Fatal Deduction (16 page)

They looked at each other, then scrambled to clarify their lie.

“Mine’s like a rose pink,” Jenna said. “And hers—”

“Yeah, hers is rose pink, and mine’s royal blue. They let us pick our favorite colors.”

Drew knew that Jenna’s lie grew out of a world of hurt caused
by Ruthie’s indifference. He couldn’t jump on the girl in front of everyone.
But what do I do, Lord?

He dared a glance at Libby, who stood frozen, blue eyes wide. Then she gave a slight shake and stepped forward with her hand extended to Ruthie.

“I’m Libby Keating. I’m so sorry for your loss, Ruth.”

For a minute Ruthie seemed confused. “Libby?” Then her face collapsed and two tears rolled down her cheeks. “Mick!” She did look bereaved, and Drew, idiot that he was, felt bad for her.

“Why don’t you take her home, Drew?” Libby stepped close and laid her hand on his arm. “Let her lie down.”

He nodded. What else could he do?

Libby moved to Jenna, who looked shocky. She probably couldn’t believe what she’d said. Drew’s heart broke for her. Ruthie still hadn’t said a word, not even hello, to her.

Libby put her arm around Jenna’s shoulders. “Why don’t you come home with us, honey? Let your mom rest. Then maybe you can talk with her.”

Jenna nodded gratefully, and Drew thought he’d never be able to repay the debt of kindness Libby had just given his child.

“Go on, girls.” Libby shooed Jenna and Chloe toward her house. They took off running. Then she turned back to Drew. “I’ll see you this evening, sweetheart.” She said the last with a smirk and a smile, though how she actually managed both at the same time was a mystery.

He grinned at her. “Right, love.” And arm about Ruthie’s waist, he led his ex away. When they reached the house, he took her to the spare room so she could rest.

No way was he letting her near his bedroom ever again.

I found Chloe and Jenna in Chloe’s room, huddled on the bed, Princess sitting beside them with a worried expression on her face. Jenna had been crying, and Chloe had an arm around her shoulder. Both faces reflected fear, uncertainty, and defiance. The only things missing were a Solidarity poster and raised fists.

I leaned against the doorjamb, wondering where to begin, wishing I had just a bit of Solomon’s legendary wisdom. Ruthie was a much bigger issue than the spontaneous lie about Drew and me.

“You doing okay, Jenna?” I asked.

In answer, her face crumbled and she began sobbing.

Princess whined, unhappy at the loud weeping.

“Mom!” Chloe glared at me. “Sheesh!”

Okay, stupid question. I walked to the bed, sat on the edge, and put a hand on Jenna’s heaving shoulder. Princess immediately climbed onto my lap, leaning against me for comfort, her eyes on Jenna.

“I’m so sorry you were hurt, Jenna honey.” I bit back the automatic
“But I’m sure it’ll be all right”
that seemed a natural follow-up to the
“I’m sorry.”
It wouldn’t be all right. I thought of a pastor friend who’d said that he disapproved of divorce not just for scriptural reasons but because of the sociological upheavals resulting from split families.

“And it’s always the kids who suffer most,”
he’d said.

Proof of his assertion drooped with misery on Chloe’s bed.

I opened my mouth to say some inane thing like, “Well, we love you, Jenna,” when she burst out, “I hate her!” The vehemence of her declaration was undercut considerably by the pain in her wobbly voice and the tears streaming down her face.

“Shh, honey. That’s your hurt feelings talking. You don’t hate her.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. Stupid parent comment number two.

Jenna sniffed and wiped at her tears. “I wish I did. It’d be easier.” And fresh moisture slid down her cheeks.

This was exactly the kind of pain I was trying to save Chloe by not telling her about Eddie. He would hurt her like this, I knew it, maybe even worse, with his indifference and false charm and sharp tongue.

I sighed and ran a hand over the quaking Princess. “I know about moms who aren’t there for you, Jenna. And I know it hurts like nothing else.”

Jenna looked at me skeptically.

“She knows what she’s talking about,” Chloe said. “Mom-Mom and Great-Nan—that’s my great-grandmother—are very self-absorbed.”

That was a nice way of putting it.

“They love me,” she continued, “but they sort of ignore Mom.”

Jenna frowned. “But moms are supposed to love you.”

“They are,” I agreed. “But some never seem to get that message.”

We were silent for a minute, thinking about that sad fact. Princess climbed off my lap and made her way to Jenna, putting a small paw on her leg in an offer of sympathy. Jenna pulled the dog in for a hug, burying her face in the fluffy topknot, knocking the pink bow more askew.

“Well, at least you know who your mother is,” Chloe said. “I have no idea who my father is.”

Though I knew her comment wasn’t aimed at me but intended as a comfort to Jenna, I felt as if I’d been punched in the chest.

“I mean, I could meet him and never even realize it. Now that’s megaweird.”

Jenna looked at Chloe with something like pity. “That is weird.”

“Yeah,” Chloe said. “So you’re a step ahead. You know.”

“A lot of good it does me.” Jenna sounded bitter. “What kind of a mom doesn’t even say hello when her kid is standing right next to her?”

I pushed Jenna’s hair back from her damp face. “A very blind mom not to realize what a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent young woman you are.”

Chloe gave me a small smile, and I realized I had finally said the right thing.
Thank You, Lord!

I leaned over and kissed first Chloe on the cheek, then Jenna. I stood, thinking I’d better leave on a high note.

“Chlo, take Jenna to the bathroom so she can wash her face. Then come on down and we’ll have some chocolate marshmallow ice cream in the backyard.”

We could talk at a later time about my impending marriage to a man I’d met three days ago.

