by Tara Ellis
“Because the house doesn’t belong to her,” Cassy replies.
“Why not?” Sam scoots forward in her seat, eager to hear the reason. Those hairs are rising again; she knows another important piece of information is about to be revealed.
“This is the part of the story that Grams used to get all worked up about,” Cassy answers, glancing up at the clock. They’ve only got a few minutes of lunch left.
“There were only two other living relatives, besides the daughter; Jack’s brother and Melissa’s sister. There was some big falling out between the brothers a long time ago, so he didn’t get much of anything. The sister was put in charge of the estate. She was left a modest sum to take care of it and their daughter. The parents both had huge life insurance policies, and it was supposed to be put into a trust fund for Lisa. She would get it when she turned twenty-one, and the estate would then be turned over to her. But…,” Cassy looks back and forth between the other two girls, drawing out the suspense.
“When the insurance company did their standard investigation, before handing over the money, they discovered that Lisa didn’t have a birth certificate. Her aunt admitted that Lisa was adopted. She swore that it was legal, but it was a closed adoption. People searched for weeks, but no one could locate the paperwork. Since they couldn’t prove that she was the legal heir, the insurance company wouldn’t pay out. It was a big scandal at the time, and in all the papers. Grams moved back here with me about a year before Jack and Melissa Covington died, when I was two. That’s why she has the papers. She…likes to keep things.
“Anyways, no one thought it was fair. Everyone knew that Lisa was their daughter, and the intended heir, whether it could be proven or not. But the money has been sitting in a bank ever since, and the property has been sitting empty. Last time Grams talked about it, she suspected that the money left for the upkeep ran out, and the aunt can’t afford it anymore.”
A hundred questions explode in Sam’s head, but the bell interrupts before she can start asking them. However, one thing is certain. The mystery surrounding Covington Ranch is more involved than she thought, and Sam is determined to get to the bottom of it!
9
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS AND A SLEEPOVER
“How about these?” Ally is standing half in and half out of Sam’s closet, holding up a pair of blue jeans.
Sam takes the pants from Ally, and looks at the tag inside the waist. “These are the ones!” she confirms, holding them out to Cassy, who is seated on her bed. They already chased the twins out a couple of times, although half-heartedly. They don’t really mind having the younger girls around.
“Are you sure?” Cassy asks, taking the jeans. She holds them somewhat awkwardly, unsure what to do with them.
Sam came up with the idea earlier, knowing she’s a little taller and slightly heavier than the other girl. It made sense that her clothes from the year before might be the right size. Hoping she wouldn’t offend Cassy, Sam offered to go through the clothes after school. Fortunately, Cassy seemed okay with it.
“Of course, I’m sure!” Sam replies. “I would still be wearing them, except I grew too much. If you don’t want them, my mom’s just going to give them to the church for their annual yard sale. They’re still in good shape. Here,” Sam continues, stepping into the closet with Ally. She tosses out a few shirts, and then a pair of shoes. “Those are all the things my mom had me sort through. I would much rather give them to a friend.”
Cassy’s face brightens at the word ‘friend,’ and she leans over to gather up the other items.
“Try them on!” Ally prompts. “The bathroom is right across the hall.”
When Cassy comes back minutes later, she is beaming with delight. Everything fits perfectly, and she even makes a little turn to show it off.
“Let’s go to my house next!” Ally announces. “None of my clothes will fit either one of you,” she laughs, “but I told Sam I’d give her a makeover. My mom got me some new make-up. Why don’t we all do it?”
The three girls trample down the hallway, but Kathy stops them before they make it outside. “Whoa!” she hollers, appearing in front of the door, blocking their way. “Where are you all off to?”
“We’re going to Ally’s house for a little bit, Mom,” Sam says happily. “Do you need us to do anything before we go?”
“I think it’d be a good idea to set up the tent now, before it starts getting dark. And we have to leave right after dinner, by six, in order to make it to the football game on time. Oh,” Kathy adds, turning her attention to Cassy. “The clothes look good on you!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Wolf,” Cassy replies politely.
