Matchbox Girls Page 3

  “I’m sorry, Marley,” cried Lissa. “Look, I’m being good.” She scrambled over to the couch where Marley had left her and sat down again. “Kari, you clean up your mess! Don’t you make Marley angry.” She hugged her penguin.

  Kari grumbled something and went back to the bathroom. Before Marley could roll to her feet and follow her, because she suspected good intentions meant nothing, Kari reappeared again, holding a medicine bottle.

  “Are you sick, Marley?” She shook it and a few remaining pills rattled.

  Marley grabbed it away from her. “No. Those are so I don’t get sick.” She thought about that and then added, “And they’re only for me. You don’t take any medicine, pills, or candy in this house that I don’t give you, all right?”

  Kari gave her a quiet look and nodded once. Then she went past Marley to climb onto the couch and sit beside Lissa. After a minute, she stuck her thumb in her mouth.

  Marley leaned against a wall, looking at the two miserable little figures. Then she looked at the apartment’s living room. Three of Branwyn’s art awards had been knocked off the shelf Lissa had been climbing, and she brushed them off and put them back.

  She snuck another glance at the kids. She couldn’t make them just sit on the couch all day, even if they seemed willing to try. They were clearly nervous and worried about the situation. Her own worries about abandonment were too different to give her any idea of what to do next.

  She went to her phone and texted a query to Branwyn, who had six younger siblings to Marley’s own one. A response came back: Do familiar things.

  That was how, forty minutes later, she found herself pulling into the little lot of the nearby park the girls usually visited, carrying bags of fast food.

  It was a pleasant place, with live oaks mixed with palms along a jogging trail that passed some volleyball courts. Hardy grass struggled to remain green in the blistering summer heat. There was a truly magnificent playground, which was probably why Zachariah originally brought them there. It usually had more kids than it did today, but Marley was glad to find it nearly empty.

  After lunch at a picnic table, Marley sat on a bench with an unopened book beside her. This was familiar, all right. The only thing missing was Zachariah himself, sprawled on another bench chatting with her, or hunched over a sleek palmtop computer. She usually enjoyed the role of part-time observer and playmate, while Zachariah was the one really responsible for the twins. Dammit, where the hell had he gone? These weren't her kids!

  Marley thought about that for a moment, and then fumbled for Zachariah’s phone. Now was the right time to start investigating those numbers. She opened the phone and looked at the recent calls again. Some of the names were really odd. But she was familiar with Senyaza Corporation, at least; it was one of the big transnational electronics companies. She'd picked up the idea that he had business with them, maybe even worked for them as some sort of contractor. If so, he probably had friends there.

  She tried the number, and reached a computerized operator that instructed her to state the name or enter the extension of the person she wanted to reach. She hesitated, and almost hung up, before saying, “Zachariah Thorne.”

  There was a click. The computer voice said, “I will connect you to the Department of Special Investigations and Threats.”

  Another voice picked up, this one a recording of a man with a faint British accent. “Hey. We're all busy fighting monsters right now, but you can leave a message by pressing 1. Do remember to tell us the name of the scallywag in question.”

  Carefully, Marley hung up. She wasn’t sure if that meant Zachariah worked for this Department of Special Investigations and Threats, or if they considered him a “scallywag,” and in any case, she wasn’t desperate enough to leave random messages. Yet.

  She frowned, flipping through the phone contact list, trying to decide who to call next. The idea of telling random strangers that Zachariah had vanished and she had his children did not excite her. Who knew how they'd react?

  As if reading her mind, a voice behind her said, “Kidnapping is a federal crime, you know.”

  -four-

  Marley looked up. A man stood behind the bench, gazing over the playground. He was clean-shaven, with blond hair. His hands were in the pockets of an expensive grey suit.

  “Were you talking to me?” Marley asked, wondering when he’d shown up. There was a white minivan sitting beside her car in the parking lot, with a figure in the driver’s seat.

  His eyes, blue like the sea, flicked to her, and a smile crooked one corner of his mouth. “Yes. But I don’t want this to end up in the courts, do you?”

