Until We Meet Again(52)

“Took the words right out of my mouth.”

She glances at the stacks of microfilm boxes piled around me

and then lifts one. “All nineteen twenty-five. Are you looking

for something in particular that happened in that year?”

“Well, more something I think might have happened.”

“Have you considered checking a year behind or ahead?”

Maybe I’m delirious from hours of eye-crossing tedium, but

I could swear I see a lightbulb snap on over her head. I must be

wearing my emotions on my face because the librarian gives me

a smile. “Good luck.”

I make a beeline to the drawers of microfilm. Drawing in a

breath, I close my eyes, make a circle, and point to a drawer.

March 1, 1927–May 1, 1927.

The first box yields nothing. Despair threatens again, but

I swallow it down. The second one is also useless. But then,

finally, in the third box, I have a breakthrough.

It’s a newspaper article discussing the arrest of several key

executives at none other than Cooper Enterprises. My pulse

quickens as I skim the text. This is significant. It has to be.

Granted, it says nothing about murdering an innocent teenage

boy, but they’re obviously a corrupt company, and this proves

it. Who knows what they’re capable of?

I sit back in my chair, suddenly overwhelmed. The day has

taken a toll on m. I feel exhausted but also deeply relieved.

I need to talk to Lawrence, to tell him to look into Cooper

Enterprises too. I gather up my makeshift campsite around the

microfilm projector with shaking hands. My heart soars. Thank

you, librarian lady.

I speed all the way home. As I pull up to the house, however,

I notice a red car in the driveway.

Brandon. I push my forehead against the steering wheel.

“Just perfect.”

Any hope of sneaking in unnoticed vanishes when I open the

door. Mom and Brandon stand in the kitchen, directly in my

line of sight. Mid-laugh, they both notice me.

“There she is,” Brandon says with what I’m sure was intended

to be a suave smile. “Feeling better?”

Mom’s expression cools. “Where on earth have you been?”

“The library,” I say, dropping my bags in a pile on the floor.

“Like I said this morning.”

“The library and…?”

“That’s it,” I say. “I went straight there and came straight back.”

Mom folds her arms and raises an eyebrow. “You expect me

to believe you’ve been at the library for eight hours?”

I sigh. Maybe I could make a run for the beach. I’ll hide with

Lawrence until my family decides I must have drowned and go

back to Ohio.

“Maybe I don’t want to know,” Mom says. “I can’t imagine

what could possibly compel a teenager to spend all day in a

library during summer break.”

“Ask the librarian if you don’t believe me.”

Mom reprimands my by narrowing her eyes. “Well, lucky for

you, Brandon here has convinced me to let you two hang out,

instead of grounding you immediately.”

This night keeps getting better and better.

“I brought that movie I was telling you about,” Brandon says,

holding up a DVD case.

This entire conversation is the last thing I need. My brain is

fried and my nerves are frayed. There’s no way I’ll miss seeing

Lawrence tonight. He’s probably waiting for me as we speak.

Brandon and his stupid movie are not going to keep me from

that beach.

“Great,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’m looking forward to

it. Should we start in about an hour? You can go and…get

Slurpees or something.”

“Cass,” Mom says, disapproval thick in her voice.

“There’s some stuff I need to take care of. It’s really important.”

Brandon purses his lips. “I could go. I mean, if that’s what

you

really—”

“That would be great.”

“I don’t think so,” Mom says. She steps out of Brandon’s line

of sight and gives me a stern, why-are-you-being-so-rude look.

“Brandon’s been waiting almost an hour for you. Whatever you

have to do can wait until tomorrow.”

“It actually can’t.”

“It can and it will.” Now I’m getting the behave-or-you’regrounded look.

I weigh the risks of defying her. Being grounded at this

point would be pretty bad. Maybe I can rush Brandon out

the door. Feign sickness again halfway through the movie.

Lawrence will probably wait a while for me. Hopefully. I

swallow a heavy sigh.

“Great,” I say. “Let’s watch then.”

Mom nods. “I’ll make you two some smoothies. How about

that?”

“Sounds ginger peachy,” I mutter.

Mom breezes off to the kitchen, and Brandon gives me a