Too Many Secrets (5 page)

On Thursday Jennie was feeling almost normal again. Mom had invited the whole family to dinner so they could get better acquainted with Michael. As soon as they'd gathered in the living room, Lisa cornered Jennie in the hall. “I've got to tell you something,” she whispered. “Let's go to your room.”

Once upstairs, Lisa shut the door and leaned against it. “I think you'd better sit down.”

“What's going on … it's not Gram is it? Has something happened?” Jennie plopped onto the bed. She could tell by Lisa's expression that the news was not going to be good.

“Not Gram,” Lisa answered. “Mom said the sheriff had talked with Gram and she's fine. This is about something else. Ah … has your mom said anything about Michael lately—I mean about getting married?”

“She said he'd asked her to marry him, but she can't unless Dad is declared legally dead. And that can't happen for two years. Mom's still married to Dad, and if I have anything to say about it, she always will be.”

“That's what I was afraid of. Personally, I think you're wrong. I'd think you would want your mom to be happy, and besides, Michael's really nice.”

Jennie glared at her.

“But I think I know how you feel,” she said quickly. “If anything happened to my dad, I'd probably feel the same way. Anyway, I overheard your mom and mine talking this afternoon. I think your mom and Michael are planning on getting engaged.”

“But they can't,” Jennie insisted, swallowing back the panic rising inside of her. “It would be wrong. She's still legally married to Dad.”

“They can now.” Lisa's words hit Jennie with the force of a shotgun blast. “Your mom filed for a divorce.”

Lisa sat on the bed next to Jennie and draped an arm across her shoulder. “Bummer, huh?”

Jennie didn't answer. What could she say? This was worse than anything she could have imagined. She felt numb, as if all the life had been sucked out of her by some invisible alien.

“I can't believe your mom didn't tell you.”

“I think she tried, but I wasn't listening. I was so sure …”

“What are you going to do?”

Jennie could only stare at Lisa, as if she were in shock.

The announcement came after dinner. A kind of numbness settled over her and lessened the impact when her mom and Michael told the family they were officially engaged.

“I couldn't talk your mother into marrying me, so we compromised and settled on an engagement,” Michael had said. “Now all I have to do is get her to set a date.” The way he had looked at Mom nearly gagged Jennie. She could imagine how her mom felt. He was so smooth and so nice. No wonder Mom was falling for him.
Oh, God
, Jennie pleaded.
Make her wait. Remind her how much she loved Dad. I want my dad, God. Not Michael
.

When it was Nick's bedtime, Jennie offered to put him to bed; then after a short story and prayers, she escaped to her room. She doubted Mom would even notice her absence downstairs, and she knew Lisa would understand.

Jennie flopped onto the window seat and leaned back against the pillows. Staring outside into the darkness, she thought again about what she could do.
At least
, Jennie thought,
if I could be with Gram, I wouldn't have to watch. But what if Gram doesn't come home?
She shook her head to cancel the dismal thought. In defiance, Jennie got up and finished packing the rest of her suitcase.

When she'd finished, she snapped the suitcase shut and set it beside her door, then pulled Dad's things from the closet shelf. She put on his old hat and scarf and took the souvenirs out one by one, but it didn't make her feel any better. Jennie picked up his picture and waited for some kind of reassurance. Nothing.

Setting his picture aside, Jennie tried to block out the conflicting voices that filled her head. Face facts, one said.
Your father isn't coming back
.

Your mom deserves to be happy
, argued another.

You promised your dad you'd hold things together. You messed up
.

The voices went on until sleep wiped them away …

In the distance Jennie heard bells. The backyard was full of flowers and ribbon streamers. Mom stood beside Michael wearing a creamy satin gown. Michael put a ring on her finger and bent to kiss her. Jennie felt a presence at her side and looked up. “Dad!”

“How could you let this happen, Princess?” He frowned. His sad, blue eyes ripped at her heart.

“I'm sorry, Daddy.” Jennie tried to put her arms around him and felt only air.

“So am I, Princess. So am I.”

Jennie grabbed for his hand. “Wait!” she cried to the fading image. “Daddy, don't leave me. I need you.”

“I can't stay. There's no place for me here. You have Michael now.”

“No! Daddy, please, don't go … please …” The bells rang harder and louder. Finally she awoke enough to recognize the sound and reached for the phone.

“Hello?” Jennie mumbled into the mouthpiece.

“Were you sleeping? It's only nine, I thought you'd still be up.”

