Package Deal (39 page)

Puzzled, Amanda asked,
“Why
would he do that
?”

“
I’m not sure.
But
, w
hen
I talk
e
d
to
him, h
e
was v
e
ry n
e
rvous.” H
e
stroked
Am
an
d
a’s
back and shoulders
. “Som
e
thing t
e
lls m
e
h
e
had a r
e
ason. I just don’t know what it might b
e
.”

“You don’t think h
e
had anything to do with C
e
c
e
lia running
into th
e
str
ee
t, do you?”

“Hon, I don’t know. But, wh
e
n I was a working r
e
port
e
r, I l
e
arn
e
d
to list
e
n to my gut. Th
e
way
Carl
was acting wasn’t what I would hav
e
e
xp
e
ct
e
d
if all h
e
did was stop by your hous
e
and giv
e
th
e
pap
e
r to C
e
c
e
. Som
e
thing i
sn’t right.”

Amanda
turned her head to look at her daughter.
“Sh
e
told m
e
onc
e
sh
e
didn’t like him
, but I n
e
v
e
r thought much of it. Sh
e
’s said that about oth
e
r p
e
opl
e
sh
e
didn’t know v
e
ry w
e
ll
—
like
her second-
grade teacher, whom she never
got on with
. I gu
e
ss I assum
e
d
that was th
e
r
e
ason.”

“I want to ask h
e
r
about him, if you think I can do it without
ups
e
t
ting her
.
Cece
g
e
tting b
e
tt
e
r is
the most
important
thing
.”
Marcus
kiss
e
d
her
cheek and brushed a lock of hair behind one ear
.
“
Will you let me
do that?”

She
kiss
e
d
him back
and nodded
.

Th
e
y r
e
turn
e
d
to th
e
b
e
d
sid
e
and Amanda pick
e
d
up C
e
c
e
lia’s hand. Th
e
child pull
e
d
her hand
away and r
e
ach
e
d
up to strok
e
Eeyore
.

“C
e
c
e
? Ar
e
you awak
e
?”

C
e
c
e
lia op
e
n
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
a crack
. “
I’m thirsty.”

“Sip it slowly, C
e
c
e
,” Amanda
cautioned as she
held the water glass with a straw and
caution
e
d
. “A littl
e
at a tim
e
, pl
e
as
e
.
”

C
e
c
e
lia look
e
d
up
at
Marcus
, a
wan
smil
e
lighting her face.

“Are y
ou glad
Eeyore
’s h
e
r
e
?” h
e
asked
.

Sh
e
nodd
e
d
.

“C
e
c
e
lia.
Do you remember that I was going to come see you so we could go shopping?”

She nodded, and motioned for him to come closer. Her voice still hoarse, she whispered, “But you can’t tell. We were going to get a surprise birthday present.”

He smiled and whispered back, “That’s right.” He stood up straighter then asked,
“
So did you go outside to see if I was coming?”

She shook her head. Then her chin started to
quiver. She looked over at Aman
da. “I wasn’t supposed to go in the street. I’m sorry.” She started to cry.

Amanda l
e
an
e
d
ov
e
r th
e
b
e
d
and took h
e
r in h
e
r arms. “S
w
ee
th
e
art, i
t’s ok
ay
. I know you didn’t m
e
an to do that. It just happ
e
n
e
d
.” Sh
e
rock
e
d
h
e
r daught
e
r until th
e
t
e
ars and sobb
ing
stopp
e
d
, r
e
plac
e
d
by occasional hiccups.

“C
e
c
e
lia,”
Marcus
b
e
gan again. “Jan
e
t says you y
e
ll
e
d
wh
e
n you w
e
r
e
on th
e
porch. Do you r
e
m
e
mb
e
r that?”

Sh
e
look
e
d
at him
and her chin started to quiver again. The heart monitor
registered
faster activity.
Sh
e
nodd
e
d
.

“Can you t
e
ll m
e
why you y
e
lled
?”

“Mama
told m
e
to.”

“But, hon
e
y, I wasn’t th
e
r
e
,” Amanda said.

C
e
c
e
lia start
e
d
to cry again. “
I didn’t want to let him in, but he wouldn’t go away.
I’m sorry I w
e
nt in th
e
str
ee
t. I had to g
e
t away. You told m
e
to y
e
ll an
d run.
So
I did.” S
h
e
start
e
d
to sob again.

Marcus stood
and looked at Amanda
. “C
e
c
e
lia. I’m going to ask you a
very important
qu
e
stion.
”

“
I don’t want to
talk
anymore.
My
tummy
hurts.”

“I
know
, but it’s v
e
ry important. Will you trust m
e
?
I promis
e
to ask you only on
e
qu
e
stion. Th
e
n you can snuggl
e
with
Eeyore
.”
Marcus
pick
e
d
up h
e
r hand and strok
e
d
it.

C
e
c
e
lia
’s hand
closed tightly around
his two smallest fingers
. “Ok
ay
.”

“Did
Carl
ton
Winslow
do something to make you run
?”

She
closed her eyes
tightly, her breath coming fast
.
“I don’t want to answer anymore. I’m tired. I want more water.”
When she opened them again, she refused to look at him.

Amanda helped her sip
from
the
water
glass
. “It’s ok
ay
, darling. You can rest now.”

Marcus pointed to the window and Amanda moved towar
d it. “Let me try one more time,
”
he whispered.

He returned to the bedside and sat down on the chair.
“Cecelia. Remember when we were talking the other day—about
George
Washington and the presidents you were studying at school?”

She nodded, stroking
Eeyore
slowly.
“I
like President Lincoln the best
even if he does have a big nose.”

Marcus smiled.
“What did you tell me about President Washington?”

“He chopped down a cherry tree.”

He nodded.
“And?”

“He told his papa he could never tell a lie.”

“That’s right, and what did you tell me about your mother?”

“She said
it’
s always good to tell the truth.” She looked at her mother and her chin quivered.
But this time she nearly shouted the words.
“I didn’t mean to run in the street. I had to get away
. You told me to do that
.”

Amanda leaned over the bed and held her. “It’s all right, honey. I know you didn’t mean to go into the street. But why did you? Won’t you please tell us?
Were you afraid?”

Cecelia was silent
. She
nodded and
pressed
her face against Amanda’s breast. “I didn’t like him
making me sit next to him,
holding my arms
so I couldn’t get away. H
e
smelled bad
—
he—
”