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Authors: Elaine Marie Alphin
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"They look great."
His father set aside the paper and smiled at him. "So—what do you have planned for today?"
Cameron saw Diana eyeing the paper curiously. "Sailing," he said. "If it's okay with Diana, I mean."
His father chuckled, and Diana sighed. "I'm not going to live on the lake all summer, you know." Then her father caught her eye, and she shrugged. "But sure—we can go sailing today, if you like."
"Good," her mother said. "Then I'm going to pick up some donations for the museum."
Stevie grinned. "Then the computer's all mine," he crowed.
His father groaned. "We've got to wean you from that machine before you start sprouting computer cables instead of hair."
"Cyberkid," teased Diana, and they all laughed. Cameron felt a bright flash of pleasure at the way his laughter blended with theirs.
"Okay, okay," Stevie said. "I'll play outside in the morning, and then get on the computer this afternoon, okay?"
"It's a start," his father said.
Cameron wondered why Stevie didn't ever sail with them.
Then his mother hugged him tightly and went to get ready to leave. His father picked up the newspaper and left the table, telling them to have a nice sail. And Stevie crammed a whole piece of bacon into his mouth and slid off his chair.
Diana looked around to make sure they had the kitchen to themselves, then leaned closer to him. "You made the front page of the local paper. Dad took it with him, but I saw it first. There's the picture of you when you were eight, and an article all about your turning up at the police station and everything."
"So?" he asked, cringing inside and wondering why she'd brought it up.
"So you're pretty definitely alive," Diana said around a mouthful of bacon. "What about the guy they arrested two years ago for killing you?" she demanded triumphantly.
Cameron set his fork down in the runny egg yolk and stared at her. "What guy?" he whispered.
Diana groaned. "Oh, come off it. I don't buy this amnesia stuff the doctor was talking about. And even if you can't remember everything you've got to remember this. The cops came and talked to you about it while you were still with that man Miller. I don't know why you didn't tell them who you were—he couldn't have killed you if the cops were protecting you."
"I remember," Cameron said dully, staring at the egg-smeared plate and feeling sick.
Mrs. Pierson suddenly appeared with fresh bacon, and Diana changed the subject, talking about sailing. When her mother came in to say good-bye again, Diana told her, "You go to work every day, Mom—it's not such a big deal."
The housekeeper shushed Diana as her mother hugged Cameron again, then went around the table to give Diana a perfunctory hug as well.
"Bye," Diana said impatiently. As soon as the car pulled out of the garage, she jumped up from the table, grabbed her dishes, and carried them into the kitchen, then went outside.
Cameron heard the side door slam as he managed to choke down the last of his eggs and some more bacon. Then Mrs. Pierson sat down beside him with a cup of coffee and a hungry expression on her face. Cameron thanked her for the breakfast, then got up from the table with his own dishes, leaving her the last of the bacon even though he didn't think that was what she was hungry for.
He found Diana sitting at the redwood picnic table outside. "So what did the paper say about that guy?" he asked without preamble.
She shrugged.
"Come on," he said. "What happened to him?"
She looked up at him. "Why do you care?"
Cameron watched the lake, glass-smooth in the calm morning. The sailboats rested quietly beside the dock. He could see Stevie sitting in the larger family boat, a life jacket on over his T-shirt, gazing out across the water. Cameron tried to make his mind blank and peaceful. But he had to ask, "Did he go to jail?"
"Of course."
"But not for killing me," he said quickly.
She chuckled unkindly. "So it seems now."
He shrugged. "Okay, have it your way. I'll ask Mom and Dad
His father set aside the paper and smiled at him. "So—what do you have planned for today?"
Cameron saw Diana eyeing the paper curiously. "Sailing," he said. "If it's okay with Diana, I mean."
His father chuckled, and Diana sighed. "I'm not going to live on the lake all summer, you know." Then her father caught her eye, and she shrugged. "But sure—we can go sailing today, if you like."
"Good," her mother said. "Then I'm going to pick up some donations for the museum."
Stevie grinned. "Then the computer's all mine," he crowed.
His father groaned. "We've got to wean you from that machine before you start sprouting computer cables instead of hair."
"Cyberkid," teased Diana, and they all laughed. Cameron felt a bright flash of pleasure at the way his laughter blended with theirs.
"Okay, okay," Stevie said. "I'll play outside in the morning, and then get on the computer this afternoon, okay?"
"It's a start," his father said.
Cameron wondered why Stevie didn't ever sail with them.
Then his mother hugged him tightly and went to get ready to leave. His father picked up the newspaper and left the table, telling them to have a nice sail. And Stevie crammed a whole piece of bacon into his mouth and slid off his chair.
Diana looked around to make sure they had the kitchen to themselves, then leaned closer to him. "You made the front page of the local paper. Dad took it with him, but I saw it first. There's the picture of you when you were eight, and an article all about your turning up at the police station and everything."
"So?" he asked, cringing inside and wondering why she'd brought it up.
"So you're pretty definitely alive," Diana said around a mouthful of bacon. "What about the guy they arrested two years ago for killing you?" she demanded triumphantly.
Cameron set his fork down in the runny egg yolk and stared at her. "What guy?" he whispered.
Diana groaned. "Oh, come off it. I don't buy this amnesia stuff the doctor was talking about. And even if you can't remember everything you've got to remember this. The cops came and talked to you about it while you were still with that man Miller. I don't know why you didn't tell them who you were—he couldn't have killed you if the cops were protecting you."
"I remember," Cameron said dully, staring at the egg-smeared plate and feeling sick.
Mrs. Pierson suddenly appeared with fresh bacon, and Diana changed the subject, talking about sailing. When her mother came in to say good-bye again, Diana told her, "You go to work every day, Mom—it's not such a big deal."
The housekeeper shushed Diana as her mother hugged Cameron again, then went around the table to give Diana a perfunctory hug as well.
"Bye," Diana said impatiently. As soon as the car pulled out of the garage, she jumped up from the table, grabbed her dishes, and carried them into the kitchen, then went outside.
Cameron heard the side door slam as he managed to choke down the last of his eggs and some more bacon. Then Mrs. Pierson sat down beside him with a cup of coffee and a hungry expression on her face. Cameron thanked her for the breakfast, then got up from the table with his own dishes, leaving her the last of the bacon even though he didn't think that was what she was hungry for.
He found Diana sitting at the redwood picnic table outside. "So what did the paper say about that guy?" he asked without preamble.
She shrugged.
"Come on," he said. "What happened to him?"
She looked up at him. "Why do you care?"
Cameron watched the lake, glass-smooth in the calm morning. The sailboats rested quietly beside the dock. He could see Stevie sitting in the larger family boat, a life jacket on over his T-shirt, gazing out across the water. Cameron tried to make his mind blank and peaceful. But he had to ask, "Did he go to jail?"
"Of course."
"But not for killing me," he said quickly.
She chuckled unkindly. "So it seems now."
He shrugged. "Okay, have it your way. I'll ask Mom and Dad
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