“That’s very sweet, Lisa. I’m afraid Charity won’t be talking on the phone or going anywhere with friends for a while.” She stood and slipped her arms into her jacket. “May I have a copy of your school paper, Gavin?”
“Sure.” Gavin hurried off to his desk, retrieved a copy of the Trinity Tidings, and brought it back to Charity’s mom.
“Thanks. And again, I’m sorry for all the trouble this has caused.”
“I’m just glad it’s settled.” Gavin rested a hip against the desk. “I can see we’re going to have to beef up security in the journalism room. I’d still like to know how she got in.”
“I’ll find out.” She gave them each a tight smile. “I must say, you are all taking this much better than I am.” Shannon Brooks’ white tennis shoes squeaked as she walked across the floor toward the entrance.
“Nice job, you two.” Jennie gave them both a high five. “How did you make the connection?”
“It wasn’t hard.” Gavin led them back to his desk. “I overheard Mrs. Brooks talking to someone on the phone about doing an article about throw-away babies.” He shrugged. “So I asked her about it and showed her the article in the Tidings. I told her someone from school had written it, and she knew right away it was Charity.”
“Has Charity confirmed it?” Jennie asked.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Lisa asked.
“I suppose.”
“Jennie McGrady, you are just jealous that Gavin and I cracked the case before you could.”
“I am not.”
“Are too.”
Jennie rolled her eyes. “I am not jealous.”
“Hey, no fighting, you two. Jennie’s right. There is a slight chance that Charity is innocent. Very slight. I mean, what are the odds of someone else coming up with information like that about Annie at the same time?”
“Guess we’ll know for sure on Monday.” Jennie tossed her keys in the air and caught them. “You two ready to go?”
“Yep. Just let me close this down.” Gavin dropped into his chair, wheeled over to the computer, and attacked the keyboard. Seconds later the program shut down and the computer screen went black. He collected his pack and gave them both a wide, satisfied grin. “Let’s go.”
“I feel sorry for Charity.” Lisa pulled the seat belt across her lap and shoulders.
“Why?” Gavin settled himself into the backseat.
“It must be awful to feel that insecure about yourself that you feel like you have to tear your opponents down in order to win.”
“You’re saying Charity has low self-esteem?” Jennie adjusted the rearview mirror, then eased into the street.
“She must have. Maybe it’s because her GPA isn’t all that great. She really has to work hard to even pull Cs.”
“You could be right. But what Charity did hurt more people than just Annie. She hurt Gavin, Allison, you, and Annie’s parents. In fact, she hurt the entire school and cost the police bureau a lot of money.”
“It’s a ripple effect,” Gavin said. “You throw a rock in a pond and it makes ripples. It affects everything in the pond. Charity threw a big rock, and Annie’s life will never be the same. Neither will Charity’s.”
Lisa twisted around in her seat to look at him. “That’s neat, Gavin. You should write an opinion piece for the Tidings. Maybe the Oregonian would print it too. About the trouble we cause when we make the wrong choices.”
“Maybe I will.”
“It started way before Charity, though,” Jennie said. “Annie’s birth mother threw the biggest rock of all when she decided to put her baby in that trash bin.”
Saturday traffic was heavy on the I-84 and I-205 freeways. The worst, though, was at the Sunnyside exit, where cars were bumper-to-bumper.
While she drove, Jennie filled them in on her television experience, her run-in with Rocky, and coming home to find Annie in her house.
“Oh no.” Jennie hit her forehead with the heel of her hand when she spotted the flashing lights of a patrol car on the side of the road.
“What’s the matter?” Lisa turned to look as they passed the patrol car and a red sports car he’d stopped. “He’s not after you.”
“I know, but seeing the police car reminded me—I forgot to call Rocky to let him know about Annie. Now he’s really going to be mad at me.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Jennie.” Gavin leaned forward and rested his arms against the back of Lisa’s seat. “I’m sure he knows by now.”
