A/N- Thanks for the reviews. Sorry this one's so short. We're trying!
Chapter 8:
There were a few moments of awkward silence and except for the smoke drifting from Racetrack's cigar to the ceiling, there was no movement.
Then it seemed like everyone moved at once. A dozen questions filled the air, and Blink tried to launch himself at Racetrack, but was held back by Specs and Dutchy.
Snoddy struggled to restrain a restless and suddenly very sober, but angry, Skittery who seemed to have a few not so nice questions of his own.
"How did ya find us?" Jack demanded, loudly, trying to quiet the others.
"I followed ya. You'se shoah make a lot a noise foah guys tryin' ta sneak out."
"What are ya doin' heah?" Mush asked the question this time, an angry scowl on his face.
"Just t'ought you'se might like ta know who killed Charlie," Racetrack answered nonchalantly. His statement had been quiet, but the silence that followed proved that they had all heard it clearly.
Specs and Dutchy released Blink, whose arms dropped to his side. His jaw was slack and his face looked as anxious as the others.
"You know who killed him?" Skittery asked.
Blink wondered how he had recovered from his drunkenness so quickly.
"Yeah, I knows who killed 'im."
They all waited impatiently but it seemed as though Race wasn't going to volunteer the information too easily. They would have to ask for it.
Blink spoke first. "Who done it?" he asked.
Race stared hard at Blink for a moment and took a long drag from his cigar. "It was Charlie's gang," Race answered simply.
"How da ya know?" Blink pressed.
"'Cause I hoid 'em talkin' down by da docks dis aftahnoon, on me way home from da tracks."
"What exactly did dey say?" It seemed as though Blink had taken control of the conversation. The other boys didn't seem to mind. They watched the events unfold as Race replayed the day's events for them.
"I lost big time t'day. T'ought I'd found me a winnah in Marigold, but I was wrong, and I lost all a me money. So I had ta walk back. I was walkin' in da alley between da docks and da lace factory, and I hoid Charlie's pal, Munch, shoutin' about somet'in'."
"What was he shoutin' about?" Blink interrupted.
"I'se gettin' ta dat," Race snapped at Blink who closed his mouth, folded his arms across his chest and waited for more.
"Seems dey's upset dat you boys is in da papes. Dey's angry dat you got da credit foah what dey done."
"Did dey actually say dey killed Charlie?"
"Yeah. Dey said how dey did it, too. Toins out dey was all drunk at a bar one night and a big fight broke out, and da little guy, what's 'is name?"
"Gus?" suggested Snoddy.
"Yeah him. He hit Charlie ovah da head wit a stool, a little too hard, and well, we knows what happened aftah dat."
"How did he end up at da lodgin' house d'ough?"
"Dey dragged 'im dere so dat one a us would take da blame. Den dey slept at da docks so dey would have a..." Race went quiet trying to search for the word.
"Ambassadors?" Snitch suggested, earning him curious glances from the others.
"Alibi?" said Jack.
"Yeah dat. I wondered why dey hadn't been back ta da lodgin' house lately."
"So, yoah sayin', dat Charlie's gang killed him, and dey tried to pin it on one a us, and now dey's all mad 'cause dere plan woiked and we'se in da papes?" Skittery asked.
Race pulled the cigar out of his mouth and stared at Skittery. "Did I stuttah?" he asked, harshly.
Jack held out a hand to silence them as Skittery began to say something not very nice to Racetrack.
"So now dat we knows who done it," Specs began.
"All we'se gotta do is pin it back on dem!" Dutchy finished.
The two boys looked at Jack. "But how?" they asked in unison.
Jack rolled his eyes at them. "Anyone got any ideas?" he asked looking from boy to boy.
"Why'd ya decide ta help me out Race?" Blink asked suddenly. All eyes in the room focused on the new conversation.
Racetrack shrugged. "I knew dat I made a mistake, and I wanted ta fix it." He sounded as though the answer had been obvious.
Blink studied Race's face and then grinned. He stuck out his hand. "T'anks," he said gratefully.
