Too Many Secrets (6 page)

“What was it you said about having all the angles covered?” Lisa asked in her I-told-you-so voice as soon as the car door shut.

“I'll think of something,” Jennie said with a lot more confidence than she felt.

For the first half hour of their trip, Jennie read books to Nick and tried to block out the fact that Mom and Michael were in the front seat talking like Dad and Mom used to.
Well, not exactly
, Jennie thought, grimacing. When her dad was home, there were a lot of arguments between her parents. An awful lot.

A scene from the past slid unbidden into Jennie's mind and began to play out like a movie …
Jennie sat between her parents and leaned against her father, pretending to be asleep
.

“The chief called last night,” Dad said.

Mom sighed. “Oh no, not again. Jason, you just got home. When do you have to go?”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight? But what about Jennie's birthday? You promised her you'd take her to the amusement park.”

“I'll take her when I get back. She won't mind. She understands about my work.”

“For how long, Jason?” Mom asked in an accusing tone. “How long will she put up with you putting your job ahead of your family?” She rushed on, “And what about me?”

Dad's fist slammed into the steering wheel and startled Jennie. “Why do you always have to fight me on this?” he hissed. “You knew what it would be like before you married me.”

“Daddy?” Jennie looked up into her father's angry face and began to cry. Through a screen of tears she watched his features soften. “I'm sorry we woke you, Princess,” he said, smiling down at her. “Your mother and I were just talking. It's okay. Go back to sleep.”

Jennie shook the memory out of her thoughts. That day, her father had left after dinner and had never come home. Jennie felt a wetness on her cheeks and whisked it away. She didn't want to think about the bad times. She only wanted to remember the good ones, the fun they'd had together. Besides, maybe if Mom had been more understanding they wouldn't have argued. She pushed the memory away, and a few minutes later sleep wiped away her thoughts.

Jennie didn't stir until Michael turned off the motor. “C'mon, you sleepyheads. I've got just the thing to wake you up.”

Jennie rubbed her eyes. “Where are we?”

“At the US Coast Guard Station near Ilwaco. We go through here to get to the lighthouse at the top of the hill. C'mon, Susan, let's race these kids up the hill.”

Jennie looked up the hill and back at Mom. Michael was crazy if he thought Mom was going to race up that. Jennie's mouth dropped open when her mom took Michael's outstretched hand and started running. “See you kids at the top!” she called over her shoulder, laughing.

“Hey!” Lisa grabbed Jennie's arm and pulled her along. “This looks like a neat place. The scenery's great.”

One look around and Jennie could tell Lisa wasn't talking about the view. Four guys in uniform walked out of one of the buildings and came toward them.

“Aren't they cute?” Lisa asked.

“I'm shocked,” Jennie teased. “I thought you and Brad were going steady.”

“We are, but that doesn't mean I can't look. Besides, maybe we can find one for you.”

Jennie rolled her eyes. “Come on.” She grabbed Nick's hand and started for the hill, wanting to get Lisa away from the guys before she embarrassed them both.

Lisa, Nick, and Jennie took off up the trail, passing the adults. While they waited for Mom and Michael to huff and puff their way up, they pressed against the cyclone fence and watched the surf crash against the craggy outcropping of rocks below.

“Look at all the boats!” Nick pointed to a dozen or so spots bobbing in the distance.

For the next two hours they hiked trails and explored the coastline. Nick jabbered on about the boats, the fishes, and the ocean. Mom and Michael must have taken a hundred pictures before Mom announced that it was time to go.

Jennie's heart thundered inside her chest as they climbed into the car.
Calm down, McGrady
, she told herself.
There's an answer. Just don't panic
. When they stopped at a country store in Ocean Park, she found a solution. The bus. It would take longer and cost more, but she could still get to Gram's.

Jennie almost suffered another setback when they arrived at the camp and Mom insisted on coming in to help them register and find their rooms. “Mom,” Jennie said, “we're sixteen years old and perfectly capable of checking in by ourselves.”

