Read Online The Sapphire Pendant by Dara Girard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dara Girard
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successfully avoided them and found Jessie at her locker before the class bell rang.
“We need to talk,” he had said.
Her hair was short at the time, and she had worn a baggy tracksuit. Her eyes, once so lively, were dark. “Leave me alone.”
He had grabbed her wrist, desperately hoping she would give him a chance to explain, hoping that he could miraculously come up with the perfect word or statement that would make her stay. “Jas, please don’t go. Give me a chance to—”
“Let me go, or I’ll hurt you,” she had warned.
He had wanted her to hurt him, to pound his chest and get all the anger out of her, so that he would get a chance to explain. But her eyes had blazed with such anger that he had known it was hopeless. He had released her wrist and watched her run down the hall, wiping away tears with the back of her hand.
He let his hands fall to the desk and stared up at the ceiling, waiting for the memories to fade away, as they always did.
The doorbell rang while he was reading Business Week. He ignored it, focusing on Beethoven’s heavy piano concerto blasting from his speakers. It was the only music that was able to drive certain thoughts from his mind.
The doorbell rang again.
He turned down the volume and went to the door. “Who is it?” he asked, seeing nothing but a small blue cap through the peephole.
“It’s me, Uncle Ken,” a soft voice replied.
He opened the door and stared down at his ten-year-old niece. She stood on the doorstep with a huge green backpack and a suitcase with a handle that was threatening to break. The suitcase itself was being held together by packing tape stretched twice around the middle. His eyebrows shot up. “Ace, what are you doing here?”
She lifted her suitcase and went inside. She was a sturdy-looking kid with a proud heart-shaped face and sharp brown eyes, which she hid under a blue baseball cap—today turned backwards. “I came for a visit.”
Kenneth shut the door behind her and scratched his head. “Your father didn’t call to tell me that he was sending you.”
“Well…that’s what I’m here to talk about.”
“I see.” He took the suitcase from her; the handle immediately ripped and the bag fell to the ground. Kenneth pushed it against the wall with his foot. “Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
“Come on, then.”
Fortunately, his housekeeper kept his fridge full, so he was able to make her a chicken sandwich and lemonade. He put the food in front of her, sat down and waited for her to explain. When she didn’t say anything, he spoke. “Okay, what’s going on?”
Ace avoided his gaze. “Yum. This sandwich is very good, Uncle.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He rested his forearms on the table, prepared to stay there until he got the entire story. “A year has passed by, and I’m still waiting.”
Ace reluctantly put the sandwich down. “All right. I admit it. I ran away.”
It wasn’t the first time, but she had never run to him before. Her father lived in Georgia, which was quite a distance from this Maryland town. “How did you get here?”
“Greyhound.”
“They just let a kid take the Greyhound across states?”
Ace shrugged. “Hey, as long as you have the money, they don’t ask questions. From there, I took a taxi.”
“Where did you get the money?”
She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed for a moment. “I saved. I had a job.”
“Doing what? What kind of job would they give you?”
“Retrieving stolen items.”
Kenneth stared at her for a moment, hoping he had misunderstood her. “What?”
Ace licked her lips. “Promise you won’t get mad.”
He sighed. He must have spent all his anger today. “Just tell me.”
Her words came out slowly. “You know how people, when they lose things, they’ll put up reward money?”
He nodded.
“I figured that if I returned their things to them, I’d get the reward money, but I’d have to steal it first.”
Kenneth covered his face and
“We need to talk,” he had said.
Her hair was short at the time, and she had worn a baggy tracksuit. Her eyes, once so lively, were dark. “Leave me alone.”
He had grabbed her wrist, desperately hoping she would give him a chance to explain, hoping that he could miraculously come up with the perfect word or statement that would make her stay. “Jas, please don’t go. Give me a chance to—”
“Let me go, or I’ll hurt you,” she had warned.
He had wanted her to hurt him, to pound his chest and get all the anger out of her, so that he would get a chance to explain. But her eyes had blazed with such anger that he had known it was hopeless. He had released her wrist and watched her run down the hall, wiping away tears with the back of her hand.
He let his hands fall to the desk and stared up at the ceiling, waiting for the memories to fade away, as they always did.
The doorbell rang while he was reading Business Week. He ignored it, focusing on Beethoven’s heavy piano concerto blasting from his speakers. It was the only music that was able to drive certain thoughts from his mind.
The doorbell rang again.
He turned down the volume and went to the door. “Who is it?” he asked, seeing nothing but a small blue cap through the peephole.
“It’s me, Uncle Ken,” a soft voice replied.
He opened the door and stared down at his ten-year-old niece. She stood on the doorstep with a huge green backpack and a suitcase with a handle that was threatening to break. The suitcase itself was being held together by packing tape stretched twice around the middle. His eyebrows shot up. “Ace, what are you doing here?”
She lifted her suitcase and went inside. She was a sturdy-looking kid with a proud heart-shaped face and sharp brown eyes, which she hid under a blue baseball cap—today turned backwards. “I came for a visit.”
Kenneth shut the door behind her and scratched his head. “Your father didn’t call to tell me that he was sending you.”
“Well…that’s what I’m here to talk about.”
“I see.” He took the suitcase from her; the handle immediately ripped and the bag fell to the ground. Kenneth pushed it against the wall with his foot. “Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
“Come on, then.”
Fortunately, his housekeeper kept his fridge full, so he was able to make her a chicken sandwich and lemonade. He put the food in front of her, sat down and waited for her to explain. When she didn’t say anything, he spoke. “Okay, what’s going on?”
Ace avoided his gaze. “Yum. This sandwich is very good, Uncle.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He rested his forearms on the table, prepared to stay there until he got the entire story. “A year has passed by, and I’m still waiting.”
Ace reluctantly put the sandwich down. “All right. I admit it. I ran away.”
It wasn’t the first time, but she had never run to him before. Her father lived in Georgia, which was quite a distance from this Maryland town. “How did you get here?”
“Greyhound.”
“They just let a kid take the Greyhound across states?”
Ace shrugged. “Hey, as long as you have the money, they don’t ask questions. From there, I took a taxi.”
“Where did you get the money?”
She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed for a moment. “I saved. I had a job.”
“Doing what? What kind of job would they give you?”
“Retrieving stolen items.”
Kenneth stared at her for a moment, hoping he had misunderstood her. “What?”
Ace licked her lips. “Promise you won’t get mad.”
He sighed. He must have spent all his anger today. “Just tell me.”
Her words came out slowly. “You know how people, when they lose things, they’ll put up reward money?”
He nodded.
“I figured that if I returned their things to them, I’d get the reward money, but I’d have to steal it first.”
Kenneth covered his face and
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