Jackson Humes is Not a Superhero

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Well, at least that's one less thing I have to worry about before I go," Mr. Saltzman said from the back entrance.

"Go where," I asked startled. "We still have a bunch of questions."    

"I know," he said, "and I promise you'll get a lot of them answered, but I can't go into any more detail just yet. In the meantime, the two of you need to make sure you don't draw any more attention to yourselves. I can't emphasize enough just how dangerous this situation truly is."

"But—" I began to protest.

He cut me off. "I need you to watch Graham while I'm gone. He eats twice a day. You can feed him before you go to school and at night around five or six. The food is in the pantry. One can of dog food and two scoops of the dry stuff. Make sure to keep his water dish full. Graham thinks he's a cactus. Make sure you also take him out in the morning before you feed him and once at night after he's eaten. The spare key is under the cookie jar." He handed me a slip of paper with a phone number in spidery writing. "Call me on my cell if you have any questions."

My head was spinning from all the instructions he'd just thrown at me. I'd never taken care of anyone's pet before, especially one the size of a pony. Mr. Saltzman walked to the living room, opened the small closet door by the entrance, and pulled out a small carry-on bag.

"Graham!" The dog was sniffing the rose bush where I'd thrown up and happily bounded up the stairs and into the house. "He'll be fine once I'm out of the driveway." He shut the door, leaving me with the huge dog.

Graham looked up at me with what I thought considered to be a million doggy questions. As soon as he heard the car start up, he ran to the window and poked his head between the curtains. He let out two loud barks as he watched the car pull out.

"Great, just great," I said to no one in particular.

I went upstairs to check on Marv and heard the shower running. Why in the world was he taking a shower? Had everyone lost their minds in the last couple of minutes? I stood in the hallway feeling completely exasperated with everyone inside and outside of the house.

I didn't want to go snooping around Mr. Saltzman's house, but I figured Marv would need a change of clothes, so I tried the door next to the bathroom. It was locked, which I found rather odd. Why would Mr. Saltzman have a locked door in his own home, especially since he lived alone? I ran downstairs and retrieved the spare key from the cookie jar, but it didn't fit. I turned the doorknob foolishly, as if it would magically unlock. I also tried to force my way in by using my shoulder as a battering ram, but all I did was hurt myself.

The door at the end of the hallway was also closed, but it was unlocked. Mr. Saltzman's room was very tidy, if not a little bare. I found a pair of drawstring flannel bottoms and a large T-shirt and left them folded in front of the bathroom door. Then I called Shannon who picked up on the fifth ring.

"Hello?" There was no doubt in my mind that I'd just woken him up.

"Hey, it's Jackson. Listen, I was wondering if you could bring Marv a change and clothes and a pair of shoes. We're at Mr. Saltzman's house."

There were a few seconds of silence and an intake of breath. "Oh, hey, Jackson. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, but Marv needs a change of clothes and a pair of shoes," I repeated, just in case he was high. "Can you get that for him and head over here right now?"

"Yeah, man."

"Do you remember where I live?"

"Yeah, on that creepy street with the two houses."