Cutler 01 - Dawn

felt. Sissy was right: I had to return to the hotel. Where else would I go?
    "I hate Clara Sue," I said through my clenched teeth. "She told my grandmother Jimmy was hiding out here and got her to call the police. She's a mean, spiteful . . . she's the one who stole Mrs. Clairmont's necklace just so I'd be blamed. Afterward, I saw her sneak into my room and put it in my bed."
    "But I thought Mrs. Clairmont found it."
    "I snuck into her room and put it back, but Clara Sue did it," I repeated. "I know no one will believe me, but she did."
    "I believe you. That's one spoiled child for sure," Sissy agreed. "But she will get hers someday. That kind always does, because they hate themselves too much. Come on, honey," Sissy said, putting her arm around my shoulders, "I'll walk you back. You’re shivering something terrible."
    "I'm just upset, not cold."
    "Still, you're shivering," Sissy said, rubbing my arm. We started back to the hotel. "Jimmy's a handsome boy."
    "He is handsome, isn't he? And he's very nice. People don't see that at first because he seems so standoffish. That's because he's really shy."
    "Ain't nothing wrong with being a little shy. It's the other type I don't like much."
    "Like Clara Sue?"
    "Like Clara Sue," she agreed, and we both laughed. It felt good to laugh, like finally letting out a breath you had to hold for the longest time. And then an idea came to me.
    "Do you know the woman who was my nurse when I was first born—Mrs. Dalton?"
    "Uh-huh."
    "She lives with her sister, right?" Sissy nodded.
    "Does she live nearby?"
    "Well, back there about four blocks," she said, indicating behind us. "In a little Cape Cod house on Crescent Street. Once in a while my granny sends me over with a jar of this or a jar of that. She's a sick woman, you know."
    "Mrs. Boston told me. Sissy, I want to go see her."
    "What for?"
    "I want to ask her questions about my kidnapping. Will you take me there?"
    "Now?"
    "It's not that late."
    "It's too late for her. She's very sick and would be asleep by now."
    "Will you take me in the morning after we do our work? Will you?" I asked. "Please," I begged.
    "Okay," she said, seeing how important it was to me.
    "Thank you, Sissy," I said.
    When we returned to the hotel, my grandmother was nowhere to be seen, but my father greeted us in the lobby.
    "Are you all right?" he asked. I nodded and looked down at the carpet. "I think you should just go to your room. We'll have a chance to talk about all this tomorrow when everyone is calmer and can think clearly."
    As I was crossing the lobby, I decided what I was going to do. It was time to deal with Clara Sue. She wasn’t going to get away with what she had done.
    Without bothering to knock, I stormed into Clara Sue’s bedroom, slamming the door behind me.
    “How could you?” I angrily demanded. “How could you tell them about Jimmy?”
    Clara Sue was on her bed, flipping through a magazine. By her side was a box of chocolates. Despite my angry words, she didn’t look up. Instead she continued reading, reaching into the box of chocolates, nibbling one after another and discarding them after one or two bites.
    “Aren’t you going to say anything?” I asked. I still received no answer and it infuriated me the way she so blatantly ignoring me. I swooped down on her and swatted the box of chocolates. It flew off the bed and into the air before crashing to the floor, chocolates scattering everywhere.
    I waited for Clara Sue to look up at me. I couldn’t wait to confront her about the treacherous thing she had done. But she didn’t look up. She only continued reading, ignoring me as if I wasn’t there. For some reason this infuriated me even more. I tore her magazine out of her hands, ripping it to shreds, tossing the pieces in the air.
    “I’m not leaving, Clara Sue Cutler. I’m staying right here until you look at me.”
    Finally she looked up, her blue eyes sending me a warning look. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you to knock? It’s the polite thing to do.”
    I chose to ignore the look in Clara Sue’s eyes. “And didn’t anyone ever teach you about trust? About keeping a secret sacred? Jimmy and I trusted you. Why did you do it? Why?"
    "Why not?" she purred softly. Then more angrily and with a burst of force as she jumped off her bed, "Why not? Making your life miserable gives me pleasure, Dawn. It makes me happy."
    I stared at her in outrage. Without even thinking about it, I brought up my hand and slapped her across