The Other Child

by Joanne Fluke

  “I guess he kind of reminds me of my lost youth,” Rob replied finally, folding his paper and placing it neatly in the magazine stand.

  “Did you get one?” It was midafternoon and Taffy was down by the river with Mary Ellen and Susie. “Mine came this morning.”

  “Sure, I got one.” Mary Ellen flopped down on her stomach to stare at the glistening water. “Every kid in town got one, I bet. I can go, too. My mother says it would be impolite to refuse.”

  “My dad said the same thing,” Susie offered, tossing a pebble halfheartedly at the shallow water. “Do you know if Gary and Bud got them?”

  “Everybody did,” Taffy answered importantly. “My dad helped them make out the guest list. Every single kid in town is invited. All the boys are coming and Dad says they’re bringing in all kinds of entertainment for us from the Cities.”

  “I don’t care!” Susie retorted, tossing her dark blond braids. “They can bring in a whole circus and it won’t change anything. I still think Leslie is stuck-up.”

  “I do, too.” Mary Ellen raised her eyebrows. “You can tell by those designer jeans she wears. My mom says Sears is good enough for anybody.”

  “She’s got a new outfit every time I see her.” Susie rolled her eyes and sighed. “And all she can ever talk about is her ballet lessons and how she went to the theater every day when she was living in Minneapolis. My mother says those Gucci shoes she wears cost over a hundred dollars!”

  “Who cares what they cost!” Taffy shrugged and stood up to go. “Let’s face it. Leslie’s just a weird kid. All she ever wants to do is talk about her important friends back in the Cities or take pictures with that dumb camera of hers. I wouldn’t play with her at all if my dad didn’t make me.”

  They had been working on the house for a solid month now and the restoration was coming along at a slow, steady pace. The kitchen was finished, dishwasher and modern conveniences hidden by clever rustic covers. The old pump was still in the corner and a pail hung on the handle, just as it had a hundred years ago. The modern sink was concealed by sliding panels, which doubled as counter space. When it was completed, it was an authentic old-fashioned kitchen, right down to the cast-iron “spiders” hanging on the wall.

  “Well, it’s a perfect day for it.” Karen flipped two eggs on a plate and handed them to Leslie. The stove looked old-fashioned, but it was a modern gas range. Karen loved cooking on it. “We ordered good weather for your birthday, kitten, and it looks like we got it.”

  Mike grinned. This year the third of July was clear and sunny, perfect for an outdoor party. “And just wait until you open our present.” He reached over to ruffle Leslie’s straight blond hair. “Remember now, honey—you can’t go near the cupola until after the party. That’s where we hid your present.”

  “This is going to be the best birthday party ever.” Karen dropped a quick kiss on Leslie’s head as she took her place at the kitchen table. “You just wait and see. Everything’s going to be absolutely perfect!”

  Leslie smiled, but the smile never quite reached her eyes. She was a little worried about her elaborately planned birthday party. She’d heard about the birthday parties they usually had here; lemonade and homemade cake in the backyard. Her birthday party was going to be much bigger and fancier than that. Would the other kids think she was trying to show off?

  “Hey—nothing but smiles on your birthday,” Mike chided her gently. “Come on, Leslie. Eat your breakfast and then you can help us get ready. We’ve got a lot of work to do before the party people get here.”

  By midmorning everything was ready. The trees in the yard were hung with banners and bunting in bright colors; balloons on strings bobbed above the spikes on the wrought-iron fence; and a huge soda-pop fountain was in readiness for the first arrivals. When it was switched on, the strawberry soda would bubble up in a spray to be caught in the guests’ cups. The ice cream cake waited in the freezer for the right moment, and gay party favors nestled in striped hats at the gate.

  The caterers were in the kitchen, preparing miniature hamburgers and tiny hot dogs on decorative platters. Leslie rushed past them and ran around the corner of the house to the rose garden. She wanted to pick one perfect rose for her mom. It would be a thoughtful way to say thank you for all the work she had done to get this party ready.

  She pushed her way carefully through the tangled vines. There was one red rose just opening on a tall bush in the middle of the garden.

