Shade of the Moon ls-4

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

  “I don’t know yet,” he admitted.

  “Mr. Jon, dinner’s ready!” Ruby called.

  “Go have your dinner, Mr. Jon,” Sarah said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Jon played with Gabe after supper until Lisa got home and put him to bed. Jon peeked in and wished Gabe a good night. “I have to talk to you,” he said to Lisa. “Privately.”

  “All right,” Lisa said. They went downstairs and found Ruby in the kitchen washing the dishes. “Ruby, did you clean the living room today?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Ruby said. “Little Gaby helped me.”

  “Little Gaby could’ve done a better job than you did,” Lisa said. “I want you to clean that entire room, Ruby. Finish the dishes and then dust everything in the living room and scrub that floor until it’s spotless.”

  “Lisa,” Jon said. “It’s eight o’clock. Ruby’s been working since six o’clock this morning.”

  “If she did the work right the first time, she could go to bed now,” Lisa said. “And if you insist on talking to me about how I should treat my domestics, then do it in private.”

  “I do want to talk about it,” Jon said.

  “Fine,” Lisa said. “We’ll talk. What are you waiting for, Ruby? Didn’t I give you a job to do?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Ruby said. “I’ll do it right away.”

  “And we’ll go upstairs and talk about the servant problem,” Lisa said. “Come on, Jon. Let’s get this over with.”

  They walked to Lisa’s bedroom, but she shook her head. “We’ll talk in yours,” she said softly. “Mine’s over the living room.”

  Jon nodded and followed Lisa to his bedroom, then closed the door.

  “Did you have to do that to Ruby?” he asked.

  “She didn’t clean the living room,” Lisa said. “Did you look at it, Jon? It was filthy. I know you think she’s a sweet girl, and I assume you’re sleeping with her, but she has to learn her job.”

  “I’m not sleeping with her,” Jon said.

  “Fine,” Lisa said. “I apologize. I had a long day, Jon. What’s so important that we have to talk about it privately?”

  “It’s Miranda,” Jon said.

  Lisa nodded. “I checked,” she said. “All the corpses were removed on Sunday.”

  For a moment Jon didn’t know what she was talking about. Then he remembered Mom. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad. But that’s not it.”

  “What is it, then?” she asked.

  “Luke told us something at lunch today,” Jon replied. “A grubber girl had a baby at the hospital on Saturday. A perfectly healthy baby girl. Only the grub said her husband would kill her if she brought home a girl. She got hysterical so they sedated her and sent her home. A claver family took the baby. They’re going to adopt her.”

  “Tell me you’re kidding, Jon,” Lisa said. “Please tell me this is a joke.”

  “Miranda was the only grub in the hospital this week,” Jon said. “Lisa, they stole Miranda’s baby.”

  “Did you tell Miranda?” Lisa asked. “Did Sarah?”

  Jon shook his head. “You and Sarah and I are the only ones who know,” he said. “Lisa, we have to get the baby back.”

  Lisa sat absolutely still.

  “Lisa,” Jon said. “Remember when you thought you might lose Gabe? It’s the same thing.”

  “No, it’s not,” Lisa said. “It’s worse. At least with Gabe I would’ve had a choice. I can’t believe they did that. No, actually I can. Women here are so desperate for babies, they’ll even take a grubber one. We don’t know what the hospital told them. Maybe they said Miranda died in childbirth.”

  “Or maybe they didn’t care just as long as they got a baby,” Jon said. “Lisa, that’s why they kept Miranda in the hospital so long. So they could be sure her baby would be healthy before they gave it to clavers.”

  “Your righteous indignation isn’t helping any,” Lisa said. “And don’t talk so loudly. We have enough problems without Ruby hearing.”

  “Sorry,” Jon said. “But I can’t keep from thinking about what Miranda’s been through. Mom, and now this.”

  “We can’t get Laura back,” Lisa said. “But maybe we can find the baby. I should be able to figure out who got her. We know it’s a claver family. They’d need a wet nurse and a nanny.”

  “Do you remember anyone asking?” Jon asked.

  Lisa shook her head. “Things have been so crazy the past few weeks. My guess is it was a green-file request. My assistant handles those since they’re automatically granted. I’ll look through the paperwork tomorrow. It’s got to be there somewhere.”