Kathy nods in approval at Sam’s respectful new friend before refocusing on her daughter. “I’m going to need help with dinner, too, so you need to be back here by five.”
“Okay, Mom.” Sam steps around her and opens the door. “We’ll get everything set up first. Where’s the tent?”
“It should be in the garage, with all of the other camping gear,” Kathy calls over her shoulder, on her way back to the kitchen where the twins are having another snack.
Sam could swear her sisters have about ten snacks a day. Life must be tough being a two-year-old. Her stomach grumbles at the thought and she hesitates in the doorway. But before she can ask her friends if they’re hungry, her mom reappears and throws a bag of cookies at her. Sam catches it mid-air and smiles appreciatively before stepping outside.
Three hours later, they’re all piled into the Wolfs’ van, on their way to the football field. The twins were dropped off at a sitter, since Kathy wants to actually watch the game, rather than chase the little girls around the whole time.
Sam got the coveted shotgun seat, due to winning a game of rock-paper-scissors. Now she glances at herself in the small mirror on the visor. She didn’t get her makeover. Looking towards the driver’s side, she grins. Her mom knew all along that it was going to take them forever to get that tent put up. She’s a smart lady, Sam thinks, turning back to the mirror. And always one step ahead of me.
It’s questionable whether the tent will still be up by morning, but it’s not supposed to rain, so Sam isn’t concerned. They’re sure to have fun no matter what.
Pulling into the parking lot, Sam spots Lisa Covington’s blue VW Bug. “Hey! Miss Covington is here,” she calls to her friends in the back seat. “If we find her, we can ask about Cassy coming to the ranch tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll be fine with it.”
They spent some time discussing the ranch earlier, while struggling to put the tent together. Since Cassy was turning out to be a vital source of information regarding the Covington family, Sam figured it would be smart to let her in on everything. Cassy listened to Sam and Ally’s speculation about the Eye of Orion, and then the discovery of Miss Covington crying in her car. After several long minutes of quiet speculation, she simply nodded her head.
“You’re right, Sam,” Cassy agreed. “Something weird is going on. I’d love to help you figure it out.”
It was that easy. Now, the three of them are committed to helping Lisa Covington fix up the ranch, and hopefully get to the bottom of whatever else she’s mixed up in.
This isn’t the first high school football game Sam has been to, but she’s never seen her brother play. She probably won’t tonight, either, since he’s on junior varsity, but John will be playing a lot.
Ally sits on the edge of the wooden bleachers, wringing her hands nervously. It always worries her when John steps out on the field. Unlike Sam and Hunter, she and John have always gotten along. Maybe it’s because there’s a bigger gap in their age, with him being sixteen and her twelve, but she’s always looked up to him. Craning her neck to see him in the line-up, she finally spots him.
“There’s John!” she shouts, pointing. “He’s the first one on the far side. I think that spot is called the tight end.”
“Are your parents able to make it?” Sam’s mom asks, frowning slightly. She’s never quite understood how Ally�
��s parents can miss nearly all of the school activities.
“Dad might get here later,” Ally replies, not taking any offence to the question. “He usually gets stuck in the Friday night rush hour traffic. Mom’s working a swing shift at the hospital right now. She probably won’t get home until midnight.”
Cassy glances back and forth between them all as they talk, unsure of the family dynamics. She isn’t used to having a mother figure around. She can tell that Mrs. Wolf doesn’t approve of Ally’s parents’ absence, but it appears to be an expected occurrence. Cassy would give anything just to have parents.
The first half of the game flies by, and they all get caught up in the cheering and excitement. Sam is hoarse by halftime, so the girls go in search of something to drink. Her mom gives them money to bring her back a coffee from the concession stand.
“Do you think John will be okay?” Cassy asks as they make their way back towards the stands. He took a hard hit on the last play and was slow to get up.
“He’s always getting beat up, but he’ll be fine,” Ally reassures her. “Hey!” she suddenly shouts, pointing into the nearby parking lot. “Isn’t that Miss Covington? I think she’s leaving!”
