The Secret of Willow Lane

by Virginia Rose Richter

  Her dad stepped over the fallen stranger and opened the door to the policemen. “Boy am I glad to see you!” he said.

  “Evening, Mr. Hanson,” said one of the officers. “Emil Sorenson called. Said you had some trouble here.”

  “Right!” said her dad. “I’m handling this house in an estate and this guy broke in.” He pointed to the intruder. “Wait! Where’s my daughter? JESSICA?”

  “Here, Daddy.” Jessie came out of her hiding place and limped into his arms.

  Father and daughter waited as the policemen picked up the stranger, handcuffed him and led him to the patrol car. “Okay, Jess,” said her dad. “We might as well finish this. Show me the Will.”

  Somehow, Jessie made it to the third floor study with the wall map. Her dad still hadn’t noticed that she was limping. She dropped into a leather chair, unzipped her windbreaker pocket, handed the gold bookmark key to him and said, “You’ll need this.”

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry to say, I took it from your office. It’s a bookmark that was in the Atlas Mr. Johnson gave you.”

  Jessie’s dad looked at her and shook his head. “I see. All right, now what?”

  “You put the bookmark key into an opening on the map between Sweden and Finland. Then, turn it to the right.”

  Her dad did as directed and in a moment was pulling the envelope from the little map door. He inspected the document. “It looks like you found the real thing, Jess. I don’t know whether to congratulate you or ground you.”

  He leafed through the pages until he reached the end. “Hmm,” he said. “C.G.’s signature was witnessed by Mr. Simms and his wife. And there’s a letter in here too. Addressed to me.”

  “I’ll bet that’s how his son knew there was a Will!” Jessie said. “His son’s been here snooping around this house. He even lied to Mrs. Winter and got into our house!”

  “What?” said her dad. “What did he want in our house?”

  “He saw me take his picture with my new detective kit camera,” she explained.

  “So—he got into our house to…?” asked her dad.

  “To steal the film!” said Jessie.

  “Did he get it?” Now he was thoroughly intrigued.

  “No!” said Jessie. It was wonderful to finally be able to tell someone. “Tina and I were downtown getting the film developed when he got into our house. But…” her voice trailed off.

  “But—what?” her dad asked suspiciously.

  “Well, Tina took the negative home and someone knocked her off her bike and stole it. The negative, I mean. She’s in bed—with a concussion,” said Jessie, hanging her head. “But she’s going to be okay.” She couldn’t look at her father.

  He folded the documents, returned them to the envelope and shoved them into his back pocket. He closed the map door, removed the gold bookmark key and slipped it into his shirt pocket. Then he walked to Jessie and said, “Let’s go home, Jess. Your mom’s going to be worried sick.”

  “There’s just one thing,” said Jessie. “I think you’ll have to carry me. My ankle’s pretty swollen.”

  Her father knelt and checked her ankle. “Looks like we go to the emergency room before we go home,” he said.

  Gently, he picked up Jessie and started down the stairs.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Jessie lay in bed with her foot propped up on a pillow. The rain had stopped and the sun was setting. A soft breeze stirred the dolphin mobile.

  Her mother came into the room with Jessie’s dinner on a tray. It smelled delicious. Phillip followed. He wore a little sailor suit and white tennis shoes. He shook his head back and forth and chanted, “No, no, no,” as though he liked the sound of it.

  “Hungry, Jess?” asked her mom.

  “Starving. I don’t remember eating lunch.”

  Her mom plumped some pillows behind Jessie and set the tray beside her. Phillip’s blue eyes peeped over the edge of the bed. For once, he was quiet.

  “Pizza! Thanks, Mom!” She started to eat.

  Her mother pulled a chair from the desk and put it next to the bed. She picked up Phillip and sat down with the baby on her lap. “You know, Jessie. You could have told me about what you were up to.”

  Jessie looked at her mom. I think I hurt her feelings, she thought. “Well, sometimes—when you know what I’m doing—you get upset and make me stop. I feel like I can’t do anything.” She thought a moment. “But this time I was wrong. Because Tina got hurt and so did I. I should have told you what was happening.”

  Her mom was quiet. Then she said, “I owe you an apology, Jess.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “I really haven’t been paying attention lately. I’m too distracted by the baby and the office. I’ve been neglecting my number one child. I promise I’ll do better and try to be more understanding.”

