Double Take (13 page)

By Tuesday afternoon, Anna was ready to give up. She was wrong—searching for Jacob wasn’t like looking for a needle in a haystack, it was like looking for a needle in a freshly cut hay field of a hundred acres.

Although Garret was trying to be helpful, he was also aggravating. She could understand why Madison had been put out with him. The boy did not give up.

“Thank you for your help,” she said in front of her building. “But I’m taking a break from this.”

“All right!” Garret nodded. “That’s what I’m talking about. You run up and get some things and we’ll be in Nantucket in time for dinner.”

“No. That’s not the kind of break I meant.”

He reached for her hand, making those sad puppy dog eyes at her. She wondered if that had worked on Madison. Well, it certainly was not going to work on her. Besides the fact that he was not Anna’s boyfriend, he was not her type.

She pulled her hand from his and shook her head. “Goodbye, Garret,” she said. She stepped away and hurried to where Henry the doorman already had the door open. He gave her a somewhat sympathetic glance.

In her rush to escape Garret, Anna ran smack into the girl from the elevator. What was her name?

“Hey, Madison, where’s the fire?”

“I’m sorry . . . Lucinda.” Anna forced a smile. “I was trying to get away from Garret.”

“Glad to see you’ve come to your senses.” Lucinda turned around, walking with Anna through the lobby. “Now about Fashion Fling . . .” She smiled in a funny way. “Can I sign you up?”

“What is it you want me to do?” Anna asked.

“You know, the usual thing.” Lucinda held her hand up as if to point out Anna’s height, something Anna tried to forget. It wasn’t easy being one of the tallest girls in her community. Just one more reason she missed Jacob—he was taller than her.

“The usual thing . . .” Anna echoed her as if it made sense. What was the usual thing?

“So you’re in?” Lucinda’s dark eyes lit up.

“When is it again?”

“The second Saturday in April.”

Anna knew she shouldn’t commit Madison to something without speaking to her first, but this Fashion Fling thing seemed to be for a good cause. Besides, Madison could un-commit herself later. “Sure,” Anna told Lucinda. “I’ll do it.”

“Fantastic!” As they waited for the elevator, Lucinda pulled out a phone that was very similar to Anna’s (rather, Madison’s) and was soon talking to someone who sounded like her mother, explaining that Madison had decided to participate after all. “Hang on, Mom. I’ll find out.” Lucinda turned to Anna. “Are you busy right now?”

Anna shrugged as they went inside the elevator. “No. Not really.”

“Mom wants to know if you can pop in for a fitting.” Lucinda pushed the button with a 7 on it.

Pop in for a fitting? Anna frowned as the elevator went up. What kind of slang was that?

“It’ll only take a few minutes.” As the elevator doors opened, Lucinda gave Anna a hopeful look, as if she expected Anna to follow her out.

“Okay.” Anna braced herself as she emerged from the elevator. A sign said
Seventh Floor
, and Lucinda turned to the right. Anna had no idea what she’d just gotten herself, or Madison, into. But there seemed no gracious way to get out.

Lucinda walked down the hallway past a number of doors, finally stopping at a door with the number 756 on it. She pulled out a key and let herself in. “Mom is downtown right now, but she told me which outfit you’ll be wearing. She’s so excited that you’re going to model.”

What was Lucinda talking about? Anna just nodded, trying to act normal as Lucinda started going through a rack of dresses. Anna glanced around the room to see more racks of clothing, almost like a store. There were also big tables with bolts of colorful cloth and baskets with all sorts of sewing notions.

What really caught Anna’s eye was what appeared to be some modern sewing machines. Anna put her hand on a sleek-looking silver one. It had all kinds of buttons and gadgets and a large spool of red thread. The electric machine reminded Anna of a fancy car—the kind that zipped past her family on their way to town in the wagon. Anna had heard of such sewing machines, had wished for such a sewing machine, but this was the first time she’d seen one.

“Sorry it’s taking so long,” Lucinda called from where she was still searching through a rack.

