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starting in just three days. The temperature was in the low fifties, which was very unusual. It was a perfect opportunity to get out his bike and go for a ride. Cody asked his sister if she wanted to go for a short bike ride down the street to the local store. He needed to pick up his pictures and more film for his camera. Cody thought it would be nice to take his sister for a bike ride.
    “Hey, Mom, is it okay if I take Olive for a bike ride today? The weather is getting better, and it would be nice to get some fresh air,” asked Cody, knowing his mom wouldn’t have a problem with that.
    “Yeah, that’s fine. Just be careful with her and go slow. She can’t keep up with you,” his mother said.
    Olive was in the living room, listening in.
    “Yes!” she screamed.
    “Thanks, Mama. She will follow right behind me,” he explained. “Ol, get your jacket and meet me outside.”
    Olive was excited to spend time with her brother, even if it was just a short bike ride to the store and back. They both went outside to the backyard. The bikes were in the beaten-down old garage that was slowly rotting away on the outside. Their garage was painted white, and it had black trim on the sides.
    Cody opened the garage door and grabbed Olive’s bike first. And although she didn’t want to, he made her wear a helmet. Cody strapped the helmet on his sister and made sure it was secure on her head. He went back inside the garage and wheeled out his eighteen-speed mountain bike from where he'd left it the other day.
    Cody opened the wooden gate that separated the back of the house from the front, and off they went.
    “Stay right behind me, Olive,” Cody said.
    “Okay, brother,” Olive replied.
    The two came to the main light on Bunting Road. The crosswalk sign was completely red. They waited until it turned white and then crossed the busy street. On the way to the store, they pedaled slowly; Cody had to go super slow because Olive didn’t have very strong legs. She was only eight years old. He set the gear on his bike down to second.
    “How’s that project going with Zach?” she asked as she pedaled along.
    “It’s going good, but we are nowhere near the end. Ol, please be patient with me and I will make it up to you,” Cody replied.
    They pedaled a couple of blocks.
    Out of the corner of his eye, Cody saw something across the street while at a complete stop, waiting for Olive to catch up.
    There across the street, parked in a paid parking meter spot, a black car sat. Cody was so occupied by this that he started pedaling and almost crashed into a fire hydrant.
    Olive laughed as Cody dodged his front tire to the left of the hydrant.
    “Stop your bike, Olive,” Cody yelled—but didn’t mean to—at his sister.
    Olive came to a halt right in front of the back tire of her brother’s dark-green mountain bike.
    “What’s wrong?” Olive cried.
    Not wanting to let Olive know what he saw, Cody quickly thought of an answer.
    “Nothing, I just thought I saw someone I know,” he replied.
    “You’re a weird brother.” Olive laughed.
    “I know. Let’s get to the store. I’ll buy you some Laffy Taffy,” Cody said.
    When they got to the store, Olive headed straight to the candy aisle.
    “I’ll be at the register, grabbing some film. Get your candy and meet me there, okay?” Cody asked Olive.
    “Okay,” Olive agreed.
    Cody went to the cashier and handed the woman his receipt stub from a couple of days ago for his pictures. He also asked for a roll of film. Olive returned with two cherry Laffy Taffy sticks and then set them on the counter she could just barely reach up to.
    “If that will be all, it’s $9.56 please?” the cashier asked.
    Cody pulled out a ten-dollar bill from his jacket and handed it to the cashier.
    “Out of ten, forty-four cents is your change,” the woman said as the cash register closed. “You kids have a nice day,” the cashier said, handing Cody a bag full of the items.
    Cody pulled one of the