Giving Up the Ghost (22 page)

"Not that I know of," she said. "I can't see him as a team player. He needs a stooge like
Todd, not peers on his level. Why do you ask?"

"Whoever threw that paperweight has good aim and a strong arm. Did you know Fred
Leverette used to pitch for his high school baseball team?"

"Hmm. Maybe I could talk to him and sound him out."

"Leave that to Darren," he ordered. "As far as I'm concerned, he's our man." When she
didn't answer, he went on. "Fred had both motive and opportunity that day. He makes his own
hours at the lab."

"Do you think he's a thief as well? Would Fred have taken the five hundred thousand
dollars?"

Cam let out a snort of laughter. "Why not? He's the type to rationalize the money was
coming to him. Recompense for my relationship with Jill. Even though I'd bet he's had his little
playmate all along."

Gabbie grimaced. "I hate to think of Theo living alone with him."

"Don't worry about that. Fred adores Theo. Believe me, he'd never harm his
daughter."

His words did nothing to ease her sudden sense of foreboding. "I wonder why Theo
didn't come to school today. I think I'll take a ride over there. After all, Jill asked me to keep an eye
on her."

She was putting on her parka when Cam called, "Gabbie, don't go there. I know you're
really after Fred. He's not someone you want to tangle with. Besides, he's probably at the lab."

So Cam sensed something, too. She turned and gave him a sweet smile. "If he's at the lab,
I'll be safe and sound."

At the Leverettes' house she was almost relieved that Fred's old Ford wasn't in the
driveway. No one answered the doorbell. Disappointed, she rang again, but got no response. She
tried the door. Locked.

On impulse, she walked across the lawn to Sonia's house. The front door stood ajar. She
slipped inside and was assailed by the sound of young voices raised in argument. Theo and Charlie
were going at it in the kitchen.

"--the stupidest thing I've ever heard of!" Theo shouted. "Where is it? Where'd you put
that damn gun?"

"Why would I tell you anything, after the way you turned on me?"

Gabbie heard the slap of hands hitting thighs. "I'm not turning on you. I'm trying to keep
you from ruining your life."

"Mind your own business, okay?"

"Okay, I'll mind my own business. Then what? You shoot Barrett. They find you and
throw you in jail. Charlie, don't ruin your life for that creep. He's not worth it."

"It would be worth it, Theo, to wipe him off the face of this earth."

"Then tell Chief Rollins about the things he did to you."

Charlie's cynical laughter chilled Gabbie to the core.

"Oh, right. You're so naive, if you expect the law to help me. Everyone knows he and
Todd called in that bomb threat, but they got away scot free."

"They wouldn't have if you'd told the police you saw them."

"Yeah, like they'd believe me. And even if they did, I have no proof. It's my word against
theirs."

Theo's tone was scornful. "You kept your mouth shut and they went after you
anyway."

"That won't happen again."

"I knocked, but I guess you didn't hear me," Gabbie lied as she strode into the
kitchen.

Theo and Charlie turned to stare at her, surprise, guilt and resentment apparent on their
faces.

"Theo, I came by because your mother--" She stopped as Charlie crumpled to the
floor.

"Oh, no!" Theo buried her face in her hands. "He was supposed to stay in bed and rest.
I told Sonia I'd come over and make sure he's okay. Only...only..." She was on the verge of tears.

"Let's help him back to bed," Gabbie said calmly, though her heart was pounding.
"Where is he sleeping?"

"In the den."

They placed Charlie's limp arms around their shoulders and half-dragged him into the
den. For a little fellow he was surprisingly heavy. They were both panting when they set him down
on the made-up sofa bed.

"Do you think we should call the doctor?" Theo said.

"Don't call anyone," Charlie said. His eyes were blinking madly. "Please."

"God, Charlie, you scared the daylights out of me," Theo said.

The color seemed to be returning to his pale face. "Do you feel okay?" Gabbie said.

He attempted a grin. "Are you kidding? My head's killing me and my ribs ache like the
devil, but I'm better than I was last night."

"He took his medicine a few minutes ago," Theo said. "Sonia said the pills could make
him woozy."

