Falling Stars (Shooting Stars 5)

Cinnamon was about to tell him off when Ms. Fairchild appeared in the doorway again.

"The boy in the wheelchair is here," she announced with a grimace twisting her lips.

"He's not the boy in the wheelchair. His name is Evan and he's my brother," Rose retorted.

"Nevertheless, he's here and someone should assist him into the building. Everyone is too busy this morning to cater to anyone'sguests."

We started out with Rose.

"If you need any help. call," Howard shouted after us.

"If I needed any help, he'd be the last one I'd call." Cinnamon muttered.

The van was parked in front and the lift was lowering Evan in his chair. Rose gent down to him immediately. The driver came around to assist. It was a cloudy day, with threats of rain coming from the north. I felt a real chill in the air.

"Hi. You guys were all great last night," Evan said as we approached.

We all thanked him. He stared at us a moment and then looked to Rose.

"What?" she asked, sensing he had something more important to tell us.

"I've got about an hour," Evan said. "before I have to leave for the airport. Is there some place we can go to talk in private?"

"Privately?Why?" Cinnamon asked quickly.

"I did some more work last night. Couldn't sleep and went online with my notebook computer."

No one spoke. Cinnamon looked back at the house. "What's wrong?" Evan asked.

"If we go inside, Howard and Steven will be all over us," she replied. "And we can't set him upstairs into any of our rooms."

"It looks like it's going to rain any minute," Ice said. "We can't stay out here,"

"Look," I cried, and everyone followed my gaze to the third- floor front windows. A curtain quickly closed.

"Was it her?" Ice asked.

"I think so," I said.

"It can't be her." Evan said. "Or at least who you all think it is."

"Why not?" Cinnamon asked.

Evan looked back at the van. His driver was sitting with the seat back, his eyes closed.

"Just take me for a walk. The rain's a little way off," he said. "It won't take me long anyway."

Rose got behind the wheelchair and we all started down a path toward the north side.

Groundspeople were working. Their mowers and trimmers hummed.

"What else have you learned?" Cinnamon practically demanded as soon as we were far enough from the house.

We stopped at one of the benches. Ice and I sat. Rose and Cinnamon stood. with Evan at the center.

"I went back to try to find out when Gerta left the clinic and came to live in New York with Madame Senetsky. When Honey said that Madame Senetsky told her that her daughter had died. I began to check the European newspapers."

"And?" Cinnamon asked. Evan looked up at her.