An uneasy feeling grumbled in her stomach. She couldn’t decide if she was nervous or scared. One thing for certain, she did not relish the prospect of seeing Rocky again anytime soon. “I’m sure he does.”
Jennie glanced at her watch as she pulled into Gavin’s driveway. “It’s after six. I hope Debra got my message about not airing the interview she did with the Phillipses.”
“You want to come in and find out? I’m sure my folks are watching the news.”
“Better not,” Jennie said. “I’m already late for dinner.”
“Okay, see you later.” He put a hand on each of their shoulders before getting out of the car. “Thanks for your help today.”
“No problem,” Jennie said.
“Call me later, okay?” Lisa called after him.
He paused on the porch and waved, his smile as wide as Texas. “I will.”
Jennie turned to Lisa. “Since we’re closer to my house, you want to eat with us? Our moms won’t mind. I can take you home after dinner.”
The next morning Lisa was still there. They’d gone to Lisa’s house, but only to collect her things for an overnight stay. They were to meet Lisa’s family at church, then spend the day together. Dad had one of his rare days off. Jennie still hadn’t finished her project and prayed she’d find time to work on it during the week.
“Hey, girls,” Dad called from the entry. “Get the lead out or we’ll have to leave without you.”
“Coming.” Jennie practically fell down the stairs trying to get her shoes on while she walked. She stopped on the landing and slipped her feet into the low-heeled dress shoes.
“C’mon, Jennie.” Nick knelt down beside her. “Dad says get the lead out. He’s getting exaggerated.”
Jennie chuckled. Nick was so cute when he imitated adults and got his words mixed up. “You mean exasperated.”
“Yeah—that’s what I said.”
“I’m almost ready.” Jennie ruffled his dark hair. “You want to take my bag out to the car?”
“Sure.” He hoisted the heavy bag onto his boulder. Though she was wearing a dress to church, she’d brought jeans and a T-shirt and sneakers to change into later. The bag also contained her Bible and a small notebook.
“I got lots of muscles. See?” He grunted under the strain.
“Hey, big guy. That’s quite a load.” Dad took the bag from him and tossed it in the trunk of the Oldsmobile. “Jennie, did you lock the door?”
“Yep.” Jennie slipped on her sweater, then climbed into the backseat with Nick and Lisa and closed the door.
Nick promptly reached for his children’s Bible and asked Jennie to read the story of David and Goliath to him.
Jennie read part of it, then turned the task over to Lisa. While Lisa read, Jennie watched her parents. It felt good to see them getting along. Before Dad had disappeared, it seemed like they were always fighting. Mom hated his being gone so much. Now they seemed more than willing to work things out.
At the moment, though, Dad looked grim, and Jennie suspected he was thinking about the serial killer he had yet to find.
“Would you like to talk about it?” Mom said.
He glanced over at her. “Not really. I’m trying to leave it behind today. I owe my family that much.”
Mom reached over and squeezed his hand. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Taking time out for us like this.”
He grinned and kissed the back of her hand. “When a McGrady makes a promise …”
“He usually keeps it.” Mom glanced back at Jennie. “Did you talk to Annie last night?”
“Yeah. She says she’s okay with things now.”
“Good. I’m glad she went home. They need to work things out as a family.”
“I wish I could solve this case that easily,” Dad said. “It’s got me baffled. This last murder—it’s like the others but it’s not.”
“You think it’s a copycat killing?” Mom asked.
Dad nodded and gave her wan smile. “That’s exactly what I think. I’m having a tough time coming up with a motive. The latest victim was a nurse—well liked. Not married. She seemed not to have an enemy in the world.” He sighed heavily. “Yet somehow I don’t get the impression that it was done by the same killer. Not the way—” He stopped and caught Jennie’s intent gaze in the rearview mirror. “Why don’t we talk about something else. I think the best thing for me and the investigation right now is to distance myself from it.”
Jennie wanted to object but figured it wouldn’t do much good.
