Shades of Truth

by Sandra Orchard

  She forced her attention to him. “Sorry. My mind was somewhere else. But I’m glad you’re here. Melvin’s ticked with you. What’s that about?”

  “Beanpole? How should I know?” Darryl shot the kid a scowl through the staff station window. “You know how these kids operate. They’re always pitting one staff member against another, making ridiculous accusations to divert attention from themselves.”

  “I hate it when you paint them all with the same brush. Just because one or two—”

  “Never mind about that,” Darryl said. “I asked where you were this morning.”

  Perplexed by the abrupt question, she said, “I had to see someone.”

  “Who?”

  “None of your business.”

  “For crying out loud, Kim, it’s not safe for you to go off before dawn without telling anyone where you’re going.”

  “I called work, and Ginny knew. Lighten up.”

  “You don’t understand how dangerous—”

  “I understand you’re my brother and you’re worried about me, but we can have this discussion at home. We have work to do.” Ever since the incident with Blake, Darryl had been checking up on her left, right and center. His smothering was driving her crazy.

  Kim let herself back into the unit and couldn’t help but notice how Melvin’s gaze followed Darryl’s movements. As much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn’t ignore Mel’s cryptic allegations. She plunked down beside the boy on the battered sofa.

  “I know you don’t think so, but I do want to know what’s bothering you.”

  He shrugged.

  “If a staff member has said or done something out of line, you can tell me.”

  “I never said nothin’ like that.”

  “You said this place is a farce. That tells me you don’t think we practice what we preach. Is that what you think?”

  He shimmied to the far corner of the couch. “I was ticked ’cause the judge didn’t give me probation.”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  “I want to go to my room.”

  “Melvin, if something’s bothering you—”

  “I want to go to my room now.”

  “Okay, okay. But I want you to know that when you’re ready to talk, I’m ready to listen.”

  His mouth said “Whatever.” But his eyes said You don’t wanna know.

  She let him into his room. Clearly she had more to discuss with her brother than his overprotectiveness.

  The changeover call sounded over the walkie-talkie.

  Kim glanced at the clock through the staff station windows. At the sight of Ethan her heart jumped. He wasn’t scheduled to work today. Why was he here?

  He’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt, and he just stood there watching her. So she couldn’t exactly pretend she hadn’t seen him. Although…maybe he had some word on the kid.

  She hurried to the staff station. The rest of the staff were with the residents, giving her and Ethan as much privacy as glass walls could afford. “You have news?”

  An emotion she couldn’t decipher shadowed Ethan’s eyes. He averted his gaze. “I was called in for someone who’s sick.”

  “Oh. So you didn’t find…?”

  “Sorry. No. Couldn’t find the SUV. I asked the chief to have someone he trusts watch the alley. If the kid lives around there, they’ll get him. Then you’ll have to go to the station to ID him.”

  “But I have that youth meeting tonight.”

  “Not a problem. Could be a while before they catch him…” His voice trailed off, leaving if they catch him unsaid.

  “Maybe some of the kids in the youth group can give us a lead.”

  “Yeah, I’d appreciate a full report.” Ethan tipped his chin toward Mel’s bedroom door. “What had Beanpole so nervous?”

  Her gaze jerked to the window. Now that she thought about it, the boy had seemed nervous. “He had his hearing today.”

  “If the hearing’s over, why’s he still nervous?”

  Recalling what Mel had said about Darryl, she shifted uncomfortably.

  “Are you sure the hearing is all that’s bothering him?” Ethan pressed.

  “I have no idea.” Well, she had some idea, but she wasn’t about to voice it without talking to her brother first.

  THIRTEEN

  “Mom, do you know where Darryl is?” Kim asked, walking into the kitchen.

  “Ouch.” Her mom plopped a tray of cookies onto the stovetop and snatched back her hand, putting her thumb to her mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you drive in. How was the youth meeting?”

  “Good.” Except a summons to the police station had cut short her opportunity to glean information from the youths following the meeting. She shivered. The officer had said her purse-snatcher-slash-car-vandal couldn’t see her through the one-way glass, but his soulless glare had chilled her to the core.

  Mom glanced at the clock. “The meeting must’ve been good. Youth group never ended this late when you were a teen.”

  Kim helped herself to a cookie, pausing to savor the comforting aroma as she broke it in two and licked the melted chocolate. “I had a couple of errands to run. And I stopped to see Dad.”

  At least the vandal’s arrest had spared her from having to ask Dad for help. She’d hoped to find Darryl there and have their conversation where Mom wouldn’t overhear. Mom was already baking enough to feed a small army. She didn’t need anything more to stress-bake over.

  Like her son doing something shady.

  “You were always the bright spot of your father’s day.” She motioned Kim to join her outside and settled heavily into a patio chair. “I don’t know what’s keeping your brother.”

  The garden lights spaced around the porch cast creepy shadows over the yard.

  An image of the pockmarked teen pouncing from the darkness flickered through her thoughts, making her shiver yet again. She sank into a chair and let the familiar sounds of the night soothe her frayed nerves.