Race hesitated before shaking Blink's hand. "And," Race continued, "about da whole," he made a gesture at his eye, "patch t'ing—"
Blink shook his head. "Don't worry about it. No harm done."
Mush grinned at the two and draped his arms around their shoulders, glad that they had reconciled.
"No one has any ideas at all den?" Jack asked after a moment.
A murmur spread through the crowd, each boy waiting for the others to speak.
"I'se too drunk ta t'ink of a bad plan, let alone a good one," Skittery muttered. His eyes were beginning to droop, and Snoddy had to grab onto him to make sure he wouldn't fall.
"I'se got a plan," Snitch said, suddenly.
All eyes fell on him.
"Blink was s'posed ta have a trial comin' up, right?"
"It don't look like dat'll be happenin'," Snoddy said.
Snitch continued, "what if we had Blink get caught again?"
Everyone in the room began to speak at once again, no one very keen on Snitch's idea. Snitch held up a hand. "We'se can feed Charlie's gang stories about how famous Blink will be and how he'll go down in history, and how great all da uddah newsies t'ink he is."
"So dey'll get even moah jealous," Jack said, finally understanding Snitch's idea.
Snitch nodded. "And den, maybe dey'll toin demselves in ta da bulls and Blink can go free."
"I'm wanted foah murder!" Blink shrieked. "I don't have time foah 'maybe'."
"How do we know," began Specs.
"Dat dey'll toin demselves in?" finished Dutchy.
"Will you two cut dat out!" snapped Skittery.
"Sorry," Specs and Dutchy said together.
"Dose boys'll do anyt'in' foah a little recognition," Race said. "If we feed 'em enough stories, dey'll wish dey'd taken da rap aftah dey'd done it."
"We could try ta get 'em ta say it at da trial," said Snoddy.
"I like it," Skittery grinned. "When do we start?"
"We'll do it tomorrow," said Jack. "Right now, we'se got ta plan." He lifted his Cowboy hat onto his head.
They planned into the night.
Chapter 8:
There were a few moments of awkward silence and except for the smoke drifting from Racetrack's cigar to the ceiling, there was no movement.
Then it seemed like everyone moved at once. A dozen questions filled the air, and Blink tried to launch himself at Racetrack, but was held back by Specs and Dutchy.
Snoddy struggled to restrain a restless and suddenly very sober, but angry, Skittery who seemed to have a few not so nice questions of his own.
"How did ya find us?" Jack demanded, loudly, trying to quiet the others.
"I followed ya. You'se shoah make a lot a noise foah guys tryin' ta sneak out."
"What are ya doin' heah?" Mush asked the question this time, an angry scowl on his face.
"Just t'ought you'se might like ta know who killed Charlie," Racetrack answered nonchalantly. His statement had been quiet, but the silence that followed proved that they had all heard it clearly.
Specs and Dutchy released Blink, whose arms dropped to his side. His jaw was slack and his face looked as anxious as the others.
"You know who killed him?" Skittery asked.
Blink wondered how he had recovered from his drunkenness so quickly.
"Yeah, I knows who killed 'im."
They all waited impatiently but it seemed as though Race wasn't going to volunteer the information too easily. They would have to ask for it.
Blink spoke first. "Who done it?" he asked.
Race stared hard at Blink for a moment and took a long drag from his cigar. "It was Charlie's gang," Race answered simply.
"How da ya know?" Blink pressed.
"'Cause I hoid 'em talkin' down by da docks dis aftahnoon, on me way home from da tracks."
"What exactly did dey say?" It seemed as though Blink had taken control of the conversation. The other boys didn't seem to mind. They watched the events unfold as Race replayed the day's events for them.
"I lost big time t'day. T'ought I'd found me a winnah in Marigold, but I was wrong, and I lost all a me money. So I had ta walk back. I was walkin' in da alley between da docks and da lace factory, and I hoid Charlie's pal, Munch, shoutin' about somet'in'."
