Maggie Undercover (9 page)

She recognized the lie. She'd sensed his
unwanted interest in her, seen him react. But it was all an act on
her part. And even if he did feel something for her, when he
discovered the truth, her deception would kill any chance of a
relationship.

"When did you get so cynical?" Daniel
asked.

"I've always been cynical. You've just
refused to see it. Being a softy like you isn't going to get me
what I want."

"And what it is you want, Mad Maggie?"

She couldn't stop the images he question
stirred – a man like Jared, a daughter like Alexandra – even the
dog.

Was she losing her mind? Or worse – her sense
of self?

~~~~~

CHAPTER SEVEN

Halloween day dawned bright, clear and mild.
The mood at school was one of high-spirited anticipation. Though
not every student or teacher chose to wear a costume, ghosts,
goblins, robots, and rock stars look-alikes roamed the halls.

Maggie's wicked fairy costume fit her mood –
frustrated and ready to cast evil spells. The investigation was
going nowhere. None of her digging had turned up anything on the
computer club members. Whoever was responsible for the hacking had
gone dormant. Did they suspect they were being scrutinized? Or just
moved on to an easier target?

To help catch the hacker, Reed Software
hadn't closed him off, but they'd moved all critical operations out
of harm's way. It was Daniel's job inside the company to make sure
the hacker did no more damage and got no further information on the
company's latest project.

Reed Software pockets were deep, but they
expected value for their money. If something didn't give soon,
Daniel would end the operation. Reed Software would plug the holes
in their security system and move on. Before that happened Maggie
was determined to find the hacker. By doing so she'd make her
reputation in the industry and prove to Daniel and herself that she
was ready to branch out on her own. She just wasn't sure anymore
how to accomplish her goal.

"Hey, Maggie," Bradley Morrison called.

She turned to meet the gangly boy trotting
down the hall toward her. One of the youngest members of the
computer club, skinny, with round spectacles that gave him an
owlish appearance, he was the stereotypical computer geek and after
Jared Blake Maggie's second most likely suspect. But so far her
investigation showed him to be just what he looked like, a shy
sophomore boy more comfortable with bits and bytes than flesh and
blood people.

The fact that he had worked up the nerve to
call her name in public surprised her. Usually, unless talking
about a computer program, he communicated in mumbles and
grunts.

"Hi, Bradley. What's up?" She liked this boy.
He reminded her of her own difficult teenage years when she
struggled to fit in and never quite did.

He skidded to a stop in front of her. Several
students gave them surprised looks but moved on at Maggie's
glare.

"Well, um, I thought that, well, you know,
ah, it's Halloween and I thought, ah, that well maybe, um, you'd
want to, you know, go out with me. To Trick or Treat."

Maggie's mouth dropped open that this awkward
fifteen-year-old boy, a boy almost young enough to be her son, had
the courage to ask her out.

"I can't. I already have plans. I'm going
with Mr. Blake and his daughter," she blurted.

Color reddened his face. Just before he
ducked his head his eyes narrowed changing his appearance from an
eager puppy to a vicious pit bull. "That's okay. You and Mr. Blake
are getting chummy lately. I understand." He didn't sound
understanding. He sounded angry

Before she could say anything else, he turned
and hurried off.

"Damn," she swore under her breath. She'd
blown that. The male ego, especially the teenage male ego was
fragile.

The bell rang and she moved into her last
class for the day, Algebra. Distracted by her thoughts she let the
laughter and conversation roll over her unheard until she was
settled in her seat. Another bell rang and she looked up. Her mouth
dropped open again.

Jared Blake stood at the front of the
classroom wearing a costume straight out of Sleeping Beauty. Tan
tights covered his thighs like a second skin. Over a deep green
turtleneck he wore a tan, sleeveless, thigh-length vest. A wide,
black belt emphasized his lean waist and muscular chest. Black
boots rose to his knees. Fastened at his throat, a bright red cape
was flung back over his shoulders. All that was missing was a sword
and shield.

Muffled male laughter and whispered feminine