“Ryan.” Jennie unfolded her cramped legs and groaned. “I must have fallen asleep.” She rubbed her eyes. The news about Mom filing for divorce and announcing her engagement spilled out of her. Then she told him about the dream. She was glad when he didn't remind her of how childish she sounded.

“Hey, listen,” Ryan said in a soothing tone. “Your dad would never blame you for what your mom's doing.”

“I should have stopped her.” Jennie cleared her dad's stuff off the bed and flopped back onto it.

“It's not your fault. I don't know if it will help, but I was really shook when Mom divorced my dad. I was only eight, but I figured the whole thing was my fault. Like if I'd been a better kid it wouldn't have happened. Kids do that kind of thing. Blame themselves. At least that's what Mom told me.”

Jennie let out a sigh that came from somewhere around her toes. “Thanks. I know you're right, but I still feel like I ruined everything. Besides, the dream was right, in a way. If Mom marries Michael and Dad comes back, he won't be able to stay.”

“Not with you, but you'll be able to see him.”

“I suppose.”

“Hey … listen, I called to tell you about the house.”

“Is Gram home?”

“No, but I thought I'd better let you know what happened.”

There was a long pause, and Jennie prodded, “So, are you going to tell me or what?”

“You've already been through a lot today …”

“Ryan, don't do this to me. Talk.”

“Okay, okay. Anyway, I went over to get her mail and put it on her kitchen counter like I usually do. When I walked in I heard something in the living room and then heard the front door close.”

“Did you see who it was?”

“It was getting dark, but I saw this big guy running down the road. He drove off in a dark-colored car, maybe navy blue or black. I couldn't see what make, and it was too far away to read the license. I went after him, but by the time I got to the road he was gone.”

“Did you call the sheriff?”

“Yeah. They dusted the place for prints, but the guy must have been wearing gloves.”

“Did he steal anything?”

“No. They figured I surprised him, and he took off before he could take anything. They're going to beef up their patrol of the neighborhood.” He hesitated, then added, “I noticed something odd, though. Someone had switched off the answering machine.”

“You mean the burglar was listening to her messages?”

“Looks that way. I checked around and nothing else seems to have been disturbed.”

“Weird. It doesn't make sense. He must have been after something else. That settles it. I've got to get down there. I need to search the house. I'll be able to tell if anything's missing. And if the guy comes back, I could …”

“What? Get yourself killed? No way, Jennie. Not a good idea. Besides, your mom will never let you stay down here alone. And even if she did, what would you do about school? I know it's hard to do, but we really ought to let Sheriff Taylor handle things.”

“I suppose you're right.” An idea had begun to form, but Jennie couldn't tell Ryan about it, not yet anyway. She thanked him for calling, and he mumbled something about having sweet dreams. Unfortunately, the way things were going Jennie had a feeling they'd be about as sweet as lemon juice.

The next morning Jennie told Mom she'd go to the counseling camp the first week of June, but only if Lisa could go along. Both Mom and Gloria agreed.

“This will be good for you,” Mom said. “I'm glad you've decided to go.”

Jennie felt like a scuz ball for what she was about to do. “Yeah, I'm sure everything will work out okay, Mom,” Jennie stated. That, at least, was the truth.

“No way,” Lisa muttered, digging into her bowl of chocolate-covered nuts and rich ice cream. “I don't care if it'll get me to the beach for a week. I won't do it.”

“Lisa, you owe me. Think about all the times I've helped you with your homework.” Jennie had planned her escape to Gram's house perfectly but had to convince Lisa to play her part.

“This has got to be the dumbest scheme you've ever come up with.” Lisa stretched across Jennie's bed on her stomach and shook her head.

Jennie wove her braid through her fingers and walked back and forth across the area rug in front of Lisa. “It will work. By the time Mom figures out what happened, I'll have found Gram.”
I hope
. “Anyway, I've got to go. She could be in real trouble.” Jennie told Lisa about the answering machine and the mysterious stranger Ryan had seen leaving Gram's house.

Lisa frowned and waved her spoon in the air. “Maybe you should talk to the police.”

“Ryan has been talking to Sheriff Taylor, but they haven't come up with anything.”

“I think you're making a big thing out of this. Gram called the Johnsons. She was fine.”

“What if someone made her call?” Jennie knelt in front of Lisa and looked her in the eye. “What if she's being held prisoner and whoever is holding her wants us to believe she's safe? Doesn't it seem strange to you that Gram would call the Johnsons and the sheriff, but not us?”

“Maybe she tried to and we weren't home.”

