The Mirror (Northwest Passage Book 5)

by John A. Heldt

  "I can't do that either," Ginny said.

  "Why not?" Katie asked.

  "I'm going out with Steve."

  CHAPTER 25: GINNY

  Bellevue, Washington

  When Ginny entered the expansive eastside residence, she thought not of Richard and Joyce Carrington, who owned the place, but rather of Frank Lloyd Wright, who almost certainly inspired it. Built over a small creek that flowed into Lake Washington, it was a reasonable facsimile of Fallingwater, the Pennsylvania home that made the architect a household name.

  Nearly everything about the house stood out, from its clean lines to its cantilevered floors to its heavy use of river rock. The words "class" and "style" came quickly to mind. So did "money."

  "This is an impressive home, Mr. Carrington," Ginny said as she looked across a candlelit table. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it."

  "Thank you, Ginny. I kind of like it myself. I spared no expense in building it ten years ago. I wanted my children, and someday their children, to have a place they could always call home – a place that would stir the imagination and perhaps cater to a few games of hide-and-go-seek."

  Steve and Joyce laughed.

  Ginny smiled when she heard Richard's reference to "children." The Carrington kids were long past the hide-and-go-seek stage, particularly Steve. Though some might consider him a boy in a college or fraternity setting, he was a man to her. Steve Carrington already had the stature, maturity, and presence of men twice his age.

  That was more than Ginny could say for his sister, whom she had met in passing. Connie Carrington had all the appeal of Veruca Salt. She had found it more than amusing that her law-school-bound brother was dating a recent high-school graduate he'd met in the sticks. She had encouraged Ginny to "enjoy the ride" as she left the house for her own big evening.

  Ginny subtly shook her head as she wondered how a single individual could become so perfectly rotten in eighteen years. She fantasized about Connie falling violently through the chute of the Eggdicator when a female voice pulled her back to the here and now.

  "Steven tells us you're planning to attend the university in the fall," Joyce said. "Have you decided on a field of study?"

  Ginny nodded.

  "I'd like to major in marketing or public relations."

  "Does the university even offer a degree in public relations?"

  "It does. The school of communications recently added it as a bachelor's program."

  "That's interesting," Joyce said. "May I ask what you plan to do with such a degree?"

  Ginny sat up straighter in her seat and tugged on the collar of her blue polka-dot dress. All of a sudden it seemed a little hotter in the dining room.

  "I haven't thought that far ahead, Mrs. Carrington. I know only that I'd like to find a position where I can work with people and sell them on products or ideas I support."

  "I see."

  Ginny smiled nervously as Joyce returned to her steamed halibut. She didn't mind questions about the present or the future, but she didn't look forward to questions about the past. She knew it was only a matter of time before Steve's parents started inquiring about her fictional roots.

  "Well, I, for one, applaud your decision to pursue a college education and further applaud your choice of majors," Richard said. "The world needs more people who can communicate effectively and explain complicated concepts to the rank and file."

  "Richard is running for a seat in the state senate," Joyce said.

  "Steve told me that," Ginny said. She turned to Richard. "That's very impressive. What do you hope to accomplish in the legislature, Mr. Carrington?"

  Ginny watched Richard, a trim, slightly graying man of fifty or so, look at his son and give him a knowing smile. In pushing the conversation in a safer direction, she had apparently scored points with the old man.

  "That's an excellent question, Ginny. I'm surprised to hear it. It suggests genuine interest. Most young people, particularly girls, don't care about what happens in the state capital – or the nation's capital, for that matter. You're different."

  Ginny bit her tongue as she pondered a hundred different responses. She could only imagine the fun that Katie, who had served as a page in Washington's 2019 legislative session, would have had with the chauvinist at this table.

  She started to say that she wanted to learn more as a prospective voter until she realized that even that reply put her at risk. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment would not be proposed and ratified for seven more years. Nineteen-year-olds in 1964 still couldn't vote.

  "I'm just an inquiring type, that's all," Ginny finally said. "I've found that the best way to learn is to ask a lot of questions and then listen carefully to the answers."

  "I agree. I've subscribed to that philosophy for years," Richard said. "The problem in Olympia is that we have too many talkers and not enough askers and listeners."

  Ginny glanced at Steve and could see that she had scored points with him too. He looked at her with adoring eyes and obvious interest. When she subtly batted her lashes, he reached under the table and grabbed her hand.

  "You're a very smart man, Mr. Carrington. I'm sure you'll make a difference."

  "I hope so. Now, as to your question, I hope to accomplish three specific things if I have the opportunity to serve in the next legislature. First and foremost, I want to make it easier for judges and juries to convict violent offenders and keep them in prison once they have been convicted. I have made the fight against crime the cornerstone of my campaign."

  "I imagine your stand is popular."

  "It's very popular, Ginny, particularly with law enforcement. Police organizations from all over the state have contributed to my campaign. They understand we have a problem and want to fix it."

  "I do too," Ginny said dryly. "One serial killer running loose is far too many. I say hang them all and let God sort them out."

  Steve grinned.

  "Hmm. I like that," Richard said. "We probably can't 'hang them all,' as a practical matter, but we certainly can hang a few more and keep the rest in prison."

