Ghost of a Shadow Read online

  Frank waited for the water to stop. “Is there anything I can do to help, love?” After twelve years together, he didn’t need to hear her response to know the water hadn’t helped. Concern etched itself across her forehead in ever-deepening creases.

  “No, I’m okay,” she reassured him, tightening the belt around her terrycloth bathrobe. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s continue this conversation downstairs.”

  The door still had that squeak he needed to oil. It sounded louder than ever. He would fix it today, he decided. They walked outside, and Frank stood beside his wife as she took in the complete destruction of her carefully planned garden. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and waited for her to speak. All her hard work and pleasure in the results…gone overnight.

  In a barely audible monotone, she droned, “Frank, please ask Finn to come out here for a second.”

  “Are you sure, Marj? Are you up to confronting him right now?”

  “Yes, dear. I don’t believe it was him.”

  “But—”

  “Just wait. We’ll see soon enough.”

  Marj scanned the other houses in their neighborhood. Their garden wasn’t the only one vandalized. Mrs. Mulvaney’s prize begonias were strewn across the sidewalk, and Old Man Garfinkel’s rosebushes had been trampled.

  “Who would do such a thing, Frank?”

  Frank walked inside shaking his head. A few moments later, the front door squeaked again as he and Finn joined Marj in the front yard. He wore the face of innocence.

  “Finn, dear, do you know anything about what happened to my flowers?” Marj asked. “To our neighbors’ gardens? Did you see or hear anything during the night or morning?”

  “I don’t know anything about it. You don’t think I did this, do you?” Hurt crept into his voice, and a crop of tears filled his eyes.

  “I don’t, sweetheart. I just wanted to find out whether you knew anything about it. Maybe you saw something through your window. It does face the front after all.”

  Finn shrugged. “No. I just woke up.”

  Marj smiled at him and pulled him in for a warm hug.

  Frank looked on with a queasy feeling brewing in his stomach.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sure it’ll all get sorted soon.” Marj ruffled Finn’s hair and touched his cheek. “Go get ready for your Spanish tutor, and make sure you brush your teeth.”

  “Si, si,” Finn sang, and went inside, softly humming to himself.

  Frank wanted to apologize to Marj for accusing the boy, but a lingering doubt hung in his chest. He said nothing as he retrieved his paper and headed for the kitchen.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The Mist Rose Alone

  Sadie nearly tripped over Rufus. Oops, almost forgot to hide you.

  Once she had hidden Rufus, she went back to the window seat, all but ready to fall asleep.

  Some movement in the backyard caught her attention. Wispy clouds drew close and gathered together, low to the ground. Sadie looked to her neighbors on the left and right but didn’t see anything unusual in their yards. What started as a ball of fog stretched slowly, from bottom to top, thinner as it climbed. It swirled and spun as it drifted closer to the house. It never left her yard.

  Even as tired as she was, Sadie stared, unable to blink. Now she saw a distinct head and arms. What should have been legs was more like floating, formless mist on the bottom. Shape-changing fog. That’s a new one. The top half grew more defined, and Sadie leaned closer for a better look. “It can’t be!” She put her hand on the window. The cold of the glass shot up her arm and through the rest of her body.

  With a sharp breath of air, Sadie’s cry of “Gramma…” echoed in the room. I’m seeing things that just can’t be, she thought. But then the sweet scent of roses enveloped her.

  “Oh, Gramma, I miss you.”

  The apparition nodded. Then, as if its sole purpose were to wait for Sadie’s recognition, it blended into the night as if it never was.

  Sadie took another deep breath and sank down on the window seat, her eyes still searching the moonlit lawn. Goose bumps were the only remaining evidence that the apparition had been there at all. Relief mixed with sadness during every heartbeat. Why did Gramma Rose come here? Was she trying to tell me something? “Please come back!” she cried out. “I need to know more!”

