sister was a pack rat. She saved everything. The trunk probably weighs a ton.”
Jess would have gone in search of Ian to help with the trunk, but Milo, Jon, and Linda, books in hand, came hurrying down the stairs.
“Well, hey, Milo!” Avery said, extending a hand, “how are you? Never expected to find you here. So you decided to go to school, after all? That’s great!”
Jess stared as Milo, looking uncomfortable, shook Avery’s hand. “You two know each other?” she asked.
“Who is he?” Linda asked Jess in a near-whisper.
“He’s Giselle McKendrick’s brother,” Jess said clearly, adding, “Milo, I didn’t know you knew Giselle.”
“Really?” Linda breathed, giving Milo an inquiring look.
“Well, sure,” Giselle’s brother said. “Milo practically lived at our house when he was a kid. He went all through school with my sister. They walked home together every day until high school. Right, Milo?”
Ian arrived, and Jess sent him a confused glance. Milo had never said a word about knowing Giselle, much less that he had been a close friend of hers. Why had he kept it a secret?
“Like I said,” Avery continued, “I might need help with the trunk. Giselle never threw anything away. And it could have books in it.”
“She still has stuff here?” Jon asked, frowning. “After all this time?”
Avery nodded. “I’ve been away, and my dad was too ill to come get it. We arranged to have Mrs. Coates put all of Giselle’s stuff in a trunk and keep it for us until I could get here.”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Milo volunteered, and, handing his books to Linda, loped off toward the kitchen and its cellar door.
“I’m sorry about your sister,” Jess said as Giselle’s brother followed Milo.
Avery McKendrick turned around. “She didn’t commit suicide,” he said bluntly. “I don’t care what you heard, what they told you. She didn’t. Not Giselle. It’s true that she went through a bad time when our mother became terminally ill. But even on her worst days, Giselle was an optimist.” Shaking his head, he added, “My father never believed what they said about her death, and neither do I.” He sighed and added, “I just wanted you to know that.” Then he left to join Trucker and Milo in the basement.
But when Jess went into the kitchen, Trucker was standing at the refrigerator filling a glass with lemonade.
“I thought you were helping Milo,” she said.
“I was. He sent me up here to get some rope.”
Upset by her conversation with Avery McKendrick, Jess snapped, “We don’t keep the rope in the refrigerator.”
Trucker raised dark eyebrows. “That trunk is heavy. Hefting it made me thirsty, okay?”
Jess flushed. “I’m sorry, Trucker. I shouldn’t have bitten your head off. I just feel so sorry for Giselle’s family.”
Trucker nodded. “Yeah. Me, too.”
“Forgive me?”
“No problem. Don’t worry about it. I’d better get back down there. It’s going to take at least two people to haul that trunk out of here.”
“Avery’s down there, too.”
“Good. Three people is even better.”
The minute the car had pulled out of the driveway and onto the highway and Trucker had gone back to whatever he’d been working on, Jess turned to Milo. “You knew that girl?” she asked. “I can’t believe you never said so. That first night, when Ian told us what had happened to her, you never said a word!”
Milo hunched his thin shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. But as he turned to take off for campus, Ian put a hand on his arm. Linda and Jon watched with interest.
“Hey, what gives?” Ian said. “Jess is right. It was pretty weird having that girl’s brother talk to you like an old friend.”
Milo jerked free of Ian’s hand. “I don’t make a habit of telling my life story,” he said. “And I don’t remember anyone else telling theirs. ”
“None of the rest of us,” Jess pointed out, “knew a girl who died in this house. But you knew
Jess would have gone in search of Ian to help with the trunk, but Milo, Jon, and Linda, books in hand, came hurrying down the stairs.
“Well, hey, Milo!” Avery said, extending a hand, “how are you? Never expected to find you here. So you decided to go to school, after all? That’s great!”
Jess stared as Milo, looking uncomfortable, shook Avery’s hand. “You two know each other?” she asked.
“Who is he?” Linda asked Jess in a near-whisper.
“He’s Giselle McKendrick’s brother,” Jess said clearly, adding, “Milo, I didn’t know you knew Giselle.”
“Really?” Linda breathed, giving Milo an inquiring look.
“Well, sure,” Giselle’s brother said. “Milo practically lived at our house when he was a kid. He went all through school with my sister. They walked home together every day until high school. Right, Milo?”
Ian arrived, and Jess sent him a confused glance. Milo had never said a word about knowing Giselle, much less that he had been a close friend of hers. Why had he kept it a secret?
“Like I said,” Avery continued, “I might need help with the trunk. Giselle never threw anything away. And it could have books in it.”
“She still has stuff here?” Jon asked, frowning. “After all this time?”
Avery nodded. “I’ve been away, and my dad was too ill to come get it. We arranged to have Mrs. Coates put all of Giselle’s stuff in a trunk and keep it for us until I could get here.”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Milo volunteered, and, handing his books to Linda, loped off toward the kitchen and its cellar door.
“I’m sorry about your sister,” Jess said as Giselle’s brother followed Milo.
Avery McKendrick turned around. “She didn’t commit suicide,” he said bluntly. “I don’t care what you heard, what they told you. She didn’t. Not Giselle. It’s true that she went through a bad time when our mother became terminally ill. But even on her worst days, Giselle was an optimist.” Shaking his head, he added, “My father never believed what they said about her death, and neither do I.” He sighed and added, “I just wanted you to know that.” Then he left to join Trucker and Milo in the basement.
But when Jess went into the kitchen, Trucker was standing at the refrigerator filling a glass with lemonade.
“I thought you were helping Milo,” she said.
“I was. He sent me up here to get some rope.”
Upset by her conversation with Avery McKendrick, Jess snapped, “We don’t keep the rope in the refrigerator.”
Trucker raised dark eyebrows. “That trunk is heavy. Hefting it made me thirsty, okay?”
Jess flushed. “I’m sorry, Trucker. I shouldn’t have bitten your head off. I just feel so sorry for Giselle’s family.”
Trucker nodded. “Yeah. Me, too.”
“Forgive me?”
“No problem. Don’t worry about it. I’d better get back down there. It’s going to take at least two people to haul that trunk out of here.”
“Avery’s down there, too.”
“Good. Three people is even better.”
The minute the car had pulled out of the driveway and onto the highway and Trucker had gone back to whatever he’d been working on, Jess turned to Milo. “You knew that girl?” she asked. “I can’t believe you never said so. That first night, when Ian told us what had happened to her, you never said a word!”
Milo hunched his thin shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. But as he turned to take off for campus, Ian put a hand on his arm. Linda and Jon watched with interest.
“Hey, what gives?” Ian said. “Jess is right. It was pretty weird having that girl’s brother talk to you like an old friend.”
Milo jerked free of Ian’s hand. “I don’t make a habit of telling my life story,” he said. “And I don’t remember anyone else telling theirs. ”
“None of the rest of us,” Jess pointed out, “knew a girl who died in this house. But you knew
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