“We could talk about names for the baby,” Mom suggested.
Dad chuckled. “How about Alphonse if it’s a boy?”
“Dad!” Jennie tipped her head back. “Tell me you’re joking, please.”
“I’ll have you know Alphonse is a great German name.”
“Right. It reminds me of Algernon.”
“Now, Jennie,” Dad said in a patronizing tone. “Algie is a very nice young man.”
Algie was a friend. “He’s nice, but I’d hate to have to live with a name like that. He told me that when he was little, kids used to call him Pond Scum.”
“How about Noah or Isaiah?” Mom suggested. “I think I’d like something biblical.”
“I know, I know.” Nick waved his arm like he’d been taught in kindergarten. “We could call him Zaccheus. It would be a good name ’cause he would be a wee little man and I could sing it to him.” Nick had determined they’d have a boy. Jennie was hoping for a girl. Mom and Dad just wanted a healthy baby.
They spent the next few minutes tossing names back and forth. Most of Dad’s and Nick’s were weird, but they had a few good laughs. They arrived at church and piled out of the car. Since their church building had burned down along with the school, Trinity now held services in the school gymnasium. About three hundred folding chairs sat in rows behind a make-shift stage and pulpit, and nearly all of them were full.
A small band of musicians to the right of the platform were tuning up and checking for sound. Music was Jennie’s favorite part of the service. She enjoyed singing the eclectic assortment of praise songs and hymns.
Uncle Kevin, Aunt Kate, and Kurt were already seated. Lisa and Jennie filed into the same row with Jennie’s parents and Nick.
The music started just after they’d arranged themselves. They stood with the others, and soon Jennie forgot about her surroundings and focused on the words of the song. “Forget about yourselves and worship Him, Jesus Christ, the Lord.”
After the service small groups clustered about. Jennie looked around for some of the other kids while Lisa headed for the restroom. Annie and her parents hadn’t come, and Jennie couldn’t blame them. It would be hard to face people after what had happened.
Charity and her mother were there, which surprised Jennie. Charity looked anything but happy. Jennie approached the duo with caution. “Hi, Charity, Mrs. Brooks.”
“Hi, Jennie.” Mrs. Brooks placed a restraining arm around Charity’s shoulder. At her mother’s urging, Charity muttered a hello.
“I … um …” Jennie wasn’t sure what to say.
Charity took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry about trashing Annie in the paper, okay?”
“So you did do it?”
Charity’s gaze wandered to the ground. “I didn’t think it was a big deal. Politicians are always digging up their opponent’s past and releasing it to the press.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Jennie and Mrs. Brooks said in unison. Jennie bit her lip. Good grief. She was sounding more and more like an adult these days.
“Look, I said I was sorry.” Charity tucked her long, gleaming blond curls behind her ears. Her blue gaze lingered a moment on Jennie as if accusing her, then shifted to her mother. “Can we go now?”
“Charity, I’m curious,” Jennie said. “How did you get into the journalism room?”
“That was the easiest part.” She tossed Jennie a proud smile. “I took journalism last year and remembered that Mrs. Andrews kept an extra set of keys in her desk. I just took them, had a key made, and put them back.”
Charity stepped back. “Mom, let’s go. I need to get home if I’m going to write all those stupid letters and get my homework done.”
Mrs. Brooks hesitated a moment, then told Jennie goodbye. Charity lifted her chin and walked away.
Jennie watched them go. Charity didn’t look all that repentant. She looked more like a kid caught in a lie, forced to come clean. She hated to think anyone would hurt someone the way Charity had hurt Annie and not feel truly sorry. All the apologies in the world would be for nothing if she didn’t mean it. On the other hand, maybe Charity was just acting rude to cover up for her embarrassment.
Jennie moved on to talk with Gavin, Lisa, B.J., Allison, and Allison’s boyfriend, Jerry.
Gavin hung an arm on Jennie’s shoulder. “Hey, I noticed you were talking to Charity. I wanted to go over, too, but Lisa said I shouldn’t.”