  “I was afraid today. That man chasing me—it was so scary.”

  “It must’ve been. I’m so glad you’re home safe!”

  Someone knocked at the bedroom entrance. “Jessie?”

  Tina appeared in the doorway.

  “Tina!” cried Jessie. “Come in!’

  Jessie’s mom stood up with Phillip under her arm.

  “Well, Tina. It’s so good to see you. Just what Jessie needs.”

  Tina came into the room looking fresh and rested, as though nothing bad had ever happened to her. She held out her arms to Phillip, took him from his mother and gave him a kiss. “Hi, you cute thing. Did you miss me?”

  Phillip leaned back and stuck out his tongue.

  “What is this?” asked Tina. “Where’d he learn that?”

  “I’d like to know,” said Jessie’s mom. “He just started doing it one day. We’re trying to ignore it.”

  Jessie ate her pizza and said nothing.

  “I’ll leave you two,” said Jessie’s mom, taking the baby from Tina. “I know you have lots of catching up to do.” She left with Phillip looking back over her shoulder. He stuck out his tongue at Jessie and Tina.

  When her mom was out of earshot, they dissolved into wild laughter.

  “He’s hilarious!” giggled Tina. “Did you teach him that?”

  “Not teach. But I stuck my tongue out at him and he imitated me,” laughed Jessie. “Do not tell Mom.”

  “Don’t worry. So how’s your ankle?”

  “Your dad says to take it easy for two weeks. It’s just a sprain. I should have ordered a first aid kit instead of a detective kit.”

  Tina laughed. “I hear you did some pretty good detective work on your own.”

  “I think my parents are worn out with me,” said Jessie.

  “Oh, I don’t know. They sounded proud of you. You know very well your folks never really get mad at you.”

  “Tina, how’d you fall off your bike?”

  “I heard a car start and looked behind me. I must have hit the curb. I really don’t remember.”

  “I think I made a big discovery,” Jessie said. “Go over to my desk and open the middle drawer.”

  Tina walked to the desk, opened the drawer and gave a small gasp. “Whose picture is this? Is this you?” She lifted out the copies that Jessie had made of the newspaper photos of Alice Johnson.

  “No! That’s Alice Johnson. Miss Tyler found those pictures and I copied them.”

  “But…what’s the deal? They look just like you!” said Tina. “Same eyes, same hair, same dimple, same everything!”

  Jessie took a deep breath. “Remember the newspaper never mentioned anything about C.G. and Alice’s baby—at Alice’s funeral, I mean?”

  “Yes, I remember. So?”

  “Well, I think that baby was my dad.”

  “WHAT?” Tina cried.

  “Shhh!” Jessie put her finger to her lips. “I’ve thought a lot about it and it all fits. The Johnsons’ old friends, the Eric Hansons, are visiting for the holidays. The snowstorm comes and Alice has the baby at home and she dies. But the baby is okay. So C.G. asks the Hansons, who I always
thought were my grandparents, to raise the baby.”

  “But why wouldn’t he raise the baby himself?”

  “Maybe he was too old or shocked because Alice died,” Jessie said. “Anyway the dates are right. Daddy was born about then.”

  “So, how did they end up across the street from C.G.?”

  “Maybe C.G. talked them into moving here so he could see Daddy grow up.”

  Tina thought about it. “It makes sense. That would make Alice your grandmother. Which would explain why you look just like her. Neat!”

  “The thing is,” said Jessie. “How do I tell Daddy? This could be a big shock.”

  Just then, Jessie’s father said, “May I come in?”

  Both girls jumped. Jessie slid the copies under her tray.

  Tina went to the door. “Hi, Mr. Hanson. I have to get home. Mom said I could only stay a few minutes.”

  “Don’t leave on my account,” said Jessie’s dad. “You look like you’re all mended, Tina. That’s good!’

  “Thanks. See you tomorrow, Jessie.” Tina waved. “I’ll come over early.” She ran from the room.

  “So, Jess,” said her dad. “Feeling better?”

  “Yeah, lots better. The pizza was great and my ankle feels pretty good if I keep it up.”