T
HE GIRLS CAME DOWNSTAIRS
late in the afternoon. I was checking things on eBay, pleased that the pair of buyers who wanted the sunglasses were still duking it out, especially since I had another twenty-five pairs I would post in a couple of weeks. I had to wonder, though, why anyone besides a seller like me wanted twenty-five pairs of cat’s-eye sunglasses. Maybe these people were sellers too with stores where they would sell the glasses one pair at a time for a nice profit.

I was vaguely aware of the girls pulling Oreos from the cupboard and sweetened iced tea from the fridge. I exited eBay. “Pour me a glass, will you, Chloe?”

The glass she handed me was blown so thin it was a wonder it didn’t break when I held it, dumping tea all over me and the floor.

Chloe pulled at least a half dozen Oreos from the pack. She held them out to Jenna, who took only two. Nice to see a non-grabby kid. Jenna’s eyes were still puffy, but she looked more under control than
she had a couple of hours ago. The cookies ought to give her a good jolt of sugar, making her feel even better.

“Jenna’s going to spend the night with me, Mom. Okay?” Chloe twisted the top off the sandwich cookie and began licking the filling.

I wasn’t surprised that Jenna didn’t want to go home, what with Ruthie in residence, but I had no idea how Drew felt about her continuing absence.

“If her father says it’s okay.” I smiled at Jenna, then stiffened. Pinned to her knit top over her right shoulder was a stylized dog with diamond chips for its tail and marquise-cut sapphires for its eyes.

“Jenna! Where did you get that pin?”

I must have barked because she jumped and put her hand over it. She looked at me uncertainly. “Chloe gave it to me.”

“Chloe?” By now I was on my feet, hands on hips. I was appalled that the girls had gone into my room and picked through the shoe-box of jewelry.

Chloe looked at me, clearly not understanding my anger. “Easy, Mom. Aunt Tori gave it to me.”

It was like a slap across the face. “Aunt Tori?”

Chloe nodded. “Did you know she keeps her jewelry in a shoe-box? I mean, how weird is that?”

I raced up the stairs and into my bedroom, Princess hard on my heels, barking in excitement since running through the house was not my normal style. I’d left the precious box on my bureau, but it was no longer there. I thought back to when I’d changed into cropped pants after church, but I couldn’t remember whether the box had been here or not.

I ran to Tori’s room, aware of Chloe and Jenna watching me from the top of the stairs with uncertain expressions. There on my
sister’s unmade bed sat my box, its many little boxes strewn about the bed linens.

Anger bubbled up. How could she! And what did she take besides the dog pin?

I stalked to the bed and began opening each box, lifting the little pieces of cotton batting protecting the pins and brooches. Princess jumped up and studied each box with me, ears pricked. There were two empty boxes. The dog Jenna was wearing belonged in one. I thought through the inventory and realized Tori’d taken the pin with the large diamond in the center and two circles of chips surrounding it. Thirty-two hundred dollars, give or take a few bucks.

My twin sister had stolen from me.

I sank onto the bed, feeling betrayed once again and surprised at how much it hurt. You’d think I’d have grown armor plating after so many years and so many offenses. So what if she thought the pin was costume jewelry and didn’t realize its value? This wasn’t like a teenage girl taking her sister’s favorite sweater. This was one adult purposely going into another adult’s room and searching for something to filch. I glanced around this room at all Tori’s wonderful, expensive things, knowing these were only the things she had here. What wonders were still back at her suite at the SeaSide? Why take from me when she had all this and more?

“What’s the matter, Mom?” Chloe asked from the doorway. She and Jenna were staring at me, unsure what was wrong but knowing I was truly upset.

I took a deep breath, trying to think how to explain without making Tori sound as wicked as she was. Princess lay pressed against my leg, looking at me with concerned eyes. I petted her absently, glad for her comfort.

“This jewelry is mine, not Tori’s.”

“Yours?” Chloe walked into the room, Jenna on her tail. “How come I never saw it before?”

“Because I got it yesterday at the estate sale.”

As I spoke, Jenna reached up and took off the little dog. She held it out to me. “We didn’t know.”

I managed a small smile for her. “I know. I’m not upset at you, either of you.” Of course I’d be happy to strangle Tori. “I’d let you keep the little thing except it’s got a value of about three thousand dollars.”

Both girls blinked and stared at the dog in astonishment.

“Those are marquise-cut sapphires,” I explained. “And those are real diamonds.”

“Really?” Chloe was fascinated now that she knew I wasn’t upset with her or Jenna. “Can we see the rest of the stuff?”

We spent an absorbing hour studying the jewelry and trying to come up with the best descriptions of the pieces for when Madge and I sold them with Sam Pierce’s help. One positive thing Tori’s theft accomplished was taking Jenna’s mind off Ruthie for a while. When Drew came for us, she was pretty nearly her usual, perky self.

We arrived at Citizens Bank Park and found our way to our seats about midway up the stands. Chloe’s reaction to being at the Phillies game was the same one I’d had the first time I attended a game.

“They’re so small!” She pointed to the little men out on the field. Courtesy of games on television, she was used to the men looking large as they filled the screen. She was also used to the cameras following the ball. When the first batter hit a long fly and it disappeared against the backdrop of people sitting opposite us, she jumped to her feet. “Where did it go?”

She and Jenna became bored halfway through the third inning. Drew bought us all hot dogs and sodas, and both girls seemed content for another inning. Drew, in the meantime, proved to be an ardent, knowledgeable, and very noisy fan. He encouraged the players on both teams by name, applauded for all the good plays, but saved his really raucous cheers for the Phillies.