Rivals (2010) (14 page)

“GO SWIMMING,” BENJI SAID.

“What?” Josh asked, rumpling his face in disbelief. “How’s that going to help?”

“Hey, we’ve got until tomorrow night at this place,” Benji said. “No way can we win if they got the umpire in their pocket, and no way we can stop it with Jaden working like some double agent, so we swim. We relax and just play—move on, like your mom says.”

“Are you crazy?” Josh asked.

“No, I’m very sane, Josh. When you’re beat, you’re beat.”

Josh shook his head and opened his book.

“Back to rabbits, huh?” Benji said. “I see.”

“Rabbits who won’t just quit,” Josh said without looking up.

They didn’t speak again until they were back at the camp. Josh returned his bat bag to the cabin, then told his parents he was heading into town. Benji emerged from the bathroom in his Red Sox cap and a big yellow bathing suit with blue fish all over it. In his hand was a bright green Nerf football.

“Let’s hit the beach,” Benji said, tugging on his cap.

Josh just turned and walked out the door, letting the screen door slam behind him. When Benji caught up, Josh didn’t say anything.

“Come on,” Benji said. “When we got off the bus, Esch told me his dad is grilling some sausages and peppers down by the water on one of those little grills. We can eat, swim, drink sodas. Come on, Josh, Carpet the D-end. Live a little.”

Josh kept trudging and said, “
Carpe diem.
It’s Latin. It means ‘seize the day’—eat like a slob, drink soda until you’re sick, lay around in the sun. Because, who cares? Tomorrow might never come.

“But it might come,” Josh said, stopping and turning on Benji. “And if it does, I want to win that championship. I want us to walk away with that trophy because we’re the best team and because my dad is the best coach. I know Mickey Mullen was a great baseball player, one of the greatest. I know he was way better than my dad. You should have seen the way that HBO producer looked at me when I said he was a pro player, like what he did in the minors was nothing, so my dad
couldn’t even
be
a rival to Mickey Mullen. But it wasn’t nothing, and my dad is a better coach than Mickey Mullen—he’s his rival there. Only my dad would never pay off an umpire just so he could win. I have a chance to stop that, maybe not much of a chance, but a chance. So you go stuff your face and flop around in the water, but I’m going into town. I’m like the rabbits. I’m not taking the easy way. I’ve got a dream, and I’m going to do everything I can to make it happen.”

Benji’s mouth fell open. “Gee, you’re making me feel like a schmuck.”

Josh shrugged and headed for the shuttle. When the bus coughed to life in a cloud of purple smoke, Josh ran to catch it. He hopped up the steps, ignored by the cranky driver.

“Oh no,” she said suddenly. “Not on this bus. You get right off.”

Josh spun around in surprise, only to see that the driver was talking to Benji, who climbed the steps in his yellow suit, Red Sox cap, and bare feet, wearing nothing else besides the Nerf ball he used to cover his jiggling belly button.

“My dad said he talked to you about us,” Josh said.

“Right,” she said. “You can ride, but not like
that
. Read the sign: ‘No Bare Feet. Must Wear Shirt.’ He’s off.”

“Wait,” Benji said, “this is an emergency. We’re like the rabbits in
Watership Down
trying to save their whole warren from a huge disaster. You gotta let me
on, lady. This kid
needs
me.”

The driver twisted up her face and shook her head. “You’re nuts.”

“How nuts is this?” Benji asked, removing his hat and showing the driver the Mickey Mullen signature on his cap. “Here, take it. You like Mickey Mullen?”

The driver’s lower lip flopped open and trembled.

“This ain’t real,” she said.

“Met him at the museum the other day,” Benji said with a wink. “All yours if you cut me a break.”

The driver looked Benji up and down and sucked in her lower lip before she wagged her head toward the back.

“Deal,” she said, swapping out her old Red Sox cap for the new one signed by Mickey Mullen.

Josh slid over to the window and Benji plunked down beside him with a huff.

“Benji, you didn’t have to do that,” Josh said quietly, feeling slightly guilty.

“You think I want that cheater’s autograph messing up a good Red Sox hat?” Benji asked, raising an eyebrow. “Naw.”

“You could have sold it,” Josh said.

“Yeah,” Benji said with a shrug. “I know.”

“How much was that worth, anyway?”

“Not that much, really,” Benji said. “Mickey Mullen must spend half his life signing autographs. I went online at the camp office and there’s about ten thousand
signed caps for sale on the internet.”

“Ten thousand?”

“Without sweat stains,” Benji said.

“Yours had a sweat stain?”

“I wore it to bed the other night, that hot one?” Benji said. “I think it was Wednesday. I couldn’t get ten cents for that stupid thing.”

Josh smiled and patted Benji’s bare shoulder.

When they arrived at the drop-off in town, Benji asked, “So, what’s the plan?”

