Page 91 of More Than a Hero
Without another word, he jogged around the side of the building, sneakers thudding softly against the pavement. Hereached Mr. Marty’s door in seconds and swallowed deeply before knocking. He heard Mr. Marty call out, “Come on in!” and then turned the knob and stepped inside.
The small apartment smelled faintly of the strong peppermint lotion Mr. Marty used on his joints. Sunlight streamed through the front window, catching on Ms. Angie as she looked up from her seat on the sofa. She smiled, her pen pausing mid-stroke.
“Well, hey there, Jimmy.”
Mr. Marty sat across from her, his eyes bright and his grin wide. “I’m gonna get my new hearing aid!” he boomed. “Ms. Angie’s helpin’ me finish the paperwork for the doc tomorrow.”
Jimmy gave them both a quick smile, but his attention was already shifting.
Tamarcus stood a few feet off, leaning near the window, shoulders tight. He wasn’t smiling. His fingers twitched, his leg bouncing, eyes flicking back and forth between the door and the room’s occupants. His jaw clenched like he was barely holding something together.
“Hey,” Jimmy said carefully, stepping farther in. “Just came by to check on you, Mr. Marty.”
Tamarcus didn’t say anything.
Jimmy walked past them, forcing his steps to stay calm. “Mind if I use the bathroom?”
Marty waved a hand. “Course, son. Through my bedroom.”
Jimmy walked through the bedroom and shut the bathroom door behind him. It was big enough for a person who used a wheelchair if necessary, but he didn’t look around. Instead, he quickly darted to the window. Carefully sliding it open, he peered out into the back.
“Psst!” he hissed.
Robert and Darius rose into view from behind a trash can.
“He’s real twitchy,” Jimmy whispered. “I don’t think he likes Ms. Angie being here. Mr. Marty just likes having people so he doesn’t suspect anything. Call Pete again. If he doesn’t pick up, call 911.”
Darius nodded and took off running around the corner to get out of sight.
Robert looked at the younger kids now crowding around. “Get to the other people you know live here. Tell them to stay inside and stay out of sight yourself.”
Within seconds, the group of boys exploded into motion, scattering like startled birds. “We’ll go to George!” Caleb whispered and ran away with Curly and Rasheem.
“We’ll get to Bertram,” Jalen said, grabbing Kyron by the sleeve and pulling him along.
“What about Ms. Hannah and Ms. Rosetta?” Mike asked.
“You three go to them,” Jimmy whispered through the open window, hoping his voice didn’t carry to the room behind him.
Mike, Tony, Darius, and David turned and ran toward the back corner to go to the other side to get to Hannah’s and Rosetta’s apartments.
Robert stayed. “I’m coming in. Move back.”
Robert climbed through the window with Jimmy’s help as he prayed that they weren’t making too much noise. He flushed the toilet as Robert’s feet landed with a thud on the floor. Then Jimmy turned on the water at the sink, hoping that sound would also drown out any noise they were making.
He whispered, “Stay here. Only come out if the way is clear. Then you can hide in… uh… the closet.”
Robert nodded, and Jimmy opened the door, breathing easier when he found the bedroom empty. He stepped back into the living room and tried to act normal, but Tamarcus’s head snapped up the moment he reappeared.
The man’s eyes were too wide now, his skin glistening. Something had shifted. “You got a lotta friends, huh?” Tamarcus said suddenly, his voice sharp, his gaze narrowing.
Jimmy froze and glanced out the window. He looked across the wide garden area and caught sight of the four younger boys entering Ms. Hannah’s and Ms. Rosetta’s apartments. He had no idea what all Tamarcus might have seen of the other residents’ front doors from his view at the window. Swallowing deeply, he also spied Mr. Bertram walking to the parking lot.
Tamarcus had his back to the window now, and Jimmy felt his heart beat so hard he was sure everyone could hear it. He smiled at Ms. Angie, who was staring at him. Another glance out the window showed Mr. Bertram backing his car out of its spot and parking it behind Tamarcus’s vehicle. If he wasn’t so scared, Jimmy might have laughed aloud.
Mr. Marty blinked. “You okay, son?”
Jimmy jumped but nodded his head. “Yeah… just, uh… I ate too much pizza earlier.”
