“Then why am I here?” I ask. I can’t believe I’m standing up to Halli’s father—he’s one of the scariest men I’ve ever met, even if he does look like my own dad. But I can’t let him intimidate me. I can’t let him do something Halli might regret forever.
And if Mrs. Scott is against it, it has to be wrong. Out of all the people in this room, she’s the only one it seems like I can trust.
Her and Jake. And he’s not saying anything. I caught his eye just now, but I can’t tell anything from his expression—not whether I’m doing the right thing or the wrong thing. I just have to go with my gut.
“I call for a vote,” Halli’s father says. “And you, young lady, can leave.”
24
It could be my ticket out.
I could storm out of this room right now, ask Lyman to arrange for the ferry, ask him to find Halli’s parents’ pilot, too, so I can fly back home tonight.
My priority is finding Halli, not fighting with her parents over whatever it is they want to do with their stupid company.
But flying back to Halli’s house won’t really get me where I need to be. There’s nothing there for me right now except solitude and space to think.
And a day ago, I would have thought both of those were the most precious things in the world. But now I know differently.
Because I’m not ready to think yet—not without more facts. This is a physics problem, and you can’t solve those with only part of the information. I need to understand the whole picture. And for that I need more facts.
I know where to find them. And that’s not at Halli’s house.
“I’m sorry,” I tell Halli’s father. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”
“About . . . what?” her mother asks. She glances at Halli’s father. Both of them look worried.
“I’ve completely neglected this company,” I say. “You’re right—Ginny and I have been busy all these years—too busy to stop and pay attention to what you were doing. But that’s changed now. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I’m willing to take the time now to learn all about what you’re doing. I bet it’s really great.”
I stop talking and hold my breath. And study Halli’s parents’ faces.
Because I’ve clearly put them on the spot. They’re here in front of the board of directors of their company, with some history reporter in the room, and their long-lost daughter has just told them she wants to be part of their lives. What are they going to say—no?
I’m sure in private, they would. They don’t like Halli any more than she likes them. And I’m sure they have no desire to see her involved in any way with a company they’ve built up from the ground.
But we’re not in private, are we? And I realize that’s the whole point of why they brought me here. It’s all a big act. It’s all a big show. They wanted Halli to smile for the camera, smile for the board, and prove to everyone that Halli’s parents were treating her fairly—that Halli was fine with the whole thing.
And at the end of the day, Monsieur Bern was going to vote the way Halli’s parents wanted. Then they’d send Halli home and never speak to her again.
Which would probably suit Halli fine, but it doesn’t suit me fine. Not if there’s something fishy about this whole deal.
“Well,” Halli’s father says, clearing his throat, “it’s a little late for you to try to become involved now. All these people have flown in for this meeting—”
“I don’t mind,” Mrs. Scott says. “Do you mind, Jeffrey?”
A man sitting across from her gives a half-hearted shrug. “As long as I can go back tonight . . .”
“Just give me a month,” I tell Halli’s parents, making this whole thing up as I go along. “Let me learn what you’re doing, talk to some people—maybe even visit some of your other locations so I can really understand—and then we can all meet back here in a month and do the vote for real.”
I decide to ask for just one month instead of four, so Halli’s parents don’t think I’m trying to trick them into waiting until she’s eighteen. And if everything goes right, I won’t even need a month, I hope—maybe just a week or so, tops.
Because what I really want is what I asked for in the middle: to go visit some of their other locations. One location, in particular.
“As I said,” Halli’s father answers, “whether it’s today or a month from now, Monsieur Bern is the one with the power to vote your shares. And any further delay could harm the company. We need to reach a resolution today. That’s why everyone is here. I call for the vote—”
“But don’t you think Ginny would want me to understand what’s going on?” I ask. “Even though I’m still young?” I turn to Mrs. Scott. “Do you think my grandmother would have wanted that?”
“Oh, yes, dear,” she says, her eyes bright. I can see she loves that I’m in the game. “Virginia thought the sun, moon, and stars of you. I know she’d always want you to be treated fairly—especially by your parents. And I’m certain that if she believed the trustee she appointed wasn’t adhering to your wishes, she’d see to it that he was fired and replaced immediately.”
“Madame Scott,” Monsieur Bern says. “If you are suggesting—”
“Let the child have her month,” Mrs. Scott tells him and the rest of the board. “There’s no harm in that. Miss Markham is still recovering from the death of her grandmother. I think we can all give her time.”
I can see some of the board members nodding at that. A few of them look at me sympathetically. A few won’t meet my eye.
“Yes, well, thank you as always for your opinion, Lillian,” Halli’s father says, “but nevertheless I call for the vote. All in favor of creating a privately-owned subsidiary for the hydro-catalytic system and completing a buy-out of Virginia Markham’s shares—”
“Halli Markham’s shares,” Mrs. Scott corrects him.
Halli’s father pretends to ignore her. “Say ‘aye.’”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
But then the “no” votes start coming in.