"What was he shoutin' about?" Blink interrupted.
"I'se gettin' ta dat," Race snapped at Blink who closed his mouth, folded his arms across his chest and waited for more.
"Seems dey's upset dat you boys is in da papes. Dey's angry dat you got da credit foah what dey done."
"Did dey actually say dey killed Charlie?"
"Yeah. Dey said how dey did it, too. Toins out dey was all drunk at a bar one night and a big fight broke out, and da little guy, what's 'is name?"
"Gus?" suggested Snoddy.
"Yeah him. He hit Charlie ovah da head wit a stool, a little too hard, and well, we knows what happened aftah dat."
"How did he end up at da lodgin' house d'ough?"
"Dey dragged 'im dere so dat one a us would take da blame. Den dey slept at da docks so dey would have a..." Race went quiet trying to search for the word.
"Ambassadors?" Snitch suggested, earning him curious glances from the others.
"Alibi?" said Jack.
"Yeah dat. I wondered why dey hadn't been back ta da lodgin' house lately."
"So, yoah sayin', dat Charlie's gang killed him, and dey tried to pin it on one a us, and now dey's all mad 'cause dere plan woiked and we'se in da papes?" Skittery asked.
Race pulled the cigar out of his mouth and stared at Skittery. "Did I stuttah?" he asked, harshly.
Jack held out a hand to silence them as Skittery began to say something not very nice to Racetrack.
"So now dat we knows who done it," Specs began.
"All we'se gotta do is pin it back on dem!" Dutchy finished.
The two boys looked at Jack. "But how?" they asked in unison.
Jack rolled his eyes at them. "Anyone got any ideas?" he asked looking from boy to boy.
"Why'd ya decide ta help me out Race?" Blink asked suddenly. All eyes in the room focused on the new conversation.
Racetrack shrugged. "I knew dat I made a mistake, and I wanted ta fix it." He sounded as though the answer had been obvious.
Blink studied Race's face and then grinned. He stuck out his hand. "T'anks," he said gratefully.
Race hesitated before shaking Blink's hand. "And," Race continued, "about da whole," he made a gesture at his eye, "patch t'ing—"
Blink shook his head. "Don't worry about it. No harm done."
Mush grinned at the two and draped his arms around their shoulders, glad that they had reconciled.
"No one has any ideas at all den?" Jack asked after a moment.
A murmur spread through the crowd, each boy waiting for the others to speak.
"I'se too drunk ta t'ink of a bad plan, let alone a good one," Skittery muttered. His eyes were beginning to droop, and Snoddy had to grab onto him to make sure he wouldn't fall.
"I'se got a plan," Snitch said, suddenly.
All eyes fell on him.
"Blink was s'posed ta have a trial comin' up, right?"
"It don't look like dat'll be happenin'," Snoddy said.
Snitch continued, "what if we had Blink get caught again?"
Everyone in the room began to speak at once again, no one very keen on Snitch's idea. Snitch held up a hand. "We'se can feed Charlie's gang stories about how famous Blink will be and how he'll go down in history, and how great all da uddah newsies t'ink he is."
"So dey'll get even moah jealous," Jack said, finally understanding Snitch's idea.
Snitch nodded. "And den, maybe dey'll toin demselves in ta da bulls and Blink can go free."
"I'm wanted foah murder!" Blink shrieked. "I don't have time foah 'maybe'."
"How do we know," began Specs.
"Dat dey'll toin demselves in?" finished Dutchy.
"Will you two cut dat out!" snapped Skittery.
"Sorry," Specs and Dutchy said together.
"Dose boys'll do anyt'in' foah a little recognition," Race said. "If we feed 'em enough stories, dey'll wish dey'd taken da rap aftah dey'd done it."
"We could try ta get 'em ta say it at da trial," said Snoddy.
"I like it," Skittery grinned. "When do we start?"
"We'll do it tomorrow," said Jack. "Right now, we'se got ta plan." He lifted his Cowboy hat onto his head.
They planned into the night.