Five million dollars.
In the classroom the next morning, April sat down with a piece of paper and wrote out all those zeroes, one after the other. She’d never dreamed of having that much money, and she tried to wrap her mind around what it might mean—how much it could buy. But she didn’t even know where to begin.
Five thousand. Five million. Five billion. They were all the same to April. And only one fact really mattered: no amount could bring her mother back.
“April.” The word cut through the fog in April’s head, but April just kept staring at those zeroes. “April!” Sadie shouted this time, and April bolted upright. She was on the verge of yelling, I’m awake, when Sadie reached for April’s paper.
“Smithers said you did very well on your tests, and . . . Ooh, are you doing math? What kind? Where’s the problem?”
The problem was 1 missing billionaire + 1 missing mother + 1 mysterious key / 1 really huge mansion. April hadn’t actually done the math. She didn’t have to, because there, staring her in the face, were five million reasons to stop trying. Except . . .
“April?” Sadie’s voice was soft. “What’s wrong?”
“Gabriel Winterborne’s worth five million dollars,” April blurted without thinking.
But Sadie simply rolled her eyes. “Oh, he’s worth way more than that. Five million is just what Evert’s willing to pay to get him back. Gabriel’s the sole heir to Winterborne Industries!”
“What about his uncle?”
“Oh, Evert’s in charge while Gabriel’s missing. But it all belongs to Gabriel. Or that’s what Smithers always says whenever Evert comes around.”
April thought about the way Evert had been lovingly caressing a wall when everyone was supposed to be at breakfast. True, April had never had a home before, but she was pretty sure that wall caressing wasn’t exactly normal, so she asked, “Does Evert come here a lot?”
“I guess so.” Sadie shrugged. “He just kind of shows up sometimes and wanders around for a while.”
“Why?”
“I think he’s sad. If Gabriel’s really dead, then he’s the last of the Winterbornes. That’s gotta be lonely, you know?”
April did know. And if Sadie was living here, then she probably did too. But April didn’t want to think about that, so she focused on how Evert had appeared in the corridor when everyone thought he’d already gone home. How Evert had been skulking around like a ghost. But he definitely wasn’t the only one.
“If it’s Winterborne House and he’s the last surviving Winterborne, why doesn’t he live here?”
“Because, technically, Gabriel’s missing. Not dead. So, legally, things are exactly like they were when Gabriel disappeared. Which means Smithers is in charge of this house and Evert has to live in his own house down the shore. It looks a lot like Winterborne House. But it’s smaller. I don’t think he likes that random kids get to live in his family’s mansion and he’s stuck in the mini mansion, but whenever he comes around, he acts like Colin and I aren’t even here, so . . .” Sadie gave a shrug like it didn’t really matter. And maybe it didn’t. But there was something that did, and April didn’t quite know how to ask.
“Hey, Sadie . . .” April said gently, “how long have you been here?”
“Two years.” If Sadie was bothered by the question, it didn’t show. “My parents had a car accident when I was little. I lived with my grandma for a while, but then she got sick, and then, since my parents worked for Winterborne Industries and my dad was Gabriel’s tutor and all, Ms. Nelson said I should live here.”
“And Colin came a year ago?” April asked. Sadie nodded.
“His mom came, and . . . well . . . he stayed.” Sadie seemed a little sad at that memory, but she brightened when she said, “And now you’re here! And Tim! And Violet! It’s so nice . . .” she started, but trailed off, as if maybe she didn’t trust April enough to say what came next.
“What’s nice?” April prompted.
Sadie looked a little embarrassed but admitted, “Not being alone.”
April had spent most of her life in group homes, sleeping six girls to a room and waiting thirty minutes for the bathroom. She couldn’t imagine being the only kid in a mansion that creaked and moaned and was half dark even in the middle of the day.
She’d never, ever been alone. But she’d always been lonely. So she looked at Sadie and said, “I’m glad we’re here too.”
On the other side of the room, Colin was typing on a laptop and Tim was reading a book. Violet was off somewhere, talking to a doctor that Ms. Nelson had brought in just because she thought it might help her feel more at home. April had never been in a house where you got to see a doctor if you weren’t bleeding really, really badly.
“Sadie, what would happen if Gabriel Winterborne came back?”
“Well,” Sadie said slowly, as if—for once in her life—she wasn’t quite sure about the answer, “I guess that depends on Gabriel Winterborne.”