Chapter One
Crash!
Adam Barrington glanced up as a softball flew through his window, arced in a perfect half circle across the room, thenthunkedonto the center of his desk.As it rolled over the loose papers and spread sheets, he put out his left hand.The ball dropped off the side of the desk and directly into his palm.
Except for the tinkle of falling shards of glass, the room was silent.Adam leaned back in his chair and waited.
It didn’t take long.About thirty seconds later a small face appeared at the broken window.A red baseball cap hid the child’s hair and shadowed the eyes.
“You caught my ball.”
“You broke my window.”He rose to his feet and approached the mess.
“Yeah.I see.”The kid glanced at the remaining bits of glass and the other intact panes.“What if I tell you it wasn’t my fault?”
“Was it?”
There was a heavy sigh.“Probably.I mean I’m not playingcatch with anyone, so I can’t say someone else threw it.This window costs a lot.More than my allowance for a month, I bet.”Another sigh.“My mom’s gonna kill me for sure.”
Adam fought back a grin.“Wait there.I’ll be right out and we can discuss reimbursement.”
The child slumped visibly.“It’s never good when adults saydiscuss, then a big word you can’t understand.”
He chuckled as he walked through the hall and out the front door.The kid stood on the wide expanse of lawn beside the window and stared glumly at the shattered pane.At first Adam had assumed he was a boy, but as the child turned and pulled off the baseball cap, he saw “he” was a “she.”
Short dark hair clung to her head; bangs, mangled by the cap, stuck out in uneven spikes.Wide and somber brown eyes watched him like a prisoner waiting for execution.Shorts and a grubby T-shirt covered a sturdy tanned body.She was somewhere between six and ten, he guessed.He’d never had much experience estimating children’s ages.
“It looks bad,” the girl said.“I’ll pay for it, I swear.And even if you don’t believe me, my mom will make sure.She’s big on me assuming the ‘proper responsibility.’”The last two words came out in a stern falsetto.
“I can’t say I blame her, if you go around breaking people’s windows.”
“Well, I don’t.”The girl planted her hands on her hips.
“You broke mine.”
“It was an accident.”
“Somehow you strike me as the kind of child who has a lot of accidents.”
Her lower lip thrust out mutinously.“I do not!”The lip curled up.“Okay.Some.A few.But notlots.”
For the second time in as many minutes, Adam had to fight the urge to grin.“What’s your name?”
“Billie.”
“I’m Adam.”He thrust out his hand.They shook solemnly.He gave her the softball.“I haven’t seen you before, Billie.Are you from the neighborhood?”
“No.San Francisco.We just moved here.It’s a long drive.How come you don’t talk funny?I mean, you kinda do, but not like that lady in the store.But she was nice.She gave me candy.”
Billie pulled a half-eaten sugar stick out of her shorts pocket.After picking off a loose thread, she stuck it into her mouth.
“Well?”she asked, after a moment.
“This is South Carolina, Billie.As far as we’re concerned, you’re the one who talks funny.”
“I do not!”She gave the candy a last lick, then thrust it back into her pocket.“Can we play catch until my mom comes out?She’ll want to apologize for my reptile behavior.Are you mad?We’ll be neighbors.I don’t want you to hate me or anything.I’m basically a good kid.”She grinned, an impish light dancing in her wide brown eyes.“At least that’s what my mom says when she doesn’t know I’m listening.Do you have any kids?Mom didn’t know if there were any on the street.I prefer boys.Mom says she’s glad I’m a girl, but I don’t know if it’s so great.Have you ever had to wear a dress and then keepclean?Yuk.”She pulled the baseball cap over her head.
Adam blinked several times.He didn’t know where to begin.Reptile behavior?It seemed easier to focus on the obvious.“Neighbors?”