Gabbie straightened out the bedding. She was about to suggest that he replace his jeans
and red polo shirt with pajamas and get some sleep, when he stumbled to his feet.

"Thank you, ladies. I can take it from here."

He stood up. Theo put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom, if you don't mind." His steps were wobbly as he walked out of the
room.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid," Theo called after him.

He turned at the door and gave her a half-smile. "Of course not. It must have been the
meds speaking. Anyway, I'm dead tired. I'm going to sleep, so you both can leave."

Gabbie and Theo ignored his dismissal. They watched him close the bathroom door, and
then Gabbie followed Theo back into the kitchen. Even with the lights on, the room looked dreary.
The appliances were Harvest Gold, a popular color from decades past. The wallpaper, with its
pattern of gold and rust-colored flowers against a white background, was peeling along the
seams.

They sat at the narrow kitchen table. Theo was as pale as Charlie had been when he'd
fainted. She was staring at her lap, but Gabbie saw the tears streaming down her face.

"Everything's gone wrong. Everything!" Theo moaned. She began to sob, softly at first,
then in deep, gulping gasps.

The sound wrenched at Gabbie's heart. She moved to hold Theo and the girl went rigid.
After a long minute, she allowed herself to be comforted, and wrapped her arms around Gabbie and
held on tight.

Gabbie let her cry. When the storm subsided, she patted Theo's shoulder and gently
freed herself. "I think we could both use a cup of tea."

Theo nodded. Gabbie handed her the box of tissues she'd found on the counter,
and then filled the kettle and set it on the range. She grinned at the honking sound of Theo
blowing her nose.

"I stopped by your house because your mother asked me to look in on you occasionally
and make sure you're okay."

"It's all my fault she's gone." Theo rubbed her fists in her eyes. "I drove her away."

Her trembling voice made Gabbie fear another flood of tears. To head it off, she decided
a shot of tough love was in order. "This isn't about you, Theo, so go easy on the drama. It distorts
the reality of the situation. Your mother was unhappy living with your father. When she found out
he was involved with another woman, she decided to leave. She'd have taken you along, but she
didn't want to disrupt your life, especially since you get along well with your father."

Theo turned mournful brown eyes on Gabbie. "I did drive her away. I was obnoxious
because I was angry. She was in love with Cameron Leeds, and I despised her for not loving my
father."

Her eyes grew shiny as tears welled up. "And all the time he had his own
re-la-tion-ship." She dragged out the word, ridiculing it. "I heard more than I wanted to know about that when
they quarreled Sunday morning."

"It's not your fault," Gabbie said as she opened cupboards in search of tea bags and cups.
"Parents are human. And we humans do a wonderful job of screwing up our lives."

"Well, they should have thought of me," Theo blurted. She gave Gabbie a baleful look.
"Or is that being a drama queen?"

"Certainly not. You're their daughter. Their only child. They were selfish not to consider
the impact all this would have on you."

Theo's hunched-up shoulders relaxed.

Gabbie put tea bags in the two mugs she'd found, and poured in boiling water. "Any
chance Sonia has some cookies to munch on?"

Theo pointed to the narrow pantry. "In there."

Gabbie found an opened package of chocolate chip cookies and brought it to the table.
Theo reached eagerly for one and took a huge bite.

"I hardly know your parents," Gabbie said, "but I had the definite impression they
weren't getting along."

"They couldn't stand each other." Theo stuffed the rest of the cookie in her mouth. "I
always blamed Mom. She used to pester Dad because he kept long hours at the lab, and then didn't
talk to her when he got home. But he always talked to me, so I figured it was her fault."

Hateful memories of her own marriage rose unbidden to her mind. "It's always the
woman's fault," Gabbie murmured.

"You're being sarcastic," Theo said.

"Absolutely and completely."

Theo's lips turned up. Then she was laughing, making Gabbie laugh, too. The tension
their conversation had created evaporated into thin air.

"I think your mother's been unhappy for a long time," Gabbie said. "She felt guilty about
her relationship with Cam. When he died, she tried to make things work with your father and got
nowhere. Finding out about his affair gave her permission to leave."

Theo had a faraway look. "I hope she's happy now. She was so sad after Cam died,
though she tried to hide it."