  "That's a very balanced approach, Mr. Carrington. I'm sure voters will respond to it."

  "I hope so, Ginny. I hope so. But to be perfectly honest, I think I'll have more success on other issues. One of my biggest priorities is to improve labor relations in the state. As an attorney and a businessman, I know how difficult it is to bring management and labor together. I want to make it easy for both sides to reach common ground by getting government out of the equation."

  "Don't you think government should have a role?" Ginny asked.

  "No, young lady, I do not. I believe that even adversaries can agree to just about anything if they simply open their minds and strive to be reasonable. I've long believed that the key to any successful negotiation, labor or otherwise, is to simply bargain in good faith. Bargaining is the path to success, not government intervention. Remember that."

  "I will. I can't disagree either. Your logic, Mr. Carrington, is impeccable."

  Ginny scanned the faces at the table and saw that flattery was getting her everywhere. Even Joyce began to show signs of life. She smiled and nodded more frequently than a bobble-head doll. She appeared to approve of Ginny's display of curiosity and deference.

  "I'm glad you think so. I'm counting on voters to reach the same conclusion."

  "Did you say you had a third issue, Mr. Carrington?"

  "I did. When I go to Olympia, I intend to back legislation that will support traditional values. Society, in my opinion, has become too permissive in the past several years, what with no-fault divorce, the birth-control pill, and an explosion of questionable ideas and images in our schools and institutions. I know there is only so much one man can do, but I intend to do as much as I can. A healthy and robust society demands no less."

  "Well said, sir. I favor a robust society too."

  Steve squeezed her hand twice. It was clear he appreciated the show.

  Richard chuckled and gla
nced at his son.

  "Better not let this one go, Steve. She's a keeper."

  Ginny liked the sentiment but not the reference. She was more than the human equivalent of a legal-size trout. She wondered how many women Steve had dated in college and how many of those had turned out to be "keepers."

  Fearing that the spotlight was drifting back to her side of the table, Ginny turned to face the matron of the clan. What she found was a stylish, attractive woman of maybe forty-five who smiled and stared at the newcomer as she thumbed a strand of pearls.

  "What do you think of your husband's political ambitions, Mrs. Carrington?"

  Joyce released the pearls and brought her hands together behind her plate.

  "Richard is a remarkable man, Ginny. If anyone can bring about those changes in the state senate, it's my husband. I fully support his agenda and his decision to run."

  "Have you heard of Tammy Wynette, ma'am?"

  "I can't say I have. Is she a friend of yours?"

  "No. She's a country-music singer – or at least she will be," Ginny said. "She sings songs you might be able to relate to. She's very good."

  "I'll have to look her up. As Steven probably told you, I'm a connoisseur of many kinds of music. I prefer jazz and classical, but I'm willing to listen to anything except the noise that kids listen to today. It's all a passing fad, I suppose, just like these Beatles I keep hearing about."

  "You're probably right. I'm sure they'll be forgotten by this time next year."

  Ginny smiled when she saw Joyce nod. She knew it was mean to make fun of people who served you five-star cuisine in five-star houses, but she needed a release. She didn't care at all for stuffy conversations or people who looked down on others.

  Ginny nonetheless managed to get through one more hour and then another. She managed to smile her way through Richard's family-values lectures and Joyce's random thoughts on modern art, gardening, and Seattle's "Negro problem." She did so because she considered that the price she had to pay to be with the one Carrington she enjoyed.

  Steve, to his credit, saw the evening much the same way. After escorting Ginny out of his parents' home and into his sleek new vehicle, he took a moment to acknowledge her discomfort.

  "Thanks for being such a good sport tonight. I have to admit I was a little worried that my folks were going to eat you alive or bore you to death. They're very opinionated."

  "They weren't that bad," Ginny said.

  Steve put his keys in the ignition and stared at Ginny. He stared until she spoke again.

  "OK. They were challenging."

  He laughed.

  "That's the answer I expected."

  "That doesn't mean I don't like them," Ginny said. "I do."

  "That's nice to hear because they definitely like you. My dad was particularly impressed. He's not used to having conversations with free-thinking women."

  Ginny cocked her head and looked at Steve.

  "Is that what you think I am? A free-thinking woman?"

  Steve threw an arm around his date.

  "Yes. That's what I think. You're a free-thinking woman – and a very intelligent woman and an incredibly beautiful woman."

  He leaned over, gave her a long kiss, and smiled.

  "I consider myself lucky to be in the presence of all three."

  CHAPTER 26: GINNY

  Seattle, Washington – Saturday, May 16, 1964

  The Tudor house near the southwest corner of Ravenna Park was no Fallingwater. With no quarry-rock exterior, rushing water, or cantilevered levels that blended in with a leafy landscape, it was architecturally pedestrian by comparison. As the ancestral home of two time-traveling twins, however, it was a sentimental Buckingham Palace.

  Ginny stared at the house that belonged to Joseph and Virginia Jorgenson and wondered what it was like growing up in this place. She would have to ask Grandma Cindy when she returned to 2020. She began to start up the front steps when she heard a woman call out.

