ulian sat stunned in the midst of the chatter and buzz that had transformed the room. This formidable woman was Gram? His own grandmother?

She owed him a few computer games, was Julian’s first fleeting thought.

Then, suddenly it sank in that she wasn’t from IPX, or the police, or the FBI. The truth had been revealed, all his crimes and secrets brought to light, and nobody, it seemed, was going to send him to prison.

Last of all, it dawned on him what she had said. That somehow she was going to help save Big Tree Grove.

“You’re Gram?” he said wonderingly.

“It’s time we were properly introduced,” she resumed, after smoothing Preston’s damp hair away from his forehead. “My name is Abigail Winslow Carter.”

A.W. Carter, Julian realized. The one who’d sent the first e-mail.

Sibley cleared his throat. “Mother, I’m going to stop you here. I don’t think you—”

“Sibley, just hold on.” She turned to Julian. “I thought it was time we met in person. I admire your gumption. Your grandfather had gumption. Whatever he put his mind to, he accomplished. Unfortunately, my sons didn’t inherit Jack’s character.”

There was not a hint of apology in her voice. Julian glanced over at Sibley, who was staring down at his fingers.

She cleared her throat. “My boys never got along,” she said in a formal tone. “Sibley resented Billy from the day he was born. And Jack didn’t understand your father either. They had a terrible fight, and then Billy just disappeared.”

She stared at Julian as though she was trying to read something in his face. “We didn’t even know of your existence for years. And then, just when it seemed that reconciliation might be possible, Billy was in that terrible accident. My Jack passed away a few weeks later. I stopped traveling. Oh,” she continued in a voice that, for the first time, sounded tired and old, “there’s no excuse. I knew you were here, and yet I didn’t know you or what you might be like, and I thought your father had brought me enough heartache.

“When I saw your picture in the paper, so like your father—the shape of the face, something about the eyes—and yet so unlike him, I said to myself, ‘Finally, somebody in the family with gumption. It must have skipped a generation.’ I read the article from top to bottom—so many mysteries waiting to be solved. I flew out immediately. And piece by piece, I put the puzzle together.

“And then, of course, there was this irresistible piece of fund–raising.” She picked up a black leather purse, pulled out a white envelope, and unfolded a piece of lined paper. She passed the paper to Julian and he saw Preston’s neat handwriting:

Preston was leaning against Gram and beaming happily.

“I told you I knew somebody who could help,” he said in his piping voice. “Wasn’t that a good idea I had?”

“Between Preston’s letter and the newspaper article,” Gram continued, “how could I stay in Boston? Especially when IPX was floundering. I served on the IPX board for years, you know, when Jack was ill. What a shame that Sibley couldn’t stand up and protect those magnificent trees.”

“Really, Mother. I don’t think these personal attacks are necessary—” Sibley began, but she waved her hand dismissively.

“So, now what is to be done? That’s the real question. What is to be done with Big Tree?”

Robin had started squirming in her seat and, after a moment, she could no longer contain herself. “Big Tree Grove should be protected,” she called out urgently. “It should be protected so that it can never be cut down.”

Gram smiled. “Miss Elder. I thought you might have a few ideas to start us off.” She began scribbling in her note pad.

“Ever,” Ariel added. “Not cut down, ever.”

“And you should plant new trees,” Julian said.

“Permanent protection,” Gram was taking it all down in a neat, slanted cursive. “Replanting.”

“And, no offense, but I think you need a new boss,” Danny said. “Somebody who actually likes redwood trees.”

“But Gram,” Preston asked, “aren’t you buying the redwoods?”

“Me? Good gracious, no! What would I do in Boston with a California redwood grove? And then, all those taxes!”

“You could give it to a conservation group, or make it into a park, or something,” Robin said.

“But it’s our tree house,” Molly wailed. “We can’t give away the tree house.”

Everybody was silent again.

“Perhaps it would be more appropriate to keep Big Tree Grove for the young,” Gram said. “The older generations have certainly done enough damage.” She sighed. “When I was a girl, the world felt new to me. Untouched. I suppose you don’t feel that way anymore.”

Julian imagined Big Tree Grove going on and on for miles and miles, the giant redwoods stretching from ridge to ridge. No houses, no roads, no fences. That world wasn’t so long ago, he thought. Not even two hundred years ago, the forest had stood fresh and untouched for the next generation.

“What if it were a forest for children?” he said.

“We could have school groups come and they could raise money and we could buy more land and more redwoods.” Robin’s straight eyebrows were knit together and she was twisting her braid around her finger. “Just like they do for the rain forest.”

“Zip lines,” Danny said. “And bridges to go from one tree to the next. And maybe another tree house.”

Ariel frowned. “I don’t know. It should be beautiful, like it is now.”

“We don’t want all the ferns trampled down,” Robin agreed.

“The Children’s Everlasting Redwood Grove,” Ariel said dreamily. Gram continued writing in her note pad.

“No fences,” Julian said. “No ticket booths or snack bars or parking lots.”

Danny groaned. “No snack bars? That’s un-American.”

“Definitely no snack bars,” Robin said. “And not too big. It’ll be educational, for all those poor, ignorant city kids like Julian and Danny.”

Danny gave Robin a phony smile. “It’s not like everybody’s going to be swarming over this place anyway,” he said. “I mean, it’s about a million miles down a dirt road.”

