Read Online Dark Secrets 2: No Time to Die; The Deep End of Fear by Elizabeth Chandler - Free Book Online Page B

good hold?" Mike asked. "On the count of three. One, two—"
    In the bathroom light I saw Paul's head, then torso go over the window frame.
    "Glad he's not any heavier," the guy inside said, tugging on the screen.
    "Splash some cold water on his face," Mike instructed, "and let him stay in the bathroom for a while."
    The shade was yanked down from the inside, and Mike turned away from the window. He seemed to be debating what to do, then strolled over to me.
    "Out for a walk?" he asked.
    "Yes."
    "I guess you know it's past curfew."
    "I have permission," I said. "What about you?"
    He grinned. "I don't."
    "What happened to Paul?"
    "Oh, nothing too bad."
    "Nothing too bad like what?" I asked.
    Mike gestured toward the tree. "Want to sit down?"
    Under a tree, alone with him in the moonlight? I wasn't sure.
    "You climb trees, don't you?" he persisted. "You must if you're a gymnast."
    The first strong limb was about four feet off the ground. I hoisted myself onto it—Mike was going to help me but thought better of it. Then I climbed up to a limb that grew in the opposite direction, about seven feet high. Mike made himself comfortable on the long lower limb. I wondered if he and Liza used to sit there together.
    "Paul hangs around town and gets himself in trouble with the locals," Mike said. "I should have let him get his head split open by the giant he took on tonight. It's the only way he' l get any sense knocked into it."
    "You rescued him?"
    "Are you kidding? I'm not an idiot. I grabbed him and ran like a good coward."
    I smiled.
    "Listen," Mike said, "you've got to keep this quiet, okay?"
    "Give me a reason why."
    "We need Paul for the production. But more important, Paul needs us," he added, his blue eyes intense, persuasive. "Theater is the only thing that has kept Paul in school. It's what has kept him from getting into the really bad stuff. We can't get him bounced out of here."
    "He makes me very uncomfortable."
    "He aims to," Mike replied. "It's just an act."
    "Brian said the same thing about Walker."
    Mike smiled. "Don't be fooled by Walker. At heart, he's a good guy."
    I must have made a face, for Mike laughed up at me. "Yeah, I can see he's got a fan in you. But really, I don't know what I'd do without him. He found grant money for me so I could attend last year and this. He has taught me more than the books I've read or any of my other teachers. I'm really grateful to him."
    "I'm glad he has helped you," I said, "but I still think he's an egotistical tyrant with a nasty streak in him."
    "A lot of creative people are that way."
    I prickled. I'd heard that justification one too many times. "Creativity is no excuse for obnoxious behavior."
    "Are you worried about performing?" Mike asked quietly.
    "That's not my reason for disliking him."
    "I didn't think it was. I just wanted to tell you that there is nothing to be afraid of. The audience is rooting for you, Jenny. They see you on stage and want you to do well. Everyone out there wants to love you."
    Speaking of ego, I thought to myself, what an assumption!
    "Trust me," Mike said, his face animated, "it's a blast."
    "For you, maybe."
    "There's nothing like it. I've been putting on shows since I was five."
    "Are you part of a theater group?"
    He grinned. "No, the kid of a minister. I spent a lot of growing-up years hanging around the church next to our house in Trenton. It had a stage—the altar; a balcony—the choir loft; sort of an orchestra—the organ; even costumes—my father often wondered why his vestments were wrinkled on Sundays. I put on a lot of performances for my friends, all of them unauthorized."
    I laughed out loud. Mike laughed with me, gazing up at my face. His smile, the brightness in his eyes made my heart feel incredibly light. Then I remembered Liza and looked away. I could imagine her slipping out to meet him here in the moonlight.
    "Anyway, my parents aren't thrilled about my dream of being an actor. My oldest brother is doing mission work in