  Marley stood up. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  The man’s smile faded and he looked exasperated. “The children, Miss Claviger. The ones you kidnapped from their uncle’s home.”

  Marley stopped breathing. Then she inhaled and snapped, “Who the hell are you?”

  “The designated guardian of those children in the event that Zachariah Thorne is unavailable to care for them. Jeremy White.” A business card materialized between his fingers.

  “I didn't see your name in his phone.” Without taking her eyes off him, Marley raised her voice, calling to the girls. When they ran over to her, she said, “Do you two know this man?”

  They shook their heads, pressing shyly against her sides. She looked up at Jeremy White again, narrowing her eyes.

  He sighed. “Whether they recognize me is irrelevant to whether or not the courts do. But if you release them to me now, I’ll make sure no charges are pressed.” He reached out for her hand.

  Marley looked down as he slid the business card between her fingers, and saw “Attorney at Law” printed under his name, and his expensive watch, and a swirling tattoo peeking out from his shirt sleeve.

  Through numb lips, she said, “How did you even know he was gone?”

  “He called me. Right before he left.” He smiled and added, “From his house phone.”

  Kari said eagerly, “Why did he go?”

  Lissa added, “Where is he?”

  The lawyer directed his smile at the kids. “He’s on a plane flight right now.” He glanced up at Marley again. “He’ll be calling tonight to talk to the kids. I was supposed to pick them up from the house earlier, but I was... delayed.” He frowned and then shook his head. “To be honest, I’m looking forward to finding out what’s going on. He was distracted when he called me.”

  Marley felt cold, despite the blazing sun. What he said made sense. He’d already convinced the children; she could feel them pulling away from her. But she wanted to find a hole in his story. “How did you know I had them?”

  His teeth showed again, not unkindly. “You left a note.”

  “Oh.” She'd meant that for Zachariah. And she'd locked the door. Hadn't she? She felt thick and stupid. His smile was really beautiful, and he was being so patient with her. What had possessed her to just take the children anyhow? Zachariah must have had a different plan; he knew how incompetent she was at running her own life these days. The children had a trust fund; with trust funds came lawyers, and a whole slew of people to take care of what needed taking care of.

  She felt dizzy. “Did you know their mother?”

  His smile faded, and his blue gaze went far away. For a moment, it felt like Marley had been released from a crushing pressure.

  “Nineveh,” he murmured, and his gaze snapped back to Marley. “Yes. A very special young woman.” His broad smile returned. “Perhaps Zachariah’s finally tracked her down.”

  The sense of pressure returned. He was so believable. So genuine. Those blue eyes were drowning her.

  But she’d had a chance to breathe, for just a moment. She fought back. “I want to see some kind of documentation.”

  He gave her a concerned look and said, very quietly, “You’re the one who kidnapped them, Miss Claviger, and I’m the lawyer. All I need to do is call the police. That would be so upsetting, don’t you think? And unn
ecessary, too.”

  Then he knelt down and held out a hand to each twin. “Ready to go talk to your uncle?”

  Kari and Lissa seemed mesmerized. They stepped away from her.

  Marley’s world cracked open. The sky howled above her. She stumbled and fell against the bench, bruising her hip. The pain became a flash of vision: the twins crying and screaming, furious and fading away. The pain throbbed again and the vision vanished, a shout of despair burning Marley’s throat. She panted and squeezed her eyes shut against the spinning around her.

  When she went to rub her face, she realized she was holding each girl tightly by a wrist. They nuzzled up against her. A tiny hand pressed against her cheek. “Are you sick, Marley?” asked Lissa.

  “Do you need your pills?” asked Kari. She looked over at Jeremy. “Can she come with us? She's our friend.”

  Her pills. Maybe it was time to up her dose again, she thought blearily. She hadn’t had an attack that vivid since high school, before she'd started the medication. Those attacks had never faded quickly, but this time the screaming fear that had overcome her was gone already, leaving just the physical after-effects of the adrenaline rush. Score one for medical science.

