"Brown, Dale - Patrick 2 - Day of the Cheetah" - читать интересную книгу автора (Brown Dale)

his feet and stood straight, almost at attention, hands at his
sides, chin up. James, his chest heaving, also stood up quickly.
Roberts was a short, squat man with dark brows obscuring
darker, cavernous eyes. His rumbling voice 'commanded in-

stant attention.
"James deliberately ran into Bell to make him drop the
ball," Scorcelli began.
"It's in the rules, pea-brain-"
"He ran right into him," Scorcelli went on. "He did not
even try to slow down or get out of the way! James is a cheat-
er-"
"No one calls me a cheater-"
"Enough, " Roberts ordered.
But James ignored the order. "I fight my own battles. If you
knew the rules, Scorcelli, you'd know I have the right to home
plate as much as the catcher. If he stands in front of it, I can



4 DALE BROWN
run him down. And if he drops the ball, even after making the
tag , the runner is safe and the run scores."
"What about when you tapped the ball like that?" Scorcelli
fired back. "Were you trying to get hit by the ball? You are
supposed to swing the bat, not-"
"It's called a bunt, you fool." That revelation brought a
number of blank stares.
Eyes turned toward Mr. Roberts, who stared at Ken James,
then announced the period was over and ordered them to report
to their next class.
The students Ken James and Anthony Scorcelli were standing
before their headmaster's desk. Jeffrey Baines Roberts was be-
hind his desk. His secretary had put two file folders on his
desk. She ignored Scorcelli; favored James with the hint of a
smile before leaving.
"Mr. Scorcelli," said the headmaster, "tell me about your
brother Roger."
Scorcelli stared at a point somewhere above Roberts' head.
"I have four siblings, sir, two brothers and one sister. Their
names-"
"I did not ask about your other siblings, Mr. Scorcelli. I
asked about your brother Roger."
"Yes, sir . . . Kevin and Roger." He seemed to be
talking to himself, then said aloud, "Roger is two years older
than me, a freshman at Cornell University. He--
"Where was your mother born?"
My . . . mother . . . yes, sir, she was born in Syracuse,
New York. She has two sisters and--
"I did not ask you about her sisters." Roberts ran an exas-