Fatal Identity (20 page)

“Wonderful.” Marcie forced a smile.

“Let me tell you what to do, Aunt Marcie.” Rick broke away from his group to join them. “When you get on, put your hands up above your head. And leave them that way for the whole ride. It makes you feel like you're going to . . .”

“. . . fall right out.” Trish finished the sentence for him. “It's even scarier that way.”

Marcie gave a shaky laugh. “Thanks for the tip, guys. I'm sure it's a lot more fun, if you think you're going to fall out.”

“Better get in line, kids. You're almost up.” Brad came back to take Marcie's arm. He lowered his voice as he asked, “Are you sure you want to go through with this? You're shaking.”

“I'm positive. As a matter of fact, I can hardly wait.”

Marcie gave him a grin that was meant to be cheerful, but it turned out to be more of a grimace. Brad slipped his arm around her shoulders again, and he gave her a little hug. “Okay, let's go.”

“This is it?” Marcie stared at the roller coaster that had stopped at the top of the ramp. “It looks like a rocket!”

Trish turned around to grin at her. “That's why it's called Space Mountain. Watch, Aunt Marcie. The whole side comes open to let you in. And then they close it again.”

A man in a white space suit pulled a lever and the side of the rocket opened up. The people ahead of them in line began to file in, two adults or three children for each seat.

“See you at the bottom, Aunt Marcie!” Rick and his friends got in the second to the last seat. “Don't worry. We were only kidding about falling out.”

Trish waved, and her group got in the last seat. And then the rocket began to move slowly along the track, until it disappeared around a curve. Marcie heard a chorus of screams, and she knew the children had started their descent.

Brad gave a little bow as their rocket stopped at the top of the ramp, and the man in the white space suit opened the side. “After you.”

“No, you go first.” Marcie pulled back. “I want to be by the escape hatch.”

“It's not an escape hatch. It locks from the outside.” Brad grinned as he got into the rocket, and pulled her in beside him.

Marcie closed her eyes the moment she sat down. But she was too curious to keep them closed for long. “It's like a cage in here. I feel like a trapped squirrel.”

“No problem.” Brad gave her a big grin. “I'll act like a nut.”

Marcie burst into laughter, and she laughed so hard, she barely noticed when the roller coaster began to move. It started off slowly at first, moving smoothly along the rail.

“Hang on, Marcie. Here we go.” Brad slipped his arm around her shoulders.

“Why, this isn't so bad!” Marcie gave a big sigh of relief as the rocket went smoothly around a curve. “I wonder why the twins were scream—”

Marcie stopped in midsentence and gripped Brad's hands. Since they were in the first seat, she could see the rail stretch out in from of them, lit dimly by the blue lights. But the track abruptly ended in what Marcie quickly realized was a steep drop. “We're not actually going to go-oh, no!”

They reached the top of the incline, and Marcie bit back a scream. The roller coaster hesitated for a brief moment and then plunged ahead, dropping so steeply her hair lifted up off her neck.

Marcie screamed and threw her arms around Brad. Her eyes snapped shut. She couldn't bear to look. And then, suddenly, they were lurching and barreling around a series of hairpin turns that made her gasp and cry out in terror.

They slowed again, and Brad laughed as he held her tightly. “Hey . . . it's not that bad. I've been on faster roller coasters than this.”

“That's . . . easy for you to say!” Marcie gasped and buried her face in Brad's chest, peeking out at the rail. Now they were climbing smoothly again, but she knew the ride wasn't over. “This is really . . . oh, no! Not again!”

The roller coaster hesitated on the brink of another steep decline. Marcie risked a glance at Brad, and saw he was anticipating the drop with pleasure. “How can you possibly enjoy something like . . . Ooooooh!”

Marcie clutched at him again, and Brad laughed. “I've got to remember to thank the twins. Space Mountain was a great idea. There's no way you can avoid me in a roller coaster.”

“Avoid you?” Their speed was slowing again, and Marcie did her best to look innocent.

“That's right. You've barely looked at me all day.”

“I . . . uh . . . I know.” Marcie dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I'm terribly embarrassed. I don't want you to think I'm that kind of . . .”

“I don't.” Brad interrupted her.

“But I practically—”

Brad broke in again. “No, you didn't. And don't forget that I encouraged you every way I could.”

“Well . . . maybe. I tried to tell myself that it was just the—”

“It wasn't. You didn't have
that
much. Actually, I think we ought to keep a bottle right by the bed after we're . . . uh-oh!”