And in the end, it’s only Monsieur Bern, Halli’s parents, the walrus-mustached man, Admiral Binghamton, and one other person who vote yes to Halli’s father’s plan.
Apparently that’s not enough.
“This is unreasonable!” Halli’s father says, slamming his hand on the table. “The board has all the information it needs. There’s no reason for delay. What my daughter wishes or doesn’t wish has no bearing on the workings of this company. She is a minority shareholder.”
“Forty-nine percent is a strong minority,” the man called Jeffrey answers. “If Miss Markham wants more time, I’m willing to allow her more time.”
Forty-nine percent? Halli owns almost half of her parents’ incredibly massive, successful, international company?
Hold on.
My brain is careening off the wall of my skull again, and as usual I have to act totally fine. But I take a brief moment to close my eyes and do a little math.
Which I’m not normally great at, but the math here is easy: Halli must be a millionaire. Maybe even a billionaire, depending on how much money this company is worth. It would be like owning almost half of a giant software business, or some huge social networking company on the Internet. She might be worth more money than I’ve ever even imagined in my life.
Why on earth didn’t Jake tell me that? I can understand that we got a little distracted last night, but he was with me all that time today, and it never came up? “Hey, by the way—everything you see on this island? You own nearly half of it.”
I don’t know, maybe he thought I already knew. But he knows I don’t know this stuff! That’s why he was filling me in on the whole history between Halli’s parents and her grandmother in the first place.
And then I realize it’s because of my stupid head—and the big fat lie I told about it. Once he got over being mad at me, we were already straight into the story of the imaginary rock slide and my imaginary a
mnesia. He was all wrapped up in my health, and forgot the part about how I could just buy the next hospital I see and ask them to treat me there.
“All in favor of a month’s delay?” Mrs. Scott asks the group.
The board votes again, and the majority agrees.
“This meeting is adjourned,” Halli’s father says, slamming his hand again. “What a waste of everyone’s time.”
I look around the room, a little stunned. Halli’s father is already on his feet, striding out of the room. Halli’s mother is deep in conversation with Admiral Binghamton and the two experts Halli’s father pointed out at the beginning. Jake and Alexa are standing at the periphery of that huddle, both of them listening in.
And Mrs. Scott is smiling at me.
I’m not exactly sure what I just did.
But I sure hope it was right.
25
“That was exciting, wasn’t it?” Mrs. Scott whispers to me, her eyes bright. “Oh, how I wish your grandmother could have been here herself! She loved a good fight with your parents.”
Jake is still over in the corner with the group of people talking to Halli’s mother, but finally at least we make eye contact. He scratches the side of his cheek, then holds up that finger in what I think is a sign to wait for him. He doesn’t have to worry about that—I’m dying to find out what he thought of the whole meeting.
But meanwhile I have Mrs. Scott to ask.
“Can you explain what just happened?” I ask her. “What exactly were they trying to do?”
“Cheat you, of course.”
“But how?”
“By selling the company right from under you,” she says. “Selling it to themselves so they can finally be rid of Virginia’s shares. They only have until your birthday to do it, so I knew they’d be desperate. And that Monsieur Bern—your grandmother obviously made a mistake trusting him. But you see,” she adds with a gleam in her eye, “I like a good fight, too!”
“Thank you,” I tell her. “I really appreciate your support.”
“You can always count on me, dear.”
I’m hoping that’s true. Because now I have an idea. I’m about to ask her for the kind of favor I would never ask of a stranger. But now that I know where I need to go, I’m willing to try anything to get there. I planted that seed during the board meeting, but in case that doesn’t work out—
“Mrs. Scott,” I say, “do you live in England? I’m guessing, from your accent—”
“I do, indeed,” she says. “You don’t remember, but that’s where your grandmother and you visited me. In my house in Hyde Park. My poor husband was alive then, bless his soul—”
“Is Hyde Park near London?”
“It’s in London,” Mrs. Scott says. “Near the center.”
I take a breath. “Would it be all right if I visited you some time?”
“I would love it!” she says. “Halli dear, you are always welcome. When would you like to come?”
“Um, soon? I was thinking maybe next week, if that wouldn’t be too much trouble. Or maybe I could even fly back with you when you go?”
I know I’m being pushy right now, but I can’t let that bother me. Ever since that comm call with Daniel, I’ve known what I have to do: I have to get to London. The sooner I can talk to him in person, with no one listening, and find out everything he knows about Halli’s last hours, the sooner I might be able to solve this whole mess.
“That might be difficult,” Mrs. Scott says. “I’m afraid I’m leaving in the morning.”
“I could be ready by then,” I say. It’s easy. I’ve never even fully unpacked Halli’s duffel. The truth is I could be ready five minutes from now.
Mrs. Scott laughs. “Well, dear, since you’re so eager, I would love to have your company on the trip home. It’s such a long flight. And then you’re welcome to stay with me as long as you like.”
“Oh, thank you, Mrs. Scott.” This time I’m the one to take her hands between mine. “You don’t know how much I appreciate it. I promise I won’t be any trouble.”