“Probably a good idea. She wasn’t in the greatest mood.” Jennie told them about their conversation.
“That’s too bad,” Allison said. “We’ll have to be sure to pray for her.”
Jerry squeezed Allison’s hand. He was the president of their church’s youth group. A nice guy whose look never changed. Living on a working ranch, he was a real cowboy and never went anywhere without his jeans, boots, and hat. “I’ll call the other kids and tell them too. She must really be hurting right now.”
Jennie didn’t feel all that sorry for Charity but didn’t voice her opinion.
“Has anyone heard from Annie since she got home?” Allison asked.
Jennie told them she’d talked to her and related the message that Annie seemed to be coming around. The six of them moved outside of the building and stood on the front steps soaking in the sunshine. The cool October morning was turning into a warm Indian-summer day. Jennie removed her white knit sweater and folded it over her arm.
“Do you think someone is really following her, Jennie?” B.J. tapped her rolled-up Sunday school papers and church bulletin against her palm, her hazel eyes issuing their usual challenge. “I’d have checked it out myself, but Dad went ballistic when he heard Al and me talking about it.”
“So far we’ve hit a couple of dead ends.” Jennie shrugged and told her about the woman they’d seen following Annie on Friday, then sighed. “But the car belongs to some lady, and the police won’t tell me who. Maybe she wasn’t following Annie, but I’d sure like to talk to her.”
“I bet I could find out for you, Jennie,” Gavin said. “My uncle Ted works at the DMV. Do you still have the license number?”
Jennie flushed, embarrassed that she hadn’t memorized it. “No, unless Lisa can remember it.”
“I wrote it down and handed it to Jennie.” Her green gaze brightened. “But I should be able to find the note pad. I haven’t used it since, and I could do that thing—you know, where you rub a pencil across the indentation.”
“Great!” Jennie grinned and gave her cousin’s shoulders a squeeze. “See if you can find it and call me as soon as you get home.”
“That may be a while. Don’t forget, we’re going to the Harve
st Festival.”
“Oh, right.”
“We’d better go. Dad’s already in the car.” Allison stepped out of the circle. “Come on, B.J.” She turned to Jerry and kissed his cheek. “Call me later.”
“See you tomorrow,” B.J. said. “Call me if you need help finding Annie’s stalker.”
“If there is one,” Jennie said. “It was probably just Charity spying on her.”
When they’d gone, Gavin got the signal from his folks and left as well. Jennie and Lisa spotted their parents in the crowd of adults gathered around the coffee and dessert tables just outside the sanctuary.
Jennie’s mom and dad were talking to Annie’s grandmother, Mrs. Ellison. A tall, attractive man with graying hair came up beside them. Shaking Dad’s hand, he said, “Nice to see you again, Jason.” He bestowed a friendly smile on Mom. “How’s my favorite patient?”
Jennie eased in beside her dad. So that’s where she’d heard Ellison’s name. He was Mom’s doctor.
Mom blushed. “I bet you say that to all your patients.”
He chuckled, then looked at Jennie. “And this must be your daughter. Jennie, is that right?”
“Jennie is a friend of Annie’s, darling,” Mrs. Ellison said. “She’s the one who brought Annie home.”
“Oh yes.” His gaze fastened on hers. “I heard my son-in-law was less than kind. I hope you’ll forgive him. He and Jeanette have both been through a lot the last few days.”
“No problem,” Jennie said. “I didn’t know you went to church here.”
“We come occasionally with Paul and Jeanette,” Mrs. Ellison said. “But we’re thinking of becoming members. It’s a good church.”
“Jason,” Dr. Ellison said, “I understand you’ve been working on that triple murder investigation. Terrible thing. Any leads?”
“Not much. But don’t worry, we’ll nail him.”
“I hope so. Those of us who are pro-life advocates are getting nervous. Are you certain it’s a man?”
“Not entirely. We’re keeping our options open.”
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