  She snipped it off with the gardening shears and smiled happily. It was the prettiest rose she’d ever seen. The petals were still covered with morning dew and its fragrance made her feel dizzy with pleasure. She looked up and saw the cupola directly above her and her heart beat faster. This was the exact spot she’d seen the shadow. It was quiet and bright, the sunniest spot in the whole garden. Perhaps the perfect rose was a clue, a sort of signpost leading her to something.

  The key! Leslie drew her breath in sharply as she thought of it. She had looked for a week now with no success. Could it be here?

  Leslie pulled aside the tangled vines, carefully avoiding the sharp thorns. She gasped as she saw a flash of light near the stem of the rosebush.

  A gum wrapper. It was only an old gum wrapper. Leslie picked it up and stuffed it into her pocket. She was so bitterly disappointed that tears came to her eyes. She dug the toe of her Nikes into the dirt and kicked hard. Then she stopped, not quite believing what she had accidentally uncovered.

  It was still partially buried and Leslie pushed aside the dry leaves and raked mulch with her fingers. A moment later she had the key in her hand—the key from her dream!

  “I found it!” Leslie’s voice was almost a sob, she was so happy. “There really was a key and I found it!”

  Carefully she polished the key with her handkerchief. As she gazed down at it, her mind whirled in excited circles. It was her birthday present . . . from Christopher. Did that mean her dream was coming true? Would she meet him, now that she’d found the key? It could happen today. She could meet Christopher right here, at her own birthday party!

  Her excitement grew and Leslie laughed right out loud. Anything was possible. She’d found the key, hadn’t she? She had promised to look and she’d found it, right where he’d said.

  “Mom?” Leslie rushed through the doorway, banging the screen behind her. “Look what I found! It’s an old key! Can you help me find the lock it fits?”

  Karen took the key from Leslie’s hand and looked at it. “I think it belongs to a padlock,” she said, examining it closely. “I don’t believe we have anything padlocked, honey. Perhaps someone walking in the yard lost it.”

  “Maybe it’s a padlock we haven’t found yet.” Leslie’s voice was high and eager. “That could be it, couldn’t it, Mom?”

  “Well . . . it could be, I suppose.” Karen smiled a little. Leslie certainly was ecstatic over finding an old key. She couldn’t imagine why it was so important to her.

  “I can keep it, can’t I, Mom? Even if it doesn’t fit anything, I need to keep it. Please?”

  “Goodness, kitten! Of course you can keep it. I don’t need an old key for anything and neither does Mike. It’s all yours, honey.”

  “Thank you, Mom!” Leslie flung her arms around Karen’s neck and hugged hard. “I’m going to find a string and wear it around my neck. Then I’m going to check every lock around here and see if it fits something.”

  “First you’re going to bathe and get dressed.” Karen was firm. “Go get a piece of string from that drawer next to the sink and I’ll help you tie it around your neck if you must. But no looking for any old locks until after the birthday party.”

  Leslie looked pained, but she didn’t argue. At least her mom had said she could keep the key. That was something. And tomorrow she’d have all day to look for the lock. There was a smile on her face as she ran up the stairs to get ready for her party.

  When she was bathed and ready, Leslie slipped her birthday dress over her head. It was a spe
cial present from her mother and it made her happy just to look at the white dainty voile with hand-embroidered pink roses. There was an underskirt of pink, a deeper rose velvet ribbon for her hair, and a pair of matching pink satin shoes.

  The shoes were as soft as ballet slippers and Leslie smiled as she put them on. She wished she could take ballet lessons again, but there were no classes here. The kids in Cold Spring didn’t seem interested in ballet at all.

  Leslie did a pirouette around the room, humming a few bars from Swan Lake. She felt wonderful in her new dress and shoes. Perhaps this was going to be a good party after all.

  “Oh, kitten! You look lovely!” Karen stepped into her daughter’s room. Leslie was growing more beautiful every year.

  “I love this dress, Mom!” Leslie lifted her arms gracefully and grinned at her mother. “And these shoes! I just wish I could take ballet again.”

  “We’ll talk about that later, darling.” Karen frowned and a tiny worry line appeared on her forehead. She really wished that Leslie could continue with her dance lessons, but the round trip to the Cities five days a week would be impossible.

