She was lying.
I nodded. “Fair enough.” I stood and pressed down my plaid skirt, and turned to her. “I think we’re done,” I said with a smile. “Thank you so much for speaking with me.”
Leo cleared his throat. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Mrs. Henderson?”
She was in no mood, but it’s kind of hard to say no to Leo. It’s kind of like refusing to give an adorable puppy his chew bone. He’s so sweet and nonthreatening.
“Sure,” she relented.
He took a seat next to her, leaving me the arm chair. I settled in comfortably and listened carefully as he asked her a few questions. His questions centered on their family life and all the people who surrounded them. He asked her about her work, about her home, about her friends. He was more thorough than I, and he didn’t offend her like I did – she even smiled once or twice. I had to admit to myself that he was so much better at this than I was.
He definitely had the touch.
Following the interview, Mrs. Henderson excused herself to make a call.
We joined Simone in the sitting room. The investigators were gone. Mrs. Henderson offered us drinks; juice, soda, tea and coffee. “Mischa is picking up Calvin at the daycare for me, and they’ll be here shortly,” she told us as she handed me my cup of lemon tea. “And my husband should be here at around five or so. He’s leaving work early today.”
I felt so ladylike as I held the cup by the dainty handle and looked over at Ace and Leo who were swigging down cans of Coke. There was no soda allowed at RAMS, so they were loving it. Brianna and Kendra both had coffee.
I was excited about meeting Mischa… and Mason. I wondered if I’d find any more secrets. We chatted about Michigan, and the latest TV shows. No Netflix for us kids at RAMS, we told her, but we were allowed TV. We had cable, a wide screen TV, and a DVD player in our common room. We argued over shows often. The bunch of us had our own shows we recorded.Survivorwas one we all agreed on, thankfully.
Mrs. Henderson perked up when the doorbell rang. “Calvin’s here.” She darted to the front foyer, and we all followed suit. Calvin was adorable; sparkly blue eyes and golden locks. A happy boy. Unlike Haley, he looked a lot like his parents. He had the cutest little sweater vest and his hair was so stylish, like he’d just come from the hairdresser. The kid was four and he had more style than all of us. Save for Ace, maybe. Actually, he looked like a mini Ace.
Ace kneeled down to him. “Hey, little mate. How are you?”
“You talk funny,” Calvin replied, and we all laughed.
I was struck by Mischa’s beauty – she could have been Jenna’s younger sister. She had long white blonde hair and blue eyes, but she was taller and curvier than Jenna. When she smiled at us, I spotted her slightly crooked teeth, which only made her more charming, in my opinion. “Hello, everyone,” she said, a little apprehensive. She clearly hadn’t expected us.
Mrs. Henderson made quick introductions. “This is the team of students I was telling you about,” she explained. “They’ll be interviewing you tomorrow.”
Mischa nodded. I couldn’t quite get a read on her. I wasn’t close enough but she had a nice blue aura about her. I’d get a clearer picture the next day.
“Thanks for picking him up,” Jenna said. “I’ll add it to this month’s pay.”
“No problem,” Mischa replied. “Nice to meet you all.” And with a quick step, she was out the door.
“She’s amazing,” Mrs. Henderson told us. “A total lifesaver.”
She seemed genuine and I understood where she was coming from. She didn’t have a teenager like me; a built-in babysitter like my mother has… had. I thought about my family and wondered how Kylie and my parents were faring without me.
Shortly after, Mr. Henderson got home. Calvin ran straight to him, and his father swooped him up in his arms, swung him around, and kissed him on the forehead. “Missed ya, little buddy.” Seriously, they could have been starring in an Old Navy commercial.
Mr. Henderson’s demeanor did a one-eighty as soon as he turned his attention to us – he was not a believer. This was clear from the get-go. Obviously, this had all been Jenna’s idea. You didn’t need to be a mind reader to get this. It was so obvious in his rigid body language; the scowl on his face, the straight cynical line of his brows.
He was going to be a challenge.
16
Mr. Henderson went into his office for a moment, and when he came back out, he seemed friendlier.
But this was for our benefit, I’m sure. He was putting on a happy face. I’m sure the last thing he wanted to do was to talk to a bunch of weirdo teenagers. Introductions were quickly made before we all took a seat.
He settled on the arm chair across me, little Calvin on his lap. They truly made a sweet picture. “Today was my first day back at work since…” his voice trailed off.
“I insisted,” Jenna broke in. “It was unbearable watching him pacing back and forth.”
My gaze was stuck to Mason; sparkling blue eye like his son, and dirty blond hair perfectly slicked back. He truly was a beautiful man, the kind of man with classic looks and an air of sophistication. He reminded me of an old-time movie star. Actually, he reminded me of Ace.
