Story Time (19 page)

Molly explained to her, as if everybody knew it, "She's singing the national anthem for the First Lady."

"When? Where?"

"At your school! Where else? The band is playing there, too."

"Whose band?"

"Ours! The Lincoln Middle School Band." Molly added, patronizingly, "It's not like there's a Whittaker Magnet School Band, is there?"

Kate went back to pounding her head against the railing. "This just keeps getting worse."

Molly set her flute case behind her. Then she got down to business. "Listen: I did a little snooping for you yesterday."

Kate stopped pounding.

"I asked my grandmother to tell me what she knew about Mr. and Mrs. Hodges."

Kate sat up straight and paid strict attention.

"Okay," Molly said. "This Mr. Hodges guy used to crawl around the library, on his hands and knees, looking for ghosts or something. Then, one night, he went down to a workshop in the basement."

"That'd be old Mr. Pogorzelski's."

"Okay. He took some metal wire, and he wrapped himself up in it completely, like he was a mummy. Then he stuck one end of the wire into an electrical outlet." Molly pantomimed the action. "He blew out every light in the building."

Kate waited a moment and then held out her hands in exasperation. "So? Did he die? Or is this about a tragic waste of lightbulbs?"

"Oh yeah. He died. Real fast."

"That had to be on the local news! Right? This guy was alive one day, and then he was dead the next. People had to know about it."

Molly shook her head. "The public never heard a word about it."

"How can that be?"

Molly was ready with an answer. "Because Cornell Whittaker Number Two had this friend of his named as the county coroner, this creepy old doctor, Dr. Cavendar."

"Dr. Cavendar? Oh my god. He's still there!"

"Really? Then he must be like a hundred years old. Anyway, the county coroner's job is to investigate all suspicious deaths. So, like, for fifty years, there have been
no
suspicious deaths at the Whittaker Building."

"But there have been lots of deaths."

"Oh yeah."

"Did she tell you anything else? Did she say anything about, like, demonic possessions of kids?"

"I asked her about that again. But it was just what she told us last week. A bunch of kids and one adult acting like wild creatures."

"I bet it was a librarian. I bet it was Walter Barnes."

Molly thought for a moment. "No. It was a lady. She said some lady flipped out and started swinging from a chandelier with one arm, like a monkey." Molly laughed. "That part sounded pretty cool." Her smile faded. "But that's why my grandmother lost her job. Isn't it?"

Kate had hoped to talk to Mrs. Brennan that evening, but Ma and Pa got to her first. They corralled her into a conversation about their favorite subject just before the girls arrived on the porch.

Mrs. Brennan listened politely as Ma described the differences between mountain buckdance and pitter-pat. Kate and Molly, in no mood to be polite, walked to the curb and leaned against the car.

Then Kate heard Pa mention another subject altogether, her father. She edged forward to hear. "Yeah, Charley Peters had a job over at Technon, a big sales job. That Charley was a great talker. But one day he started talking about ghosts—people seeing ghosts, or some such stuff. They fired him. You can't have no loonies running around at Technon, not with all them superweapons of mass destruction."

Kate interrupted him. "Pa! Wait a minute. What did you say about my dad?"

Pa froze, unaware that Kate had been listening. He grinned sheepishly. "You can't go by nothin' I say, Kate. I was just a security guard."

"But you said they fired him because he was talking about ghosts. Right?"

"Aw, I don't know nothin' about it, Kate. Not really. I should've kept my big mouth shut. It's just that ... that was the rumor."

Kate walked back to the car in order to think. After a few more minutes, the Tri-County Cloggers arrived and tramped inside, freeing Mrs. Brennan to leave. But Kate no longer felt like asking her about the library or the Whittakers or anything else. She gave both Molly and her grandmother a quick hug good-bye and hurried inside.

Kate spent the next thirty minutes trying to log on to her computer to write an e-mail to her father. After much frustration, she did manage to send off a message via the American Schools Abroad Program's website.

Then Kate reached her arms up and stretched. She leaned her head so far back that she was looking upside down, and right at June. Kate snapped upright, turned, and glared at her mother. June was on the landing with another FedEx package. Kate snapped, "How long have you been standing there?"

