Hot Pursuit: Steer Clear of Golden Opportunities (Paperback)

Chapter One

Appearances can be deceiving. The inventor whose life was ruined thought he had lost control. Those who ruined his life thought they had control. But neither suspected that the only one who truly held the answer was an unassuming boy in a small American town.

* * *

Ka-zapp!

"Zowwwww!"

"Dad?"

"C-close the d-door!"

Matt Calahan slammed the door shut. His dad, sitting on a short ladder inside the entryway, let go of the wrapped wires between his fingers. He licked his fingertips and flicked his hand in the air. "Ow."

"Dad, your hair's sticking up. What are you doing?"

Mr. Calahan frowned and flipped over a piece of paper on his lap. "Installing a security system."

Matt's mind suddenly jumped to his laptop sitting in his room ... plugged into the wall. "Um ... I gotta go!" Matt threw his backpack over by the couch and rushed down the hallway.

"What's the hurry?" Mr. Calahan asked.

"My laptop!" Matt shouted. "It's plugged in! A power surge could fry it!"

Matt's dad dropped his head. "Your dad's getting electrocuted and all you can think about is your laptop?"

Matt stopped at the foot of the stairs. "Well ... no ... I just ..."

Matt knew his dad didn't understand. For Matt's laptop was no ordinary laptop. This was the laptop Matt received for his birthday-the one that somehow could "make things happen." Whenever Matt wrote a story in the laptop, it actually happened in real life. All Matt had to do was hit the special key with the clock face on it. Over the past few months, the laptop had become more and more invaluable to Matt ... and he couldn't imagine losing it. Especially to a silly thing like a power surge.

"Don't worry," his dad said with a smirk. "I unplugged both computers and the TV before I started working."

Matt let out a long breath, walking back toward his dad. "Why didn't you just shut off all the power?"

"I want it on so I can tell when it's working," Mr. Calahan said, as if that made any sense. He looked back at the sheet. "I've been a professional builder for fifteen years. I think I should know how to install one of these newfangled systems."

"You want a comb?"

His dad peered down at him again. "No, but do you see my wire cutters down there?"

Matt glanced at the tools scattered on the linoleum. He shook his head.

"I must have left it at the Zarza's. Since I started remodeling their basement, I think I've left half my tools over there."

Matt looked at the electronic box dangling from the wall. "Is that why you're putting in a security system? Because of the break-in at the Zarza's?"

Matt's dad shoved his tongue in his cheek. "It'll make your mom feel safer."

Just a couple weeks ago, Matt had been shocked when his dad found a bar of gold under some floorboards in the Zarza's basement. The Zarzas were even more shocked. They had no idea when they asked Matt's dad to remodel the dank, underground room that they might become rich because of it.

But what really jolted everyone was when, only about ten days later, someone broke into the Zarza's house. Ironically, nothing was taken ... but the intruder knocked a couple holes in the basement floorboards, presumably searching for more gold.

The break-in, in the middle of their quiet, small-town neighborhood, had everyone on edge. Even Matt's best friends, Lamar and Gill, said their parents were taking extra precautions. "We don't need to be scared," Gill's dad, a security guard, said. "But we need to prepare our houses for the worst. We don't want would-be thieves to suddenly think Oleander Street is an easy target."

Matt's dad grabbed the wires again and carefully twisted them together as if he were French-braiding a little girl's hair. "You know what I want to know?" Mr. Calahan asked his son. "How did word about the gold get out? I know for a fact that Jacinto put the bar in a safety-deposit box for safekeeping until he discovered more about it. Who was there to tell?"

Matt shrugged. "Sometimes," he said, "secrets have a way of getting out."

Pop! The door suddenly opened.

Ka-zapp!

"Zowwwww!" cried Matt's dad.

"Matt?"

"C-close the d-door!"

Lamar Whitmore, from a few doors down, slinked inside and slammed the door shut. His eyes were wide. Matt's dad let go of the wrapped wires between his fingers. He licked his fingertips again and flicked his hand in the air. "Oooow."

"He's installing a security system," Matt explained to Lamar.

"I'm almost done," Mr. Calahan said, his eyebrows furled. Determined, he grabbed the wires again.

"Dad, have you thought about turning off the power?"

Mr. Calahan glared down at Matt. "I'm a professional, Matt, remember? This job doesn't require it. There's not much voltage coming through here."

Matt and Lamar both looked at the hair sticking straight up from Stan Calahan's head.