Jennie thought for a minute she'd object, but Michael interrupted. “Jennie's got a point. I remember how embarrassing it was for me when I was that age to have my mother hovering over me.”

He winked and Jennie threw him a grateful smile. Michael could be a really nice guy. She decided that if Mom had to marry someone, Michael was a good choice.
But she has no business getting married
, a voice inside her reminded. A feeling of sympathy washed over Jennie. None of this was really Michael's fault. All he'd really done was get mixed up with the wrong family at the wrong time.

After Mom and Nick hugged Lisa and Jennie a dozen times, the three of them piled into the car and drove off. Lisa and Jennie stood beside their bags and waved goodbye until the Buick was out of sight.

“Whew,” Jennie sighed after they'd gone. “That was close.”

“This is not going well. Maybe we'd both better check in. I'm not cut out for all this sneaking around.”

“The worst is over. In case Mom and Michael are still around, I'll walk out by way of the beach. It's only a couple of miles to town and I can catch the bus there.” Jennie examined the bus schedule she'd picked up at the store earlier.

“Do you have enough money?”

“I think so. I took a hundred dollars out of my savings account on Friday.”

Lisa dug around in her oversized bag. “Here.” She handed Jennie a twenty. “Just in case you run short. Call me when you get in.”

“Thanks. I'm not sure I can get through to you. Maybe you'd better phone me at Gram's. I should be there by nine tonight.”

“That's six hours!”

“I know. Wish me luck.”

“Yeah,” she whispered into Jennie's hair as they hugged each other. “I'll pray. You'll need a lot more than wishes.”

Jennie hoisted her bag over her shoulder and headed toward the beach.

“I will never ride another bus as long as I live,” she muttered as she slipped a key into Gram's door. She'd had to wait hours between stops, and when she finally caught the bus to Bay Village, it stopped at least a hundred times along the way. Jennie didn't get into town until nine-thirty. She was about to call Ryan to pick her up when Gram's other neighbors, the Pecks, offered her a ride.

Jennie pushed the door open, stepped inside, and switched on the entry light. That's when she smelled it. A man's aftershave. Jennie thought about the man Ryan had seen running from the house. She wasn't up to facing a burglar on her own.

Jennie took a deep breath and concentrated on getting out of the house as quietly as possible. Once outside, she dragged in another gulp of air and looked around. High rhododendron bushes and trees cast spooky-looking shadows over the lawn.
Shadows or not, McGrady, you can't stand here all night
. She took off running for the weeping willow tree, which stood between the two lots. The long sweeping limbs hung to the ground, providing the perfect hiding place. Pressing herself against its ancient bark, she inched her way to the other side where she'd have a straight shot at Ryan's house.

Her hand touched something fleshy. She tried to scream, but the sound caught in her throat and came out sounding like a
meow
from a sick cat. Jennie yanked back her hand and dove through the screen of willow branches.

She went down. The attacker sprawled on top of her. Jennie couldn't move. Or breathe.

“One false move and you're dead.” The voice was raspy, but recognizable.

“Ryan?”

“Jennie!” he gasped. “What the heck are you doing here?” He rolled off her and groaned. “You scared me half to death.”

Jennie was hauling in air, still waiting for her heart to stop pounding when Ryan jumped to his feet. He reached down to give her a hand up and pulled her so hard she crashed into him. “Hey, take it easy. What's with you, anyway? I thought you'd be glad to see me.”

Ryan brushed off his clothes, then stood staring at her. At least she thought he was staring. It was a little too dark to tell. “I am. I mean, I'm glad it was you and not that guy I saw the other night. I just didn't expect you to be prowling around in the middle of the night. You could have been hurt. Does your mom know you're here?”

It wasn't exactly the middle of the night, but Jennie didn't bother to correct him. She also ignored his remark about her mom. Jennie huffed. “You think I expected you? What are you doing lurking around out here, anyway?”

“I came over because I heard a car and saw the entry light on. I thought maybe that guy I'd seen the other night was back.” Ryan sighed and started toward Gram's house. “Let's go inside,” he muttered. “It's cold out here.”