"I didn't mean to startle you," June said.

"Good job!"

June held out the package and spoke in a gentle voice. "Kate, we got this today. It's from Asia."

Kate snatched the package away, ripped it open, and dumped out its contents. She knew immediately what those contents were—the letters she had written to her father, at least a year's worth. They were bundled together under a sheet of paper bearing the letterhead of the American Schools Abroad Program. It read:

To: Miss Kate Peters
Re: Mr. Charles Peters

Be advised that Mr. Peters no longer works for the American Schools Abroad Program. We do not know his current whereabouts.

Kate stared at the pile of letters, each filled out in her own handwriting so meticulously and so hopefully. Tears filled her eyes and spilled out onto the top one.

June placed a hand on Kate's shoulder and tried to think of some comforting words to say. But before she could, Kate took hold of the hand and removed it. Then Kate gathered up the pile of letters and walked into her room.

The students who exited the Whittaker Magnet School on Monday afternoon had changed in one dramatic way: They were all dressed exactly alike. The boys now wore tan slacks, blue blazers, and striped ties. The girls now wore frilly white dresses.

Kate and George emerged last, looking out of place in their jeans and T-shirts. As they walked past the office, Cornelia stepped out and blocked their paths. "Why are you two out of uniform?"

"We're still trying to scrape together the money," George answered. "Would it be possible for us to return our copy of
The Whittakers of King's County: A Biographical History?
"

Cornelia leaned over him. She answered coldly, "All sales are final."

George started to walk away, but Cornelia's big hand stopped him. She checked her watch. "I'll tell you what, let's settle this matter right now. Come with me." She grabbed each child by an elbow and steered them across the lobby to Elevator #3.

Kate and George stood like shackled prisoners in the elevator and rode up to the eighth floor. Cornelia forced them to walk ahead of her into the County Commission Room. To Kate's complete surprise and utter horror, the room was filled with people she knew: Ma and Pa, dressed in their most outrageous clogging outfits; the other four Tri-County Cloggers; Mr. Kagoshima; and, lastly, LoriBeth Sommers.

"Uncle George," Kate whispered. "Am I losing my mind? What are they all doing here?"

"They're here for a rehearsal maybe? For the First Lady's visit?"

Cornelia made Kate and George stop in front of the dais. She announced, "I would like to take a minute of everyone's valuable time in order to make a plea for charity. It is important that we who
have
give to those who have not. These children standing before you lack even the basic funds to buy their school uniforms."

Cornelia reached over to the table and grabbed a large plastic cup. She held it up so that all could see the writing on it:
BUD WRIGHT'S SWIM-WITH-A-DOLPHIN AQUATIC PARK
. She then handed the cup to Kate. "You may circulate among the generous people who have come here today. I'm sure they will help you."

Kate looked out over the crowd. The first people she made eye contact with were Ma and Pa. Each of them was holding up a dollar and waving it cheerfully.

"We don't have to take this, Kate," George whispered. "We can leave right now. Just walk out, and I'll follow you."

But Kate responded coolly. "You go sit down, Uncle George. I'll take care of everything."

Several people along the aisle stuffed dollars into the cup. LoriBeth Sommers, with a triumphant smile, fished out a dime and tossed it in. Mr. Kagoshima put in a dollar. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I wasn't listening. What is this for, Kate?"

"It's for you, Mr. Kagoshima. It's to help pay your expenses for bringing the Lincoln Band to Whittaker."

Mr. Kagoshima blinked. He took the cup wonderingly. "Oh, really? Well, then, thank you, Kate."

"Thank you, sir." Kate then joined George in a seat near the back.

Susan Singer-Wright banged her gavel to start the meeting. "We are here today to organize a very special program for the First Lady's visit." She consulted a schedule. "We will begin the program with our national anthem played by the Lincoln Middle School Band under the direction of their conductor, Mr. No-ree-oh Kah-go-shee-ma. Is that correct, sir?"

Mr. Kagoshima half rose. "That is close enough, ma'am."

Susan smiled. "I must say that it is a nice touch that you are a multicultural conductor."

"I try, ma'am."

"It says here that you will be joined at the fifth bar of the song by the vocals of Miss LoriBeth Sommers. Where is Miss Sommers?"

