“Jennie McGrady, that has got to be the craziest stunt you’ve ever pulled.” Lisa jabbed a straw into her Coke. “When Gram and your mom find out they’re going to kill you.”
Jennie winced and leaned back in her chair. “I had to do something. I know Dad’s alive. I don’t care what anyone says.”
“But why television?” Lisa asked. “Why couldn’t you have just run an ad in the paper?”
“Going on TV was the best way. Maybe he’ll see me on the show and recognize his pictures, like that man who was on last week. Or maybe someone else will recognize him. I’m not sorry I did it, we just can’t let anyone in our family watch the program tonight.”
Lisa leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. “Why did you have to pick Missing in America? It’s one of the most popular television programs in the country. Never mind that it’s Gram’s favorite. She never misses it.”
“I know, but it’s out of my hands now. The station called this afternoon and said they’re airing it tonight. We just have to keep the family busy from eight to nine.” Lisa pulled on a strand of her copper-colored curls and wove it around her fingers. “Do you realize what this could do to us?”
“What do you mean?”
“The cruise. I can’t believe you didn’t think about it. If your mom finds out she’ll never let you go. And if I help you, I won’t be able to go either.”
The cruise was Lisa’s sixteenth birthday present from Gram. Gram had taken Jennie to Florida only a couple of weeks earlier for her birthday. Since Gram and J.B. had gotten married, they decided to buy two more tickets—one for J.B. so he and Gram could enjoy a honeymoon and one for Jennie so Lisa would have a companion. “You’re wrong. I did think about the cruise. I know how important it is to you. When I called in to ask about being on the show, they told me they’d tape the interview on Friday and air it in a couple weeks. I figured we’d be back by then and it wouldn’t matter. Dad would see it and hopefully come home.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip. When she said it out loud it sounded crazy.
“So what went wrong?”
“Nothing. It went really well—too well. The producer loved the show and decided to broadcast it right away.”
“I hate it when you drag me into your nutty schemes. But I guess I can understand why you did it. I just hope it’s worth it, Jennie. I hope your dad is alive and sees it and contacts you.”
“Me too.” Jennie picked up her damp napkin and tore it in half. “So you’ll help me?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Yes.” She tore the two halves into fourths. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. Never mind. I’ll handle it.”
Lisa sighed. “No. I’ll help. I guess I owe you that much for helping Allison.”
Allison, one of the Rose Festival Princesses, was a good friend of Lisa’s. A shudder ran through Jennie as she remembered the gory details. She’d misjudged one of the players in a deadly game and had nearly gotten herself and Lisa killed.
Jennie pushed the images from her mind, concentrating instead on the task at hand. “Good,” she said. “I was thinking maybe we could invite everyone out for pizza and offer to pay.”
“We?” Lisa pushed her chair back and slipped the straps of her bag onto her shoulder. “I don’t think so, Jennie. I don’t owe you that much. I’ll help, but no way am I going to pick up the tab.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll dip into the money Mr. Beaumont gave me for helping the police track down Allison’s stalker.”
“Wait,” Lisa interrupted. “Maybe neither of us will have to buy. I’ve got another idea. First, I need to talk to my mom. Gram and J.B. will be at our house for dinner. I’ll see if you guys can come too. She’s having pot roast. I could switch off the circuit breaker for a couple of hours so we’d have to eat late.”
Jennie shook her head. “Too complicated. Besides, we need to get them out of the house. With my luck Gram would suggest eating in the living room. Why couldn’t we just find something to celebrate and take everyone out for pizza? Then maybe we could suggest a movie.”
“Hmmm. You check that out. I’ll call you when I find out what everyone’s doing.”
Lisa hurried off, leaving nothing behind but the exotic scent of the hundred-dollar-an-ounce perfume she’d sampled in Nordstrom’s. Jennie smiled and finished off her drink. Lisa loved the perfume, but on her allowance she could only afford an occasional whiff. Whenever they went shopping, Lisa sprayed a little on whatever outfit she was wearing.
Jennie cleared off their table and headed for the parking lot. They usually drove places together, but Jennie needed to pick up her mom, who’d been working with a client at the airport. Besides, now that Lisa had her driver’s license, she looked for any excuse whatsoever to take her own car.
During the drive, Jennie puzzled over the changes that had taken place in her mother over the past few months. It began, of course, with Mom’s engagement to Michael Rhodes. Jennie would never forget the day Michael showed up on their doorstep to help celebrate Nick’s fifth birthday. Her little brother still insisted God had sent him a daddy for his birthday.
Just thinking about it made her stomach churn. For a while Mom was so intent on marriage that Jennie feared Nick’s wish would come true. Lately, though, Mom had backed off the marriage thing. “Michael’s a little too much like your father,” she’d said. “I just don’t want another man who’s more married to his work than to me.”
In a way Jennie felt sorry for Michael. She was starting to like him—not as a stepfather, of course. As remote as the possibility seemed, Jennie still hoped her father would come home and that he and her mother would be able to work things out. Maybe Dad would try to stay home more. Maybe Mom would stop resenting his work.
Prior to his disappearance, Jason McGrady had worked for the government as a federal agent, like his father, Ian McGrady, and his father before that. Gram used to be a police officer, but after Grandpa Ian was killed, she retired from the force and decided to become a writer. Now she wrote articles for travel magazines, but still kept her connections with the FBI. Jennie intended to carry on the tradition. She planned to study law in college and, in the meantime, learn all she could about law enforcement from Gram.
And that was another change. Gram hardly seemed like Gram anymore. She’d come back from her trip to Europe all bubbly and excited about her new life with ].B.
Disappointed, angry, and hurt over Gram’s refusal to search for Dad, Jennie had only half listened to Gram and J.B. tell the story of his proposal at the top of the Eiffel Tower and their makeshift wedding at the US Embassy. Ordinarily it would have sounded romantic and exciting. But Jennie had felt numb.
Not even the invitation to join them on the cruise excited her. On the outside Jennie pretended to be grateful, but inside she couldn’t feel much of anything except disappointment.
Jennie pulled up to the airport arrival area where Mom was to meet her. She felt like an actress trying out for her first major role. Settle down, McGrady, she told herself. By the time Mom finds out, the interview and the pictures of Dad will already have aired on national television.
Uneasiness settled around her like a dismal fog. What if you’ve made a mistake, McGrady? a voice in her head cautioned. What if your dad is dead? Or worse, what if he’s alive and doesn’t want to be found?