Free Building Blocks of Murder by Vanessa Gray Bartal Page A

know when one kid goes good in a family, the other usually goes bad, Lucy?” he asked, his tone teasing.
    Lacy didn’t mention that Tosh was probably the bad one in this scenario. He hadn’t told her exactly what was in his wild past before he sewed his oats, but she guessed it was fairly epic.
    “Oh, Tom, I’m sure he’s a nice young man, or Lacy wouldn’t have anything to do with him,” Lucinda assured him, patting his arm.
    “That’s so,” Mr. Middleton agreed. “Our Lacy’s sensible.” They turned beaming smiles of approval on Lacy who smiled awkwardly at being caught in the sudden spotlight. What did people do when they weren’t able to bask in their grandparents’ love? Her thoughts turned to Jason and something he had once said to her. Not all of us have grandparents standing by, waiting to pick up the pieces of our shattered lives. Was he really all alone in the world?
    “Lacy, are you okay, dear?” her grandmother asked.
    Lacy snapped back to attention and gave her grandparents an unconvincing smile. “Long day.” She edged farther into the room and sank into the chair across from the couch. “I went to Jason’s trial today. It was a smear campaign. Ed McNeil brought up a lot of garbage from his past.” Her eyes met those of her grandfather as silent communication passed between them. This was the baggage he had been referring to from Jason’s past, the reason he was a survivor.
    Her grandmother, who believed all the world’s ills could be solved with sugar, stood and bustled to the kitchen to retrieve a treat for Lacy. Or maybe she simply sensed that Lacy wanted a moment alone with her grandfather.
    “Was it as bad as Ed McNeil made it sound?” Lacy asked.
    Mr. Middleton sat back with a weary sigh. “It was probably worse. I can’t believe he brought all that up. That man is a devil.”
    For the first time, Lacy let herself feel all that she had been holding back. Her eyes filled with tears. “I wish I didn’t know. I wish I could go back to being ignorant, to thinking Jason’s life was perfect.”
    “No one’s life is perfect, Lacy. Our trials and tribulations shape us into who we are; it’s what shape you turn into that counts, and I think Jason’s turned out pretty well. Don’t you?”
    “Yes,” Lacy said, nodding as she sniffled. “He’s such a hard-working perfectionist. And he’s so…” she trailed off, realizing the direction of her thoughts and how they must sound to her grandfather. “Well, he’s a good guy,” she finished lamely.
    “I think so, too,” her grandfather agreed with a benevolent smile. His eyes glazed as he stared blankly at the television, remembering. “It was hard back then, knowing what he was going through and seeing how hard he worked to keep it hidden from his friends. There are some kids you don’t forget for one reason or another. Jason was one of those. I’m glad to see his life is on track.” He snapped back into focus and looked at Lacy. “I’m glad he has you.”
    “I’m not sure he does,” Lacy admitted. “Sometimes it seems like we’re on our way to becoming good friends, and sometimes we can’t stop fighting for two minutes.”
    Mr. Middleton’s only reply was a sort of knowing smile that made Lacy turn away to avoid blushing.
    “Peanut butter cookies,” Lucinda announced by way of greeting as she entered the room. She shoved a small plate in Lacy’s hands and stepped back.
    “Thanks, Grandma,” Lacy said. She picked up one of the cookies, only intending to take a polite bite so as not to hurt her grandmother’s feelings, but as her thoughts swirled, she kept picking at the cookies until she had unwittingly eaten the entire plate. Great, she thought. I can practically hear myself getting fatter. “I think I’ll go for a run before Keegan gets here.” She stood, carrying her plate into the kitchen on her way to her room.
    The weather was somewhere between crisp and warm with the spicy scent of falling leaves