“It’s all right.” Anna wanted to study everything in this amazing room. It was like a seamstress’s dream come true. Except that the fabric and colors were wrong. Anna paused to admire a board with every color of thread imaginable displayed on it. All that thread—pretty as a rainbow! Anna had been responsible for most of the sewing in her household for a few years now. She loved to sew, but sometimes the treadle machine took so long, and even when her feet were moving as fast as they could, she sometimes felt impatient at the speed of the needle. Although it was much better than hand sewing. Still, to have a machine like this.

“Here it is,” Lucinda said as she came over with a dress in her arms.

Anna tried not to blink at the bright-colored fabric. Red, purple, pink—the colors seemed to clash into each other with an intensity that made her eyes burn. “Oh.”

“You don’t like it?” Lucinda frowned. “This is one of Mom’s favorites.”

“It reminds me of a flower garden.” Anna tried to sound gracious.

Lucinda laughed, then peered curiously at her. “No offense, Madison, but you sound kind of weird.”

“Sorry.” Anna looked away.

“Anyway, go ahead and put it on and I’ll do the fitting.” Lucinda pointed to an area that was draped off. Anna assumed that was where she was supposed to change.

“Did you say the Fashion Fling is in April?” Anna said as she unbuttoned her shirt.

“Sure. Just like always. Mom’s got a lot of dresses to finish by then.”

Like a seamstress, Anna was piecing the facts together as she pulled off the trousers that she’d opted to wear today. Lucinda’s mother must be a dressmaker, and for some reason she wanted Anna—rather, Madison—to wear one of her dresses. As she slipped into the dress, she realized that it wasn’t finished yet. That was why she needed to fit it to Anna.

“I’m ready,” Anna said as she emerged from behind the curtain. “I think it fits me good.”

Lucinda frowned. “I think it looks about two sizes too big. Mom had been getting this dress ready for Brianna McCluskey to wear. Really, it looks much better on you.” She stepped forward with pins. “Just let me take it in here and there.”

Anna cooperated with her, holding her hands up, turning from side to side. She controlled herself from saying that Lucinda was pinning the dress too tightly. After all, this was an English dress, and they all seemed to be tight. Again the irony of it hit Anna. The English liked their beds and furniture to be soft and comfortable, but their shoes and clothing had to be tight and constricting. It just made no sense.

“Now step on that stool and I’ll set the hem.”

Anna stepped up. She was still admiring this amazing sewing room. She would have such fun in a place like this.

“What’s up with the hairy legs?” Lucinda asked. “Don’t tell me you’re turning into an earth muffin.”

“Earth muffin?” Anna frowned.

Lucinda laughed. “That’s what my mom calls hippies.”

Anna was about to question the meaning of the word
hippy
but decided that might draw more suspicion. As it was, she hadn’t even considered the hair on her legs. She knew English girls shaved their legs—which was very strange—but she had no intention of doing such a thing.

“Madison?” Lucinda’s voice had a surprisingly sharp tone now. “What is going on with you?”

“What?” Anna turned back around to look at her.

Lucinda’s eyes were narrowed and her jaw was firm. “What is going on?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Anna bit her lip, trying to think.

“I mean—
who are you?
”

Anna stepped down from the stool and tried to make an expression that she thought Madison might make. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you.”

“I’m going to change back into my clothes,” Anna said.

“No, you are not.” Lucinda stood in front of her now. “Not until you tell me who you really are.”

“I do not understand.” Fear rushed through Anna.

Lucinda pointed a finger at her. “That’s another thing. You talk weird. I thought maybe you had a sore throat, but your voice and your words are different.” Lucinda reached up to touch Anna’s hair. “Your hair is different too. I thought so the other day, but I figured you’d just found someone really good. But today when I saw your hairy legs—”

“I gave up shaving,” Anna said quickly. “Just to try it.”

“Well, how about that scar?”

Anna glanced over to the curtain where her things were, wondering if she could dash over, get them, and make a run for it.

“What happened to it,
Madison
?”

“What?” She inched toward the curtain.

“The scar.”

“What scar?” Anna knew it was futile to pretend.

“The scar where Bobby bit you.”

“Bobby?” Anna imagined some guy sinking his teeth into her.

“Your grandma’s schnauzer.” Lucinda reached over and grasped Anna’s forearm. For a small girl, she had a tight grip. “Who are you? And what have you done to Madison?”

“I don’t know what you’re—”

“I know you’re not Madison.” Her dark eyes were penetrating. “Madison and I were best friends for seven years. You can’t fool me.”