  “Good. The police called. The man who fell down the stairs is a distant relative of Alice Johnson. His name is Walter Jorgenson.” He sat in the chair next to the bed. “If no Will was found, he would automatically inherit the Johnson estate. So—he decided to find it and destroy it.”

  “But how did he find out there was a Will?”

  “It seems he’s known Mr. Simms’ son for years. They both live in a little town in Wisconsin.”

  “Why did Mr. Simms’ son—what’s his name?—live in Wisconsin and not here in Fairfield?”

  “Mr. Simms’ son’s name is Monty,” her dad said. “His folks sent him to Wisconsin years ago. He went to a special school where he could get help for his leg injury.”

  “What happened to his leg?” She wanted to stay on this subject and put off talking about C.G. and Alice.

  “He fell out of a tree. I remember when it happened. He fell in C.G.’s backyard.”

  “I saw him, Daddy. Through a crack in the door next to Mr. Johnson’s study. He was walking pretty good!”

  “Well, as I say, this school worked with his injury. C.G paid for it all. I guess because it was his tree.”

  “So, Monty told Walter Jorgenson about the Will?”

  “He must have. The police talked to Mr. and Mrs. Simms and both of them said they told Monty that they were witnesses when Mr. Johnson signed the will,” he said.

  “Will Walter Jorgenson go to jail for this?”

  “Probably,” he said. “And Monty Simms too. If they sign confessions, there won’t be a trial. The judge will just sentence them. They’ll doubtless get some jail time.”

  “They sure had the nerve, huh?” Jessie said.

  “Yep.” He paused a moment. “There’s something else you need to know, Jess. There was a letter addressed to me in the envelope with the Will.”

  “I remember,” she said.

  “It contained some surprising information,” said her dad. “The letter was from Mr. Johnson. It says that he and his wife, Alice, were my real parents. While you were asleep, I went to the office and, sure enough, my name and date of birth were recorded in that Bible C.G. gave me. I’ve been in a state of shock ever since I read the letter.”

  “Does it say how it happened—that the Hansons raised you, I mean?” Jessie asked.

  “Yes. Why aren’t you more surprised, Jess?”

  Jessie pulled the copies of Alice’s pictures from under the tray. She handed them to her dad and said, “Miss Tyler, at the library, found these for me. I copied them today.”

  Her father took the copies and looked at them for a long time. “Of course. You must have known as soon as you saw these. She was beautiful, wasn’t she?”

  “I didn’t really know right away,” Jessie said. “I just felt all mixed up. But, when I thought about it, it began to make sense.”

  “It’s funny,” said her dad. “Lots of times, I thought C.G. acted like a father to me. He used to visit me at the university after my folks died in the car accident. He encouraged me and gave me financial help.”

  “Do you think he was sorry he let you go, Daddy?”

  “In the letter, he said he regretted it many times.” Her dad had tears in his eyes. “The people in Fairfield knew that the baby had lived and the story was that relatives in Wisconsin were raising him. The Hansons were giving me a secure home. C.G. didn’t want to disrupt my life with gossip around town.” He stood up. “When you’re older, I’ll let you read the letter.”

  * * *

  Jessie and Tina rode their bikes through the piles of fall leaves. The sun was bright in a radiant blue sky and a chill was in the air.

  “It’s almost a relief to go back to school. Anything to get out of that bed!” Jessie said. “It feels great riding my bike again. Don’t you love autumn?”

  “It’s a beautiful day all right,” said Tina. “So, what was in C.G. Johnson’s Will? Did you ever find out?”

  “Daddy said it was private information. All he told me was that C.G. gave the house to the Nebraska Swedish Society. It’ll be a kind of museum to show how so many Scandinavians came to this country and settled here. So they could own land.”

  “Oh, right,” Tina said. “We studied it in school. The Homestead Act. Our government gave one hundred sixty acres free to anyone who would live on the land and farm it.”

  “Honestly, Tina, how do you remember all that stuff? And Daddy said that C.G. left money to pay for college for Phillip and me. That is, if we get good grades.”

  “Always a string attached,” said Tina. “You know, pretty soon, I’ll be free like you.”

  “Free? Are your parents taking a trip?” asked Jessie.

  “Not exactly,” giggled Tina. “But they’ll be very busy. My mom’s going to have a baby!”

  The girls threw back their heads and laughed.

  THE END