  Head bobbing, Sadie gave in. She knew another sighting wasn’t going to happen tonight. Within seconds she fell asleep.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Just Journaling

  Marj replanted her garden without further incident. Though it never regained its springtime magnificence, it did earn an award from the local gardening club. Summer was quiet and filled with sprinklers and weekend trips to Tivern Lake. Finn’s home-school grades made Marj proud. He caught up and even surpassed his grade level. With autumn approaching, all seemed well, though Finn’s memories still hadn’t returned.

  Even though Marj saw the strained relationship between Frank and Finn, the boy proved himself trustworthy, and the warm, loving father she knew her husband could be returned.

  It was rare that Marj had the house to herself on a Saturday, but Frank had promised Finn a round of miniature golf and ice cream afterward. With the last few days of a Rocky Mountain summer upon them, she urged them to go have fun.

  Marj took the opportunity to catch up on chores. She folded a basket of Finn’s laundry and carried it upstairs to his room. She balanced it on her knee and turned Finn’s doorknob with her other hand. She looked around and smiled. She never once had seen a boy be so tidy with his room. Put that together with his stellar grades, and she couldn’t ask for more. She might try talking to Frank again about the adoption, later when they had some time alone.

  As Marj put away his clothing, she admired the awards Finn had won from their municipal chess club. Marj went to every practice and match. She was his most avid fan.

  The trophies were arranged on his shelves along with his prized mystery novels. All that remained to put away were his jeans. She tucked them in and closed the bottom drawer. That’s when she heard it: a clunk and a thud.

  What was that?

  She reopened the drawer. The clothing now slanted, she took it out and placed it on the bed. I’ll have to get Frank to fix this when he and Finn get home. She touched the raised side, and something slid.

  Hmm. She moved the bottom of the drawer back and forth until it broke free in her hands.

  “It’s fake!”

  Confused, she pulled up the fake bottom and immediately saw the lime-green journal underneath. At first she didn’t know what to do. Finn deserved his privacy as much as she would want hers. She went to put it back, but that little voice inside urged her to take a peek.

  As she turned page after page, her heart pounded in her chest. One tear and then another streamed down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop looking, her horror growing with each new entry.

  Amid violent drawings of what obviously represented Finn, red splashes adorned most of the pages and covered two prone bodies—one male, one female—lying at his feet, flowers strewn around them. What few words were written were like knife wounds to her heart.

  They will die!

  They must die!

  How long must I endure their nauseating presence?

  My day will come!

  Why won’t you speak to me?

  I’ve been waiting all these months for you to come back. Where are you?!

  Tell me when to do it already!

  The book dropped out of her hands as she followed it to the floor. The room spun, and she had no sense of time as she lay there.

  When she came around, she didn’t think. She acted.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  J’Accuse!

  Buzzzzzz!

  Ugh, morning already? Is it a school day? I think it is—crap! I thought a good night’s sleep and Gramma’s visit would help…but no. I’m not sure what I despise more: being home or being at school. There’s nothing for
me now. I’m just going through the motions. Thank goodness for my books, or I’d really be in trouble.

  Sadie moped to the bathroom. Not fully awake, she sleepwalked through her usual routine: brushing her teeth and quickly running a comb through her hair. At least her comb didn’t meet any resistance. Today’s date wormed its way into her consciousness: October eleventh. Two beats later and she realized it: not only had everyone else forgotten her birthday yesterday but so had she. That’s a lifetime first.

  Heading off to the kitchen, she glanced at the happy family photos that dotted the walls. What a crock. Are they ever going to take these lies off the walls? I don’t know why they keep them up there. It’s ridiculous.

  Sadie walked into the kitchen; no one was there to happily greet her with breakfast. What a shock. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten a cooked breakfast. Her father always left for work before sunup, and her mother rarely made an appearance from her room before Sadie had to leave for school. It was always the same. Mom still in bed…surprise, surprise. Crappy cereal and crappy orange juice with crappy pulp. Good morning, Sadie. Here’s your trifecta of crap. Doesn’t she care that I can’t stand pulp? Sadie retrieved the strainer from the drawer and poured the juice through it into her glass. She took a tentative sip. Relatively pulp free, she thought, carrying it to the table.

