Читать книгу The Lost Sister - Megan Kelley Hall - Страница 11

Loss. Lack of commitment. Preoccupation with selfish and material things. Despite drawbacks, a preference for the status quo. Oppression. Apathy in pursuit of goals. Failure to act with an inability to move forward or progress.

A s the sun spread lithe and steady across the pink-hued morning sky, Madeline sat up and looked at herself in the old vanity mirror that hung directly across from her bed. She imagined herself peering into the mirror before she left many months ago—younger, softer somehow. I guess that’s what losing people you care about does to you, she mused.

Maddie flopped back into the covers and stretched catlike in the bed before pushing back the covers and getting up. She pulled a silver-plated brush from the vanity table and started delicately brushing the pillow-kinks out of her hair. It was the start of a new day in Hawthorne and Maddie Crane had no idea what to expect.

She headed downstairs, surprised at the silence that filled the house. Abigail was still in bed. This was something that completely rattled Maddie. In her entire life, she’d never been the first one awake in the house. Maddie couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t come downstairs to a brightly lit kitchen, filled with the smell of breakfast cooking and coffee brewing. It was like a ghost house.

A list of groceries was waiting for her on the kitchen table.

Mom and her lists, Maddie thought.

But Maddie was happy for an excuse to get out of the house—the quiet was too much for her to bear. Getting out and seeing people—even Hawthorne people—was better than the funereal silence that was all around her.

“That’ll be one hundred and sixty-four dollars,” the cashier said in a monotone.

“What? Are you feeding an army?” came a voice from behind her. It took Maddie a moment to realize that the comment was intended for her.

“Looks that way, doesn’t it?” Maddie laughed politely and turned to leave, angling her head toward the door so that she wouldn’t get caught up in a conversation. Not now, not this early, she thought. She was pushing the carriage toward the exit when a hand reached out and grabbed her firmly by the arm.

“Not even a hello. Well, I guess a semester away makes you too cool to talk to me,” said the guy in the harbor patrol uniform standing behind her.

Maddie had to blink her eyes before she could believe what she was seeing. Trevor Campbell? The last time she’d seen him was at Tess’s funeral. She’d managed to avoid him for all these months, and now here she was face-to-face with one of the many people responsible for Cordelia’s disappearance from Hawthorne. Trevor had raped Cordelia last year before she left; just one in a long line of indiscretions the town of Hawthorne managed to sweep under the rug. Not surprisingly, he didn’t seem the slightest bit self-conscious or guilty.

“How’ve you been, Crane?” he asked, beaming as he proudly wore his harbor attire. While in other towns being a harbor cop may have been looked at as a blue-collar position, it was a highly coveted position in Hawthorne, reserved for only the coolest and wealthiest kids. It was really just an excuse to hang out on the harbor all day in the sun and get paid for it. It came as no surprise that Trevor Campbell’s family had bought his way into this cushy position, because he was widely known as a troublemaker. Yet she had no idea why he would commit to the job over Christmas break. He must have done something to piss his parents off for them to make him actually work during his vacation. He definitely had some ulterior motive, yet she couldn’t figure out what it could be. In any case, he was the last person Maddie wanted to see. “I know, I know, I’m hard to recognize in uniform.”

“No, I could recognize an asshole even when he’s all cleaned up and in uniform,” Maddie said through clenched teeth. Trevor was Kate Endicott’s boyfriend and the boy who used to taunt Maddie and Cordelia mercilessly at Hawthorne Academy. He could even be the father of Cordelia’s child and it didn’t seem to affect him in the least.

“Ouch!” he said, laughing. “Is that any way to treat an old friend?”

“I’ll let you know when I see one,” Maddie said. “So, working for the harbormaster, hmm? What prompted the switch to the other side of the law? I didn’t know that assholes were given jobs to serve and protect.”

He smirked, shaking his head. Even in his crisp uniform of white oxford shirt, khakis, and closely cropped hair, he couldn’t shake the spoiled, party-boy image that existed in her memory. Maddie pictured him passed out on the floor in a drunken stupor at every party. Unless, of course, he was hooking up with one of the many girls that followed him around the halls of Hawthorne Academy. And yet how he managed to do it right under Kate Endicott’s perfectly upturned nose remained a mystery. Luckily, Maddie avoided falling under the spell of his baby-faced, all-American charms.

