Chapter Thirteen by Maria A. Palace

Author:Maria A. Palace
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: World Castle Publishing, LLC
Published: 2021-09-23T16:12:51+00:00

CHAPTER 31

The pieces were falling perfectly into place, and Katy’s vision was unfolding precisely as she had hoped, thanks to the overwhelming support from her boss, Mayor Elders, and the excellent work by attorney John Doherty. The demolition of the estate had been halted, and the Brewer mansion was nominated for an (NHL) National Historic Landmark Designation with the State of Pennsylvania. In addition, the highway expansion project was successfully delayed, pending the mansion’s designation as a historical landmark. The only deterrent was that they were still waiting to hear from the Landmarks Committee, and that whole process could take anywhere from two to five years. Katy had planned on paying Miss Brewer a visit to update her on all the progress that had been made immediately after her dreaded parent-teacher conference with Mrs. Randolph.

“The conference itself shouldn’t last for more than half-an-hour, but I have to go on a work assignment afterward, so I probably won’t be back for several hours,” Katy explained to her babysitter, Darla.

Darla put her hand up over her mouth, “Oh no, I forgot to tell you—my mother made a doctor’s appointment for this afternoon. She doesn’t drive, and I’m the only one who can take her. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to leave right after your conference.”

“Shoot,” said Katy. “Then I guess I’m just going to have to bring Lilly with me after I get back from the conference.”

Katy entered the classroom to find Lilly’s teacher seated at a large round table in the far corner of the room. Mrs. Randolph did not stand up or come over to greet her but simply watched her from the top of her glasses as she moved toward her. “Nice to see you again, Miss Barton. Won’t you have a seat?” she said curtly, pointing to the child-size chair across the table from her.

Katy squeezed herself into the tiny chair while Mrs. Randolph, who was seated in an adult seat, looked down upon her. “I’d like to start out by telling you that Lilly is a very bright child and is doing a good job all around. She is very outgoing and gets along with all the other children in the class. However, she can be overbearing toward the other students and oftentimes makes some outlandish assertions.”

Katy looked puzzled. “What do you mean by ‘outlandish?’”

“Well, for one, she said that her father died in a fire. Is that true?”

Katy wrinkled her forehead, taking on a concerned look. She had never told Lilly how her father died. Maybe Katy’s dad told her, but she had specifically asked him a long time ago not to say anything to Lilly. She wanted to be the one to tell her—when the time was right. “Yes, it’s true,” she answered.

Mrs. Randolph held an unwavering glare upon Katy, then continued. “A short while ago, we had a fire drill. All the students were asked to line up in single file before we headed out of the classroom. Lilly refused to leave her seat.

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