appreciation rang throughout the room. Try as she did to
concentrate on Algebraic equations, the rest of the period passed
in a blur.

At the end of class she gathered up her
things and tried to slip out.

"A moment please, Ms. McCade."

Reluctantly, Maggie waited as the rest of the
class filed out then turned to Jared. "Prince Phillip I
presume?"

His cheeks darkened. "Alexandra insisted. She
wouldn't let me out of the house this morning without this get
up."

"You look cute."

Jared groaned. "Cute?" Dressed in a
voluminous black robe as the evil fairy, Millificent from the
Sleeping Beauty tale, she looked adorable. Though she wore a cheap
black wig some of her own hair had escaped. Against the ratty rayon
hanks the blonde strands glowed like spun gold.

"Not handsome?"

"Okay, handsome." Her eyes sparkled in
amusement.

He bit his tongue and looked down at the
papers on his desk.

Where had that come from? He couldn't afford
even harmless teasing with a student. For the last few weeks he'd
fought to keep Maggie McCade at a proper distance, but she'd
managed to insinuate herself into his life. In his class and the
computer club she behaved like most any other student. Outside of
school, while they worked on the sets for Alexandra's play, the
dynamics shifted. She treated him as an equal and demanded the same
in turn. The barrier that existed between teacher and student
dissolved. Why?

For his and her protection he had to rebuild
the wall between them. But construction would have to wait until
after Halloween. He couldn't disappoint his daughter. How was he
going to explain to her why Maggie didn't come around anymore?

Maggie perched on the edge of his desk. "Is
Alexandra eager to go Trick or Treating? I know I am. I'm a real
sucker for candy, especially chocolate."

"Trick or Treating is from four until six."
He didn't mention the community-sponsored party in the town square
afterwards.

"Okay, I'll be over about ten to four. Do you
have flashlights? It's going to be dark before we're finished."

Her maturity showed in the little things.

***

Alexandra scowled when she opened the door to
Maggie's knock. "I thought you'd be one of the good fairies, Flora,
Fauna or Merryweather, not mean old Millicifent."

Samson trotted over, sniffed her feet then
plopped down and waited to be petted. Maggie gave him an absent pat
before kneeling next to Alexandra. "I'm sorry. You didn't say
anything and I had this material so I decided to be Millicifent.
Besides I'm too big to be one of the good fairies."

"I'm little. Maybe I should be one of the
fairies." The words came out reluctantly at first. Then she cast a
sly look at her father.

What was the little minx thinking?

"Then you could be Princess Aurora for
Daddy's Prince Phillip. He's too tall to be my real prince. It
looks funny when he has to bend over all the time. You and Daddy
fit together better." Alexandra flashed them a big grin.

Maggie's startled look reflected Jared's
shock. Out of the mouths of babes. Did Alexandra see the sizzle
that flared whenever he and Ms. McCade were together? Was it
visible to anyone else? Jared's imagination showed him how well he
and Ms. McCade would fit together. Heat rushed through him. He
squashed that line of thought. His Prince Phillip costume left him
little room to let his imagination play.

"But Alex, you are Princess Aurora both for
Halloween and the school play," Maggie said. "You already have a
costume. Besides, how can there be a happily ever after if there's
no wicked fairy for the prince to defeat?"

"Oh, all right." Her tone was half
disappointed, half relieved. "But my name's Alexandra, not
Alex."

"And it's a beautiful name, very elegant and
sophisticated, but everyone needs a nickname, too. My real name is
Madeline Margaret. But all my friends call me Maggie."

"Mad Maggie," Jared said under his
breath.

If she truly were Millicifent, Maggie's glare
would have incinerated him.

"If you don't like Alex pick out your own
nickname, before someone else does it for you."

"Well, I don't know. Grandmother and
Grandfather and Mother never called me anything except Alexandra."
She looked up at him. A concerned frown made her appear older than
her nine years. "What do you think, Daddy? Do you like Alex for my
nickname?"

"What's in a name? A rose by any other name
would smell as sweet," he quoted. At Alex's confused look, he said,
"I think it's a great name." He held his breath. For the last few
