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time to see the boy turn the corner and head right. Benjamin disappeared quickly behind the hedge tree row. But Jonah kept running, never looking back at the decrepit old house where the cat and old lady, who had treated him badly his whole life, were dead from the rattlesnake attack he had eluded earlier that afternoon.

CHAPTER SEVEN
The Coroner’s Grave Report

    B ENJAMIN PEDALED as fast as he could down the road. He didn’t bother to look over at Jessica Howell’s yard for the pug. Mrs. Crane was dead and he was the only one who knew it. He shivered as he pedaled harder andharder. His tired mind tossed around crazy thoughts. He didn’t know what happened to people who discovered a death.
Will I go to jail? Will I be in trouble?
He wasn’t paying any attention and soon found himself at his mailbox. He was up the driveway in seconds, then remembered how his mom felt about Pugsly’s collar. He slipped it off his wrist and shoved it in the front pocket of his jeans. Jumping off his bike, he let it fall beside the garage and raced inside the house. Panting, he opened the door and shouted, “Mom?! Dad?! Are you home?!”
    His mom called from the kitchen, “Hi, sweetie. Your dad’s at the auto glass shop getting a new windshield put in. Are you done mowing already?”
    â€œMom…” Benjamin took a second to catch his breath. “…Mrs. Crane is dead!”
    Loud footsteps immediately came his way. “What?!”
    â€œShe’s dead.” He leaned over, resting his hands on his knees. “I-I walked inside when she didn’t hear me at the door…she was sitting in her chair watching TV and I thought she just couldn’t hear me.” Carol’s hands were clasped, covering her mouth. “So I went inside and walked up to her…” His heart pounded in his chest “And she was dead!”
    â€œDid you call911?!”
    â€œNo, I—”
    â€œYou didn’t call 911?!”
    â€œMom, I couldn’t find her phone! I looked all over! I didn’t have mine with me!”
    Carol tried to calm down. “Okay. Okay. I’m gonna call the police.” She exhaled through her puffed-out lips and grabbed the phone. Benjamin went to sit on the couch but quickly stretched out from exhaustion. He could faintly hear her talking to the 911 operator. He grabbed a couch pillow and covered his head to mute her voice. His nerves were shot. He expected the worst. After a few minutes of silence he was startled.
    â€œBen?” His mom patted the pillow covering his face. “Why are you doing that?”
    He moved the pillow off his face. “So what’s going to happen? Am I going to jail?”
    Despite the seriousness of the situation, Carol let out a little laugh. “No, sweetie, you’re not going to jail.” He felt a sense of relief until she said, in the deepest voice she could, “But you
will
get the death penalty!” Then she smiled and he returned it. “The police and coroner are going out to examine her.”
    â€œOh.” He let out a sigh of relief.
    â€œThen they’ll be coming by here to ask you a few questions.”
    â€œOh no!” Benjamin put his hands on the back of his stressed head.
    â€œNow, sweetie, it’s not what you think.” She saw the scared look on his face. “They’ll just ask you some questions about how you found her, and things like that.”
    Benjamin took a deep breath. “Okay.”
    The front door suddenly opened and Tom came in. “Whew! That was some day!”
    â€œWe’re in here, dear.”
    With his hair all messy and a few black feathers stuck to his beige suit, Tom loosened the brown tie around his neck. “Well,I got a new windshield!”
    â€œThat’s nice. Tom, Mrs. Crane—”
    â€œAnd ya know what’s crazy? This morning I tried pulling that buzzard out of the windshield and I couldn’t!”