They’ve gotten halfway up the bleachers, so Sam has a clear view of the parking lot spread out below them. Sure enough, Lisa is standing next to the blue car, visible under the bright, fluorescent lights. She looks to be holding the door open, while turning away from it and towards a man standing a short distance away.
Sam leads the way as they rush back down the steep steps and towards the parking lot, hoping they can catch her. Sam doesn’t want to be rude and show up with someone extra the next day without her teacher’s approval. It would be easy enough for Cassy to go home after the sleepover, but it would be awkward to not invite her along.
As they run single-file through the exit in the chain-link fence, the lights pop on in Miss Covington’s car and it roars to life. They aren’t going to make it. Sam considers throwing her arms up in the air to try to catch her attention, but then she notices that the man she saw earlier is stepping out in front of the car!
Skidding to a stop, both Ally and Cassy crash into Sam and all three of them nearly topple to the ground.
“Why did you stop?” Ally demands, catching Sam by the arms to steady herself.
“Look!” Sam directs, whispering now. “Who do you think that could be?”
The tall man in question is standing squarely in Miss Covington’s headlights with his hands on his hips. He has very broad shoulders and an imposing figure.
“You can’t keep avoiding me, Lisa!” the man shouts, loud enough so that the girls can just make out what he’s saying. It’s hard to tell how old he is.
Sam is debating whether to step out of the shadows of the bleachers, when Lisa puts the car in gear and speeds forward! The man jumps out of the way as she swerves around him, her tires squealing on the way out of the parking lot.
Ally and Cassy look at Sam in astonishment, but she is already in motion. Putting an arm around each of them, she quickly leads them back towards the game. Something tells her they don’t want to meet this mystery man…yet.
10
UNCLE PETE
The road to the ranch seems much steeper on Saturday morning, probably because none of the girls got a whole lot of sleep the night before.
“Slow down, Sam!” Ally gasps, peddling as hard as she can. She and Cassy are a good fifty feet behind Sam now. While Ally is on a nice ten-speed, Cassy is on John’s old mountain bike, which only has three gears. Ally has no idea how she’s even still moving.
It was decided that Cassy should just go with them, and risk having Miss Covington say no. It’s unlikely that she’ll even care.
“If…I…slow down,” Sam calls back over her shoulder, ‘I’ll never make it!”
Finally, they reach the crest of the hill and it flattens out, and Sam coasts until the other two girls catch up to her. They’re all out of breath and a bit flushed, but still in good spirits.
Last night was a lot of fun. They stopped at Ally’s on their way back from the game so she could get her make-up, and they did their makeovers by flashlight. Needless to say, the results were less than stellar, but none of them cared. They were laughing until well past midnight, when Hunter and John sprayed the tent with a hose. This led to a water-fight that Sam’s mom was not happy about.
The combination of thick, poorly applied eyeliner and mascara wasn’t a good mix with the water. Sam spent ten minutes this morning trying to wipe the streaks off her cheeks, which she only discovered after going inside. Now, looking at Ally and Cassy, she muffles a giggle. They both look like they’ve been in a boxing match.
They come to a stop at the entrance to the private drive, and form a line across the road. Ally takes a long gulp from her water bottle, and then offers it to Cassy, who takes it thankfully.
“I’m already beat,” Ally states. “We should have gone to bed earlier so we’d be able to get more work done.”
“I doubt she’ll have us doing anything too horrible,” Sam counters. Checking her watch, she sees that they’re a little early. Leaning back on her seat, she studies the archway. “So you still think that guy last night is some long-lost love?” She’s directing her question to Cassy. They had debated the topic for some time while huddled in their sleeping bags.
“Why else would she be avoiding him?” Cassy replies. “Maybe it’s even why she moved back here.”
“I still say he sounded too old,” Ally adds.
“I guess we could just ask her,” Sam decides, pedaling again.
