The Fourth Stall

That afternoon, Joe, Fred, Vince, and Mac play video games in Mac’s room after helping clean the vandal’s damage to the house. At one point, while his guests are all engaged in the game, Mac gathers half of Tyrell’s pay from the back of his closet, where he keeps the Funds hidden. Mac’s father returns with a rented movie for the boys, so they go to the basement to watch it. While the movie plays, Mac announces they should try to figure out who the rat is, but after 30 minutes of suggestions, nothing is decided. Mac does not care, as he did not intend the gathering to be an actual meeting—he just wanted Tyrell to have a chance to begin his work. Fred leaves first, saying he is late for his ride, followed by Joe. Vince and Mac watch a Cubs game, but Mac later reflects that watching the game brought no joy to them the way it always had: “It became very clear to me then that there was a whole lot more falling apart than just our business” (219).

Vince does not come to school the next day. Tyrell comes to Mac’s office during morning recess to show him a video he took when he shadowed Vince. In the video, Vince takes money from Staples in the playground of the trailer park. Tyrell says this event occurred that morning at 6:45. Mac is upset and conflicted.

Lunchtime arrives, and Mac takes a bold risk. He leaves school, bikes home, and (because he left his house key at school in his backpack) climbs a tree to get in through his open bedroom window, the way Vince always used to. He checks immediately, and his worst suspicions are confirmed: All the money is gone. He cannot help but think it was Vince. He goes to the bathroom to throw up.

Back at school, Mac slowly realizes his business is completely over. He regrets taking Fred as a customer and regrets refusing Staples’s offer of employment. He also questions if somehow he, Mac, prompted Vince to go to Staples. He tells the bullies, Fred, and Joe to meet him in the morning; he feels compelled to see Vince before revealing that he is the rat. Mac confronts Vince after school. He says he knows Vince met with Staples. Vince becomes angry that Mac had Tyrell follow him. Mac demands “his” money back and begins looking for it in Vince’s room. Mac says Vince was lying about giving the money to his mother. He calls Vince “phony” and makes him feel guilty about the Cubs tickets. Vince tells Mac to leave, and when Mac refuses, Vince shoves him into a wall.

Mac tells the others the next morning that Vince ratted on them and stole all the money. Mac apologizes for his inability to pay up on their salaries and deals. They are understanding and sympathetic, especially Fred, who cries and tells Mac he is sorry.

Mac attends the junior high football game. He and many others are surprised to watch the team, favored to do well, lose. Mac thinks the star running back as well as the second-string running back are throwing the game on purpose: “I was clearly watching the handiwork of Staples” (239). As the game winds down, Mac goes to talk to Justin. He tells Justin to tell Staples that he, Mac, will accept Staples’s offer to come work for him as long as Fred is in the clear. Justin agrees to tell Staples to meet Mac in his fourth stall office Monday after school. Leaving the game, Mac sees Robert, the student for whom he arranged entry to the R-rated movie—and who still owes a favor in payment. An idea occurs to Mac for Robert’s favor.

Robert, whose father is a police officer, agrees to find out what he can find about Staples’s criminal record. He comes through in a big way for Mac: Robert calls that night to share Staples’s real name (Barry Larsen), address in the Creek, and a “rap sheet a mile long” (246), filled up with many theft and gambling offenses. The name is vaguely familiar to Mac, but he does not know why. He is happy with the information but sad that he cannot share the victory with Vince. Mac indicates that his farfetched idea is dangerous, but it’s the only thing he can think to do.

Mac arranges with Tyrell to surveil Staples’s house. Tyrell is willing to accept a promise of later payment from Mac since he has no money. Later that day, Tyrell calls Mac to say Staples left with friends and a cooler, apparently intending to be gone a while. Mac bikes to Staples’s address and meets up with Tyrell. The house is dilapidated, and Mac sees overdue bills in the mailbox addressed to Jonah Larsen. Mac peeks in a window and sees the same man he saw at the lake cabin asleep on the sofa. The house inside is a filthy mess. He surmises that Staples might need all the money he can get to help pay for bills and make ends meet. Mac sees the parallel between Vince and Staples and feels sympathy briefly but quashes it.

After luring him through some trees to shorten his chain, Tyrell gives Staples’s barking pit bull a steak. Inside a shed clearly used by Staples as an office, Mac sees that the office is similar to his own. He sees a bobblehead collection of baseball players and a photo of Staples and a young girl. The photo shows the property several years before, clean and trim. Staples looks kind and happy. Mac remembers who Staples is: Barry Larsen was an older kid who welcomed Mac to play football in the trailer park when Mac first moved there. Mac and Tyrell do not find Mac’s money, but they find other things, as indicated by the chapter cap: “What we saw in Staples’s shed that day changed everything” (259).