  “What pills are these?” asked the interested voice of the lawyer. “Are you ill, Miss Claviger?”

  “No!” She glared up at him and maintained her grip on the girls. Now she could see the face beneath the sweet concern that was painted on like clown makeup. Under the glow of good intentions, he was impatient, careless, and stressed. The twins had been told to call her. She ran her mind over the previous conversation and found more questions, more inconsistencies that troubled her. Zachariah's cellphone. The children's ignorance. But none were so disturbing as the overwhelming pressure she’d felt when he looked at her.

  “No. You’re lying, Mr. White. About something... maybe about everything. Go away. I’m going to take care of the girls until their uncle comes for them.” Somehow.

  He looked taken aback. “That could be a while.” She shrugged. He studied her and then shook his head. “No. I can’t trust you. You can’t even stand up straight. Do you really want to fight me on this? Because I’ll win, and it won’t be good for you.”

  Marley raised her chin defiantly. “Bring it.” She realized another man had moved in from the other side of the park, lurking just out of earshot. The new guy was tall, dark-haired, and ragged-looking, just like the crows that took to the air ahead of him. He stared at her so intently that she thought he must be associated with the lawyer. An enforcer. There was somebody in the minivan, too, draped over the steering wheel. She remembered her vision of the study in disarray and wondered if the lawyer meant a real, physical fight, right now. What had happened to Zachariah?

  Jeremy moved closer again and dropped his voice to a near whisper, as if he wanted to make sure nobody overheard them. “Believe me, Miss Claviger: You do not want to fight me on this. My allies are more dangerous than you can imagine. They are also exceedingly powerful. If you cooperate, we will compensate you for the inconvenience you've suffered thus far.”

  “No!” Once again, his urging seemed genuine, and Marley couldn’t bear it. She rose to her feet and ducked around him, pulling the kids after her. Why, oh why was the park so empty of the normal family groups? Would the people at the baseball diamond hear her if she screamed?

  Jeremy White followed her, as if he didn’t believe the conversation was over. She went to her car and opened it, pointing inside. Kari balked. “I want to see Uncle Zach. I'm tired of this game.”

  “I can take you,” said the lawyer quickly. “Miss Claviger can come, too. I'm sure Mr. Thorne and his companions would like to speak with her. We've plenty of room in the van. Or you could follow us.”

  “Uncle Zach can call us, Kari. And I'm sure he will when Mr. White tells him I'm being stubborn.” She looked nervously at the lawyer as he put his hand in his pocket, but he only pulled out a smartphone.

  Lissa leaned to Kari and whispered, “Marley's the one who will take care of us, Uncle Zach said. And that man is weird. Look at...” and they both looked up at Jeremy. Kari frowned. Then she turned and climbed inside the car, Lissa following her. Marley shut the door and turned to look at him.

  “Gonna make any calls on that? Direct to Zachariah?”

  He glanced at the phone, tapped the screen, then said irritably, “I said he was on a plane right now. And not the sort that allows incoming calls.” He studied her in apparent puzzlement. She stared back, as fiercely as she could. Finally, he shrugged. As he resettled his jacket, the tattoo flashed again. “We’ll meet again, Miss Claviger.”

  “Bring a bailiff next time.”

  He touched two fingers to his brow in an absentminded salute as he turned away.

  She watched him until he got into his vehicle. He had a discussion with the other person, and then the van drove away.

  After it was out of sight, she looked around the park again. The other man had vanished as well, and she wondered if he’d even been involved. Probably not. Maybe his presence had even encouraged Jeremy White to leave. She felt a twinge of guilt for thinking the worst of him.

  “Are we going home?” Lissa asked.

  Marley weighed her options. “No. We were only going to leave if that man didn’t. You can go play more.”

  But she didn’t just sit on the bench watching after that. She stayed close, and she studied every adult who entered the park through narrowed eyes.

