Shadows on the Sea Page 9

  “Not to mention lots of fun! We’ll have a big float in the parade on Saturday. We’ll be having our formal dance, the Crystal Ball, soon. Don’t you get the local paper?” Elaine asked. “There’s always something about our activities in the paper.”

  “Then I guess it was the Crystals who sent flowers to Wendy and me when we arrived in Winter Haven,” Jill said.

  The three Crystals exchanged blank looks. “Er … oh, it probably was our group,” Elaine said after an awkward pause. “We have a benevolence committee … it must have been them.”

  “A benevolence committee?” Jill asked.

  “They’re so busy doing good things for the community, it’s hard to keep track sometimes,” Betty answered. She made a sweeping gesture around the hall. “We get to use this hall because Reverend Bailey feels we’re such good Christians.”

  Jill noticed a table in the corner of the hall with a box on it. On either side were dishes of white and black marbles. The voting box. She had a sick feeling in her stomach.

  “Where is the powder room?” Wendy asked, getting up.

  “Go out to the hall and turn right,” Gloria told her.

  When Wendy left, Elaine leaned over the table and spoke to Jill in a low voice. “Are you close friends with Wendy?”

  “I met her on the train coming up here,” Jill said. “And we’ve done a few things together. Why?”

  “Well, we … we thought it was rather odd that you …,” Betty began.

  “You’re just not the same type … if you know what I mean … considering her background and all,” Elaine said in a condescending tone.

  Gloria looked uncomfortable. “Jill is new around here. So’s her grandmother. They don’t know …”

  “Then we should tell her,” Betty interrupted. “She should know who she’s associating with. I’d want to know if I were Jill.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Don’t repeat gossip,” Gloria cautioned her friends.

  “It’s not gossip if it’s true,” Betty snapped. “And everyone knows it’s true.”

  What were they talking about?

  “I’ll bet Wendy doesn’t even know,” Gloria said, “so we should be careful what we say.”

  “I don’t want to hurt Wendy,” Elaine said. “I know it’s not Wendy’s fault. Her mother is the one to blame.”

  “That’s exactly what my mom said,” Betty agreed. “She said, ‘Be polite to Wendy. You don’t have to associate with her, but you can be kind. It’s not her fault that her mother …’”

  Elaine put her hand up in a warning gesture. Wendy was heading back to the table. “We’ll talk later,” she whispered to Jill.

  “I’m not sure I want to know.” Jill stood up. “I’m going to the powder room.”

  Elaine got up too. “I’ll come with you.”

  Once inside the bathroom, Elaine put her hand on Jill’s arm. “You really don’t know what we’re talking about, do you?”

  “No, I don’t. If it’s something bad about Wendy, I don’t want to hear it.” Hear no evil.

  “It’s not bad about Wendy really. As we said, it’s not her fault.” Elaine put her face close to Jill’s and whispered. “Wendy is illegitimate. Her mother and father aren’t married.”

  “What? Of course they’re married,” Jill retorted.

  “Her parents are not married. No one knows who her father is.”

  Jill was lost. “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, Jill. I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out yourself.” Elaine rolled her eyes. “Adrie Dekker is Wendy’s mother!”

  Dark Secrets

  Jill couldn’t speak. Adrie, Wendy’s mother? That couldn’t be. This was just another one of the rumors spreading around town. “I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

  “Jill, you must have seen the resemblance. Wendy’s the spitting image of Adrie.”

  Of course Jill had seen the strong resemblance—the corn-silk blond hair and that single dimple. Could Elaine be telling the truth?

  “I don’t think Wendy knows this,” Jill murmured.

  “She may suspect,” Elaine said, “but it’s been a secret for years—ever since Wendy was born. Adrie’s sister brought Wendy up as her own daughter.”

  “How can you call it a secret if everyone knows but Wendy?”