“I don’t know.” Ariel looked doubtful. “Maybe it should be just for us. I didn’t like it with all those people there.”

Julian considered. “But what about Jo-Jo? And Preston? And kids who aren’t even born, maybe.” Kids like him, who never knew that something like Big Tree existed.

“Anything else?” Gram said after a moment of silence. Nobody spoke.

“Then we are in agreement.” Gram looked down at her note pad and read aloud: “‘Big Tree Grove is to be permanently protected from timber harvesting and replanted with redwood seedlings in appropriate locations. The grove is to be maintained and enjoyed for the education of the young and future generations. Fences, ticket booths, snack bars, and parking lots are strictly prohibited.”

They nodded uncertainly.

“Julian, I want to make sure that you concur with these conditions.”

Julian looked at her, puzzled. “Sure,” he said.

“In that case, it’s settled.” Gram put down her note pad.

There was another long pause. Julian was starting to feel that his new grandmother was a little too fond of mysteries.

“What’s settled?” he finally asked.

“The board has already approved the sale.”

“For ten million dollars!” As soon as he blurted it out, Julian realized that it wasn’t polite to mention what people paid for things.

“Oh, my no! I believe that Sibley’s profit estimates turned out to be, shall we say, somewhat inflated. The acreage of old-growth on the property is really quite small. Mr. Elder checked it all out for us.”

“You talked to Bob?”

“Of course, it was all quite rush, rush. That’s the way it is in the business world. In light of all the controversy, I think IPX got quite a fair bargain.”

“But I thought you didn’t want a California redwood forest,” Julian said. Everything was moving so fast his head was starting to spin.

“That’s correct.” Gram gave Julian another piercing look. “I’ll have the lawyers draw up the papers for you to sign as soon as possible.”

“Me?” Julian looked at his grandmother in astonishment.

“Him!” Sibley shouted. “You don’t mean to tell me you’re transferring the property to—to Julian?” He stared at his mother in outrage.

“With a conservation easement protecting the trees in perpetuity,” she said calmly. “Of course, the easement will reduce the property value. He won’t be able to cut down the redwoods later, if he has a change of heart.”

“I won’t have a change of heart!” Julian said, but his voice was drowned out by Sibley, who roared, “Well, of all the low tricks!” He had risen out of his chair and was pacing up and down the room. Then, abruptly, he unclenched his fists and changed his tone. “Mother, please consider what you’re doing. You don’t even know this boy. This is a major financial decision.”

“If you had shown Julian the least kindness, none of this would have happened in the first place.”

“Julian,” Sibley said, “is an ungrateful little liar, just like his father.”

“All right, Mr. Carter! Now you’ve crossed the line!” Bob strode to the kitchen door in a fury and opened it wide. “I think it’s time for you to go!”

Silence filled the room. It was so quiet, Julian could hear the kitchen clock ticking.

“You will apologize to Julian at once,” Gram said in a low voice.

Sibley’s mouth was open, his breathing was heavy, his cheeks were flushed and sweaty. “I was out of line,” he finally said.

Gram gave him a steely look.

“My apologies,” Sibley said, with the pained expression of a person undergoing an uncomfortable medical procedure. Then, abruptly, he straightened his shoulders, picked up his briefcase, and began taking short side steps toward the door. “I can’t stay any longer, I’m afraid. I have an important meeting to attend. Mother, let me know the board’s decision. I will facilitate to the extent feasible. Preston, I’ll see you back in the city.” He gave a quick nod to the room and, averting his face from Bob’s angry glare, he ducked out of the door.

The children looked nervously from one to another.

“Well!” Gram took a deep breath. “Where were we?”

Robin was looking in bewilderment at Gram. “I don’t understand what’s going on. Are you saying you’re giving away the Greeley property? To Julian?”

“You know, my dear,” Gram said, turning to Julian. “Once we found out Billy had a son, Jack talked about providing for you. He would certainly have been proud of what you did. It’s a pity he’s not here to see it.”

“Dad? Is that what she’s saying?” Robin asked.

Julian looked up and saw Bob watching him with a wide grin. “Apparently, that’s the plan.”

Robin started shrieking, “I can’t believe it!” She jumped out of her chair and threw her arms around Julian. “You’ll be our next-door neighbor!” She started dancing around the room. “Can you believe how lucky we are? Isn’t it lucky that I sent that e-mail? And Julian found it? And Operation Redwood worked! I can’t believe it! We saved Big Tree!” She ran over to Gram and gave her a huge embrace, which she accepted with somewhat flustered dignity. “Oh, thank you, Mrs. Carter. Thank you a thousand times!” And Robin ran out the door and started ringing the bell again and again.

With the pealing of the bell, everybody started talking at once. Danny gave Julian a high five. The girls all shrieked and hugged each other. Preston leaned against Gram’s leg, smiling at all the hullabaloo.

Nancy came up behind where Julian was sitting and put both hands on his shoulders. “You kept saying a way would open,” Julian said, looking up at her. “I told my grandmother that—before I knew who she was. I told her a way would open and it turned out she was the way!”

Nancy burst into laughter and gave him a hug. “I just keep remembering the day I met you. When you looked so frightened and hungry and Bob kept going on about how you might be some kind of felon. And look what you’ve done! Look what you all have done for Big Tree!”