  “Sit down now, honey, and let me fix your hair,” Karen urged. “Only half an hour and your first guests will arrive.”

  At last her mother was finished and Leslie stood up, twirling in front of the mirror so her dainty white skirt swirled out in a bell. Maybe her mother was right and this was going to be the best birthday party ever. The Cold Spring kids might be pleased that Mike was spending all this money so everyone could have a good time. She pushed aside her nagging doubts and fixed a smile on her face. Of course all the kids would come, and they’d have a wonderful time. Then all the children in Cold Spring would change their minds about her and really like her, all because of this wonderful birthday party.

  “Wow! He’s good, isn’t he?” Mary Ellen stood in the front row, between Taffy and Susie. “I never saw a real live magician before!”

  “He’s got stuff up his sleeves,” Bud hissed in Mary Ellen’s ear. “Watch him. You can tell he’s a fake.”

  “I’ve seen better on TV,” Gary joined in. “And he’s doing tricks I must have seen a hundred times.”

  “Shut up, both of you!” Taffy turned around and glared at the two boys. “I’m trying to enjoy the show!”

  “Ahhhhhh!” There was a hushed cry from the audience as the magician drew a rabbit out of his tall silk hat. Scarves changed to fluttering doves and flowers sprouted from the tips of his fingers. Leslie glanced around happily. The kids seemed to be enjoying the magic show. The clown act and the magician had been big hits with almost everyone here. So far it was a great birthday party.

  “Time for another game!” Karen stepped up on the raised platform in the center of the lawn. “We’re going to play musical chairs now. Does everyone know how to play?”

  “Musical chairs?” Bud’s voice was high and scornful. “That’s a babies’ game!”

  “I haven’t played that since the second grade.” Gary shook his head. “Well . . . come on, Bud. Maybe we can liven it up a little.”

  Chairs were set up in rows at the side of the house. Karen took her place at the portable phonograph and blushed uncomfortably. She had heard Bud’s rude remark. Perhaps musical chairs was a little childish for this group, but the caterers had provided the chairs and it was an easy game to engineer. Musical chairs was a game she remembered from her own childhood.

  She faced the group of assembled children. “There are twenty-six of you and twenty-five chairs. Form a line and parade around the chairs until the music stops. Then grab a chair. If you don’t get a chair, you’re out. At the end of the game, only one person will be left and there’s a special prize. All set? Let’s go!”

  Leslie marched in a line with the rest of the children. She kept her eye on Bud Allen and Gary Wilson. They were whispering to each other about something and Leslie didn’t like the looks of it. She hoped they weren’t going to start any trouble. She didn’t trust either of them to act nice even at a party.

  The music stopped and pandemonium reigned for a moment. There was a burst of laughter as the kids scrambled for seats.

  “Ouch! Cut it out, Bud!” Susie gave a squeal as she landed on the grass. “That was my chair, you ape. You can’t pick it up when I’m already sitting in it!”

  “Let’s be careful, boys,” Karen cautioned, starting the music again. The strains of a Sousa march floated across the lawn and the children dutifully paraded around the row of chairs again. Susie was glowering on the sidelines and Leslie felt sorry for her. Bud had been playing much too rough.

  When the music stopped the second time, there was another scramble for seats, and this time Taffy was the victim.

  “You cheated!” She stamped her foot hard on the ground and made a face at Gary Wilson. “You tipped me right out of my chair! Look . . . you got dirt on my best dress!”

  “We’ll spot-clean it before you go home, honey.” Karen drew the angry redhead aside. Then she went over to Bud and Gary and took both smirking boys by the arms.

  “Please try to be careful, boys. This is supposed to be a game, not a battle.”

  “Sure enough, Mrs. Houston,” Bud replied, flashing her a grin. “Guess we just don’t know our own strength, huh, Gary?”

  Karen sighed and walked back to the phonograph. Even though the boys had seemed agreeable enough, she sensed trouble. She’d be sure to keep her eye on them this round.

  “Let’s get Leslie this time,” Bud whispered under his breath. “Don’t let anyone see you do it, though. We’ll pay her back for siccing Taffy on me that day at the vacant lot.”

