"SHAWN!"
Henry was standing on the back porch, his hands cupped over his mouth as he shouted out over the yard.
Shawn heard him loud and clear from the tree house.
He knew that tone.
"Uh-oh," he groaned, dropping the comic book he was reading.
"What'd you do?" Gus asked, turning another page and sounding less than interested.
"Nothing…"
"Yeah, right."
"No, really!"
Shawn was mentally running over the past few days, trying to sift through all possible crimes he could be nailed for…but nothing was coming to mind.
"Maybe you're in trouble for reading comic books," Gus suggested with a dry shrug. "You know your dad hates them."
"No," Shawn shook his head thoughtfully. "I don't think that's it. How would he even know?"
"Maybe he found my Captain Incredible Issue 7 under your bed," Gus muttered.
"Gus! I told you! I didn't take your stupid Captain Incredible Issue 7."
"Yeah, right."
"SHAWN!" Henry bellowed again.
Shawn flinched, his eyes wide with innocent bewilderment.
"You better go," Gus told him, nudging him towards the door.
"Yeah."
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
He climbed down the ladder and slowly jogged across the yard.
Henry was still waiting for him on the porch.
"There you are. Where were you?" He demanded.
"At the tree house."
"Do you have my hammer?"
"Your what?"
"My hammer, Shawn." Henry snapped impatiently. "You know what a hammer is. Did you take my hammer?"
"No!"
Henry's arms were crossed now. He glared down at Shawn skeptically.
"Shawn, it was on my workbench this morning. I need it. What did you do with it?"
"I didn't take it!" Shawn insisted, his already wide eyes only growing larger.
"Shawn, knock it off. There's no one else around. I didn't move it…Did you lose it?"
"No! I didn't—"
"Were you using it to test Gus' bike helmet again? I told you to stop doing that!"
"No! I--"
Henry just waved off his protests.
"Just go to your room, Kid. I'll find the damn hammer myself. And next time, ask before you take my stuff."
"But I didn't take it!"
Shawn was almost yelling, desperate to convince his father of his innocence.
But Henry had already gone back out to the garage to look for the hammer again.
Shawn stomped up the stairs angrily and slammed his door, flopping down onto his bed.
"I didn't take the stupid hammer."
After a few minutes of sulking, he rolled onto his stomach and felt around under his bed, fishing for the Captain Incredible Issue 7 he had stashed there a few days ago.
His fingers finally wrapped around the thin paper.
But something was wrong.
It felt…heavy.
Way too heavy.
Something was sitting on top of the book…
He pulled it out faster now, curious what this extra weight was.
When he finally managed to work it out from the abyss that was the space under his bed, he gasped.
Lying there, perfectly in the center of the comic, was his father's hammer.
Taped to it was a note.
Next time, don't take my stuff!
-Gus
