Free The Other Child by Joanne Fluke Page B

birthday had been worth it. He could tell she was absolutely delighted.
    “And that’s just half of it.” Mike’s smile widened as Leslie caught her breath. “I got your Leica all cleaned up last night. The case has a couple of bad scratches, but otherwise it’s in fine shape. You really lucked out, Leslie. You’re going to need your camera more than ever now that you have the telescope.”
    Leslie looked puzzled and Mike chuckled. “I think, if we do a little jury-rigging, we can hook it up to the telescope lens so you can take pictures of the moon and stars.”
    “Oh, super!” Leslie’s smile was rapturous. She’d been completely wrong about Mike before. He really was on her side. The kids from Cold Spring had just gotten her confused, that was all. Mike must be on her side to have bought her such a wonderful birthday present.
    Leslie gazed at the new telescope with love in her eyes. Then she turned a pleading expression to her mother.
    “Can I come up here during the day, too?” she begged, watching Karen anxiously. “I could learn about the clouds then and I could take pictures of the town from up here. I could see all sorts of interesting things in the daytime. Please?”
    Karen hesitated. It was exactly what she had feared. Leslie would be up here every minute and she’d never go out and socialize.
    “Mom? I won’t come up here very often if you don’t want me to.” Leslie’s voice was small and disappointed.
    Karen was caught in a bind. She didn’t want to put a damper on Leslie’s spirits, and her daughter looked crestfallen.
    “Yes, you can use your telescope during the day, too,” she conceded. “But you have to promise to tell me first. I don’t want to be looking all over the house for you when I need you.”
    “I promise!” Leslie ran over to her mother and hugged her. “You’re wonderful, Mom! And you’re wonderful, too, Mike! Will you show me how to use my new telescope now?”
    Karen stood in the doorway as Mike and Leslie huddled over the telescope, Leslie’s blond hair touching Mike’s dark. They were talking about light refraction and powers now. Karen wasn’t particularly interested in hearing Mike’s instructions, so she slipped out quietly and made her way down the narrow staircase. She had other, more practical matters on her mind; for one thing, there was still cleaning up to be done. Karen stopped for a minute at the third-floor landing and gazed around longingly. She wished that she could start uncovering things right away, but it would have to wait. She’d come up here first thing in the morning, right after her regular housework was done.
    The ghostly covered shapes drew Karen like a magnet, and she ran her hand over several of the more intriguing pieces. She had taken a peek at the large items when they first moved in. The lovely spinet piano in the living room was waiting for repairs and she’d found beds for most of the rooms on the second floor. That was as far as she’d gotten. There were still crates and trunks to be explored, and Karen was anxious to begin. Now that the rest of the house was somewhat in order, she could reward herself by spending some time up here, just cataloging the useful items.
    It was still and quiet here in the ballroom. Karen heard Mike’s deep laugh and Leslie’s excited voice from above. A feeling of peace and the rightness of things came over her. They were at home in this huge old house. Living here made her feel she had roots with the past. Her own parents had died when she was young and she had lived with a succession of aunts and uncles, shipped from one family to the next. There had never been a family home like this. Now, in this lovely house, she felt steeped in tradition. It would be home to her and her children. It was the kind of house that would welcome generations of Houstons.
    Karen smiled. She felt better now. While she tried not to make much of it, the hornets had upset her dreadfully. She had thought of them