Free Peggy Holloway - Judith McCain 04 - Jupiter Returns by Peggy Holloway Page B

hadn’t told me if she was pregnant or about Westpark.
    Finally I could stand it no longer. After we went to bed I came out and asked, “Are you pregnant, Julia?”
    She gasped, “No, why would you even think that, and you know I would tell you. I tell you everything, don’t I?”
    “If we tell each other everything, then why haven’t you told me about Westpart?”
    She was quiet and pretended to be asleep but I knew she wasn’t. We usually talked until one of us fell asleep but it was too early for that. I nudged her with my elbow.
    “Ow, that hurt, Judith . I want to go to sleep. I’m sorry. Can’t we talk about this tomorrow? I’m really tired. Mimi wore me out today shopping.”
    I didn’t like the direction my mind was going and decided to go talk to Tracy. I waited until Julia was asleep for real and knocked on Tracy’s door. Mark came to the door. “She’s saying good night to Brad,” he said.
    Tracy was coming out of the nursery and we met in the hall. I put my finger to my lips. “Can we talk on the swings in the backyard?”
    Once in the backyard Tracy spoke up before I could say anything, “ Judith, when have you ever known Julia to turn down chocolate cake?”
    “Never,” I said.
    “Well, she did tonight at supper. You didn’t notice? I was wondering how I was going to get you alone to talk to you. You must suspect something or you wouldn’t have asked me to come out here to talk in private.”
    “I guess I’ve been in denial. I wanted to be with Julia so badly. Okay, the first thing was that the first night she was here I caught her reading my diary. I got really angry at her and she said she didn’t think I would mind since we were part of triplets.
    “Then when I asked about Westpark tonight, she pretended she to fall asleep and she had been wide awake before…”
    “Wait a minute, back up.”
    “What, what did I say?”
    “Judith, did you tell Julia about Christina?”
    “Not yet, I didn’t want to burden her with…Oh! My God! How did she know we were triplets?”
    Tracy and I stared at each other. “You know what this mean, don’t you Judith?”
    “Yeah, I should have known. Julia has never been that skinny. Her eating habits are different too. She eats a lot. Maybe she’s trying to gain weight before Walt gets here.”
    “I wonder when the switch was made and I wonder where the real Julia is. Judith, don’t go back to bed. Go to the kitchen, no go to my room. Tell Mark what’s going on and wait for us there. I’m getting John.”
    I went to Mark and Tracy’s room and knocked on the door. Before Mark could say anything I put my finger to my lips and pushed him inside and followed. I explained what was going on and he wanted to check on Brad. We found both kids with Jesse, Rosa, and Mimi.
    “Tracy explained everything to us, Judith,” Mimi said. “I’ve thought something was wrong but I didn’t even consider this.”
    Mark and I stayed there with the others. We locked the door and waited. We soon heard screaming and language that Julia would never have used. I opened the door and saw Tracy leading Christina down the stairs handcuffed behind her back.
    They were going down the stairs with John and Jake behind them. Rosa, Mimi, Mark, and and I followed them down and left Jesse with Brad and Jennifer. The kids had slept through the whole thing.
    They took her the front den and she looked at me with pure hatred in her eyes.
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 19
    “Where is Julia?” Tracy asked.
    She laughed, “What is this, some kind of joke? I am Julia.”
    Jake , John, Mark, Mimi, and I didn’t say anything but left the left the questioning to Tracy.
    “Julia would never ever turn down chocolate cake.”
    “Come on, Tracy. I ate too much dinner and I was full.”
    “Julia always says supper , not dinner, and she would always save room for chocolate. By the way, what is Westpark?”
    “I forgot.”
    “Julia didn’t know about there being a triplet but you did. Julia