  "I'm over here, girls," Virginia shouted from across the street. "The duplex is on this side. Come on over and I'll show you around."

  Ginny and Katie did an about-face and walked across the street to a freshly painted rambler that occupied the lion's share of a small city lot. When they reached the door of Unit A, they found their great-grandmother holding a broom.

  "I'm glad you could make it," Virginia said. "Please come in."

  The siblings followed Virginia through the door and into an apartment that was roomy and conveniently furnished. The living room was particularly impressive. With a hardwood floor, a sofa, two lounge chairs, and a television, it was downright homey and far better than Room 17 of the Coed Court or the sterile dorm cell that had awaited them at the university in 2020.

  The bedrooms weren't bad either. Each had a double bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a large closet. Both were larger than the ones the girls had had growing up. If it weren't for a broken closet door in the second bedroom, they would have been perfect.

  From the bedrooms, Virginia led the girls into a fair-sized bathroom that had a walk-in shower, ample storage, and a narrow south-facing window that brought in much-needed light. It also had a new double vanity. The sisters would not have to share everything.

  Virginia finished the tour with a trip to the kitchen and dining area, which featured modern appliances, spacious counters, and a table for four. She began to tout the virtues of a newly installed electric range when a man with a hammer opened a sliding glass door and entered the room. The door led directly to a wooden deck and the backyard.

  "There he is," Virginia said. "The mighty carpenter has returned."

  The mighty carpenter issued a quick wave and closed the door behind him.

  Virginia returned to her guests.

  "Ginny and Katie, I'd like you to meet my husband Joe."

  "Hi," the sisters said in stereo.

  "Joe, these are the Smith twins. They're the delightful girls I met at Greer's on Thursday. They just moved here from California."

  "It's a pleasure, ladies," Joe said.

  He put his hammer on the counter and extended a hand.

  The twins each greeted a man they knew only from a family photo album that sat on a coffee table at home. With a crew cut and a beefy six-foot frame, Joe Jorgenson looked very much like a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

  "California, huh? What brought you to Seattle?" Joe asked.

  Would you believe an evil mirror and a boss Corvette?

  "We're here to go to school, sir," Ginny said.

  "The girls hope to attend the university in the fall," Virginia added.

  "Is that so?" Joe asked.

  Ginny nodded.

  "We came here early to find jobs and maybe get in-state tuition."

  "Well, I hope things work out for you," Joe said. "You couldn't have picked a better school."

  He turned to his wife.

  "I think I'm done with the deck. I have to make one more run to the hardware store, but I should be back by four to fix the rest."

  Joe picked up a new Los Angeles Dodgers baseball cap sitting on the counter. He put it on, adjusted it, and looked at Virginia.

  "Well?"

  "It looks splendid, dear."

  Joe smiled and winked at the girls.

  "It was a birthday present," he said.

  "You look dashing, sir," Ginny said.

  Katie nodded in agreement.

  "Well, I'll let you ladies finish your business. It was nice meeting you, Ginny and Katie. I hope you find the place to your liking."

  "We do too," Ginny said.

  "See you later," Joe said.

  He tipped his cap and walked through the kitchen and into the living room. He was out the front door before Ginny could say, "My great-grandpa rocks."

  "Joe has been at it most of the day," Virginia said. "He replaced the screen door this morning and the railing on the deck this afternoon. He still has to fix the closet door and the handle on the refrigerator, but other
than that the unit is ready to rent. What do you girls think of the place so far?"

  "I like it," Katie said.

  "I do too," Ginny added.

  "That's good," Virginia said. "I thought you would. Before we discuss the rent, do either of you have any questions about the apartment itself?"

  "I do," Ginny said. "Does the TV in the living room work?"

  "It does. Sometimes you have to adjust the rabbit ears to get decent reception, but it does, in fact, work. Cindy and Joanie, my daughters, watched cartoons on it this morning."

  Ginny paused before asking another question. She tried to remember the last time she had heard someone use the term "rabbit ears" and not refer to the appendages of a bunny.

  "I have one more question."

  "Please ask," Virginia said.

  "What's the neighborhood like?"

  "I figured one of you might ask that. I'm pleased to tell you that it is safe and quiet. It's also close to a bus stop on Fifteenth Avenue that provides direct access to Greer's and to the campus. You won't need a car to get to either of those places."

  Virginia looked at each of the twins.

  "Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

  Two girls shook their heads.

  Virginia leaned her broom against the large refrigerator.

  "Very well. That brings me to the subject of your rent. During the school year, we typically offer this unit for a hundred twenty-five dollars a month. The price includes all utilities. During the summer, we drop the rate to a hundred a month."

  "We could probably manage that," Ginny said.

  "I'm sure you could," Virginia said. "We're prepared, however, to offer you a better deal."

  "You are?"

  "We are. We will rent this apartment to you through August for eighty dollars a month. If you prove to be responsible renters, we will offer it to you through the school year for a hundred a month. The last tenants were not particularly kind to the doors and appliances. I have a hunch that you two will treat them with more respect."

  "I will," Ginny said. "At that price, I'll sing their praises every day."

  Virginia smiled. She looked at Katie.