Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

administrator you should call at the school. I've already told him about Echo so he'll know you when you phone him."

He handed her a slip of paper with the name and number on it. Echo had followed Tyler and stood there watching us from the living room doorway. She looked like she knew we were discussing her. What sort of a traumatic experience was it going to be for her to leave the only home she knew and Tyler Monahan?

"I wouldn't be coming here all that much longer anyway," Tyler added, avoiding my eyes.

Mrs. Westinaton nodded. "I have a lot to do," she said. "Thank you. I'll have some lunch for us in a little while."

"Let me help you." I said quickly. At that moment I just wanted to get away from Tyler. I was so disappointed in him. He returned to the office with Echo without another comment.

I followed Mrs. Westington into the kitchen and began to get the place mats, silverware, and dishes to set out for lunch. I saw how she kept looking out the window toward the winery. I knew she wanted Trevor to join us. She would fill his ears with what had happened. He was, after all, her most trusted companion. I wondered why she wasn't close to any relative, but then again, neither was I. I had already learned why she didn't have much contact with her brother-in-law. Arliss.

"I hated to give them any money," she muttered as she worked on the salad. She was twisting and turning and knotting herself up in an argument with herself. "It's as good as opening the window and throwing it into the wind, but when it's raining and pouring, sometimes you have to do something to get yourself out from under. It's not like me to do that, to act out of desperation. but I don't like that man and I don't like what Rhona's becoming by being with him, not that I expected her to turn up here wearing wings.

"I shouldn't have done it," she suddenly decided, and slapped the counter. "What's wrong with me, knuckling under like that? I should have just thrown them out. Lawyers don't scare me. I got lawyers, too, and where are they going to get the money for lawyers anyway? Lawyers cost plenty."

"Don't run yourself down so. Mrs. Westington," I told her. "You'll just make yourself sick over it."

"Yeah, well. I really am sick over it. You know how it is with that sort. You give them an inch and they'll take a foot. As soon as we finish lunch. I want you or Trevor to drive me to see my attorney. Randolph Wright. There's a good name for an attorney. He's always right," she said. "He'd better be when I pay him. Where's that Trevor gone?" she asked, gazing out of the window again. "The man lollygags whenever he goes to one of those huge lumber or hardware stores. To him the place is a gigantic toy store. I never could understand how or why he saw so much pleasure in screws and bolts, hammers and drills. Can't give him a better birthday present than a new power drill Or a hammer. Men never grow up. They just get bigger toys. Don't know why I depend on him.

"Oh, look at me. I haven't done anything here. Cut up those tomatoes for me, would you, April?"

She sighed and shook her head. taking deeper and deeper breaths.

"Did you hear how they threatened me? All of a sudden she's worrying about bad influences on Echo. too. Was she here when the girl got measles or was she here to nurse her through coughs and colds and rashes? No. Ma'am, she wasn't.

"Now she comes waltzing in and waves the flag of motherhood as if she was the first to discover what it means. Imagine telling that Skeeter fellow that I was unfair to her while she was growing up. Truth is I would have been harder on her if my husband wasn't such a sapless tree when it came to her. He pushed all the unpleasantness and difficult parental decisions off on me. I had to be the mean one. You ever hear that expression. 'let George do it'? Well that was my husband's motto when it came to disciplining Rhona. She knew how to charm him. Men are fools. You'll see," she said, her hands fluttering about.

She didn't realize it, but she was signing some to me as well as talking. This was the angriest and most worked up I had seen her. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at the food. "Where was I?"

She spun around and went to the refrigerator to get some lettuce, celery, and olives. I cut up the tomatoes and said nothing. I felt too terrible for her and I was afraid she would hear it in my voice and feel even more terrible for herself. She took out the chicken she had in the stove and then she turned and headed for the pantry.

"I have some peas in here. Echo just loves peas. Where are those darn peas?" I heard her say. "I know they're here. I know. Oh," I heard a few moments later.

A shelf rattled and some cans fell.

"Mrs. Westington? Are you all right? What happened?' I cried, and hurried to the pantry.

There she was, sprawled on the floor, her body twisted so awkwardly that her right foot was turned in far enoug,h for me to think her ankle was broken.

"Mrs. Westington!" I screamed. "TYLER!" I shouted. "COME QUICKLY!"

I kneeled down beside her and shook her shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered and then opened.

Tyler came charging into the kitchen. "What's going on?"

"Mrs. West

ington fainted," I called back to him. He came into the pantry.

"I'm... fine...," she said, and struggled to straighten herself.

I put my hand under her left arm and Tyler got down to get his hand under her right. We started to lift her to her feet. She didn't put any weight on her legs. They dangled.

"I just need to sit for a while." she said.

The two of us literally carried her to the chair in the kitchen. I hurried to get her a glass of cold water. Echo was standing in the doorway looking in, her body and her face locked in fear.

Mrs. Westington's face was as white as an eggshell. There was no color in her lips and her eyes were glassy. She leaned back and took the water from me, sipping it slowly. Finally some color returned to her cheeks.