The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman

Author:McCormick Templeman [Templeman, McCormick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, General, Social Issues, Friendship
ISBN: 0375869433
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Published: 2012-07-10T00:00:00+00:00

Inside, the house was empty. I had no idea when the twins would be back from wherever they’d gone, so I grabbed my notebook and climbed into a lake-view window seat. From my perch, the water looked still as glass. If only I could stay in that seat, staring at that lake forever. But I would need to go back eventually, and when I did, I would need a plan. I opened my notebook and got to work. I decided to devise a two-pronged attack. First I would talk to John, the art instructor. I hadn’t tried to grill a teacher yet, and I thought it best to be prepared. I even went so far as to write out a list of questions to ask him. It made me feel a bit like Lois Lane.

Next—and I felt this was a particularly ingenious plan—I would go to the library and make a list of anyone who had checked out books pertaining to woodworking, in case our killer happened to be an autodidact. I would then narrow down that list and continue my investigation. I closed my notebook and stared out across the lake, satisfied I’d done all I could for the time being. Now, I decided, I would enjoy my vacation.

The break turned out to be phenomenally pleasant. Mornings were spent lounging at the lake, afternoons reading in the woods, evenings eating, talking, watching movies or listening to music. Noel had a tremendous jazz collection on vinyl, and she did her best to fill in what she deemed the formidable holes in my music vocabulary. Helen was more relaxed than she ever was at school, and that in turn chilled me out. Chelsea would show up every once in a while to cadge a meal, standing over Noel while she cooked, picking bits and pieces out of the saucepan, or to coerce the twins into ordering pizza. She liked it with pineapple, she would remind them. And sometimes we’d see her down at the lake, stretched out on a rock in an uncharacteristically modest navy one-piece. I wondered if she was being completely honest with me about Iris and Helen. I didn’t see why she would lie, but then, she was Chelsea Vetiver, and I never really knew what to make of her. The last night of break, she showed up in a faux-fur coat, demanding that Helen go into town with her to see a movie.

“It’s about scorpions, Helen. Scorpions. You know how I feel about scorpions.”

I couldn’t disguise my disappointment when Helen went with her.

“Don’t worry, Droopy Dog,” Noel said. “We don’t need my stupid sister to have fun.”

It was still early, so we grabbed a bottle of red wine and went out to the gazebo. It was a beautiful night—clear and light, warm enough that we didn’t have to wear sweaters, but with a slight crispness to the air that paired nicely with the cherrywood warmth of the wine. We drank out of her mother’s crystal goblets, though I noticed that Noel barely touched the cup to her lips.

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