  Another chair was removed and the music started again. Leslie glanced around for Bud and Gary, but she didn’t see them in the crowd. Maybe the warning her mother had given them had done some good. At least they wouldn’t dare pick on her with Mom and Mike right here.

  “Ouch!” Leslie gasped, tears springing quickly to her eyes. Someone had elbowed her in the back. A moment passed and another shove made her stumble. The kids were piling up at the end of the row chairs and she looked back to see Gary grinning at her. She was sure he was the one who had shoved her.

  Leslie walked a little faster, attempting to put several other kids between Gary and herself, but he followed just as fast. She was getting a little frightened now. Bud Allen was there, too, right behind Gary.

  Karen watched, but it was difficult to pick out Leslie in the crowd of laughing children. Perhaps her little talk with the boys had helped. They were apparently behaving themselves now.

  Karen looked away for a moment to switch off the music. That was when it happened. She heard Leslie’s sharp cry; and when she looked up, her daughter was facedown on the grass, the sleeve of her birthday dress ripped at the seam.

  “He pushed me!” Leslie accused, glaring at Bud. “Both of them did! Make them go home, Mike—they’re awful!”

  “That’s enough, Leslie!” Mike’s voice was sharper than he had intended, but he didn’t want Leslie to make a scene. There was a sudden stillness as all the children stopped talking and waited to see what would happen.

  “I’ll take care of it, Karen.” Mike helped Leslie to her feet. “You start a different game and I’ll see that Leslie gets cleaned up. Just go on playing, kids. Leslie’s not hurt.”

  With a hand on her shoulder, Mike hurried Leslie toward the house. He heard Karen’s voice explaining the next game and the children laughed as they started to play. He was embarrassed at the scene Leslie had made. The boys were a little too rough, but that was natural for boys their age. Leslie had acted as if they’d personally attacked her. Taffy and Susie hadn’t made that much of a fuss when they were pushed down.

  “Come on now, Leslie. It’s not that bad.” Mike shook his head as he opened the door for his stepdaughter. “Your mother can fix your dress and it was an accident.”

  “It was on purpose!” Leslie’s voice was stubborn. “I’m not going back out there until they leave!”<
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  “They’re guests, Leslie.” Mike’s voice was sharp. “It’s not polite to ask an invited guest to leave, you know that. You’ll never make any friends here if you do something like that!”

  As he spoke, Mike ushered Leslie up the stairs and into her room. He smoothed her hair and wiped a smudge of dirt from her cheek.

  “Now, put on another dress, honey.” He gave her a quick hug. “I know how you must feel, but you do have to go back to the party. You’re the birthday girl and you have an obligation to your guests.”

  Leslie’s mouth dropped open in surprise as Mike spoke. The Cold Spring kids were more important to him than she was. It made her feel as if they were choosing up sides, and Mike was on theirs.

  “Hurry up now, Leslie.” Mike’s voice was firm as he turned to leave. “We’re going to have lunch in a couple of minutes. After that you’ll cut the cake. Now, be a good sport and let everyone see you know how to act.”

  As the door closed behind Mike, Leslie drew a deep breath and dried her eyes. There was no use arguing. She’d have to go back to the party, but she didn’t have to like it.

  Scowling, Leslie dressed quickly in a silk blouse and a skirt. She glanced at her key on the dressing table and on an impulse dropped it into one of the deep pockets of her skirt. Maybe it would bring her luck. Somehow she had to get through the rest of this afternoon. If she didn’t go back out there with a smile on her face, Mike would be mad at her.

  Several children stared at her when she reappeared, but no one spoke to her. Leslie calmly watched the game, fixing her face into a proper smile. If Mike wanted her to be a good sport, she’d do it, but she’d get even with Bud and Gary somehow. Maybe it wouldn’t be today, but she’d never forget how mean they’d been.

  Leslie looked over to find that Bud and Gary were talking to Mike now—making up excuses, probably; she could tell from the relieved look on Mike’s face. All three of them headed her way. Leslie tried to duck into an opening in the crowd of children, but Mike put his hand on her arm.