  The chirrup of crickets. The warble of toads. The breeze whispering through the leaves.

  Then the squeak of rusty hinges cut through the air.

  Kim sprang to her feet and grabbed the first heavy object at hand.

  The side gate slapped shut. “Hello? Kim?”

  Ethan stepped into view, and Kim’s breath escaped in a rush. “What are you doing sneaking around here?”

  “That depends.” He looked at the weapon in her hand and grinned. “You planning on braining me with Dopey?”

  She looked down at the garden gnome she’d picked up. Oh. She let out a sheepish laugh. Then grinned back at him. “Well, if the gnome fits…”

  He laughed, and Kim felt ridiculously pleased with herself. She set the lawn ornament back on its perch.

  “I didn’t mean to startle you. Nobody responded to my knocks, and I thought I heard voices back here.” He nodded at Mom. “Hi, Mrs. Corbett.”

  Mom gave her a knowing look. “Nice to see you again, Ethan. Have a seat and I’ll put on some tea.” She scurried inside.

  Great, her pathetic crush was obviously still alive and well and now Mom planned to feed it by plying Ethan with tea and home-baked cookies.

  At least Ginny wasn’t here to harp on Ethan’s faults. And Mom wouldn’t be so hospitable, either, if she knew why Ethan was really hanging around her daughter.

  Certain Ethan’s impromptu visit had something to do with the kid’s arrest, Kim tilted her head toward the open window above the kitchen sink and her eavesdropping mother, then led him to the back of the garden.

  She stopped next to the old tire swing and fingered the heavy rope. “Please don’t tell me the kid’s already made bail,” she whispered.
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  “No, his hearing won’t be for a couple of days.”

  She let out a relieved sigh. “Did he give up the name of his partner—the one who slashed my tires?”

  “He was pretty tight-lipped, the chief said. Except to say you needed to learn to mind your own business.”

  “Me? They’re the ones who attacked my car for no reason.”

  “Oh, they had a reason—retaliation over your attempts to get Beanpole to quit their gang.”

  Shock streaked through her chest. “He said that?”

  “More or less, yeah.”

  Kim sank onto the tire swing. “How would he even know? Only the residents’ parents have phone and visitation privileges.”

  “Through another resident who’d been released, most likely. That kid who attacked you in the hall the other day is part of the same gang. They both have a sword tattoo at the base of their necks. I wouldn’t put it past them to deliberately get arrested so they could get to you or Beanpole inside the manor.”

  The swing shook and she realized she was trembling.

  Ethan steadied the rope. “The good news is that their attacks don’t have anything to do with the drug ring. And now that the gang knows the police are on to them, you shouldn’t have any more trouble.”

  “That’s a relief.” She could stop worrying about Ethan’s silly blackmail theory. She’d gotten all worked up over Beanpole’s “Darryl” comments for nothing.

  “Just be on your guard.”

  The back door slapped open, and Darryl stalked down the steps toward them, his scowl obvious despite the deepening night. “Mom said you wanted to see me?”

  Kim stiffened.

  Ethan dropped his hand. “I’d better go,” he said, and Kim felt a sense of relief. “You on tomorrow, Kim?”

  “No.”

  “But you’ll be at the basketball game tomorrow night, won’t you?”

  “Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t miss it.”

  Ethan gave Darryl a curt nod and left by the side gate.

  “What was he doing here?” Darryl demanded the second the gate squeaked shut.

  “Visiting. And I’d appreciate it if you stopped acting like a belligerent ogre around my friends. You’re carrying your protective-brother routine too far. Every guy who talks to me is not another Nate. Got it?” She jolted at her own words—well, Ginny’s words, more like.

  Wouldn’t Ginny be thrilled that her advice was finally sinking in—about Ethan?

  Darryl grabbed the tire swing, and halted her frenetic movements. “Who did you meet this morning? It was Ethan, wasn’t it?”

  “What if it was?”

  “We don’t know him from Adam. You go off without telling us where you’re going or with whom, and then you don’t show up for work. What am I supposed to think?”

  “What did you think?” she said, shocked by his implication.

  He scraped his palm down his face. “I thought…horrible things, Kim.”

  Her heart clenched. Worry lines creased his forehead, and shadows blackened the skin beneath his eyes. Although younger than her by three years, he looked years older. She understood all too well how Dad’s illness and the future preyed on the mind. Yet the responsibility he felt for their family weighed on him more than she’d realized. “I’m sorry. It never occurred to me that you’d be so worried.”

  “You’re too trusting.”

  “You make that sound like a bad thing.”

  “It is. Not everyone is as kind-hearted as you. You…” He hesitated. Then shook his head.

  “I what?”

  He exhaled. “You need to be careful.”

  “I met with Ethan to discuss strategies for saving the manor. Nothing more.”

  “Your welfare is more important than your crusade,” Darryl exploded. “I don’t understand you. You act as if saving the manor is going to keep Dad alive. But it won’t. You should be spending as much time as you can with him, because once he’s gone, none of it will matter anymore.”

  She felt as though she’d been punched. She stared at her brother in shock.

