protect　him？　After　what　he　did？〃

Brutal　stared　at　me；　mouth　agape；　eyes　so　angry　they　were　watering。

〃Listen　to　me；　Brutus　…　you　take　a　poke　at　him；　and　most　likely　we　all　go。　You；　me；　Dean；　Harry；　maybe　even　Jack　Van　Hay。　Everyone　else　moves　a　rung　or　two　up　the　ladder；　starting　with　Bill　Dodge；　and　the　Prison　mission　hires　three　or　four　Breadline　Barneys　to　fill　the　spots　at　the　bottom。　Maybe　you　can　live　with　that；　but…〃　I　cocked　my　thumb　at　Dean；　who　was　staring　down　the　dripping；　brick…lined　tunnel。　He　was　holding　his　specs　in　one　hand；　and　looked　almost　as　dazed　as　Percy。　〃But　what　about　Dean？　He's　got　two　kids；　one　in　high　school　and　one　just　about　to　go。〃

〃So　what's　it　e　down　to？〃　Brutal　asked。　〃We　let　him　get　away　with　it？〃

〃I　didn't　know　the　sponge　was　supposed　to　be　wet；〃　Percy　said　in　a　faint；　mechanical　voice。　This　was　the　story　he　had　rehearsed　beforehand；　of　course；　when　he　was　expecting　a　painful　prank　instead　of　the　cataclysm　we　had　just　witnessed。　〃It　was　never　wet　when　we　rehearsed。〃

〃Aw；　you　sucker…〃　Brutal　began；　and　started　for　Percy。　I　grabbed　him　again　and　yanked　him　back。　Footsteps　clacked　on　the　steps。　I　looked　up；　desperately　afraid　of　seeing　Curtis　Anderson；　but　it　was　Harry　Terwilliger。　His　cheeks　were　paper…white　and　his　lips　were　purplish；　as　if　he'd　been　eating　blackberry　cobbler。

I　switched　my　attention　back　to　Brutal。　〃For　God's　sake；　Brutal；　Delacroix's　dead；　nothing　can　change　that；　and　Percy's　not　worth　it。〃　Was　the　plan；　or　the　beginnings　of　it；　in　my　head　even　then？　I've