Caroline McCarthy gave a short wave to her best friend James and spun on her heals, walking down the hall of Oakwood Middle School, then exiting. She ran home and slid her house key out of her pocket once she reached her driveway. As she opened the door, rain started to fall outside.
She sneaked up her stairs of her mostly deserted house and placed her back pack on the floor in her room. She decided there wasn't enough time to change so she started to her destination wearing her uniform.
Before she could escape she heard a voice. "Caroline? Is that you?" She sighed heavily and stepped into the dining room to see her younger brother staring wide-eyed at her. "Isn't it still eighth period?" He had stayed home from a cold, and their mother watched him until she left to her shift at the hospital.
"Sammy, come on I need to get it before someone else does." Caroline started toward the door and she heard him mumbling about other copies, butCaroline wanted the first. "I don't suppose you want to come with me."
-oOo-
Caroline raced through the puddles on Main Street, rainwater splattering onto her blue jeans. She rounded the corner onto Brooklyn Lane with Sammy trailing behind her. "Wait up!" He called, waving at her. He stopped for a second and rested his hands on his knees.
"Do you want to get caught in the storm?" She slowed down and started walking backwards down the cobblestone street. When he leaned against the wall, she sighed. "Come on, stop being such a baby. We're almost there."
They both continued walking. Sammy kicked a small stone into a puddle as the old bookstore came into view. When she stepped through the door she was greeted with the smell of old musty hardcovers and fresh new books. There were three walls of shelves, then the counter on the left. A table with wooden chairs sat in the middle of the room. "Good morning Miss Caroline. Have you come for your book?" Mr. Wells, the bookkeeper, said. Mr. Wells always wore a smile on his face, even on a cloudy day like that one. He turned and inspected one of the shelves, moving his hands along the books until he rested on one in particular. He pulled it out and handed it to Caroline. It was a paper-back that was blue with a lady on it. "The Murder of Miss Estelle by Michael Andrews. The newest in his marvelous series."
"Thank you Mr. Wells." Caroline said and placed the book on the desk for checkout. She slid 4 pounds out of her wallet and put it on top of her book.Caroline picked up her book and flipped through its pages. Its smell wafted up into her nose and she smiled gleefully. Then she exited the store.
She and Sammy crossed the street to the Climbing Vine Café. They say it was named that because of all of the gossip spoken there, and how gossip is like a vine, in how it grows quickly and chokes the truth. Nevertheless, Caroline thought it was a creative name.
Just as she was about to reach the steps, a man with a suspicious trench coat fumbled out of the café and down the stairs. She could see none of the man's features, for they were blocked out by sunglasses and the shadow of his hat. He wandered off into the evening, slipping something into his left pocket.Very suspicious fellow, Caroline thought. Like a character just out of one ofMichael Andrews' books.
Caroline climbed the stairs and swung open the glass door. She scanned the room for her friend and her eyes locked on him. He looked up and saw her and beckoned her over to his table. She took a seat across from him and Sammy sat down next to her.
"Hey James. How was your day?" She said with a grin. She glanced at the menu, finding something she wanted to order, then folded her hands in front of her.
He stared at her and frowned. "You can't just keep skipping school like thatCaroline. You're gonna fall behind."
She snorted. "You know I'm smarter than any of the other kids in the eighth grade." She paused, seeing James wasn't going to let her off that easy, then continued. "Besides," she said, "This time my excuse is better. Mr. Wells just got The Murder of Miss Estelle. You know if I didn't cut last period it would've been gone by the time school got over."
