Casey Templeton Mysteries 2-Book Bundle. Gwen Molnar

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СКАЧАТЬ Sarah over. Casey introduced the clerk to his mother. “Your sale ad mentioned discontinued lines, Sarah. Could you show us what you have?”

      There was something about the easy way Sarah smiled at people as she carried the big books between counters stacked high with coloured and patterned fabric that made Casey feel he had known her before. In their brief talk he had discovered she was bright, caring, and comfortable to be with. She was like … she was like Hank’s Cindy! Not in looks. Sarah wasn’t tall like Cindy, and Sarah’s brown hair was slicked back not flyaway gold, but they both had that wonderful way of making a person feel good. Casey made up his mind. Before this hate business was wound up he was going to see that Hank met Sarah.

      “These are patterns the manufacturers have only limited supplies of,” Sarah said as she handed Casey’s mother a thick folder. “And, of course, we have a shelf of remnants — some with really good sizes and prices.”

      “You have a look at the remnants, Casey,” his mother said. “I’ll go through this folder.”

      Five minutes into the exploration of remnants Casey spotted a thin roll of the heavy navy blue fabric with small red and light blue circles and beckoned to Sarah. “This is it! Is there any way you can get the names of the people who ordered it since it’s been in your dad’s store?”

      Sarah nodded. “I’m pretty sure I can, but it’ll take a while. I’m just helping out during university reading week. Dad scheduled the sale for when I’d be home. I go back Monday and won’t have time to do any checking before that. But I do plan to be here next weekend, so I’ll do it then. For now I’ll put it out of sight.” She picked up the slim roll of fabric. “I’ll give you my cell phone number. Call me a week from tomorrow.” She wrote the number on a yellow Post-it and handed it to Casey.

      “Any luck, Casey?” Mrs. Templeton asked, giving Sarah back the folder. “I didn’t find anything.”

      “Let’s just forget it, Mom.” Casey had found out what he wanted to know and was now eager to get out of the store.

      “Tell me,” his mother asked Sarah thoughtfully, “does Vance’s dye drapes?”

      “Some fabrics dye beautifully, others, not,” Sarah said. “It costs quite a bit because the lining and the draperies have to be dyed separately, but of course it’s a lot cheaper than almost any new ones would be.”

      “I may bring some into you in a week or so,” Mrs. Templeton told Sarah. As they left the store, she said to Casey, “If you don’t mind having drapes that are dyed, we could buy the TV you’ve been wanting for your bedroom with what we’d save.”

      “Terrific,” Casey said.

      He smiled to himself. Now wouldn’t that be a nice bonus? Solve the Deverell mystery, have Hank and Sarah meet, be a hero, and get a television, too. He was sure that with Sarah’s help he would find out who had ordered the drapes for the big front window at the Old Willson Place. And once he knew that he could … well, Casey wasn’t too sure what he could do. He would figure that out when the time came.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      It was as he was leaving the skating shack the next Friday night, feeling pretty pleased because Marcie Finegood had skated more with him than with any of the other guys and not so pleased because Marcie’s dad had come to pick her up early, that Casey heard his name being called in a raspy whisper.

      “Casey! Over here, Casey!”

      He looked around. At the corner of the skating shack, just past the circle of the outdoor light, someone was beckoning. No one else was around. Casey walked over. “Bryan?” he said, recognizing his hailer. “What gives?”

      “Casey, I’ve got to talk to someone.”

      “Well, sure, but let’s go inside. It’s too cold out here.”

      “No, come to my place. My folks are out.”

      “Okay,” Casey agreed. His folks were very much in. They were having their two-table bridge club tonight, and Casey would rather be just about anywhere else other than home. “So what’s up?” he asked Bryan as they walked.

      “I’ve got myself into something pretty bad. Really bad. And I don’t now how to get out of it.”

      “Can’t your folks help?”

      They turned into the Ogilvys’ driveway. Casey had never been in Bryan’s house. But who had been? Probably nobody at school. It was a nice-looking place — a three-storey pale blue colonial with white pillars, trim, and shutters. It seemed to Casey like a paint company’s television advertisement.

      “They’d kill me if they knew,” Bryan told him, opening the front door to a large hall with polished dark oak floors, an oriental carpet, and huge Chinese vases.

      Casey searched for a place to put his skates. He was afraid they might drip on the floor, so he put his coat down and the skates on top of it.

      “Honest, Casey, I don’t know why I did it.”

      “Well, tell me what it’s all about.” Casey followed Bryan up a carpeted staircase, along a hall, and into a huge bedroom. “Wow!” He stared at a computer setup that blew Hank’s out of the water. “Is there anything you don’t have?”

      Bryan sat on his computer chair and sagged. “Not much.”

      “So tell me.” Casey sat opposite his friend. “Start at the beginning and tell me what’s going on.”

      “Okay, you’re new here and we’re friends if not buddies, but you’ve seen how all the other kids and even the teachers treat me. The only teacher who ever showed any interest in me was Mr. Deverell. If he dies … oh, Casey, if he dies I’ll be partly responsible. I’ve just got to have someone understand why I did what I did and maybe help bail me out. And I’ve got to try to make up for it.”

      Bryan clenched his fists and closed his eyes for a moment. “Anyway, I’ve never been asked to be a part of any group or club at school. I don’t know what it is about me that puts people off. More than one thing, I guess. We’re never here for the summers or for any of the holidays, and my parents … well, they’re different from other people’s. And I never know what to say to get people to like me.”

      “You seem to be able to talk to me.”

      “That’s because right away you talked to me. You’re the first kid to take any notice of me in years. Anyway, I never feel part of things.”

      “What about your family?” Casey glanced around the beautifully furnished room. “You’re part of your family, and they obviously care a lot about you.”

      “You think so? My parents were married ten years before they had me, and they still really only care about each other. They can afford it, so they buy me anything I want just to keep me out of the way.”

      “Really?” Casey thought how his parents got along great with each other but still always concerned themselves about their sons.

      “Well, as you said, I’ve got a great computer. It’s about my fifth, and I’ve been exploring the Web for years. There are three chat rooms I СКАЧАТЬ