House of Secrets

Chapter 2

Sea Cliff was a neighborhood of mansions on hills, most built right up against the sunny street with its row of young trees trimmed into perfect leafy spheres. But the house the Walters were looking at was set back, perched at the edge of the cliff from which the neighborhood took its name, so far back that Casper wondered if it was half supported by stilts. An expanse of emerald lawn buffered it from the street, with three wide pine trees that kept the grass in shadow. The house itself had gold and tan trim accenting the royal blue that wrapped around its slatted sides. An impeccably groomed pebbled path slalomed through the trees to the front door.

“I’ve biked by here tons of times, but I’ve never seen this place,” said Alyssa.

“That’s because you never look up from your stupid books,” said Jonathan.

“And how do you figure I’m reading when I’m on a bike, genius?”

“Audiobooks?”

“Guys, no fighting in front of the real estate agent,” Mrs. Walters said under her breath. She had already called Diana back to apologize for how her son had hung up on her, and now they saw a woman who looked like a blonde supermodel standing at the front of the path. “That must be her. Let’s go.”

The Walters family stepped out of their Toyota, bumping into one another. Diana greeted them, wearing a finely tailored, coral-colored suit, her hair lacquered into a blond helmet. She made the house look even more impressive.

“Dr. Jake Walters,” Dr. Walters said, reaching out to shake. “And this is my wife, Beverly.” Mrs. Walters nodded demurely. Dr. Walters didn’t bother to introduce his offspring. He hadn’t shaved that morning, even though he used to make a point of telling his children how men who didn’t shave every day lacked discipline. But he wasn’t the man he had been back then. Diana eyed the family’s secondhand sedan.

“Can we keep our horse here?” Sara Vivienne Nellie, the youngest child suddenly asked, tugging at her dad's leg. the four year old has been silent the whole trip, listening to her siblings bickering.

“We don’t have a horse, Nell.” He laughed. “She’s going through a horse phase,” he explained to Diana.

“But it’s perfect, Daddy! You said I could get a horse on my next birthday—”

“That was if we got a country house, which we’re not getting, and you can’t keep horses in the city.”

“Why not? There’s lots of places to ride them! Golden Gate Park, Crissy Field . . . You think I don’t remember things you promise—”

Mrs. Walters knelt and took Nellie's shoulders in her hands. “Honey, we’ll talk about this later.”

“But Daddy always—”

“Calm down. It’s not Daddy’s fault. Things have changed. Why don’t we play a game? Here, close your eyes and tell me what kind of horse you want in your wildest dreams. Come on, I’ll do it with you.”

Mrs. Walters shut her eyes. Nellie followed. Jonathan rolled his eyes instead of shutting them, but he was tempted, deep down, to join in. Alyssa shut hers—in solidarity with her sister and to annoy Jonathan, while Casper just pretended he never heard a thing.

“And . . . open!” Mrs. Walters said. “What kind of horse is he?”

“She. Calico. Light brown with white spots. Her name’s Misty.”

“Perfect.” Mrs. Walters hugged her daughter tight, stood up, and went back to looking at the house with Diana, who had waited patiently for the family to work out their very obvious issues.