Matt turned to Lamar. "What's up?"

"Gill and I were just about to go to Alfonzo's and-" Suddenly Lamar's eyes grew big. "Gill! He's right behind-"

Pop! The door suddenly opened.

Ka-zapp!

"Zowwwww!" cried Matt's dad.

"Get out!" Lamar shouted.

Gill, wide-eyed, popped in, popped out, popped back in, shocked Matt's dad again, then shut the door behind himself.

"What's wrong?" red-headed Gill wondered.

Matt's dad patted down his hair. "I'm installing a security system."

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!

The boys covered their ears.

Mr. Calahan shouted, "It's working!"

Matt shouted, "Turn it off!"

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!

Mr. Calahan looked at the dangling control panel, puzzled. "I'm not sure how! The code was ... let's see ... 4-2-1-3? No wait. It was 6-2-4-3. No wait ..."

Whoop! Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!

He pulled the wires apart and the alarm shut off.

Mr. Calahan nodded. "That'll do it."

Gill looked at Matt and Lamar. "With the new baby, my parents have been setting up all kinds of stuff, too," he said. Then, "Hey, Matt, my dad got us tickets to the races!"

"Really?" Matt asked.

Mr. Calahan smiled. "Great! He told me a few days ago that he'd try. It's a police benefit."

Matt's forehead wrinkled.

Gill explained, "There'll be a bunch of cops there watching 'cause they get in free for the next two weeks. It'll be the safest place in Enisburg."

Matt and his dad laughed.

"Cool," Matt said.

"Sorry," Gill said to Lamar, "my dad was only able to get four tickets since he's not on the force anymore. But he's getting more next week so you and Alfonzo can come too."

"Cool!" Lamar cheered. "I might bring Oscar, too, if it's all right."

"You and Oscar getting along then?" Mr. Calahan asked about the man Lamar's mother was dating.

Lamar nodded. "Better. I just don't need to get mixed up with gangster business again." He laughed at his own joke.

"None of you do," Matt's dad said, warning Matt with his eyes.

Suddenly the phone rang. Matt grabbed the cordless off the coffee table. "Hello?" He put his hand over the mouthpiece. "Dad, it's the security company. They said the alarm went off and they need our password."

Mr. Calahan smiled. "Pooka Dookas are supa-dupa." He glanced at Gill. "You inspired me."

Gill covered his face. Matt gave the phrase to the agent and hung up the phone.

"Let's go over to Alfonzo's," Matt said to his friends.

Gill popped open the door. Ka-zapp!

"Zowwwww!" cried Matt's dad.

Gill slammed the door shut. Matt's dad let go of the wires and patted down his hair. He stepped down from the ladder.

"Where you going?" Matt asked him.

"To turn off the power."

* * *

Matt, Lamar, and Gill entered the Zarza's house, knocking fists with Alfonzo on the way in. Matt's nose twitched at the spicy smell lingering in the air. He and his friends walked through the entryway and into the adjoining living room. Matt's youth pastor, Mick Ruhlen, was there, sitting on the sofa, talking to Mr. Zarza. Alfonzo's sister, Isabel, sat in a wicker chair across the room. She wore jeans and a red blouse. Her midnight black hair flowed down her back like a waterfall. When Matt entered, their eyes locked for a moment, then she offered a weak smile. Matt returned it.

"Well, I'm just glad everything's all right," Pastor Ruhlen was saying. "I believe God protected you from what could've been much worse."

Jacinto Zarza just nodded.

"He is our hope," Pastor Ruhlen said, pointing up.

Matt and his friends claimed spots around the room. Alfonzo and Gill hit the floor. Lamar sat on the edge of some kind of stool. Matt just leaned against the wall and watched the Zarza's faces.

Matt and his friends had all seen trouble lately-mainly because of his laptop. The boys had quickly discovered that whatever Matt typed into the laptop actually happened ... and that unknown people "out there" didn't want Matt to have the laptop. But the danger had never quite entered any of their homes.

Now, in the ripple effect of the break-in, Matt could tell the Zarzas felt violated. Alfonzo had turned quiet again, like he was when they first met him. Isabel just looked sad. And their father ... well, Matt didn't know him well, and he was hard to read. Still, he looked like he had a few months prior when he had first brought his children to the States after a job transfer from Mexico City. Somewhat hopeful, somewhat hopeless. Truth is, Matt always thought the job transfer was just an excuse. The real reason for the move, Matt had discovered, was that Jacinto's wife had left him and left the family in shambles. Matt knew Mr. Zarza and his kids were just looking for a good place to start over.