Marcie hardly noticed as the roller coaster hurtled down the decline. She just looked up at Brad in shock. “After we're
what?
”

“Married.” Brad's voice was shaky, as the roller coaster barreled around another steep turn. “You'll marry me, won't you, Marcie?”

Suddenly, Marcie wasn't a bit nervous about the roller coaster anymore. The ride was tame, compared to the emotions that were flowing through her at Brad's proposal.

“I . . . I . . . Are you sure that you really . . .”

“Yes, I love you.” Brad grinned down at her. “Even with your hair standing up on end like that. And it's not because you're Mercedes's twin, and you look just like her. I love
you
Marcie.”

Marcie snuggled a little closer in his arms. “But how about the twins? Do you think that they'll . . .”

“It'll take a little time, but I'm sure they'll adjust.” Brad interrupted her again. “And we don't have to get married right away. We can give them some time to get used to the idea . . . say, a week or two at the most. How about it, Marcie? Will you marry me?”

Marcie giggled and opened her mouth to tell him yes. But just then the roller coaster went into its grand finale of screeching turns and hurtling descents, and she screamed instead, at the top of her lungs.

“Is that a yes?” Brad shouted in her ear.

“It's a YESSSSSSSSS!” Marcie laughed as the rush of air hurtling past their rocket took her words away, and sent them echoing against the walls of the building. And then Brad was kissing her. Her. Not the ghost of Mercedes. And she knew that she'd never been this happy before in her whole life!

CHAPTER 15

“Would you like lunch on the patio, Miss Marcie?”

“I guess so.” Marcie roused herself from her lethargy and nodded. “Why don't you join me, Rosa? There's something I'd like to discuss with you.”

While Rosa busied herself in the kitchen, preparing their lunch, Marcie gazed out at the beautiful grounds with a frown on her face. Even though there was no reason, she felt deserted. The twins were spending the day with friends, Brad had left early this morning on another business trip, and it was turning into a boring Sunday. Of course, there were a million things she
should
do. She should study her scene for tomorrow, shop for new school clothes for the twins, go through the things in Mercedes's closet, write a letter to the school board telling them she was resigning, make some calls to her friends in Minnesota to ask if they'd pack up her personal possessions and send them out to California, and contact Sam to find out the legal ramifications of her impending marriage. This would be a good day to accomplish all that, but Marcie didn't feel like doing anything at all. Perhaps the excitement of yesterday had been too much for her. She felt so lethargic, she just wanted to crawl into bed, pull the covers up over her head, and sleep until tomorrow morning.

Marcie sighed. She was definitely depressed, and there was absolutely no reason for it. Everything was going exactly the way she'd hoped. She owned a lovely mansion, the twins were adjusting beautifully to their new situation, everyone said she was doing an excellent job of finishing Mercedes's movie, and she would soon be marrying a wonderful man who loved her every bit as much as she loved him. How could she be depressed?

Perhaps her problem was the weather. It was a gray day in Southern California, and the air was still and muggy. The temperature was warm for March, seventy-eight degrees, and the sun was hiding behind a thick curtain of clouds. It didn't feel like rain, and now that Marcie considered it, she almost wished the clouds would gather, roiling over her head, and sheets of rain would pour down to soak the earth. Any kind of dramatic change would be welcome. She hated the gray limbo of the sky that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Just then the patio door opened, and Rosa came out, carrying a tray with thick roast beef sandwiches. It was exactly what she'd asked for, and the sandwiches looked delicious, but Marcie couldn't seem to work up any enthusiasm as Rosa set down the plates.

“What's the matter, Miss Marcie?” Rosa looked concerned as Marcie took a small bite of her sandwich. “Aren't you hungry?”

Marcie shook her head. “They're delicious, Rosa, but I guess I had too many snacks at Disneyland yesterday.”

“That doesn't surprise me a bit.” Rosa smiled at her. “The twins wouldn't eat their breakfast, either. They said Mr. Brad bought them everything they asked for. It's a wonder they didn't get sick.”

“It's true.” Marcie laughed, remembering how they'd stuffed down hot dogs, and pretzels, and ice cream bars. “I think we stopped at every food cart on Main Street. They even ate hamburgers right after we got off the roller coaster at Space Mountain.”

“So why the glum face, Miss Marcie? Are you missing your friends in Minnesota?”

“No. Not really. And that's why I wanted to talk to you, Rosa. I've decided to move out here permanently. I think it would be better if I didn't uproot the twins.”

