We swerved left, and with only one hand on the wheel, the old man straightened out the car perfectly. With the other hand, he adjusted his fancy hat in the rear view mirror, and he caught me staring. 

He winked and said, “Well, I think that a car in the deep end of a swimming pool is a bit on the obvious side. What’s your thought, Freckles?” 

We passed a yard with a dog in it, and it chased the police car along the border of the property. Why did dogs love to chase cars so much? I’d probably never know, but the thought gave me an idea. 

“There’s a junkyard a few blocks from here,” I said. “You could drive it in there. The owner of the yard is never around.” My mind was racing, piecing together the plan as I went.

Bones looked at me. “How do you know—” I elbowed him. “Augghh! Why’d you do that, Lump?” The old man eyed me in the rear view mirror. “Is this some kind of trick, boy? I don’t like tricks, unless they’re magical ones.” 

I pinched Bones on the arm, silently telling him to get with the program. “No, it’s a great place,” I said. “You can ride it right in and then walk over to the train station.” 

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