  “It’s all Adrie’s fault,” Elaine said. “She got in a family way and disgraced herself. My mother told me all about it. Adrie went to Europe years ago and when she came back she was fat as a pig! She said she had put on weight from eating so much while she was away.” Elaine waved her hand and snickered. “As if she could fool the whole town! Then she went off to visit her sister in New York. When she came back she was skinny as a snake. The easiest way out was to have the baby in New York and give it to her sister, who has no children. So Wendy’s aunt Adrie is really her mother and her mother is really her aunt. You can understand why the Crystals probably won’t invite Wendy into the club. She just doesn’t fit under these circumstances … her mother being a tramp and all.”

  “Adrie Dekker isn’t a tramp,” Jill said, still trying to sort out all she was hearing.

  “I can’t believe a big-city girl from Boston could be so naive,” Elaine said. “Adrie has men come to the inn a lot. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? And Wendy’s just like her mother. She’s a flirt too.”

  At that moment, Betty peeked into the powder room. “It’s getting late and we have to clean up and vote. Are you two coming?”

  Jill walked back into the hall as if in a trance. Wendy was waiting for her by the front door.

  “Good-bye, Jill!” Betty called. “You’ll be hearing from us.”

  The rest of the Crystals waved, “Bye, Jill! Bye, Wendy.”

  Before the door closed behind them, Jill could see Elaine placing the voting box on a table in the center of the hall.

  Once they were outside, Wendy turned on Jill. “You spoiled everything!” Her face was drawn and white. “How could you?”

  “How could I what? What are you talking about?”

  “You set yourself up as the center of attention. You were so pushy! ‘Drew Winters’s daughter.’ That’s all I heard. I might as well have stayed home. No one paid one bit of attention to me.”

  Jill’s own anger flared up. “I only came to this stupid meeting because you begged me to. You’re the one who wanted to join, don’t forget! I don’t give one hoot about belonging to the Crystals—and you know that!”

  “And just what took you so long in the powder room with Elaine? Talking about me?”

  “I never said one bad thing about you!”

  “Well, I’ll soon find out. If I’m not invited to join the Crystals, it will be all your fault!” Wendy stormed off, leaving Jill standing alone on the sidewalk.

  Jill needed to ring Nana but she didn’t want to go back into the church to use the telephone. She never wanted to see the Crystals again. Never! The drugstore was closed. She spotted a phone booth outside the library, but when she got there, she discovered she didn’t have a nickel to place the call.

  She’d walk home. It was only a couple of miles. She crossed the street and started up the sidewalk by the docks. Even the cool sea air didn’t clear her mind of the cobwebs that had been woven there by Elaine.

  Adrie was Wendy’s mother. Everyone in town seemed to know. And it was as if Wendy were some kind of criminal because of the circumstances of her birth. Jill walked faster as she recalled Wendy’s outburst. How could Wendy say all those awful things? Jill kicked at a stone and tears welled up in her eyes. Elaine as much as said Wendy would be blackballed. And if Wendy was blackballed, she’d blame Jill!

  Jill was unaware of the deepening darkness as she turned up the dirt road leading to Nana’s house. Should she ring Wendy when she got home? No. Wendy should be the one to call and apologize. Nana would know what to do. She could hardly wait to get home.

  She passed the trail that led off through the woods to Frenchman’
s Cove. The pathway was surrounded by overhanging trees and looked like a black tunnel.

  Wait! What was that? A tiny light flickered deep in the woods—just a flicker. Someone was down there with a flashlight. Jill stopped, watching the blinking light as it came closer. Who would be down in Frenchman’s Cove in the dark?

  Jill tiptoed to a small grove of pine trees on the other side of the road and crouched behind the largest tree, hoping whoever it was would not cast the light in her direction. Footsteps crunched on the gravel as the flickering light came closer.

  The light disappeared as the person turned onto another path—the one that led to Clayton Bishop’s backyard. Jill peered out from her hiding place and cautiously started up the road again, removing her shoes to silence her steps. A light went on in the bungalow ahead. It must have been Clayton!

  Jill stayed close to the other side of the road, trying to remain in the shadows as she passed by his cottage. Then, once around the bend, she flew toward the welcome sight of Nana’s house.