  “Darryl,” Mom scolded from the kitchen window, “that’s enough.”

  Darryl stalked into the house. Kim could hear him stomp up the stairs and slam his bedroom door.

  Kim hugged her knees and buried her face. Saving the manor mattered. It had to matter. Deep down she knew Darryl’s outburst was nothing more than grief lashing out, but his accusations still hurt.

  The screen door creaked open, sprang closed again. Soft footfalls moved toward her.

  “Your brother didn’t mean that the way it sounded.” Mom tucked a loose strand of hair behind Kim’s ear the way she used to when Kim was a girl. “I’ve asked too much of him these past few months, more than either of us could’ve foreseen.” She held her palm against Kim’s cheek. “When your father dies—”

  Kim cringed. Okay, they all knew the situation was bad, that eventually Dad was going to…

  But they weren’t supposed to say it! What was wrong with her family?

  “Honey,” Mom said gently, squeezing her hand. “When the time comes, Darryl will need your support more than ever.”

  “Am I wrong to want to save the manor?”

  “No, honey. Your father is a good man. Seeing his work come to nothing would break his heart.” Mom’s gaze drifted to Darryl’s bedroom window. “In our own way, that’s what each of us is trying to make sure doesn’t happen.”

  Ethan surveyed the spectators packing the benches along the gym wall. Extra staff had been brought in to keep an eye on the residents during their game against the visiting Bay Community Church Youth Group. Kim sat front and center manning the scoreboard. Her hair, caught up in a ponytail, drew attention to her high cheekbones and sparkling green eyes.

  And why was he torturing himself noticing things like that?

  He’d have to talk to her after the game, find out if she’d learned anything from last night’s youth meeting. He’d intended to do that last night, but Darryl’s interruption had nixed the opportunity.

  He expelled a breath. With the revelation that the attacks on Kim—except maybe Blake’s—had no connection to his investigation, he was getting nowhere fast on this case.

  Shouts from the spectators drew his attention back to the game.

  A Bay Community player slapped the ball out of Curt’s hand, broke away and scored.

  Kim added another two points to Bay Community’s side of the scoreboard, and then threw Ethan a discouraged look.

  He called for a time-out. “Okay, guys, we’re down six points. If we want to close that gap, we’ve got to play as a team.”

  “Yeah,” the team chorused.

  “Beanpole was wide open under the net the last time you got the ball, Curt. Keep your eyes open.”

  Curt’s lip curled and he grunted a noncommittal response. He’d been in a foul mood for two days, but this time, nothing Ethan tried had coaxed the kid into telling him what was bothering him.

  Ethan clapped his hands. “Okay, team, let’s show them what we’ve got.”

  The guys jogged back onto the court to the whoops and cheers of the staff and other residents. The ref tossed the ball between Beanpole and a Bay player, who had to be half a foot shorter. Beanpole knocked the ball to Curt, who passed it to Craig, who dribbled it up to the net and at the last second passed it around his back to Beanpole.

  Beanpole slam-dunked the ball, and the crowd went ballistic.

  “That’s the way,” Ethan yelled, clapping his hands. “Good job.”

  Kim added two points to their side of the scoreboard and beamed at him.

  He winked, pleased that, if nothing else, at least they could share their delight in their
unit’s teamwork.

  In short order, his boys scored four more points, bringing the crowd to their feet as the clock ticked down.

  Curt stole the ball from the opposition and dribbled down the court. The church kids double-teamed him, blocking every attempt to drive his way to the net.

  Ethan cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Pass the ball.”

  The opposition wouldn’t let Curt pass the ball forward, so Beanpole ran from under the net to half court. Curt bounce-passed the ball to him, drilled through the guys blocking his way, and turned just in time to tip Beanpole’s lob over the lip of the net.

  The crowd exploded. The Hope Manor team high-fived their way around the room, while Bay’s team engaged in some good-natured ribbing.

  After the teams shook hands, Bay Community’s youth pastor—an engaging combination of linebacker and fun-loving mascot—invited everyone to gather around.

  The residents sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him. They knew he’d once been in their shoes and gave him their full attention.

  “You have dwelt long enough on this mountain,” he said forcefully.

  “This ain’t no mountain,” Tyrone answered back, and the other residents laughed.

  “Don’t be so sure,” Pastor John responded with a good-humored lilt. “How many of you have heard the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land?”

  Three-quarters of the group raised their hands.

  “Did you know they ended up wandering in the wilderness for forty years? Forty years! No wonder God told the Israelites they’d wandered around long enough. The Bible says the direct route was only an eleven-day journey. Can you believe that? Forty years to get somewhere that should’ve taken eleven days.”

  “What a bunch of idiots,” one of the teens commented.

  Ethan shot a glance at Kim. She’d hunkered down on the floor between a couple of residents. She must’ve sensed him watching her because she looked his way with a serene smile.

  “Ah, you might not want to be too quick to judge them,” Pastor John went on, making eye contact with one teen after another. “When I read this story in my Bible the other day, it occurred to me that most of us do exactly the same thing the Israelites did. We keep going around and around the same mountain.”