“Oh, good!” Rosa smiled broadly. “You're right, Miss Marcie. Trish and Rick just love it out here, and it'd be a shame to take them away from their friends. And you like it too, don't you?”

Marcie nodded. “Yes, I do. And now I've got another reason for staying here. Brad has . . . well . . . he asked me to marry him.”

“You're going to marry Mr. Brad?” At first Rosa looked dismayed, but she quickly put on a smile. “Congratulations, Miss Marcie. Or am I supposed to congratulate Mr. Brad? I always forget which way it goes.”

Marcie smiled. “I think you're supposed to give me your best wishes and congratulate him, but it really doesn't matter. Are you happy for me?”

“Of course, I am. I want whatever makes you happy, Miss Marcie. But . . .” Rosa stopped, and gave Marcie an anxious look.

“But what?”

“Maybe I shouldn't say this, but do you think you should jump right into something this important? I mean . . . it's only been a month since Miss Mercedes's accident, and people might talk.”

“I'm sure they'll talk. And what they'll say won't be very nice.” Marcie gave a wry little smile. “That's why I told Brad we have to wait at least six months. I think that'll be better for everyone concerned.”

Rosa looked relieved. “That's very smart, Miss Marcie. It'll give the twins time to adjust, and you won't have to rush to plan the wedding. And there's that old saying, ‘
Marry in haste, repent in leisure.
' You and Mr. Brad'll have lots of time to think about it and be sure.”

Marcie opened her mouth to tell Rosa that they were already sure, but she was interrupted by a loud buzz from the security system beeper. “Somebody's at the gate. I'd better see who it is.”

“I'll do it, Miss Marcie. You just sit there and enjoy your lunch.”

Rosa got up and went into the kitchen to check the monitor. When she came back a moment later, she was smiling.

“It's Mr. Sam. I told him to come up and have some lunch. That was all right, wasn't it?”

“Of course.” As Rosa scurried back to the kitchen to prepare another sandwich, Marcie smiled her first genuine smile of the day. She hadn't seen Sam in over a week, and she could hardly wait to tell him her wonderful news. She picked up her sandwich and took another bite. Her appetite had returned with a rush. And then the clouds parted and the sun came out, bathing the patio with warm golden rays.

“Hi, Marcie.” Sam opened the patio doors and stuck his head out. “Nice day, isn't it?”

Marcie nodded. “It is now. You brought the sun with you.”

“Anything I can do to please a client.” Sam grinned at her. “Would you like blue skies? Puffy little white clouds? Maybe a rainbow or two?”

“Thanks, but I wouldn't want to wear you out. Just the sun will do. Is Rosa making you a sandwich?”

“Yes, and she asked me to carry this out.” Sam stepped out with a tray. “Red wine, glasses, and some cheese and crackers to perk up your appetite.”

“I think it's already perked.” Marcie glanced down at the huge bite she'd taken out of her sandwich.

“So I see. But we mustn't disappoint her. Cooks of genius are exceedingly rare. Right, Rosa?”

“Right, Mr. Sam.” Rosa waved at them from the open kitchen window. “Miss Marcie? Why don't you tell Mr. Sam your happy news?”

“The picture's going well?” Sam guessed, as he picked up the corkscrew and opened the wine.

Marcie nodded. “Yes, it is. But that's not the happy news.”

” You're staying out here for good?”

“That's right.” Marcie laughed. “But that's not all of it.”

“You won the California State Lottery?”

“No. That's hard to do if you don't buy a ticket. It's even better than that, Sam. I'm getting married.”

Sam's eyebrows shot up, and his hand trembled slightly as he poured the wine. “Anybody I know?”

“Oh, yes.” Marcie gave him a happy smile. “It's Brad. He proposed to me yesterday, when we took the twins to Disneyland. And I accepted.”

Sam handed her a glass. “Well . . . I guess this calls for a toast. Good luck, Marcie.”

“Good luck?” Marcie hesitated, her glass extended. Then she drew it back and frowned. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. It's just a figure of speech. You should know I wish you all the best. When's the happy occasion?”

“Not for six months. I wanted to give the twins time to adjust.”

“Good thinking.” Sam gave her an approving nod. “They've been through a lot in the past few weeks.”

“That's exactly what I told Brad. He wanted to get married right away, but I really don't think that would be fair to Trish and Rick. They need time to get used to the idea.”

“Have you told them yet?”

“No.” Marcie frowned again. “I'm not sure exactly what to say. But I think I should tell them as early as possible, perhaps tonight.”

“Do you want me to tell them?”

Marcie shook her head. “No, I'll do it.”