  Jill raced up the driveway, across the porch, and burst into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

  “Jill! How did you get home?” Nana stopped putting away the supper dishes and stared at Jill’s stocking feet. “Why didn’t you ring?”

  “I had to walk because …” She sank into a chair at the kitchen table and told Nana everything that happened at the Crystal’s tea. “Nana, is it true what Elaine said about Adrie? Can she really be Wendy’s mother?”

  Nana sat down and traced the grain of the wood table with her finger. Finally she spoke. “I did once hear about Adrie being Wendy’s mother after I first moved up here. You can’t keep a secret like that in a small town. But it was never important to me. It’s Adrie’s business—not the town’s business. Adrie made a mistake once in her life. Too bad the people here won’t forget it. And it’s too bad that stigma has to affect Wendy.”

  “Does Wendy know?”

  “I honestly don’t think so, although she may suspect, since they look so much alike.” Nana seemed worried. “Were the girls mean to Wendy?”

  “Yes. They weren’t friendly at all to her and Wendy blamed me! She said if she’s not accepted into the Crystals it’ll be my fault. She was furious because the girls were gaga over Dad.” Jill sat up in her chair angrily. “Wendy knew that the Crystals would want me because of Daddy—and they’d only want her because she was my friend.” Jill’s voice rose. “So why is she mad at me?”

  Nana shook her head. “Those girls believe Wendy’s illegitimate and therefore they’re too good for her. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re jealous because she’s pretty and has nice clothes. Wendy, on the other hand, must feel left out in this town and she was hoping that being your friend would give her acceptance. When she didn’t get the attention she craved by the Crystals, she blamed you.” Nana got up to put the kettle on. “You know, Jill, she may call you tomorrow, to apologize.”

  “I’ll feel uncomfortable with her now, since I learned Adrie is her mother and Wendy doesn’t even know it.” Jill took teacups from the cup-board. “Wendy did say she wished her aunt was her mother!”

  “Jill, don’t concern yourself with it. Try to forget about Wendy’s problems.”

  While they sipped tea, Jill told Nana about Clayton Bishop coming out of the woods.

  “Jill, you really shouldn’t have come home alone in the dark. Not that anything is likely to happen here, but … if I had known, I would have been worried.”

  “Well, I’m safe. Don’t you worry, Nana.” Jill was about to head for bed when the telephone rang. “Maybe it’s Mom!” she yelled, running for the phone in the parlor.

  It was Quarry. “I called to tell you that we may be on to somethin’ after all—you know—about the strange goings-on.” He lowered his voice. “I overheard Pa talkin’ with the coast guard skipper.”

  “What did he say?”

  “They think German U-boats are lyin’ in wait somewhere round here. They stalk our ships and then blow ’em up.”

  “Quarry, my mom is coming back soon—across the Gulf.” Jill reminded him. “She called last night.”

  “I don’t mean to scare you. I’m just tellin’ you what I heard, ‘cause of the pigeon and all.”

  For a moment they were both silent. Then Quarry said, “Maybe we should tell someone about the bird and the message.”

  “Quarry,” Jill whispered, shielding the telephone with her hand, “Nana and Ida Wilmar share some kind of secret. I heard them talking about it. I had put all that out of my mind, but now you tell me this. Someone around here may be helping the Germans. Ida is German. But Nana … she just can’t be involved. We can’t tell anyone yet. Not until we know more.”

  “Let’s set the pigeon free tomorrow and see where it goes,” Quarry suggested. “Then we’ll decide what to do next.”

  Before Jill went to bed, she went up to the widow’s walk. The sky was bright with stars and the waning full moon was setting over the church steeple. She could make out the constellation of Lyra overhead. Its brightest star, Vega, twinkled in the black sky. Daddy had shown her how to find Vega one night. “Make a wish,” he had said.

  The lights in the town were twinkling off. She could see the Tearoom Inn and thought about Adrie’s secret. She wondered how many other secrets hovered over the town.

  Jill folded her arms against the cold breeze and turned to the east. Out there in the black waters, U-boats were watching and waiting—like wolf packs, silently crouching, ready to spring.