weeks he'd seen a different child emerging from the brittle shell
his ex-wife and her parents had encased Alexandra - Alex in. Taking
a nickname would signal her acceptance of her new life.

"Lisa's real name is Elizabeth and Bobby's is
Robert." She appeared to be considering her options. A smile erased
her frown. "I like it."

"Good. Alex it is." Maggie stood up and
headed toward the door. "Now let's get this show on the road. I've
got a taste for some chocolate."

"Don't forget you have to let Daddy check
your candy before you can eat it."

"Huh?"

"In case someone's temp-trap-put something
bad in it."

"I told you that an adult had to check the
children's candy," he said. "Ms. McCade can check her own."

"Does that mean Maggie's an adult not a
kid?"

Before he could find an answer to her
provocative question, Alex picked up her pillowcase and led the way
out. He caught just a glimpse of what looked like a smug grin on
her face.

Maggie, Ms. McCade - he had to remember to
retain the barrier between them – gave him a quizzical look. He
shrugged. Though hardly a child, she wasn't an adult.

Witches, cowboys, lions, and all manner of
creatures great and small roamed the streets. Like the brightly
colored leaves littering the ground they blew to and fro, laughing
and yelling. Parents struggled to keep pace with their small
whirlwinds, shouting warnings not to dart across the street, to say
thank you and not run too far ahead or get out of sight.

Jared and Maggie walked in companionable
silence behind Alex as she went from door to door begging. Friends
and neighbors greeted them as they moved through town. Despite his
misgivings no one said or did anything to indicate they thought it
odd he was with one of his students.

The weather remained mild, but as the sun
started to set a breeze blew up.

Jared saw Maggie's shiver "You need to dress
for the weather. This is Illinois, not L.A."

"It can get chilly in L.A., too. Besides
what's the point of wearing a great costume if you're going to hide
it under a coat?"

To emphasize her point she opened the black
satin robe to reveal the skintight black leotard she wore beneath.
The material left nothing to a man's imagination. It molded itself
to her body revealing every curve, dip and hollow.

His body went taut and he was thankful for
the cold air blowing over him.

The same wind plucked the robe from her
fingers and set it to fluttering out behind her.

"Yikes! That bites." She snatched the thin
robe against her body and hugged herself to ward off the chill.

He draped his cape over her shoulders.

"Mmm. Thanks – again." She burrowed into the
red velveteen and peeked out at him. "So, who did you get to make
your costume?"

"I found it in the attic. Or Alex found it
when we went exploring. The house has been in the family for a
couple generations and since we seem to be a family of pack rats,
the attic is a child's treasure trove."

"Is there anything up there we could use for
the play?"

"Probably. I'll have to check."

"I can help."

"There's no need. I can handle it."

"No problem. Mrs. Radisson is in charge of
props. She gave me a list of what she needs. I'll drop it by
tomorrow night after cheerleading practice."

Again she'd found a way into his life. He
tried to come up with an excuse to put her off, but his mind went
blank.

The sky grew darker. Beams of yellow light
bobbed up and down as children made their way from house to house.
Ahead of them, Alex's costume glittered, the tiny sequins
reflecting the light as streetlights flickered on.

"It must have been great growing up in that
old house. Lots of places to hide and pretend."

Distracted by the vivid memories flashing in
his mind, he spoke without thinking, "I remember my sister,
brothers and I playing up in the attic for hours."

"How many brothers and sisters do you
have?"

"Three brothers and one sister. At
twenty-four she's the baby of the family. The five of us are each
two years apart. My mother was and is an amazing lady. She handled
the stress of raising five children without seeming to sweat. Dad's
no slouch either. I'm the oldest."

"What kind of games did you play?"

"The usual. Cowboys and Indians. Pirates. My
poor sister always got cast as the damsel in distress and my
brothers and I took turns rescuing her - when we weren't tormenting
her."

"It must have been fun growing up in a large
family. I'm an only child." She sounded wistful and envious.