"Did you like Cam?"

Theo gave her a wry smile. "I tried not to, but he was totally irresistible when he wanted
to win you over."

Don't I know it. "Handsome and charming?"

"Uh huh. And funny. Two summers ago, he took Mom and me sailing, along with a few
other people--Charlie and his dad, Reese and his wife." The memory softened Theo's expression.
"We sailed out into the bay and dropped anchor, so Charlie and I could swim off the side. Later we
had a clam bake on the beach. We all laughed a lot and sang songs. It was one of my best days
ever."

"Did you know they were involved then?"

Theo looked sheepish as she shook her head. "Naive, aren't I? I thought they were just
old friends, and Cam felt sorry for Mom because Dad was always working. I found out about it that
fall. Caught them in a clinch."

"And you've been mad at her ever since," Gabbie murmured.

"Not any more. Now I'm furious with my father. What a hypocrite, pretending
everything was Mom's fault, when all the time he was screwing around with someone from the lab.
I don't want to live in the house with him one more day."

"Theo, you have to stop being angry at your parents because they don't behave the way
you want them to."

"But they're the adults. They're supposed to set an example and give me a home, instead
of running off and screwing around."

"It's time to grow up, Theo."

Theo stared at her open-mouthed, too shocked to answer.

"I know you're only sixteen, and it doesn't seem fair to ask you to act maturely when
your parents don't, but you've no choice. You're an intelligent girl. You've got to look after yourself,
study and get good grades, so you can make the most of your life."

They both gave a start at the sound of a door closing. Theo ran to the den, with Gabbie at
her heels.

"Oh, no! He's gone," Theo wailed. "He faked that fainting bit so we'd leave him alone, and
I fell for it. I can't believe I fell for it."

Gabbie peered out the front door. She caught a flash of movement down the street,
another as a figure disappeared around the corner. She pointed. "There he goes. Where's he
heading?"

"To the woods. We have to stop him!" Theo raced out the door.

Gabbie caught up with her halfway down the walk and grabbed hold of her arm. "Think,
Theo. You're wearing clogs, and the ground's covered with snow and ice. You can't go running into
the woods like this."

Theo wriggled free. She was panting now, almost hyperventilating. "Charlie has a gun,
Ms. Meyerson. We have to stop him before he kills Barrett Connelly."

"A gun?" Gabbie's heart pounded like a jackhammer as she remembered the
conversation she'd overheard earlier. "Where did he get hold of a gun? From his father?"

"From Sonia. He said it's a family heirloom."

"In that case, maybe it's old and won't fire. Is it loaded?"

"I don't know. He didn't say." Theo whimpered as she tugged at Gabbie's sleeve. "Please,
Ms. Meyerson, help me find him. If we drive toward the beach, we can stop him."

"You said he was heading for the woods."

"He is. And the woods slope down to the beach. Everyone knows that."

Gabbie bit back the reprimand Theo deserved. "Okay, we'll drive around and look for
him. But first we're going back inside so I can call Chief Rollins."

"Then it will be too late," Theo wailed. "Let's call him from the car."

"I don't have a cell phone," Gabbie admitted.

Theo threw up her arms in despair. "Oh, God! I left mine at home." She rolled her eyes at
Gabbie. "You have to be the only person on Long Island who doesn't have a cell phone."

Duly chastened, Gabbie said, "I'm buying one this weekend."

She called the police station from Theo's house. While Theo changed into sneakers,
Gabbie explained the situation to the dispatcher and was connected with Darren immediately. He
promised to get there as soon as possible.

Back in the car, she followed Theo's directions to the end of the street, and then made a
sharp right onto a narrow road that ran through woods. On their left, beyond the woods, was the
Sound.

"How do you know he came this way?" Gabbie figured they were driving northeast and
were about half a mile from her cottage.

"Because this is where Barrett and Todd hang out. They fixed up an old shed. Put on a
new roof to make it waterproof, strung up electricity for sound equipment. Mostly they play music
and get high."

"Where'd they get the money?"

Theo threw her a withering glance. "The Rosses are loaded. Todd's father owns this
land, as a matter of fact. Stop!"