"We're running in a rat race," Pastor Ruhlen said, throwing a grin at Isabel. "But if we run the race with God on our side, we know that we will make it through."

Matt leaned forward and looked back over his shoulder at some photos of Alfonzo and Isabel as children. There were cheesy school photos on blue backgrounds, as well as wonderfully candid shots. From one picture to another, Alfonzo looked like a handful-active and curious. Big, toothy smiles caught the camera. Isabel's deep brown eyes swallowed the lens even as a baby, her black hair shorter, but shiny and straight. Matt turned his head to catch her eyes again. She looked away.

"I guess what I'm saying," Pastor Ruhlen said, his Chia-Pet hairdo blue today, "is: Have you ever made Jesus the Lord of your life?"

Matt blinked.

Mr. Zarza tilted his head. "We go to church," he said. "We have many times."

Pastor Ruhlen nodded. "Yeah, I know you do. I know you really have an interest in getting to know God. That's why I wanted you to know that-dude!-you can make a decision today to put Jesus first in your life. To follow Him above all else. Then when hard times come-like these-you and your family will have Someone you know you can count on."

Matt suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He glanced at Lamar and Gill ... and then at Alfonzo. Matt, Lamar, and Gill had all been Christians for years. And when Alfonzo-a great guy-moved into their neighborhood, Matt had just assumed he was a Christian, too. He never objected when they prayed. In fact, he joined in. But ... Matt couldn't say they'd ever talked about whether he served Jesus as his Lord.

Then Matt's eyes clipped to Isabel. How could I have never asked, he wondered, never even thought to ask?

A sudden rap came at the door and jolted everyone in the room. Alfonzo made his way through the entryway. A brooding man stood in the doorway, with dark, shadowy features and a nose like a hawk. He wore a tattered black coat and equally tattered black slacks. He insisted on talking to the owner of the house. Mr. Zarza excused himself, and Matt and his friends followed him into the entryway.

"Yes?" Mr. Zarza asked the brooding man.

The man's voice was raspy and forceful, not unlike the mobster their friend Oscar had played in the theater. "You have something that belongs to me," he said.

"I don't understand," Mr. Zarza said plainly.

Pastor Ruhlen rounded the corner, behind Matt. Isabel was beside him.

"The gold bar," the brooding man bellowed. "I want my gold!"

Matt looked at Alfonzo. Alfonzo looked at Gill. Gill looked at Lamar and whispered, "He's a gangster, isn't he? He's going to put cement on our feet and drop us into the ocean, isn't he?"

Lamar slapped Gill on the chest. "Stop it! We don't need to get into judging people as gangsters again!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mr. Zarza told the man.

"Don't play dumb, old man," replied the brooding man. "I know all about it. This used to be my house. I hid my gold in the basement. And I've come to reclaim it!"

Something about this circumstance was oddly familiar. Matt found himself instinctively reaching for his shoulder where his backpack usually sat, so he could pull out his laptop. But it wasn't there. Matt sighed. How he wished he had it with him. He could take care of this situation with a sentence or two.

A deep voice came from the other side of the doorway. "I heard shouting. Is there a problem here?"

The brooding man shifted aside as Mr. Calahan stepped into his personal space. The brooding man opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself, most likely because Matt's dad looked like a crazy man, his hair sticking straight up on all sides.

"No problem," the brooding man said. "We're just ... ironing things out."

"Well, if everything's ironed out, then maybe you should be on your way." Mr. Calahan tapped the large pair of wire cutters on his jeans.

The brooding man stiffened his lip and with a haunting growl, he stated, "I'll be back."

He spun around and headed away, swiftly making his way through where the swinging gate used to stand in front of the house.

"Gracias," Mr. Zarza said to Matt's dad, letting out an anxious breath.

"That was awesome!" Matt told his dad.

Mr. Calahan just looked back at the brooding man, a frown on his face.

"I sure wouldn't want to meet that bad dude in a dark alley," Pastor Ruhlen admitted.

"Me neither," Gill said. "I'm glad he left."

Pastor Ruhlen nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, I was referring to Mr. Calahan," he said.

Chapter Two

Dodge ball!"

Matt screamed as the big red rubber sphere spun toward him like a heat-seeking missile. Pow! It hit him in the forearm with a blow befitting its launcher, school bully Hulk Hooligan.

Continues...