Uncovering Sadie's Secrets (24 page)

By the time the story was over, Kerrie’s dad was reassuring Sadie that she would probably be all right. It was nearly midnight now and the party was winding down. I still had a lot of questions, but they would have to wait for another day. Right now, I just wanted to go home and get some shut-eye.

Doug drove me home, only missing my street once. He even managed to stay in his lane most of the time.

At my door, he gave me the kind of heart-stopping good-bye kiss that a girl dreams about. He put his hands on either side of my face and drew me close and, well, you’ll excuse me if I keep some things private. When my diaries are published and I’m famous, you’ll know all.

Until then, suffice it to say that I was in a kind of dreamy mood when I went to bed that night.

Oh, and did I mention? Doug asked me to the Mistletoe Dance.

Epilogue

S
ADIE OR
Sarah as we came to know her, did okay. Kerrie’s dad managed to cut a deal for her. She wasn’t even charged with anything as long as she spilled her guts about Dwayne and Angelica, both of whom were extradited to California. (“Extradited,” by the way, means that Maryland sent the pair back to their home state for prosecution. It’s one of the many legal and criminal justice terms I am learning as I prepare for my new career.)

The nuns at St. John’s kept Sadie on but adjusted her schedule to suit her age. She left our lowly sophomore class and resumed school as a senior, taking a few lower-level classes the rest of the year to make up for what she’d missed when she’d dropped out of school.

The condo that Sadie had stayed in belonged to one of Dwayne and Angelica’s victims, who she knew was a convicted criminal already sent to prison.

Even though Sadie was “borrowing” the condo, she had still paid the rent. And by California standards, the rent didn’t seem out of line. She never bothered to buy furniture because she used all her money for school and food—just the basics. The insurance she’d received from her mother was a fifty-thousand dollar policy. Mr. Daniels insisted she bank what was left for college.

Kerrie’s parents took Sadie under their wing, which was a delight for Kerrie, who’d always wanted a sister. (It didn’t take long, though, before Kerrie realized siblings are as much a bother as a boon. But that’s another story.)

Sadie would stay with the Daniels the remainder of the school year, applying to colleges and working part-time in one of Mr. Daniels’ client’s businesses so she could make some extra money. She insisted on paying him for his legal help.

Because of her new schedule, I didn’t see Sadie much over the next month when all this stuff was sorted out. But whenever I did, she gave me a big smile, which went a long way toward making me feel better about the whole mess. I had a nagging sense that I had-n’t exactly handled it superbly.

I guess the moral of the story is a pretty simple one. It’s easy to gossip and raise your eyebrows about the tribulations of others. It’s far harder to roll up your sleeves and actually help out.

Hoping for the best but thinking the worst, we all like to snicker and guess when a friend looks headed for trouble. It would be better, though, to offer to solve those problems.

Such was the case with Sadie. I had known she had problems. And I’d wanted to think she was on the road out of whatever mess she was in. But at times I had thought the worst deep down—that she was into drugs or even prostitution.

In reality, she was running away from people who had exploited her. If I had been as tenacious in making her talk about it as I was in digging into her past, maybe she would have felt like she had a place to run to.

You see, I could have solved the Sadie mystery by being a little more insistent at the outset. From the way Sadie gave it all up in the Daniels’ study that night, I don’t think it would have taken much to get her to tell her story to us if we had persisted. Instead, we played Private Eye, which was risky, especially when the only “heat” you’re packing is of the sugar-coated variety.

So it’s less like a moral and more like an etiquette lesson. That is, it is preferable to ask one’s friends directly if they have a problem rather than resorting to spying on, and speculating about, them. Sometimes the more direct approach is the best.

Speaking of best, this all ended well for me, too. Doug and I are seeing each other. When I’m not at school, out with Kerrie or Sadie, or out with Doug, I’m helping my mom sew that green velvet dress for the Misteltoe Dance.

Trust me, it’s going to be a knock-out. The flapper costume will look like rags in comparison.

B
ecause this is my first work of published fiction, I would like to acknowledge a number of people who have helped me along the writer’s path:

My sister Mary Ann, who was the first person to suggest to me, during a period of “self-unemployment,” that I should consider doing what she knew I always wanted to do—write.

My cousin Paul and his wife Nancy, who have been unflagging cheerleaders throughout this endeavor.

My sister-in-law Leslie, another unfailing supporter.

Bruce, my editor, agent, and friend—a writer’s dream.

And finally, in addition to my daughter (to whom this book is dedicated), my two sons, who continually inspire me, and my husband Matthew, who steadfastly believed in me no matter how many rejection letters filled my files.

A
uthor Libby Sternberg is a freelance writer whose social and political commentary regularly airs on Vermont Public Radio.

Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, including
The Baltimore Sun, the Indianapolis Star, Insight,
and
The Weekly Standard.

She is the co-author of a book on healthcare, and was a finalist in several novel-writing contests in 2001 and 2002. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.

A Baltimore native, she now lives in Rutland, Vermont, is married, and has three children.

Uncovering Sadie's Secrets
is her first published novel.
Hector’s Hidden Talents
, the next installment of her Bianca Balducci mystery series, is due out in April 2004.