They stepped off the bus and wandered down toward the marina. Josh couldn’t help hoping he’d see Myron and Seevers at the restaurant again. He grew frustrated as Benji hopped along beside him, stepping gingerly on the grass, worried about getting a bee sting or stepping on glass in his bare feet. When they reached the parking lot, Benji stopped and stared.

“I’m not walking across that,” Benji said. “It’s like hot coals.”

“I’ll be right back,” Josh said, crossing the lot and wandering through the restaurant to no avail. As he left, his cell phone rang.

It was Jaden.

“CAN’T TALK,” JADEN SAID
in a hurried whisper, “but get to the Otesaga. By the pool.”

Before Josh could say one word, the phone went dead. He looked around, then hurried outside to Benji.

“Jaden called.”

“From where?” Benji said. “Did she helicopter all the way to California? Tell her to stay there.”

“She said, ‘Get to the Otesaga,’” Josh said. “And something about the pool.”

“Here, let me call her back,” Benji said, reaching for Josh’s phone. “I’ll tell her who can Otesaga and who can’t.”

“No, Benji,” Josh said, snatching the phone back. “Use your own phone.”

“I will,” Benji said, pulling it free from his bathing suit pocket and holding it up.

“I thought you were going swimming?” Josh said.

“I take it out of my pocket when I go in,” Benji said. “Dude, stop sounding like a mother hen.”

“Otesaga means something,” Josh said. “What?”

Benji shrugged, replacing his phone after all, and said, “Sounds Native American to me.”

“It does,” Josh said, “but what?”

Benji pointed. Across the street and down the block a ways was a small white building with a sign that said
VISITOR INFORMATION
. “Good idea,” Josh said.

“Uhh, would you mind?” Benji said, holding out his arms and wiggling his fingers.

“Mind what?”

“Carrying me?”

“Man, Benji,” Josh said, looking him over. “You weigh half a ton and you’re all sweaty, not to mention half naked.”

Benji held up his foot and wiggled his toes. “You do not want these piggies to fry, dude. The Heavy Hitter needs to run free around the infield come tomorrow night. Come on. I gave up my Mickey Mullen Red Sox cap to help you. The least you could do is give me a little assistance.”

“You said you didn’t even want that hat,” Josh said, “that it wasn’t worth ten cents.”

Benji folded his arms and looked away.

“Okay, come on,” Josh said, “but you hang on to my
neck and ride on my back. I’m not carrying you across like you’re some princess bride.”

Josh backed up and Benji slung his arms around his neck. Josh carried his friend across the hot pavement and they went inside the information place, where Josh asked the woman if she had any idea what Otesaga was.

“Oh, it’s a beautiful hotel just down the road,” she said, pointing. “Right on the water. They have a golf course. Shirts required, of course.”

Benji adjusted the Nerf ball to block his belly button.

“Do they have a pool?” Josh asked.

“A heated one,” she said, nodding.

When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Benji asked, “Can we get something to eat first? I could go for a bag of cheeseburgers, but even an ice cream could fill the gap a little bit.”

“No,” Josh said. “We’ve got to get to the Otesaga. Jaden made it sound urgent. I’m not missing this chance.”

They walked up the street until they came to a light and had to cross again to get over the hot pavement to the lake side, where the road ran out from the center of town. Benji opened his arms and tilted his head. Josh didn’t complain—he just carted him across and they headed up the sidewalk. The walked by several old mansions before they saw the Otesaga rise up above
the trees in front of them. Soon the whole thing came into view. Sitting atop a grassy knoll with the lake glittering beyond, the Otesaga was enormous. It reminded Josh of a fortress.

The curving drive led to the covered entrance where massive three-story columns supported the eaves of a roof capped off with an enormous cupola. A man wearing a tan uniform trimmed in dark green stopped them to ask if they were guests of the hotel. Josh thought quick.

“Mickey Mullen Junior invited us,” he said. “He said we should meet him by the pool.”

The man straightened and said, “Oh. I saw their helicopter land just a few minutes ago over on the golf course. I heard they had to go down to New York City to pick up some movie stars for the big party tonight. How about that? Sure, go right on through. The pool is in the back.”

Josh marched up the steps, with Benji following. They entered the elegant lobby, passing by the front desk with a wave and continuing on past the expensive furniture and straight out back to the circular deck.

“Well,” Benji said, looking around uncomfortably, “we’re here. Now what?”

“She had to have a reason,” Josh said. “Maybe this is where they’re doing it.”

“Doing what?” Benji asked.

“Making the exchange,” Josh said. “We need two
things. The first is a picture of Myron handing Seevers the envelope.”

Josh looked around.

People passed them by in fancy summer clothes: men in slacks, women in flowery hats and high-heeled shoes. A long, sweeping row of rocking chairs sat facing the sloping lawn, the expanse of the lake, and the mountains beyond. On the terrace below, people sat having poolside drinks beneath an army of broad umbrellas shading them from the sun.