  She quickly ate, started to clean up, then stopped. She usually did her own dishes, but today she didn’t care.

  “Sorry, Mom,” she said, and tossed her bowl and spoon into the sink.

  I know you’re going to be pissed when you finally wake up and see the messy kitchen, but I really don’t care how you feel. You forgot my freakin’ birthday—how could you?

  Sadie caught the reflection of her sour face in the window. I don’t think even I want to be around myself today. She tried on a smile, but it only lasted a few seconds. She didn’t have anything to smile about. She had betrayed herself just like everyone else.

  I am not going to play this smiley game. If it’s time to drag myself through another dreadful week, then I’ll do it, but I don’t have to be happy about it. How did Monday get here so fast?

  Her walk to school was uneventful. Growing more miserable with every step, she looked down at the gray sidewalk under her feet and counted the cracks. Although she heard birds chirping in the trees, she wasn’t able to appreciate them. Head down, she kept plodding forward.

  As she got closer to school, she heard the bell ring. Oh, well, I guess I’m late. Big deal. I’ll add this next pink slip to the pile of them in my locker.

  Sadie shuffled up the steps, took her time turning the combination to her locker, then trudged down an empty hallway toward her first class.

  “Come on, Sadie. Have a seat. I need to get started and can’t wait for whenever you decide to grace us with your presence,” said Mr. Blanc, her homeroom teacher.

  She mumbled an incoherent apology and slid into her seat. Then she pulled out her notebook and started doodling, a daily ritual. She knew she could always catch up with her schoolwork on her own. She would read the night before her tests and still get A’s. She did her homework during lunch and study hall. It was the only reason she wasn’t in trouble at school.

  After lunch was gym class. Could they have picked a worse time for gym? Here—eat food then go run around outside. How many kids have to throw up on the blacktop before they figure this out? Eat and run, tons o’ fun.

  As Sadie’s classmates headed out, she had no desire or energy to keep up with them. She waited until they had crossed the first set of basketball courts, and then she took the shortcut to the sprawling, green soccer fields. After that she turned right and followed the yellow line that circled the entire blacktop.

  Ten minutes later, she finally joined her classmates.

  “Where were you, Myers?” asked her gym teacher, Mr. Wagner.

  “I…I was cold so I went back to my locker to get my jacket.”

  “You aren’t allowed to just take off without permission.”

  Everyone gathered around.

  Can’t they just mind their own business? “I’m sorry, Mr. Wagner. It won’t happen again.”

  “It had better not, Myers.” He blew the bright-silver whistle around his neck. “You can thank your fellow classmate for this one, girls. Give me two laps around the field everyone.”

  “Seriously? Do we have to? Come on!” groaned her classmates.

  “You know the answer! Get moving!”

  “Nice going, Sadie,” Cathy Sanders shouted in her ear.

  Sadie made a face and started to run, her school-lunch tacos grumbling miserably in her stomach.

  Twenty minutes later, Mr. Wagner blew his whistle a second time, ordering everyone back to their lockers.

  Sadie, still panting from her run, changed back into her regular clothes and hurried to her English class. They don’t even give us enough time to get cleaned up after gym. We smell like a zoo.

  She plunked into her seat and rummaged around in her bag, pulling out a pen.

  “Where is it?” shouted Kylie Robinson.

  Kylie wore a floral shift dress with a cropped cardigan sweater. The blooms on its pattern complemented the caramel shade of her perfect skin. Petite, she had striking amber eyes now full of tears, ready to fall.

  “Where’s what?” asked Kenny Barker. Kenny, perpetually sunburned, had red hair and piercing green eyes. He hovered over Kylie’s desk.

  “My monarch butterfly pin. It’s missing! I set it on my desk while I put my sweater on the back of my chair. How could it just disappear? It was only a few seconds. Oh, no! My mother gave it to me. I can’t believe it’s gone.”