“Wait! I think someone's in there.” Jennie explained about coming in and smelling a man's cologne. “I was coming over to get you.”

He looked at her for a second, then said, “Wait here. I'll check the house.”

“I'm going with you.”

“Jennie, if he's still in there …”

“We'll be stronger as a team.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.

“Well, at least let me go ahead of you.” On that point, Jennie didn't argue. They may have been close in height, but he was definitely stronger. She rubbed her backside. By tomorrow she'd have the bruises to prove it.

They searched the house, but whoever had been there was gone. Their search ended in the kitchen. “I don't like it.” Ryan checked the lock on the back door. “You shouldn't be staying here alone.”

“I'll be fine.” She said it more to convince herself than Ryan. Even though they hadn't found anyone in the house, Jennie didn't want Ryan to leave. “Want some hot chocolate or something?” she asked.

“Sure.” Ryan pulled a chair from the table, spun it around and sat down. Propping his arms on the chair back, he rested his chin on his hands. “Ah … I'm sorry I flattened you out there. I mean … you could have been hurt.”

“It's okay.” Jennie filled two cups with water and stuck them in the microwave. “I should have called you. Actually, I was going to have you pick me up, but the Pecks offered me a ride.”

“Hmmm.” Ryan stretched and yawned. “If I wasn't so tired I'd be mad at you. Why'd you come down here at this time of night, anyway?”

Jennie winced. “I hadn't planned on that.” She told Ryan about her plan to drive down and how Mom and Michael messed things up.

“Serves you right,” he said in a tone that sounded a little too parental. “I think you better call your mom in the morning and have her come get you.”

“Forget it.” Jennie set the hot chocolate on the table. Ryan turned around to face the table as Jennie slipped into the chair next to him. “I've gone through a lot to get down here so I could find out what's happened to Gram. I
know
she's in some sort of trouble. I'd like your help, but if you're going to come off acting like my mother, I'll do this alone.”

Ryan took a sip of his chocolate and licked the foamy mustache from his lip. He wasn't agreeing, but he wasn't saying no, either. “Look,” Jennie continued, “I'll admit coming down here in the dark wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, but I was desperate. Being with Gram this summer is really important to me. Besides, you know how I feel about her. If something's happened … I have to find her, Ryan, I just have to.”

Ryan frowned. “I thought we decided she was working undercover and that we'd better stay out of it.”

“I know. It's just … I mean it doesn't make sense. Even if she were working on a case she'd call her family. And why call you from Canada, when she mailed a note to me from the coast the day before? She's trying to tell me something. I just wish I knew what.”

“Did you bring the note with you?”

“It's in my pack.”

“Can I see it? Maybe if we look at it together and talk about it, we can come up with something.”

“Sure, I'll get …”

Wham!
The door slammed open. Jennie screamed. Ryan sprang to his feet. His chair crashed to the floor.

“Police! Freeze!” Two men appeared in the open doorway holding guns.

“Up against the wall! Now! Move!”

The first thing Jennie thought about was that now she knew what TV detectives meant about “looking down the business end of a gun.” Her second thought was that she wouldn't make it to Florida or anywhere else—ever. And third, she was glad Mom and Nick had Michael because they'd have someone to take care of them when the cops came to tell her Jennie was dead.

All these thoughts came in a matter of a second or two. When the guns didn't go off, Jennie chanced a look over her shoulder at the men holding them.

One was a gorgeous young guy who looked like he could have been a male model. Unfortunately, this wasn't a studio and no one was taking pictures. Jennie shifted her gaze to the silver-haired man beside him.

She'd known Sheriff Taylor for years. He dropped over to see Gram a couple times a week to have one of Gram's great pies. She'd never been afraid of him—until now. But then he'd never pointed a gun at her before, either.

Sheriff Taylor held a gun on them while the cute one frisked them up and down. Jennie opened her mouth to object, but nothing came out.

“What's going on, Sheriff?” Ryan asked.

“I'll ask the questions here,” he growled. “Joe!” The sheriff signaled the dark-haired man, who Jennie guessed was his deputy. “Watch these two while I check the house.”