“Alone?”

“Well . . . yes.” Marcie took a sip of her wine, and nodded. “Brad's out of town until Friday night. He said he didn't want to go, but he's had this business trip planned for months, and he couldn't cancel at the last minute.”

“Of course not. You don't want to wait until he gets home, so you can tell the twins together?”

“I really don't think that's necessary. It's not like their lives will be changing in any way. Brad's still living here, just like he always has. And everything will be just the same, except . . .” Marcie stopped and smiled. “Actually, things
will
be different. And I know it'll be a change for the better. Brad told me he wants to be a real father to the twins. He said Mercedes didn't want him to assume a parental role when they got married, but Brad's always wanted to have a closer relationship with Trish and Rick.”

Sam nodded. “I see. Well . . . I'm glad you're not rushing into anything. Marcie. There are a lot of details we'll have to work out, with your inheritance from Mercedes, and the trust fund Mike left for the twins. I assume you don't want to change the plans Mercedes made for her children.”

Marcie felt a little uncomfortable. She really hadn't discussed that with Brad. “No. I don't want to change anything Mercedes already set up. That wouldn't be right.”

“Good.” Sam nodded. “We'll be very careful not to commingle any funds. And I'll draw up a prenuptial agreement for Brad to sign.”

“But why?”

“It'll protect the assets you inherited from Mercedes. Anything you earn after your marriage, you'll share with Brad.”

“Wait a minute.” Marcie began to frown. “I want everything to be set up by the terms of Mercedes's new will.”

“The one she never signed?”

Marcie nodded. “Yes. You still have a copy of that, don't you?”

“I do. But Marcie . . . perhaps there was a good reason why Mercedes never signed her new will.”

“If there was, I don't know about it. And neither do you. And neither does Brad. I just want to do what my sister would have done, if she'd had the chance to do it.”

“Okay.” Sam nodded. “Don't spend time worrying about it now, Marcie. We'll work it all out.”

Rosa opened the patio door and came out with another tray. “Here's your sandwich, Mr. Sam. And I fixed a few things to go with it.”

“I guess you did! You've outdone yourself, Rosa. Potato salad, coleslaw, pickles, olives, and . . .” Sam laughed as he saw the final item on the tray. “Chopped liver? Rosa . . . I think I love you!”

Rosa laughed. “I know you love my chopped liver. It's your mother's recipe.”

“But you make it better than she ever did.” Sam grinned at Rosa, and then he turned to wink at Marcie. “If Marcie ever decides she can get along without you. I want you to come straight to me.”

Marcie gave a sigh of relief. She was glad that Rosa had broken the tension that had grown between them from the moment she'd announced that she was going to marry Brad. Now she winked back at Sam and pretended to be outraged.

“You're a snake, Sam Abrams! I'll never be able to get along without Rosa, and you know it. I know your tricks. You're just trying to lure her away from me. And there's no way I'll let her go!”

“But Rosa loves me . . . don't you, Rosa?”

Rosa giggled as she nodded. “Yes, I do, Mr. Sam.”

“But she loves me more.” Marcie glared at Sam. “Don't you, Rosa?”

“I love both of you.” Rosa declared with a laugh. “But there's no way I can work for two people . . . unless they get married to each other, of course.”

Sam nodded. “Well, that does it! We'll just tell Brad that he's out in the cold. I have to marry Marcie for Rosa's chopped liver.”

Before Marcie could say a word, the twins rushed out on the patio. They'd been so busy laughing, they hadn't even heard the kids come home.

“You're going to marry Sam?” Trish jumped up and down in excitement.

Rick was a step behind her, and he threw his arms around Marcie. “That's great, Aunt Marcie! We always wanted Sam for a father!”

There was a shocked silence as Marcie and Sam exchanged glances. Then Sam nodded to Marcie. “I think you'd better handle this.”

“Uh-oh.” Trish gave a deep sigh. “You were just kidding around, right?”

“That's right.” Marcie reached out to hug her.

Rick looked disappointed for a moment, and then he shrugged. “Oh, well. I knew it was too good to be true. Do you guys want to see the baseball cards Jimmy's dad gave me?”

“We'd love to!” Marcie jumped at the opportunity. “Go get the collector's album I gave you, Rick, and we'll file them in the right place.”

 

 

It was bedtime for the twins, and Marcie held out her arms as Rosa brought them in after their baths. “Come on over here, guys. I've got something to discuss with you.”

“Did we do something wrong?” Trish looked a little nervous as she sat on the couch beside Marcie.