  “Maybe they’ll give us the baby when we tell them the truth,” Jon said.

  “Maybe they’ll throw us out of Sexton,” Lisa said. “I’m not kidding, Jon. We’ll get Miranda’s baby. I promise you that. But no one can know. No one’s going to care that the baby was stolen. They’ll say we’re kidnappers. Don’t say a word about this, not even to Sarah. I’ll see what I can find out, and we’ll go from there.”

  “Miranda and Alex have to get their baby back,” Jon said. “Lisa, they have to.”

  Lisa nodded. “We’ll figure something out,” she said. “For everybody’s sake.”

  Wednesday, July 22

  “Ruby, this kitchen is disgusting,” Lisa said.

  “But I scrubbed it this afternoon,” Ruby said. “Honest I did.”

  “You don’t have an honest bone in your body,” Lisa said. “You think you can get away with this?” She ran her finger over the counter, and even Jon saw the grime.

  “I didn’t know I was supposed to clean the counters,” Ruby said, sounding close to tears. “No one ever taught me that.”

  “I’m teaching you,” Lisa said. “Ruby, Gabe adores you, and I appreciate all the time you give him. But you’re the only domestic in this house, and it’s your job to keep it clean. Jon, when Carrie was here, didn’t she clean as well as look after Gabe?”

  “It’s a lot of work, Lisa,” Jon said.

  “I work, too, Jon,” Lisa replied. “We all do. Scrub the countertops, Ruby. Then the floor. I don’t care if you cleaned it already. You want to eat tomorrow, you clean tonight. Jon, don’t give me that look. I’ll talk to you upstairs.”

  “I know we have to have privacy,” Jon whispered to Lisa when they got to her room. “But do you have to take it out on Ruby?”

  “I’m not beating her, Jon,” Lisa said. “And I can forbid her to eat to my heart’s content and she’ll still eat whatever she wants. She eats more than Val and Carrie put together.”

  “She’s entitled,” Jon said. “She’s doing both their work.”

  “Do you want to fight about Ruby?” Lisa asked. “Or do you want to hear what I found out?”

  “Ruby can wait,” Jon said. “Do you know who has the baby?”

  Lisa nodded. “Only one family requested a wet nurse and a nanny in the past month. Both of whom started working on Saturday.”

  “That’s great,” Jon said. “Who are they?”

  “It’s better if you don’t know until we have a plan,” Lisa replied. “You probably won’t know them by name anyway. But they’re very powerful.”

  “We knew they would be,” Jon said.

  “I didn’t realize how powerful,” Lisa said. “Powerful enough to have a private guard service twenty-four hours a day. We can’t put a ladder to the nursery window and steal the baby.”

  “They’re the ones who stole the baby,” Jon said.

  “That’s not the point and you know it,” Lisa said.

  “All right,” Jon said. “You have the name and we need a plan. Anything else?”

  Lisa scowled. “My assistant saw me going through the green files,” she said. “When we get the baby, they’ll trace it back to me.”

  “Miranda and Alex are going to have to leave anyway,” Jon said. “We’ll go with them.”

  “How?” Lisa asked. “It’s one thing to say we have to leave. It’s a w
hole other thing to do it.”

  Jon grinned. “Sarah and I figured that part out,” he said. “Alex is driving Sarah to Virginia on Monday. If anyone stops them, Miranda’s there as her grub. Then Alex drops Miranda and the baby off at Matt’s and takes Sarah to Virginia. They can figure out where to go after he gets back.”

  Lisa fell silent, thinking things over. Jon waited for her to speak.

  “They can take Gabe with them,” she said.

  “Sure,” Jon said. “You and Gabe and me. We’re clavers. Sarah’s travel pass will cover us.”

  “What time is she leaving?” Lisa asked.

  “Early Monday,” Jon replied. “That’s all I know.”

  “The earlier the better,” she said. “There’s a two a.m. grubber bus to Sexton. Alex and Miranda will need special curfew passes. I’ll tell Dr. Goldman to arrange it for them. We get in the car, grab the baby, and get out of Dodge.”

  “Where’s Dodge?” Jon asked.