  -five-

  “Penny, I’m so happy to see you!” Marley held the apartment door open so her friend could manhandle two large shopping bags into the living room. The twins, sitting at the table eating dinner, watched curiously.

  “Yes! I’m glad to be back. I really missed all the local comforts, and you guys.” Penny put the bags on the floor and paused to look over Marley, so Marley returned the favor.

  Of course, Penny always looked good. She wore expensive makeup, chosen to subtly accentuate her bronze skin and enhance her brown eyes. Her clothes, as always, were stunning: a blue wraparound skirt and an off-the-shoulder white blouse accented with chunky gold jewelry. Shoulder-length dark hair curled artfully around her face, and her fingernails, when she pushed it away, were recently manicured.

  “You cut your hair,” Marley remarked before hugging her. “I think it looks good.”

  “I’m still getting used to it,” Penny confessed. “Sometimes I’m not sure it was a good idea. But you—look at you. Branwyn said you’re taking care of Zach’s little girls?”

  Marley twisted her mouth in a half-smile. “Something like that. They’re eating dinner right now. They asked me for macaroni and cheese. That seemed reasonable, right?”

  “It’s on every kids’ menu in the country.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. But guess what Zachariah never lets them eat?”

  Penny looked puzzled. “What, never?”

  Marley smirked. “He gives them ‘cine fredo’ instead.”

  Penny considered. “That makes sense, actually. Kind of European. I didn’t see a lot of kids’ menus there. But how’d you find out?”

  “It turns out four-year-olds, even really bright ones, aren’t very good at lying. Come on, I want to introduce you.”

  Penny looked the girls over. “Being that adorable should be a crime. My mother would flip. How can you tell them apart without the different shirts?”

  Marley said, “It’s a knack. You’ll get the hang of it. Lissa, Kari, this is my friend Penny.” She pointed at each of them as she named them. Both girls looked shyly down at their dinner.

  Then Penny pulled out two boxes from one of her bags. “I just got back from a trip and I brought presents for everybody, including you two. Do you want to open them?”

  Shyness was secondary to opening presents, it seemed. The girls bounced out of their chairs to seize on the wrapped packages. Each box contained a butterfly-winged fairy fashion doll. Kari immediately pulled out all the accessories, while
Lissa took hers back to the table to examine as she finished dinner. Unprompted, Kari whispered, “Thank you,” and Lissa looked up, blushed, and echoed the statement.

  “Well done,” said Marley, to both Penny and the girls.

  “I picked them up on my way over,” said Penny, pleased. “Here, this is for you.”

  Marley opened a box to reveal a thick burgundy book. Its cover was fine leather over wood, and the blank pages had the look of handmade paper. She inspected the binding and smiled, then turned to the fragment of handwritten verse inside the cover.

  Cobbles like scales

  on a dragon’s back

  she sleeps, chained by concrete

  her dreams secrets swallowed long ago

  in another world she wakes

  and these constructs fall away.

  But what

  “You didn’t finish it,” she commented.

  Penny looked down, the flush of embarrassment in her cheeks only visible to an experienced eye. “It wasn't very good anyhow. I only wish I’d realized it before I tarnished your gift. I thought about getting you something else, but—” She paused and then said, “But did you see the paper? I watched them make a book just like it in Rome. You would have loved it, Marley.”

  Marley smiled again, running a finger down the spine. Bookmaking and its history had fascinated her through high school and college. Even though she’d dropped out of grad school when she realized just how little application her literary studies had to the real world, she still appreciated the props of the field. It was nostalgia for her youthful daydreams, but sweet all the same.

  She kissed Penny on the cheek. “It’s lovely. Thank you.”

  “When is Branwyn coming home? I can’t stay too late.”

  Surprised, Marley said, “No? I thought we’d hang out, order pizza, and you could tell us about Europe.” She’d hoped for that, for some normality in her day.

  Penny smiled, radiant. “Well, I’d been planning on it, but a guy I met in Rome called me this afternoon. He’s from L.A., too, and now that he's back in town, he wants to have dinner with me tonight!”