“I just want to get dressed,” Anna said. “And leave.”

“You are going nowhere until you fess up.” Lucinda pulled her phone out. “Or else I’ll just call the police and that will—”

“No,” Anna said quickly. “Please do not do that.”

Lucinda held out her phone almost as if it were a weapon. “Tell me the truth—who are you?”

Through tears, Anna told Lucinda the whole unbelievable story.

“No way.” Lucinda paced back and forth, still waving her phone as if she planned to use it. “There is no way Madison would do something that crazy. I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true,” Anna pleaded. “I promise you it is true.”

Lucinda stopped pacing now. She came closer and peered into Anna’s eyes. “I suppose you don’t know that Madison Van Buren is a member of one of the wealthiest families in New York—in the world, for that matter.”

“I—I don’t know what you mean.” Anna shook her head. “I know she is rich. What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that between Madison’s mother’s family and her father’s family—we’re talking old money and a lot of it—they are worth more than a billion.”

Anna was trying to understand this. Was Lucinda suggesting that Anna was here to steal? “I have taken nothing,” she said. “Nothing that Madison didn’t tell me to use. That is all.” The truth was Anna had been quite frugal with Madison’s money and credit cards.

“How am I supposed to believe you aren’t part of some kidnapping crime ring? Maybe you’ve got Madison stashed off somewhere while you bilk her family for millions.”

Anna blinked. “What?”

Lucinda held up her phone again. “I’m calling my mom.”

“Please don’t.”

“Then prove to me you’re not a criminal, and that the insane story you told me is really true.” Lucinda was starting to dial.

“I have a message from Madison,” Anna said suddenly. “It’s on her phone.” Anna started to go back to get her purse, but Lucinda stopped her.

“I’ll get it,” Lucinda said. “You stay put.”

When Lucinda returned with Madison’s purse, she pulled out the Blackberry and turned it on, waiting as Anna told her the code numbers. It felt like an eternity as Anna waited for Lucinda to push the right buttons and listen. Finally she dropped the phone back into the purse and looked curiously at Anna. “That first message sounded like Madison. It also sounded like she wanted to switch places with you.”

“She did.” Anna nodded. “I wanted to switch with her also. But then, by the time we spoke on the phone together, Madison had changed her mind.” Anna shrugged. “I was very surprised. I still cannot believe she would want to stay with my aunt Rachel for a whole week. Even I did not want to stay with her.”

Lucinda’s features softened. “So, really, you’re telling the truth?”

“I promise you, I am.” She glanced toward the curtain. “I want to change my clothes now, please.”

“Go ahead.” Lucinda set Madison’s purse on a table and laughed. “Yeah, I knew something was fishy about you when I saw you wearing that outfit in the elevator the other day. Madison never dressed like that.”

“You said you liked it.” Anna carefully removed the bright-colored dress, trying not to get stuck with the pins.

“I did like it. You have a fun sense of style—especially for an Amish girl.”

“I would never dress like that at home. Never!” As Anna pulled on the trousers, she realized she would never dress like this either. So many things to feel guilty for.

“What’s your real name?”

“Anna Fisher.” As she buttoned her shirt, she explained about how she’d been looking for Jacob. “That is why Garret has been with me so much. He wanted to help me.”

Lucinda laughed. “Or wanted to help himself
to
you.”

Anna emerged from behind the curtain. “I can make him mind his manners.”

“Maybe so.”

“I am sorry, Lucinda.” Anna handed her back the bright dress. “I should not have promised you that Madison would wear your mother’s dress for the Fashion Fling.”

Lucinda rolled her eyes. “I should’ve known it was too good to be true.”

“Can I ask you something?”

Lucinda nodded as she hung the dress back up.

“Why are you and Madison no longer friends?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

Lucinda glanced up at the big wall clock. “Unfortunately, I do not. I’m supposed to meet my mother in half an hour. I’m going to be a designer someday too. I work with my mom, learning the ropes of the business.”

Anna nodded. “That is how it is in my community too. Children learn from their parents.” She ran her hand over one of the sleek sewing machines again. “Do these sew fast?”

“Fast enough.” Lucinda turned off the lights. “Do you sew?”