“Decided to clean up my act,” he said. “Fresh start. You should be familiar with wanting to start over. Right, boarding school girl?” he asked smugly, holding her gaze a little longer than what felt comfortable.

“Um…yeah,” Maddie muttered, “I guess so.” She willed herself not to let Trevor Campbell under her skin—not again. Strangely, Maddie could almost feel the shy, awkward Maddie Crane—the one she thought she had disposed of years ago—gingerly rubbing her eyes and coming back to life.

“So,” he chuckled, “what brings Maddie Crane back to Hawthorne? Was Maine life too much for you? Did you get sick of all the maple syrup and mountain climbing?”

“Uh, that’s Vermont, Trevor,” Maddie said slowly. She could barely stomach sticking around much longer talking to this bastard. She couldn’t believe that he was related to Reed, the only person she had had feelings for until Luke came into her life. Yet Trevor was one of the few who knew what she had done to Cordelia on Misery Island—who had witnessed the act that she so regretted when she had thrown that stone at Cordelia’s head. And for that, she hated him even more. “Actually, if you really want to know, I came back to take care of my mom for Christmas break.” Then she added, “She needs help with my aunt Rebecca.”

“Oh yeah,” said Trevor. “How could I forget about that crazy aunt of yours?”

My God, Maddie thought, some people never change. She was just about to storm off, but not before she told him where he could shove that smug attitude of his, when he caught her off-guard by saying, “It’s good that you’re here to take care of your mother. Especially after what happened this past fall.”

“This fall?” Maddie asked. She had no idea what he was talking about.

“Wow, your mom didn’t tell you? That’s weird,” he replied to her confused look. Maddie wanted to punch that smug look off his face, but her desire for information got the best of her.

“It was the strangest thing. I was at the station, playing a game of poker with the boys. So, it was a Tuesday night, not much really goes on during the week. The bars are empty and the high school keggers don’t really happen until the weekend. Do you remember the parties we used to throw out on Misery? Man, those were the days.”

“Focus, Trevor,” Maddie said impatiently, wanting to physically hurt him for even mentioning Misery Island, but at the same time she desperately wanted to know what he was talking about.

“So,” he continued, “this crazy 9–1–1 call comes in. Turns out it’s your mom on the phone just crying and screaming and going on and on about someone in the house, and they need everyone, even me, to help contain the situation. That’s what this is for.” He pulled out a Taser gun and Maddie shivered at the thought of Trevor Campbell, a guy with a drinking problem, a history of assault and rape, and an overwhelming sense of entitlement, being allowed to carry a weapon. “So, Sully—er, do you remember Officer Sullivan? Garrett Sullivan?”

Maddie bristled. Trevor obviously was aware that she knew Garrett Sullivan. He was the one who was a part of that awful night at Ravenswood. Trevor was just taunting her.

“Anyway, he tells her to get out of the house and get to a safe place, and she just kept on screaming ‘It’s not my fault,’ blah, blah, blah. Sully barely understood a word of it, y’know? Then, nothing. Silence. He said it was like the phone’s just ripped from the wall.”

At that point, Maddie couldn’t hide her emotions. Why hadn’t anyone mentioned this before? “What happened?” she yelled.

“I’m getting to that,” he said, suddenly appearing excited to have such a rapt audience. “So, we pull up to the house and there aren’t any lights on. We knock and knock…nothing. Then they force entry into the house with backup”—he pointed to himself with a self-satisfied grin—“ ’cause they didn’t know what they were walking into. We were pretty jacked by this time, because nothing really happens around here. Well, at least not in a long time.”

Maddie inhaled sharply, painfully, knowing that he was referring to Cordelia and the night at Ravenswood, the night that ended in her aunt’s attempted suicide and the revelation that Cordelia and Maddie were tied together by a bond deeper than either of them ever could have imagined—they shared a father.

“Once we got into your house and looked around, well…it was a total disaster. The furniture all tipped over, books were everywhere, smashed glass, and that smell…like something burning. So Sully called out to your mom. And there’s just nothin’. No sounds, no one, nothin’.

“We started picking our way through the mess when Sully stopped short ’cause he heard this hollow tapping sound. It was coming from the basement. So, we go down to the basement, and man, that is one creepy place. Dirt floors, stone walls, it’s like a dungeon. Then the tapping just filled the room. It was everywhere, all around us, freakin’ us out.