LoriBeth stood up, waved, and smiled. A skinny girl with close-cropped brown hair, she was dressed all in green, except for a brown belt and a pair of brown slippers.

Susan smiled back and told her, "You might want to wear something else for the First Lady, honey." She looked back at her schedule. "We will then have a performance of native American folk dancing by the Tri-County Cloggers."

Ma and Pa started whooping. The rest of the Tri-County Cloggers joined in. Cornelia stared at them until they stopped.

Dr. Austin raised his hand. "I wouldn't call it 'native American.'"

"Why not?" Susan asked.

"Because they are not Native American Indians."

George arched one eyebrow toward Kate to acknowledge the redundancy.

"Call it 'authentic American folk dancing,' instead," Dr. Austin suggested.

Susan picked up a pen and amended her text. "Whatever you say, Dr. Austin." Then she added, "Heidi will perform next. I'll leave that to Mrs. Whittaker-Austin to describe."

Cornelia pointed a big finger at the schedule. "Dr. Austin and I have decided that the message of
Orchid the Orca
is too important to be lumped in with all these other activities. Therefore, Heidi's performance has been relocated to this room. Just after the First Lady meets with the dignitaries and just before she goes up to the roof, she will experience Heidi's stunning performance." Cornelia stopped to look at Bud Wright. "During which, Orchid will plead for the government to end her loneliness."

Bud shouted, "Amen to that!"

The meeting ended immediately after so that the performers could rehearse. Kate and George tried to leave quietly, but Cornelia was waiting for them at the door. "How much money did you two collect?"

"I collected a little bit," Kate said. "But I set the cup down and lost it."

"What?"

"Or somebody stole it. Sorry."

Cornelia pulled herself up to her full height. "All right. I've done all I'm going to do for you two. You don't appreciate a thing!" She looked at Kate. "You couldn't pass a test if your life depended on it." Then she turned to George. "And you! Have you suffered brain damage? What has happened to your test scores?"

Kate could feel George start to tremble beside her.

Cornelia lowered her voice to a menacing whisper. "Your parents signed a contract. I might add, they signed it without reading it. Failure to honor that contract will result in the loss of your house to the county. And you know what that would make you?..."

Cornelia turned on her heel and left.

Kate was not at all affected by Cornelia's threats, but she took one look at George and saw that he was falling apart. "Don't listen to her, Uncle George," she whispered. "She's just a big bully." Kate grabbed George by his skinny shoulders and squeezed him hard, as if she were literally holding him together.

Cornelia hurried upstairs and burst through the door ready to direct the rehearsal for the First Lady's performance. She first sought out Bud and Susan and placed them in charge of security badges for the event. She spoke to them sharply for two minutes about the credentialing procedure.

Kate's first assignment from Cornelia was to bring up the rolling refrigerator from the basement. She was on her return trip in the service elevator when her ears picked up the unmistakable sound of clogging. The elevator doors opened and she beheld all six of the Tri-County Cloggers in fall swing. They were rehearsing one of their routines on the newly finished rooftop stage, which seemed barely able to endure such a pounding.

Kate rolled the refrigerator past the erect, watchful figure of Mrs. Hodges and continued on to the back wall.

She heard Susan tell Bud, "Honey, I'm a country girl at heart, but this is just too cornpone for words."

"I'm sure the Doc knows what he's doin'," Bud answered.

When the cloggers stopped, Bud directed them over to Susan to collect their security badges for the big day.

The Juku Warriors were next to rehearse. George wrangled his seven charges onto the wooden stage, where Dr. Austin and Bud awaited them. Dr. Austin spoke to their smiling faces with chilling severity. "Listen to me, all of you. This will be the most important thing you have done in your lives. Isn't that correct, Mr. Wright?"

Bud, not expecting a question to be tossed his way, was caught unawares. He told them, "That's right, you youngsters. You can help to drive up the real estate values of your homes."

Dr. Austin counted off two items on his fingers. "We will begin with the prefectures of Japan game; then we will do the GRE vocabulary words. Remember, we want to show the First Lady how much fun we have. It will be like Bubble Time. Do you remember Bubble Time? It will be just like that."