Before they reach the point where the road broadens and then wraps around the broken waterfall, they begin to hear voices. One is clearly Miss Covington’s and the other belongs to the same man from the parking lot! It sounds like a heated discussion, and as they continue to get closer, the words become distinguishable.
“I told you before that you can’t come here!” Lisa says, obviously upset. “I don’t know why you insist on following me around. Just leave me alone!”
“My dear, I simply want to go through some of my brother’s things. If you insist on being…difficult, then we can do things the hard way.” His voice drops a little lower, so that the menacing tone can’t be missed.
While Ally and Cassy hesitate, Sam suddenly pedals harder and boldly rides around the expensive sedan sitting in front of the house. Loose dirt sprays out from under her back tire as she brakes hard, coming to a stop in between Miss Covington and the mystery man. Only, it isn’t a mystery anymore to her.
“Peter Covington!” Sam shouts, surprising even herself with the strength in her voice.
The older man takes a hesitant step back, confused by the sudden appearance of the girl. He quickly regains his composure, however, and turns his grey, steely eyes on Sam.
“And who might you be?” he asks, looking at her with disdain.
“We are friends of Miss Covington’s,” Sam answers, nodding at Ally and Cassy as they make their way to her side. Twisting on her seat, she looks at the startled woman behind them. “Are you okay?” she asks. “Do you need us to call someone?”
“There’s no point in involving anyone else,” Peter Covington spits out, opening his car door. “This is a private family matter, and no one else’s business. Remember that,” he says coolly, glaring at his niece and pointing a long finger in her direction. “I can make things very difficult for you.” With that, he gets into his car with a flourish and speeds up the driveway, leaving them all staring after him in shocked silence.
“I’m sorry you had to be a part of that,” Miss Covington moans after he’s gone, sitting down hard on the porch steps behind her. Placing her face in her hands, she takes several deep breaths, trying to steady herself.
“It’s okay, Miss Covington.” Sam gets off her bike and goes to sit next to the young woman. “It isn’t your fault.”
“Oh…but it is,” she says with a humorless laugh, dropping
her hands away. She stares at the three girls and seems to come to a decision. “You may as well call me Lisa while you’re here. Otherwise, I’m going to feel like an old maid.”
“Miss—I mean, Lisa,” Ally says softly. “Are you really living here all by yourself?”
Lisa opens her mouth to answer, but then she pauses, her eyes widening, and turns instead to Sam. “How in the world did you know that he was my uncle?” she demands, sounding a bit suspicious.
“Umm…” Sam drawls, thinking hard to come up with an honest answer. When she can see no other way but to confess, her shoulders drop and she stares down at the ground. “I saw what you were reading on the computer the other day, and then the newspaper article on your desk. I was curious, so I looked up the Eye of Orion and figured that Peter Covington must be a relative of yours, and I saw a picture of him.”
“So that’s why you came poking around out here,” Lisa surmises, sounding impressed, rather than angry.
Sam peers up at her cautiously, and is encouraged by the pleasant expression she sees on Lisa’s face. Nodding once in confirmation, she glances over at Cassy and Ally, who both appear relieved by their teacher’s reaction.
“Why is your own uncle being so mean?” Cassy asks, sitting down next to Sam.
“Cassy, right?” Lisa asks while standing and brushing her hands on her jeans.
“Cassy stayed over last night, and wanted to help you, too,” Sam explains. “I hope you don’t mind her coming with us.”
Shaking her head no, Lisa puts her hands on her hips and regards her three students. “It’s fine if you all want to stay. And yes, Ally, I’m all alone here, so I appreciate the assistance as long as your parents are all on board with it. As for my uncle…it’s complicated. But…” Rubbing her hands over her eyes, she takes yet another deep breath. “I think you deserve an answer.”
Picking up a nearby shovel, Lisa slams the point into the ground and then leans on the handle. “I suppose we’re already past the point of having what I would consider an ill-advised personal relationship between a teacher and students. I would never ask you to keep anything from your parents, but I am going to request that you not speak about any of this with other students at the school. Okay? It could cause some issues that I’d rather not deal with.”