“So, finally, we head back upstairs, and there’s your mother at the top of the staircase, actin’ like she was half drugged, her hair all crazy and wild. The first thing she asks is, ‘Is it gone?’

“Sully asks her, ‘Who did this to you, Abigail?’ She just stared at us. Man, I’ve never seen anyone stare like that before—like she just saw the devil himself….” His voice trailed off and he shifted his gaze over her shoulder for a moment.

He visibly shuddered and then continued. “So we went back into the living room and started picking up the furniture and putting everything back in place. Then your mom walks downstairs like nothin’s happened. Sully wanted to take her down to the station for questioning, but she wouldn’t have it. She just looked at us for a long time. Said it wouldn’t be necessary.”

“So they never filed a report? They never found out who did this to her? Trevor, who the hell broke into my house?”

“Dunno. They got nothing,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Your mom just said she had a bad reaction to the medication she was taking and it caused her to go all crazy and destructive. So we just left it at that. But…”

“But what? How could they believe that? There’s no way that Abigail could have caused all that damage by herself. There has to be more to it, Trevor.” Maddie was getting more and more frustrated—she was squeezing the handlebar of the grocery cart so hard that her knuckles were white.

“That’s just it. She couldn’t have done it herself. And no one was sure if she wasn’t just covering up for someone. Like maybe you or your dad…?”

“Well, I was up at school and as far as I know, my father hasn’t set foot out of Maine in over a decade, and my aunt…well, obviously, you know she’s been hospitalized since Cordelia…” Maddie let her voice trail off, noticing the way his eyes bored into her at the mention of Rebecca and Cordelia.

“Sully contacted your dad—his alibi checked out,” he said, rocking back and forth on his feet, hands in his pockets. “Then he even went to Fairview to talk to your aunt. Total waste of time, that was. She hasn’t talked to anyone since, well, for a long time.”

“So it’s just another unsolved case, then,” Maddie said angrily.

“Yup,” Trevor said, smiling in that pampered prep school way. “Pretty much how it is with your family, isn’t it? Trouble just follows you around.”

Maddie gave him a dirty look.

“That’s okay, Maddie,” he said, his voice turning husky. “I like girls who stir up some trouble.”

“Then I guess you and Kate are still perfect for each other.” Maddie wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “Or are you with Darcy now? Have you made up your mind yet, Trevor?”

A wave of disgust washed over Maddie as she was pulled out of his story and saw how he was leering at her. She remembered when he attacked her in Potter’s Grove. His fleeting interest in Cordelia made Kate so crazy with jealousy that she took the hazing ritual out on Misery Island too far, leading to Cordelia’s disappearance. And all of it was because Kate thought that Trevor was into Cordelia. All of their lives irrevocably altered because of one spoiled, bitchy girl’s insecurities and one repulsively violent boy who had an overwhelming sense of entitlement. It was all coming back and she suddenly wanted to be nowhere near Trevor Campbell.

“I can always make space for one more in my harem,” he said huskily through a stiff jaw. She almost felt violated as he looked her up and down from under his half-lidded eyes. “Especially a boarding school girl. Do they make you wear those cute little outfits?”

“You disgust me, Trevor,” she stated.

“Hasn’t stopped other girls—didn’t stop Cordelia,” he said smugly when he noticed her bristle. “You don’t know what you’re missing. Or are you still pining away for my big brother? Too bad he’s found someone else to play house with.”

“If you mention Cordelia’s name again, I’ll march down to the police station myself and have you arrested for rape, you smug bastard.”

“Hey, my boys down at the station know that you can’t call it rape when you have a willing participant.” He then lowered his voice and added, “Besides, who are they gonna believe? A runaway girl with a mom locked up in the loony bin, or one of their own?”

Maddie steeled herself against his taunts. She hated how he was acting, like being harbor patrol gave him the same rights and privileges as a regular town cop. It was obvious that he felt superior to the lowly police force, but at the same time he probably thought it made him look cool to hang out, smoke cigars, and play poker with the police—like they were his boys. He acted like he could get away with anything in this town. Even rape…or murder….

Maddie shoved past him, forcing him to spill hot coffee on his hands.