“It’s a large house for one lonely old woman,” Mrs. Scott answers. “I welcome the visit.”
“Thank you,” I say again. “What time should I be ready in the morning?”
Mrs. Scott looks past my shoulder. “Ah, young . . . Jake, isn’t it?” she asks.
“Yes, ma’am,” he says. “Kind of you to remember.”
I’d been so absorbed in my conversation with Mrs. Scott, I hadn’t seen him come up behind us.
“Excuse me,” Jake says, “but Halli, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“I’ll speak with you later, dear,” Mrs. Scott says, squeezing my hand. “Please sit beside me at supper tonight. We’ll make our plans then.”
“I will,” I promise. “Thank you.”
Jake waits for her to leave, then asks, “What plans are those?”
I hesitate to tell him, but I don’t think I have any choice. He’s going to find out soon enough anyway.
“I’m going to stay with her for a little while. Just for a visit.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jake says.
“What? Why?”
“You need to be careful with her,” he tells me.
“Careful with her how?”
“She and your grandmother hated each other. They’ve been enemies for years.”
“Mrs. Scott? No way.” I turn around and take another look at the sweet little old lady making her rounds about the room. There’s no way she hated Ginny—not after all the nice things she said about her. And she wouldn’t have been so nice to Ginny’s granddaughter if they two of them were enemies. I just don’t buy it.
“They must have made up at some point,” I tell Jake. “I’m sure they were friends.”
“Halli, I’m telling you—the two of them hated each other for years. They had some feud going back decades. I’m sure your grandmother died still hating her.”
I just can’t believe it.
“That’s why I think your parents were surprised,” Jake says, “when you aligned yourself with Mrs. Scott, instead of your trustee.”
“But—” I’m just about to say I don’t know Monsieur Bern, and I don’t trust him, when I realize I don’t really know where Halli may have stood with him. Maybe she did trust him. Maybe he really was speaking for her. I have no way of knowing.
And the truth is, the same goes for Mrs. Scott. Even though my gut is telling me she’s a nice woman with Halli’s best interests at heart, maybe my gut is wrong.
“Do you . . . think I made a mistake?” I ask Jake. “In the board meeting?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Let’s just say you were full of surprises today.” Then he grows more serious. “Halli, it’s not your head, is it? A memory problem? Because it really was a surprise. From what Monsieur Bern told your parents before the meeting, it sounded like everything had been worked out. Was he wrong? Or did you forget?”
I can’t help touching my malaffected head. “I don’t know.” I’m actually starting to get concerned.
And then some particle of that supposedly injured brain speaks up and reminds me: There’s nothing wrong with my head. There never was. That whole story was a lie.
I’ve never been great at lying. Liars keep their stories straight. Liars remember when they’re lying.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I say. “I just need to sort a few things out.”
Jake is still studying me with that worried look on his face. “Halli, I really think you need to see the doctor here—”
“I’m fine. Really. But I need some fresh air.”
“I’ll come with you,” Jake says.
I nearly say yes—it might be good to hear Jake’s perspective on that whole board meeting—but what he had to say about Mrs. Scott and Halli’s grandmother is really bothering me. And I’m not sure it’s actually good for me at this point to find out how badly I might have messed things up for Halli. What’s done is done—for n
ow.
If I need to fix things—agree with Monsieur Bern, for example, and let the vote go through the way Halli’s parents wanted—I can do that in a month, right? Or better yet, Halli can do it if everyone just leaves me alone for a while and lets me work on the science.
“I think Red and I will just walk by ourselves for a while,” I tell him. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight—assuming I’m still invited. How mad are H—” I’m about to call them “Halli’s parents,” but I catch myself. “—my parents?”
Jake shrugs. “I think you can imagine. But no, they’re not going to keep you from dinner.” He smiles sympathetically. “They might give you the high seas holograph again, though.”
Great. Maybe I should have a few of his mother’s muffins now, so at least I have something in my stomach. Then not even try to eat dinner at all.
Which reminds me.
“Do you think I can meet your mother?”
Jake seems surprised. “If you want to.”
Never mind the walk. Maybe seeing a familiar, friendly face like Elena’s—or whatever Will and Lydia’s/Jake and Alexa’s mother is called here—will be just as nice as some wet air off the beach.
“Do you think she’s busy right now?” I ask.
“She’s always busy,” Jake says. “Now is as good a time as any.”
26
The kitchen is enormous. And there are at least ten people in here, scurrying, mixing, sautéing, chopping—whatever it takes to feed a crowd.
One of the workers is Celeste, sitting on a stool, chewing a stalk of celery and stirring a pot on the stove while she talks to her mom.
I wasn’t prepared. It’s even worse than meeting their father. He was dead, now he’s alive. But Elena—Elena has always been alive. And to me she’s been like a second mom.
And seeing her, I’ve never felt so lonely and orphaned in my life.
I wonder if I’m ever going to see my real mother again.
My real life again.
Any of the people, the places, my school, the real Will, the real Lydia, the real Halli—
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