  Lisa laughed. “It’s an old expression,” she said. “Jon, are you sure Sarah’s agreed to all this? What we’re doing is dangerous and illegal.”

  “She wants to help,” Jon said. “But I’ll explain the risks to her.”

  “We shouldn’t tell her father,” Lisa said. “Or Alex or Miranda, and certainly not Ruby. The only chance we have is if we keep things absolutely quiet.”

  “Sarah’s coming over tomorrow evening,” Jon said. “We’ll go to the garage. No one can hear us there. We’ll talk everything out. After we’ve been there a couple of hours, you’ll come out to chase Sarah home. We’ll tell you what we’ve decided then.”

  “I’d better go downstairs,” Lisa said. “Ruby’s probably suspicious already.”

  “It’s going to work,” Jon said. “It has to.”

  Lisa nodded. “It has to,” she said. “We’ll make it work.”

  Thursday, July 23

  “Sarah, it’s time for you to go home,” Lisa said, knocking loudly on the closed garage door.

  Jon opened the door for her.

  “Jon’s talked to you?” Lisa whispered as Jon closed the door.

  “We have it all figured out,” Sarah replied. “I’m a little worried about Daddy, but my uncle can get him out of Sexton if he has to.”

  “You can take Gabe?” Lisa asked.

  “And you and Jon,” Sarah said. “Nobody’s going to care how many clavers are in the car.”

  “We can’t risk Gabe waking up until we’re out of Sexton,” Jon said. “Sarah’s going to get a sedative at the clinic and give Gabe a quarter of it if that’s okay with you.”

  “I’ll give Ruby the rest,” Lisa said. “We don’t want her waking up and asking questions.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Jon said. “I should have thought of it.”

  “Sarah, do you understand what you’re doing?” Lisa asked. “The house is under armed guard. You won’t be able to walk in and take the baby.”

  Sarah grinned. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do,” she said. “Let me tell you the plan.”

  Sunday, July 26

  The Sexton clavers beat the Winston grubs 13–2.

  Jon scored five goals. He figured it was the last time he’d be playing for Coach. He might as well leave him happy.

  Monday, July 27

  “They’re going to be here in a few minutes,” Jon said early that morning. “Lisa, why aren’t you ready?”

  “I am ready,” she said. “Gabe’s sound asleep. When they come, you take him and go.”

  “You’re going with us,” Jon said.

  Lisa shook her head. “Jon, I can’t,” she said. “What if they blame my assistant? She’s a grub, Jon. You know what they could do to her?”

  “They could put you in prison,” Jon said. “They could kill you. Is your assistant’s life that important?”

  “It’s not just her life,” Lisa said. “They could go after Carrie if they think she was involved. They could go after Ruby. I have a responsibility to all of them, Jon. I have to protect them.”

  “I still think you should come with us,” Jon said. “For Gabe’s sake.”

  Lisa shook her head. “I’ve made enough mistakes,” she said. “I’m not going to have innocent blood on my hands. Matt and Syl will look after Gabe. They promised your father and me they would if anything ever happened.” She took Jon in her arms, holding him tightly. “I love you,” she said. “Get Gabe. I want to kiss him good-bye.”

  Jon went upstairs and took Gabe out of his bed. “You have a wonderful mother,” he whispered, carrying the sleeping boy downstairs. Lisa walked over to them and kissed her son.

  “Keep him safe,” she said.

  “I promise,” Jon replied. “I hear the car, Lisa. We’ve got to go.”

  Lisa went to the closet and pulled out a suitcase. “Gabe’s trucks are in there,” she said. “His clothes. Some of yours.” She kissed Jon and Gabe. “Go,” she said. “I love you both.”

  Jon cradled Gabe in his left arm while holding on to the suitcase. Alex had the car running but the lights off. Miranda sat by his side, Sarah in the back.

  “Put the suitcase in the front with me,” Alex said. “We can’t slam the trunk.”

  Jon did as Alex said. Then he put Gabe in the back seat and sat down next to him. “Start driving, Alex. Make a left at the stop sign. Sarah’ll give you the directions from there.”

  “I don’t understand,” Miranda said. “I thought we were stopping at Lisa’s so you could say good-bye to Jon. What’s Gabe doing here? Does Lisa know you’ve taken him?”