  Jill was about to descend the stairs but turned once more to survey the sea. It was difficult to see where the ocean met the sky until a sudden burst of light flashed on the horizon. The light dimmed, then disappeared.

  Jill crawled down the stairs into the house, locking the door to the widow’s walk behind her. In her room she pulled the window blinds, climbed into bed, and drew her down comforter around her. But she could not get warm.

  She fingered the three wise monkeys on her bracelet. “Please, dear God, bring my mother and father home safely,” she repeated over and over until she fell asleep.

  The Pigeon Flies Home

  All day Wednesday, Jill hoped that Wendy might ring and things would be all right between them. She was tempted to buzz Wendy herself, but when she remembered Wendy ‘s accusations, she decided against it.

  The telephone only rang once, and it was Quarry saying he was aback in his chores and had to work all day. He wouldn’t be over until Thursday. Maybe they would let the pigeon go then.

  Jill finally wrote a note to Dad, telling him how much she loved the bracelet and never took it off. “I don’t worry half as much since I got my bracelet!” Jill wrote. She felt good after writing-it was as if she were talking with her father. She mailed it to his agent in Los Angeles because she wasn’t sure where he was at this point Was he flying to Las Vegas? San Diego? And then to New York? It was hard to keep up with his schedule. She prayed he would be safe, wherever he was.

  After breakfast on Thursday, Jill was surprised to see three bicycles coming up the driveway.

  “Oh, no! It’s the big three! Nana, tell them Fm not here! Tell them Fm sick or something!”

  “I can’t do that, Jill,” Nana said.

  “I don’t want them to stay. What’ll I do?”

  “Go outside and see what they want. You don’t have to invite them in.”

  Jill went out to the porch. “Hi,” she said. “What brings you here?”

  “We wanted to deliver the good news to you ourselves, instead of mailing a letter,” Elaine said, handing Jill a white envelope.

  “Open it,” Betty said. “It’s your invitation to join the Crystals! You were voted into the club unanimously.”

  Gloria was beaming. “Congratulations, Jill. We’re really glad that you’re going to be one of us.”

  Jill took the envelope but didn’t open it. “What about Wendy?”

  Betty shook her head. “She didn’t make it, Jill. She isn�
�t right for our group.”

  Elaine moved closer to Jill and spoke in a low, confidential tone. “You understand, don’t you? I explained why she couldn’t be one of the Crystals—with her background and everything.”

  “Just between us, Jill, every single blackball was used,” Betty said. “It’s the first time that ever happened. We’ve had a few blackballs used in the past—and of course even one would keep the person out—but Wendy, poor thing, was not acceptable. She’s just not the right material for the Crystals.”

  Jill had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Did you tell her yet?”

  “We stopped by her house and slipped the envelope under the door. We didn’t knock. It would be embarrassing for her to face us,” Elaine said. “It’s better this way.”

  Betty nodded her agreement.

  “We sent a nice note,’ Gloria hastened to say.

  “How thoughtful of you,’ Jill said, her anger mounting.

  “So … don’t you just love living here at your grandmother’s? It’s a beautiful old house.” Betty waited, as if expecting to be invited in.

  Jill said nothing and after an awkward moment, Elaine asked, “Is your father coming up here this summer?”

  “I don’t know,” Jill answered coldly.

  “We’d just love to meet him in person,” Betty said.

  “When he comes, I’m sure he’d like to be left alone,” Jill said, turning toward the kitchen door.

  “The next meeting of the Crystals will be in two weeks. But we’ll see you before then, won’t we?” Gloria asked. “Maybe at the clambake on Saturday?”

  “Would you like to ride on our float in the parade?” Betty asked. “We’d be right honored to have Drew Winters’s daughter on board.” She turned to the others. “Wouldn’t we?”

  “Oh yes, Jill. Do join us,” Elaine pleaded. “Well be startin’ the parade at Town Hall. Just come down on Saturday morning. Wear something patriotic. We’re a very patriotic group.”

  “No, I can’t ride on the float,” Jill replied quickly. “IVe got to go now. My grandmother wants me. We’re … busy.”