“Hey,” Josh said, “I just realized: we’ll need to use your cell. I don’t have a camera on my phone. Jaden’s got one, and I didn’t think I’d have to do this without her.”

“Forget a picture,” Benji said, beaming and withdrawing the cell phone from his flouncy shorts. “You can shoot a video with this thing. Good thing you got me.”

“Yeah, it is,” Josh said, accepting the phone with a smile.

“There’s the pool,” Benji said, pointing. “Let’s check it out. I feel like I stick out up here in the lobby with all these fancy-pants people.”

“Nah,” Josh said. “Those yellow swim trunks are great.”

They descended the broad staircase, and as they did Josh examined the crowd beneath the umbrellas. Halfway down the steps, he froze and grabbed
Benji by the arm. In the shadow of an umbrella, sipping some kind of drink, Josh spotted Myron. Sitting across from him with a beer was Justin Seevers, the crooked umpire.

JOSH GRABBED BENJI’S ARM
and pointed. “There.”

“How are we going to get a shot from here?” Benji asked.

“We’ve got to get closer,” Josh said, scanning the area and descending the final steps until they stood on the terrace. “Here, come on.”

Josh circled around the pool area. Surrounding the low rock wall was a hedge. Down near some trees, Josh looked around, then ducked into the narrow gap between the hedge and the wall, crawling on his hands and knees back around toward the table where he’d seen Myron and Seevers.

“Ow,” Benji said behind him. “These bushes are biting into me.”

“Shh,” Josh said, twisting around to glare at him. “I’ll go alone if you can’t fit.”

“I can
fit
,” Benji said, hissing. “I’ve got sensitive skin is all. You don’t want me itching all over when I’m swinging for the fences, do you?”

“Oh brother,” Josh said, turning back around and continuing his crawl.

When they got to Myron’s table, Josh peeked his head up over the wall, then ducked back down quickly.

“What’s the matter?” Benji asked, bumping up behind him.

“I’m afraid they’ll see me,” Josh said, still whispering as he fumbled with the phone.

“Look,” Benji said, pointing to the phone, “just hold it up and tilt the screen down. You can use it like a periscope.”

Josh did as Benji said, and it was true: he could angle the phone so that by propping it just over the lip of the stone wall, he could see Myron and Seevers on the screen. After a while, though, his arm began to tremble with fatigue.

“I wish they’d just do it already,” Josh said in a whisper.

“Want me to take a turn?” Benji said. “I’m just sitting here like one of those garden gnomes and my stomach is going crazy. I need a distraction.”

“Okay,” Josh said, “come closer and I’ll just pass it off. Wait.”

Josh froze. In the tiny cell phone screen he saw Myron reaching underneath the table. Josh pushed the
button and started to record. Myron lifted the same kind of manila envelope he’d given Seevers before and handed it to him across the table. Seevers shook it and said something and the two of them laughed together as Seevers slipped the envelope under his arm and stood to go.

“I got it,” Josh said, barely able to contain the excitement.

“Let me see,” Benji said, groping.

“Don’t break it, Benji,” Josh said.

“Dude, it’s my phone,” Benji said. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m worried about what’s on it,” Josh said. “Not the phone.”

“Nice,” Benji said, snatching it away and fumbling with the buttons. “Let me see if you even got it. You may be the baseball great, but I’m a technology wizard. Oops.”

“Oops?” Josh said. “What ‘oops,’ Benji?”

Benji held up a hand. “Can we get out of these bushes? Even a wizard needs decent working conditions.”

“Go,” Josh said. “I’ll follow you.”

Josh grumbled the entire length of the crawl, resisting the temptation of swatting Benji’s big yellow butt as he waddled through the hedge. When they emerged into the shadows of the trees, Josh glanced over at the table where the exchange had taken place. Myron sat sipping his drink, staring at the activity in the pool with a small grin on his face.

“I don’t know if you did this right,” Benji said.

“I did it right,” Josh said, growing hot. “
You’re
the one who said ‘oops.’ I didn’t say ‘oops.’ I saw him handing over the envelope and I hit the record button. Don’t even tell me it’s not on there, Benji.”

Benji screwed up his face and poked the tip of his tongue out from the corner of his mouth as he fumbled with the phone keys.

“Yes!” he said, holding it up. “Saved the day.”

“You ruined the day, then you saved it.”

“Saved it all the same,” he said.

“Let’s see,” Josh said.

Benji played the video, and Josh felt a surge of pride.

“I got it,” he said, watching the video of Myron leaning over the table and handing Seevers the envelope.

“
We
got it,” Benji said.

“We did. Now, send it to Jaden’s phone to back it up.”

“You said we needed two things,” Benji said, frowning. “What’s the other?”