  “Lisa knows,” Jon said. “She’s not coming.”

  “Why not?” Sarah asked. “Alex, at the next stop sign make a right.”

  “She’ll get to Matt’s on her own,” Jon said, hoping that was true.

  “What about Matt?” Miranda asked. “Alex, is this the way out of town?”

  “Not that I know of,” Alex replied. “You’d better tell me what’s going on, Jon. If this is some kind of elopement, I’ll put a stop to it right now.”

  “It’s nothing like that,” Jon said. “I have something to tell you, both of you, but you can’t react. No screaming, no crying. We can’t risk Gabe waking up.”

  “We promise, Jon,” Miranda said. “Just tell us.”

  “Your baby didn’t die,” Jon said. “They stole her. We’re stealing her back.”

  “What the hell do you mean?” Alex asked.

  “I mean just what I said,” Jon replied.

  “Is she all right?” Miranda asked, so softly Jon almost didn’t understand her.

  “Yes,” Sarah said. “We haven’t seen her, but as far as we know she’s fine.”

  “They lied about her being deformed,” Jon said. “They lied about all of it.”

  Miranda began to cry. Alex clenched the steering wheel tightly.

  “Who?” he said. “Who did this? I’m going to kill them.”

  “Listen to me,” Sarah said, and they could all hear the claver in her voice. “You can kill whoever you want, but then you won’t get your baby back. It’s your choice. Do you want revenge or do you want your daughter?”

  Miranda was sobbing. Jon reached over and put his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get her back,” he said.

  “Make the next right,” Sarah said. “Alex, we have a plan. It’s risky, but I think we can pull it off. If something goes wrong, remember that Charles and Amy Stockton have your baby. Go three more blocks and make a left. Charles and Amy Stockton.”

  “We’ll need to get out of Sexton as fast as possible,” Jon said. “No one will be looking for us at Matt’s, so you can leave us there and take Sarah on to Virginia.”

  “If we don’t come out with the baby, go,” Sarah said. “Hide out in White Birch until you can figure out another plan.”

  “I can’t let you do this,” Alex said. “It’s my baby.” He touched Miranda gently. “Our baby.”

  “We have a plan, Alex, and you’re not part of it,” Sarah said.
“Except as the driver. Go one more block. Okay, see that white house on the corner? Park directly in front of it, but turn your lights off. Keep the motor running, though, and have the back doors open.”

  Miranda turned around and looked straight at Jon. “You can do this?” she asked. “You can bring my baby to me?”

  Or die trying, Jon thought. Instead he reached over and kissed his sister on her cheek. “Do you have everything?” he asked Sarah.

  “Take the sign,” she said. “And the tape. Let’s put the surgical masks on now. The gowns can wait until we’re out of the car.”

  “I’ll never be able to thank you,” Alex said.

  “You don’t have to,” Jon said. “We’re family. Come on, Sarah.”

  “Surgical masks, surgical caps, surgical gowns,” Sarah said as they got out of the car. “The only thing they’ll see are our eyes. Remember, Jon, let me do the talking. You go upstairs and get the baby and her things. Do you have the suitcase?”

  “Can’t you see it?” Jon asked.

  “I’m nervous, all right?” Sarah said. “Okay. Let’s do this. Put the sign on the door and start knocking.”

  They walked to the front of the house—a mansion, really. Lisa had told them they had six domestics but only the guard and the wet nurse should be there. The rest would be in White Birch until the morning.

  Jon attached the sign to the front door. “Ring the bell?” he asked.

  Sarah nodded. “Three times,” she said. “Then start knocking and shouting.”

  Jon pressed hard against the doorbell. He could hear it ringing in the house but no other sounds. He began to pound on the door. “Medical emergency!” he yelled. “Open the door!”

  The guard opened the door. He had his gun already pulled out and pointed it at Jon’s head. “Who the hell are you?” he growled. “And what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “We’re here to see Charles Stockton,” Sarah said.

  The guard stared at her and pulled the safety.

  “If you kill us, you’re signing your own death warrant,” Sarah said. “Now either get Charles Stockton here now or be prepared to die.”

  A man and a woman came to the top of the stairs. “What’s going on here?” the man asked.