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Authors: Mary Jane Clark
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thought about her old friend and wondered what had become of her.
What would Farrell think of Pat’s small-town, humdrum existence compared to the exciting life a KEY News producer must lead?
Chapter 29
Saturday
Farrell couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a bus anywhere, much less out to Westwood. Since her parents had moved to Florida, there had been no reason to return to her hometown. She’d completely lost track of her friends from grammar school and high school. Only occasionally, she’d get together with college friends, meeting in the city somewhere for drinks and dinner. But she feared she had become pretty one-dimensional. Work was the main focus of Farrell’s life. Big mistake. Because when work went south, there wasn’t much to fall back on.
She was surprised at how much she was looking forward to her visit with Pat. They had once been fast friends, walking home together day after day, leaving the nuns at St. Andrew’s School behind. They’d stop at the Dinner Bell Deli, buying a couple of Cokes and splitting a package of Yankee Doodles. Cupcakes in hand, they’d make their way past the public junior high, steeling themselves for the predictable scathing comments about their navy plaid uniforms from the kids whose parents didn’t force them to go to Catholic school.
They’d been in the same Girl Scouts troop, had had sleep-overs, gone to the movies, and taken what were, back then, adventurous trips by bus all the way to theBergen Mall. Years later, Farrell could still remember Pat’s parents’ phone number.
But high school had split them up. Farrell’s parents had insisted that she go to Immaculate Heart Academy, the all-girl prep school in the next town. Although Pat had passed the school’s stringent entrance exam, and was offered acceptance, her parents hadn’t had the money to pay for the tuition. It was Westwood High for Pat.
For a while, they’d continued to hang out together. But as time passed, each girl became increasingly involved in after-school activities and made new friends at her respective school. Farrell had worked on the school paper and
Halcyon
, the IHA yearbook. For Pat, her main extracurricular activities had been cheerleading, and the good-looking Allan Devereaux.
Farrell remembered how shocked she had been when she heard that Pat was not going on to college.
“What a
waste
,” she’d wailed to her mother.
“Not everyone is made for college, Farrell.”
“Well, Pat
is
. She was the smartest girl in her eighth grade class! Or I thought she was. I can’t believe that she isn’t going to college. I heard she’s going to marry Allan Devereaux instead. How can she just throw her life away?”
The red-and-tan bus pulled to a stop at the depot across the street from the flag-festooned gazebo perched in the manicured park, a picture-postcard of life in small-town America. Perhaps Pat hadn’t made such a bad decision after all, Farrell thought.
Chapter 30
If Nadine Paradise was the type to give up easily, she never would have accomplished all she had done over her long, rich life. If Clifford Montgomery could not, or would not, tell her where the crescent brooch had come from, Nadine would try a different tack.
“Victor,” she called.
Her adopted son appeared in the doorway of the conservatory, wearing a white polo shirt and shorts, a tennis racquet in his hand. Victor was off for another morning at the club.
“Yes, Mother?”
“Please, sit down for a minute, dear.”
Victor obeyed, but Nadine knew he was anxious not to be late for his tennis game. He sat on the edge of the chair, fiddling with the strings of the racquet. She didn’t know his partner, Stacey Spinner, was waiting for him. Victor didn’t want her to know. She didn’t have to know everything, did she?
“Victor, I need you to help me with something. I want to find out where the pin I bought at the auction with you came from. Clifford Montgomery at Churchill’s says he
What would Farrell think of Pat’s small-town, humdrum existence compared to the exciting life a KEY News producer must lead?
Chapter 29
Saturday
Farrell couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a bus anywhere, much less out to Westwood. Since her parents had moved to Florida, there had been no reason to return to her hometown. She’d completely lost track of her friends from grammar school and high school. Only occasionally, she’d get together with college friends, meeting in the city somewhere for drinks and dinner. But she feared she had become pretty one-dimensional. Work was the main focus of Farrell’s life. Big mistake. Because when work went south, there wasn’t much to fall back on.
She was surprised at how much she was looking forward to her visit with Pat. They had once been fast friends, walking home together day after day, leaving the nuns at St. Andrew’s School behind. They’d stop at the Dinner Bell Deli, buying a couple of Cokes and splitting a package of Yankee Doodles. Cupcakes in hand, they’d make their way past the public junior high, steeling themselves for the predictable scathing comments about their navy plaid uniforms from the kids whose parents didn’t force them to go to Catholic school.
They’d been in the same Girl Scouts troop, had had sleep-overs, gone to the movies, and taken what were, back then, adventurous trips by bus all the way to theBergen Mall. Years later, Farrell could still remember Pat’s parents’ phone number.
But high school had split them up. Farrell’s parents had insisted that she go to Immaculate Heart Academy, the all-girl prep school in the next town. Although Pat had passed the school’s stringent entrance exam, and was offered acceptance, her parents hadn’t had the money to pay for the tuition. It was Westwood High for Pat.
For a while, they’d continued to hang out together. But as time passed, each girl became increasingly involved in after-school activities and made new friends at her respective school. Farrell had worked on the school paper and
Halcyon
, the IHA yearbook. For Pat, her main extracurricular activities had been cheerleading, and the good-looking Allan Devereaux.
Farrell remembered how shocked she had been when she heard that Pat was not going on to college.
“What a
waste
,” she’d wailed to her mother.
“Not everyone is made for college, Farrell.”
“Well, Pat
is
. She was the smartest girl in her eighth grade class! Or I thought she was. I can’t believe that she isn’t going to college. I heard she’s going to marry Allan Devereaux instead. How can she just throw her life away?”
The red-and-tan bus pulled to a stop at the depot across the street from the flag-festooned gazebo perched in the manicured park, a picture-postcard of life in small-town America. Perhaps Pat hadn’t made such a bad decision after all, Farrell thought.
Chapter 30
If Nadine Paradise was the type to give up easily, she never would have accomplished all she had done over her long, rich life. If Clifford Montgomery could not, or would not, tell her where the crescent brooch had come from, Nadine would try a different tack.
“Victor,” she called.
Her adopted son appeared in the doorway of the conservatory, wearing a white polo shirt and shorts, a tennis racquet in his hand. Victor was off for another morning at the club.
“Yes, Mother?”
“Please, sit down for a minute, dear.”
Victor obeyed, but Nadine knew he was anxious not to be late for his tennis game. He sat on the edge of the chair, fiddling with the strings of the racquet. She didn’t know his partner, Stacey Spinner, was waiting for him. Victor didn’t want her to know. She didn’t have to know everything, did she?
“Victor, I need you to help me with something. I want to find out where the pin I bought at the auction with you came from. Clifford Montgomery at Churchill’s says he
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