“Ow, Crane, watch it!” he called after her. She heard him mutter about some “crazy bitches in this town.”

She’d deal with Trevor and the police station later, Maddie thought. She had her own interrogation to conduct as soon as she got home.

Abigail brushed her off when confronted with the information from Trevor. “It was nothing,” Abigail fumed. “A bad reaction to my medication. Made me all jumpy and crazy.” She shook her head emphatically. “Stupid doctors and their ridiculous pills. That’s why they call it a practice, you know, because they haven’t gotten it right yet.”

Maddie tried to reason with her that there was no way she could have done the damage Trevor described. Cancer patients usually have less energy, not enough to destroy a house.

Again, she shrugged it off. “You know how those boys are down at the station. Always blowing things out of proportion. You’ve read the police log in town, haven’t you? A squirrel crosses the street and you’d think the town was under attack by wild animals. Nonsense. Utter nonsense. Besides, why would you believe a word from that good-for-nothing Campbell boy? If you recall, his older brother was the one they think was involved with Cordelia before she disappeared.” Abigail put an exaggerated emphasis on that last word to remind Maddie of her feelings on the subject.

Abigail continued to mutter to herself as she stormed out of the room. “Just because those Campbells have all that money from that oil company doesn’t make them any better than the trash they are.”

Maddie heard her stomp up the stairs and the bedroom door slam. And she knew then that the discussion was permanently over.

Consumed by anger and frustration, Maddie left the Victorian to walk down the street to the beach. This was where she and Cordelia used to sneak off to when they went for midnight swims. The wintry night air felt good on her skin and helped to cool her down.

For some reason, the streets of Hawthorne had never scared Maddie until Cordelia’s disappearance. Nights never held any devilish secrets, except for those nightmarish unearthly creatures born out of her cousin’s wild imagination. Real people never scared Maddie the way that things that went bump in the night did—and the stories that Cordelia spun about the ghosts that curl around bedposts and sit upon a young girl’s chest while she sleeps, attempting to steal her breath and soul. Or the headless banshee that wails and shrieks beneath your bedroom window, heralding a death that will soon claim a family member.

Maddie was quite certain that Cordelia never frightened easily, which was what enabled those frightening tales to trip and fall from her tongue without any hint of trepidation or reluctance of speaking about such dark things, no matter if they were in a darkened room or passing by a cemetery bathed in moonlight. And even after all of the horrible things were done to her by the girls that night on Misery Island, Cordelia never showed any fear.

Questions raced through Maddie’s head as she looked out at the dark churning waters. Will I ever get the chance to apologize to Cordelia for everything? For remaining friends with girls who tormented her since her arrival in Hawthorne? Will I get the chance to tell her how sorry I am for standing by and letting the events on Misery Island take place? For being too afraid to stand up for her, to save her?

She knew she had to go home. Her mother was the reason she came back to Hawthorne—the only reason. And she needed to be there for her, to support her and help her through this difficult time. But as she turned to leave, something caught her eye. She swore she saw a girl standing on top of the jagged rocks. Her body bent like a dancer’s in an arabesque pose, leg lifted as if about to go into flight. A shock of red hair against the inky night. Yet when she looked again, there was nothing there—no one standing on the rock that sank into the deep waters. It was just a trick of the eye, she reasoned. And despite her unsettling feelings, she turned back toward her home, willing to put the past behind her and deal with what was yet to come.

Later that evening, Abigail paced the well-worn floor of her bedroom, listening to the noise and movement coming from Madeline’s room. It seemed so strange to have activity and any form of life within these walls again. She didn’t want to think about that night. The one where she lost control. The night that she saw things that couldn’t be real—couldn’t possibly occur. She’d known about the hauntings in Hawthorne and the lengths that Tess had gone to keep restless spirits at bay. But without the old woman in the house, the activity started up in the house. The unfinished business, the secrets, the lies—all of it would unravel in a way that no one could control. She wondered if the medication was just making her see things—things that weren’t there, that couldn’t be real. Or if the spirits that haunted her were always there and she just chose to shut them out. Perhaps she was so close to death that the veil between the living and the dead was being drawn aside, allowing her a peek into the afterlife.

Soon, though, Maddie would leave her, leave Hawthorne, and when she did, Abigail would be leaving this house as well, feet first and finally at peace. God willing, she thought. God willing.