  Kylie wore that pin every day. Pink jewels sparkled on baby-blue wings, and it was as light as a leaf.

  Kylie put her head on her desk and started to cry. She was popular, so no one made fun of her. “Oh, Kylie, don’t cry. We’ll help you find it,” assured Kenny.

  Sadie stayed in her seat while everyone looked around; it wasn’t long before people noticed.

  “Why aren’t you helping us, Sadie? Is it because you have it?” Kenny accused her.

  Sadie pulled her shoulders forward and frowned. “Why would I take it?”

  Alex Chen pointed at her. “I saw you do it.” He had jet-black hair, shaved close to his head, and cinnamon-brown eyes.

  “How did you see me, Alex?”

  “I looked over at Kylie and saw you take it.”

  Sadie glowered at him. “I was busy getting ready for class. I don’t know how you have time to see what everyone else is doing.”

  “You sit right next to her. It has to be you!” roared Kenny.

  Some other kids nodded, and the circle around Sadie grew tighter.

  “Leave me alone.” She folded her arms and sunk down in her seat, avoiding all eye contact. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

  “We’re going to keep our eyes on you, Myers,” Kenny informed her. “You won’t get away with this.”

  Sadie picked up her pen, waving it in front of her eyes until its line became blurry. It helped her ignore them.

  Kenny glared at her. “Just wait until Dave finds out.”

  The meanest kid in her year, Dave Jablonsky, was out sick. He probably would have held her down and had the other kids search her. The thought of him getting involved made her sick to her stomach. As if in response, it started gurgling. One loud one seemed to go on forever, and she wondered whether anyone else could hear it.

  “What’s all this?” a voice asked, punctuating the question with a pile of books hitting the front desk. Her English teacher, Ms. Argello, had come in without anyone realizing it. The crowd quickly backed off and sat down.

  A few minutes later, Sadie stole a glance at Kenny. He made a motion with his hands, pointing at his eyes, then at her. He mouthed the words, “I’m watching you.” Sadie shook her head and turned back around in her seat. She kept her eyes on her notebook for the rest of the class.

  Eve
n without knowing what had transpired, Ms. Argello somehow knew not to call on her.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  You Screwed up, Kiddo

  Finn waited in silence, hands cuffed behind his back. He sat on a curved, hard-plastic chair that made it impossible to get comfortable due to its awkward shape and unyielding construction. He longed to be elsewhere.

  Why am I here? he wondered.

  The room was empty but for the lingering cigarette smoke. Tendrils of tobacco burned his nostrils. The police officers had intimidated him, but he’d succeeded in shutting them down. Frustrated, they’d finally left him.

  Finn was self-amusing, running revenge scenarios through his mind one by one. First he would kill this chair, which ate into his spine with relentless fury. He had no idea what was going on or why he was here. No one told him anything.

  Where are those Reids? Supposedly they care about me…whatever that means. They’re always going on about it. Though he watched and waited, they never showed.

  Last he knew, he and Frank were having “fun” together. What went wrong? I had it down to a tee. Something or someone got in my way, and when I find out who it was, it’ll be dark days for them.

  How did THAT turn into THIS? Finn took a mental tour through the events of the day, putting remembered pieces of experience into place.

  Finn and Frank had laughed and joked as they’d driven home after a “father and son” outing. Ice cream cones in hand, they had turned onto their street.

  Finn had sat up straighter when he noticed the flashing lights ahead.

  “I wonder what’s going on down there?” asked Frank. “I hope everyone’s okay. Wait! Are they in front of our house?”

  Finn watched as Frank’s hands shook, followed by the rest of him. Frank’s cone fell into his lap, which amused Finn. The car screeched to a halt, and Frank ran out, driver’s door still open. Finn saw what was going on. It was hard to hear, so he got out and stood next to the car.

  Two policemen guarded the front door, blocking Frank’s way, while two others moved quickly toward the car…and Finn.