Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 TWELVE DAYS EARLIER WEDNESDDAY JULY 11, 2018 NORTH CREEK, NEW JERSEY AROUND 2:00 P.M. Josh snatched the basketball from the air and sprinted down the court. They were down by two points, just seconds left in the game. A monster of

第二章十二天前，星期三，2018年7月11日下午两点左右，新泽西州北溪 乔希从空中抓起篮球，冲向球场。 比赛还剩几秒钟时，他们落后两分。 怪物

a kid was all over Josh, trying to steal the ball. But Josh spun around and took the shot just as the buzzer blared. Swish! Three points! They'd won! Josh dropped to his knees in happy shock. His team swarmed around him, smothering him in sweaty hugs. "You were unstoppable!" said Josh's best friend, Greg, as they trotted off the court. "That shot was sick!" "You played great, too," Josh said, putting an arm around Greg's skinny shoulders. Josh glanced up into the stands, wishing his father had been there to see his buzzer beater. Dad was going to freak when he found out that Josh had made a three-pointer! Josh had been practicing in the driveway for months, shooting and missing, shooting and missing, with Dad always cheering him on. "Don't

有个小孩围着乔什，想抢球。 但乔希转过身来，就在蜂鸣器响的时候，他开枪了。 漂亮的!三分!他们赢了!乔希又惊又喜地跪倒在地。 他的团队围住了他，用汗流浃背的拥抱让他喘不过气来。 “你是不可阻挡的！”当他们快步离开球场时，乔希最好的朋友格雷格说。 “那一枪太棒了！”“你也打得很棒，”乔希说着，伸出一只胳膊搂住格雷格瘦削的肩膀。 乔希抬头看了看看台，希望他的父亲能在那里看到他的压哨手。 当爸爸发现乔希投进了一个三分球时，他会发疯的！乔什已经在车道上练习了几个月了，打不中，打不中，爸爸总是为他加油。 “别

give up!" he'd shout. Dad always told Josh he could do anything he set his mind to. "Just look at me," he'd say. Dad had grown up with practically nothing. He'd worked his butt off. Now he was one of the top guys at the big New York City bank where he worked. Everyone loved Tim Wallace. And Josh admired his father more than anyone in the world. Josh packed up his stuff and said goodbye to his coach. "Need a ride?" Greg asked as they headed out into the parking lot. "I'm good," Josh said, high-fiving Greg. "I'm sure my mom is on her way." But five minutes passed, then ten. All Josh's friends had left, and Mom still wasn't there. She hadn't been feeling great today; that's why she'd skipped the game. But Josh could swear she'd said she'd be here to pick him up. Josh texted her, but she didn't answer.

放弃吧！”爸爸总是告诉乔希，只要他下定决心，他就能做成任何事。 “看着我，”他说。 父亲从小到大几乎一无所有。 他拼命工作。现在他是他工作的纽约大银行的高层人物之一。 每个人都喜欢蒂姆·华莱士。 乔什比世界上任何人都更崇拜他的父亲。 乔希收拾好东西，向教练告别。 “需要搭车吗？”他们朝停车场走去时，格雷格问道。 “我很好，”乔希一边说，一边和格雷格击掌。 “我相信我妈妈正在来的路上。” 但五分钟过去了，接着是十分钟。 乔什的朋友都走了，妈妈还没回来。 她今天感觉不太好；所以她才不去看比赛。 但乔什发誓她说过她会来接他。 乔什给她发短信，但她没回。

He was about to call Dad, but changed his mind. Dad was working at home today and was stressed out by an important deal he was working on. Josh knew he shouldn't bug him. Why not walk home? Josh thought. His house was maybe a mile away. The walk wouldn't kill him. He texted Mom his plan, slung his drawstring bag over his shoulders, and headed out of the parking lot. He walked along the sidewalk of the busy road, trying to stay in the shade. It was crazy hot—nobody could remember such a broiling summer. Josh kicked a stone along the sidewalk, imagining a cool ocean wave crashing over him and washing his sweat away. That's where he should be right now, actually, splashing around in the ocean at the Jersey Shore. Usually, in July, Mom and Dad and Josh spent two weeks there, in a hotel right on the beach. But a couple of weeks ago, Mom and Dad broke the news: They had to cancel the trip.

他正要给爸爸打电话，但改变了主意。 爸爸今天在家工作，因为处理一件重要的事情而压力很大。 乔希知道他不应该打扰他。 为什么不走回家呢？杰克的想法。 他家大概在一英里外。 散步不会杀了他。 他把他的计划发短信给妈妈，把他的抽绳袋挂在肩上，走出了停车场。 他沿着繁忙道路的人行道走着，尽量躲在阴凉处。 天气热得要命——没人记得有这么热的夏天。 乔希沿着人行道踢了一块石头，想象着一个凉爽的海浪从他身上拍打过来，洗掉了他的汗水。 事实上，他现在应该在那里，在泽西海岸的海里戏水。 通常，在七月，爸爸妈妈和乔什会在那里呆上两个星期，住在海边的一家旅馆里。 但是几个星期前，爸爸妈妈告诉了我一个消息：他们不得不取消这次旅行。

"Sorry, buddy," Dad had said. "Too much happening at work right now." Josh was pretty bummed. He kicked the rock again, thinking about the pool at the hotel. It had a waterslide and a high diving board. But he understood why they couldn't go. You didn't become a superstar like Dad by blowing off work to lie around on the beach. At least they had their pool at home. It didn't have a waterslide, but it was still pretty sweet. Josh reached his neighborhood, where the big houses were mostly hidden behind fences and stone walls. He smiled to himself as he imagined what Dad would say when Josh told him about his winning basket. "You're a champ!" he'd boom. Josh rounded the last corner and then stopped short when his house came into view. His heart started to pound. There were two cars parked in his driveway.

“对不起，孩子。”爸爸说。 “现在工作中发生的事情太多了。” 乔希很沮丧。他又踢了一脚石头，想着旅馆里的游泳池。 它有一个滑水道和一个高跳水板。 但他明白他们为什么不能去。 你成为像爸爸那样的超级明星，不是靠抛下工作躺在沙滩上的。 至少他们家里还有游泳池。 虽然没有滑水道，但还是很不错的。 乔希到了他住的社区，那里的大房子大多隐藏在栅栏和石墙后面。 他暗自微笑，想象着当乔希告诉爸爸他获胜的消息时，爸爸会说些什么。 “你是冠军！”他大声说。 乔希转过最后一个拐角，突然停了下来，他的房子出现在眼前。 他的心开始怦怦直跳。 有两辆车停在他的车道上。

Police cars. Josh's brain flooded with nightmare scenes: Shattered windows. Pools of blood. Crumpled bodies. But nothing could have prepared him for what he saw as he sprinted up the driveway. His whole body started to prickle, like tiny alarms were buzzing under his skin. Mom was standing in the

警车。乔希的脑海里充斥着噩梦般的场景：破碎的窗户。 血泊。皱巴巴的尸体。 但当他在车道上疾驰时，他对眼前的景象毫无准备。 他全身开始刺痛，就像皮肤下的小警报器在嗡嗡作响。 妈妈站在