Free F Paul Wilson - Secret History 02 by Sibs (v2.1)

you look it up? Sound it out."
     
                "Okay."
     
                As Jill trotted over to the book
shelves, Kara slipped the tape into the VCR and started it running. When the
opening credits for Desk Set came on,
she wanted to cry with relief and nostalgia. Kelly's favorite movie. The second
tape was Father of the Bride , another
of her favorites.
     
                She swallowed the lump in her throat
and called to Jill.
     
                "Here's something better than a
game show. Watch this instead."
     
                Kara went back to the bedroom and
stripped the bed, then lifted the mattress to see if something was hidden
between it and the box spring.
     
                That was when she found it.
     
                Not under the mattress. Under the
night stand. When she lifted the mattress to look beneath, it slipped off the
box spring and struck the night stand, knocking it over along with the lamp
atop it.
     
                And there was the cache.
     
                Kara had checked the night stand
drawers the first time through and had found nothing but old paperback
mysteries in them. But she hadn't pulled the bottom drawer all the way out. If
she had she would have found this little trove.
     
                Sleazy underwear here. More Frederick 's of Hollywood type stuff—lacy open-front bras and
matching slit-crotch panties in scarlet and lavender. The same under the other
night stand.
     
                Feeling slightly queasy, Kara went
to the big dresser and pulled the two bottom drawers all the way out and set
them on the floor. Laid out in the space under the drawers was an array of
slit-sided leather skirts and low-cut blouses.
     
                As she stared at the tawdry outfits,
Kara felt a terrible sadness for her sister.
     
                What
were you looking for, Kelly? What on God's earth did you think was missing from
your life that you had to go looking for it dressed up in this… this shit!
     
                The sadness gave rise to anger. Why
hadn't Kelly come to her if she was having a problem? Didn't she think she
could rely on her own twin? Why hadn't Kelly sought her out instead of pulling
away?
     
                Or had she pulled away because of the problem?
     
                Kara stood up and scanned the
ransacked bedroom. Maybe she'd never know. But there had to be a reason Kelly
would buy these tramp outfits and hide them—
     
                Wait
a minute.
     
                Hide them? Why on earth would Kelly
hide her trashy clothes under her dresser and night stand?
     
                Kelly lived alone.
     
                This didn't make any sense at all.
Kara had been through all the closets, all the drawers. Everything belonged to
Kelly. Nobody else was living here. Just Kelly.
     
                From whom was Kelly hiding these
clothes?
     
▼
 
                It was around lunch time then, and
Jill was hungry. Kara cooked up a packet of Upton 's chicken noddle soup she found in one of
the kitchen cabinets and she and Jill settled down to a couple of bowls with
some Ritz crackers. Kara wasn't in the mood for anything heavier.
     
                Afterwards, she pulled Rob's card
from her purse. This was as good a time as any to give him a call.
     
                On the third ring, he answered with,
"Harris."
     
                "Rob? It's Kara Wade."
     
                "Wh—? Kara? Hello! Good to hear
from you. Everything okay down there?"
     
                Down
there . He thought she was in Pennsylvania . Good. Let him go on thinking that. If he
knew she was here in the city he'd want to get together with her for dinner or
the like and Kara didn't think that was such a good idea. Not with Jill