“We both have answering machines.” Jennie retrieved the note Gram had sent from her jeans pocket and handed it to Lisa. “Here, read this.”

Lisa read it and handed it back. “Where did this come from?”

“Gram mailed it the day she was due back from Canada. It's postmarked
Lincoln City
. Something really strange is going on, and I need to get down there. Gram is trying to tell me something in this note, but I haven't been able to figure out what.”

“I don't know. I think you should show this to our parents.”

“Yeah, right. They'd just say Gram is getting old and forgetful. I even thought that at first. You've got to help me, Lisa. What if something really has happened to Gram? I need to get to her house. There might be some clues the sheriff has overlooked.”

Lisa sat up and folded her legs Indian-style. The frown on her forehead told Jennie her cousin was relenting. “Lisa,” she pleaded. “We've got to try. My plan will work—I know it will.”

“This is insane. How can I take your place at camp when we're both registered?”

“Easy. We'll call and cancel yours. When we get there, I'll leave and you'll be me.”

“What if I get caught? What about your counselor—she'll know I'm a phony.”

“Gloria won't be there. No one there will have seen me. All you have to do is pretend you're Jennie McGrady, the troubled teenager who's still grieving over her missing father. One week. Please Lisa. I'd do it for you.”

Lisa drew in a deep breath and blew it out her mouth.

“There's another reason I have to go.” Tears stung Jennie's eyes. “I'm supposed to spend the summer with Gram. I can't take the chance on Mom changing her mind. I have to get out of here, Lisa. This thing with Mom and Michael is tearing me apart. I may not be able to stop them, but if I'm with Gram …” Jennie stopped to blow her nose. She didn't dare tell Lisa the other reason—not yet. Maybe later, after she had a chance to talk to Gram.

“Okay. I'll do it. But I still think it's nuts. If our parents find out they'll kill us both.”

“
If
they find out we'll be worse than dead. But they can't find out. Not if we don't tell anyone—so don't—not even Brad.”

“What are you going to do about Ryan? If you show up down there alone, he's going to wonder what's going on.”

“He won't. Trust me. This is the most foolproof plan I've ever come up with.”

“That's what you said about our little trip to Disneyland. Remember? ‘They won't find out,' you said.”

Jennie cringed. “Well, they wouldn't have if that highway patrolman hadn't been cruising by when we walked out of the woods. Besides, we were only ten. And how was I to know the camp director checked all the kids in? We should have gone to camp first, then escaped.”

“We shouldn't have tried to go at all.” Lisa licked the last of her ice cream off the spoon. “Do you realize how dangerous that was? It's a good thing that patrolman picked us up.”

“You're right. It was a dumb move, but this is different. Gram may be in danger.”

“I shouldn't do this.”

“But you will,” Jennie said as she sat beside Lisa on the bed. They were taking a big chance, but the more Jennie thought about it, the more convinced she became. She had to find Gram even if it meant risking everything to do it.

Camp was scheduled to start on Monday at a retreat center on the southern Washington coast. Jennie planned to drive the two of them up on Sunday, drop Lisa off, and head south, across the Columbia River to Astoria, then down the Oregon coast to Gram's. She'd find out what was going on with Gram, and at the end of the week, pick Lisa up and head home.

Lisa stayed over on Saturday night so they could get an early start. Mom had fussed over them all morning, and they were just getting ready to pull out of the driveway when Michael drove in behind them, blocking their way. “Now what?” Jennie groaned under her breath.

“I'm glad I caught you. Hang on. I've got a great idea, but I need to talk to your mom.”

He bounded up the steps and walked into the house without ringing the bell. “I can't believe it.” Jennie stared after him. “Did you see that? He acts like he lives here.”

“He practically does,” Lisa said. When Jennie glared at her, she insisted, “Well, he does. And he will be when they get married.”

“Whose side are you on, anyway?”

Before Lisa could answer, Mom opened the car door on Lisa's side. “Michael has offered to drive us all down to the beach. Isn't that great! We can do some exploring at Fort Canby before we take you girls to camp.”

Panic rose in Jennie's stomach like a tidal wave. “B-b-but, Mom … how are we going to get back home?”

“We'll come get you. The coast is wonderful this time of year, and I've been wanting to visit the Peninsula for ages.”

“But there's no room …”

“Don't be silly. We'll take the Buick,” Mom countered.

“We're late … there's no time.”

“Nick and I are dressed. By the time you girls get yourselves situated in the backseat of the Buick, we'll be ready to go. I'll get our jackets.”