The Secrets of Ordinary Farm

Chapter 28

Lucinda had been pacing back and forth across the Carrillos’ living room for the last half an hour. She couldn’t concentrate enough to read, couldn’t find anything to watch on television-in fact, she was too worried to do anything but listen to the thunder of the summer storm and the rain drumming on the roof.

Why doesn’t Ragnar come back? We need him! Tyler must be soaking wet if he’s out in this, she thought, but she felt a lot angrier with her brother than she felt sorry for him. How could he do this! Doesn’t he know how dangerous it is? It wasn’t just going down in an old mine, although that had Tyler-Strength Stupidity written all over it, but even if he got back onto Ordinary Farm what was he going to do? It was nighttime-dangerous animals were free and roaming, and according to Desta, not in the right places at all…

Suddenly she wasn’t angry, she was just frightened-really frightened. It seemed like Tyler, the farm, the dragons, everything was at stake tonight, and here she was waiting for Ragnar to come back. But what if he didn’t?

Lucinda threw herself back down on the couch and tried to read her book again but it was almost impossible to keep her eyes on the page-the words kept swimming away from her like frightened fish.

She almost didn’t hear it at first because of a particularly loud thunderclap that sounded like it was just overhead, but when the thunder died away it still felt like the whole house was shaking. Knock knock knock! Whoever was at the Carrillos’ front door wasn’t taking it easy: knock, knock, knock, knock, knock! Lucinda jumped off the couch, but then stopped in front of the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” said a man’s voice, and for a moment just the fact that it wasn’t Ragnar or anyone else she knew made her heart flutter. “We had an appointment, remember?”

Lucinda made certain the chain was on before she opened the door. As she peered out she could see trees whipping in the wind and rain flying in front of the yard lights. It wasn’t Ragnar, but a handsome older man in an expensive-looking windbreaker, his gray hair swirled all around by the storm.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Who are you?” he snapped back at her. Lucinda didn’t think that was very polite. “I’m here to see Sylvia and Hector Carrillo.”

“They’re not here.” There was something familiar about him that nagged at her. “You’ll have to come back some other time… ”

“Like hell I will. I’ll wait.” His eyes narrowed. “Hold on. I’ve seen you before.” His pale eyes widened in surprise. “I know who you are. You’re one of the Jenkins children.”

“I don’t know… I don’t know what… ” But Lucinda had suddenly realized who this was and was trying to close the door, but the man blocked it with his foot.

“Don’t.” His voice was flat-he wasn’t asking. “There are a couple of large men in that car.” He nodded toward the sleek black vehicle parked in the driveway. Even when the lightning flashed again, Lucinda couldn’t see through its windows. “If I call them they’ll kick this door down and things will get unpleasant very quickly. Now, are you going to let me in, young lady?”

“You’re Edward Stillman, aren’t you? The one who wants Uncle Gideon’s farm?” She didn’t know what to do. It would be crazy to let him in, wouldn’t it? But the Carrillos did know him and had talked to him, she’d heard them say that several times. At last she slipped the chain off the latch and stepped back.

“Very sensible.” Stillman stepped inside and brushed the water from his hair and shoulders. “First intelligent thing anybody from Ordinary Farm has done in a long time.” He looked her up and down, thankfully not in a creepy, dirty-old-man way, but not like a normal, nice grown-up either. “Your name is Linda, isn’t it?”

“No. Lucinda.”

“Ah, yes. And your brother’s name is Tyler. Where is he? And why did you have to stay home on what should be your big night, Cinderella? Don’t you know what they’re doing tonight over at your great-uncle’s place?”

She had no idea what he was talking about, unless he somehow knew about the manticores getting out, but that didn’t seem likely. “My brother’s not here. The Carrillos aren’t here either, and I think you should go. Otherwise I’ll… I’ll call the police… ”

Stillman laughed. “What, you mean the Yokuts County Sherriff’s office? On a night like this they’ll be down at Rosie’s interrogating a piece of pie and some coffee, congratulating themselves on being indoors.”

“Then I’ll call 911… ”

He shook his head. “Don’t be stupid, child-I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not some… villain, you know. Your Gideon… he stole that place from me. And now I suspect he’s trying to put it out of my reach forever. But I’m not going to let him do it, you see.” Stillman pulled out a slim phone, not much larger than a few playing cards in a pile, and pushed a button. “Did you reach anyone there yet?” he asked the person on the other end; a moment later he growled in disgust. “Then keep trying! And try Dankle again, too.” He shoved the phone back in his breast pocket.

Lucinda, who had been looking around the room trying to decide whether she might be able to escape and get out the back door of the Carrillos’ house, suddenly looked up. “Dankle?” she said. “I know that name. That’s the lawyer guy.” The one Kingaree had met in the park on Fourth of July. Had Stillman set the whole thing up?

The billionaire gave her a look of annoyance. For a man with a nice face, Lucinda thought, he didn’t make many nice faces. “Of course you know him-don’t play stupid with me, young lady. He’s your great-uncle’s lawyer, the one who’s going to put you and your brother in Gideon’s will to inherit the farm. You damn bet you know him.”

“Uncle Gideon’s lawyer…?” Lucinda suddenly felt as though the ground had begun to crumble beneath her feet. “Dankle is Uncle Gideon’s lawyer, too? The same guy?”

“Same…? What are you trying to pull?” Stillman pointed her toward the couch. When she was sitting he took a chair across from her. The rain was still drumming hard on the roof but the thunder seemed to be getting farther away. Stillman’s stare was hard and without kindness. “Talk. What do you know about the lawyer?”

Lucinda took a breath. “No. You first, unless you’re going to beat me up or something. You tell me what this is about or I’ll just shut up and wait for the Carrillos to get back. Which will be any minute!”

Stillman stared at her-she could almost see his mind humming like a calculator, thinking up and discarding a hundred different possibilities in a few seconds. He was smart-she needed to remember that. He was smart and mean and rich.

At last he sat up straight. “All right, kiddo, you win. Instead of turning this into the Inquisition, we’ll bargain. I’ll tell you something, you tell me. Deal?”

She tried to keep her voice more confident than she felt. “Deal.”

“We’ll start with the lawyer,” Stillman said. “Barnaby Dankle. An ambulance chaser from over in Liberty. Gideon’s used him for years-mainly because they’re both cheap, but also because Dankle’s willing to bend a few rules, look the other way to pick up a few extra billable hours. In other words, he can be bought. And I know, because I bought him too.” He laughed, harshly. “Yes, I’ve known all of Gideon’s legal business for a couple of years now. Dankle tells me everything. That’s how I found out a few weeks ago that Gideon was planning to change his will so that if something happened to him, you and your brother would inherit Ordinary Farm.”

So it was really true; Ordinary Farm was meant to be their inheritance. Lucinda’s heart soared, but at the same time a great fear clutched her. How could a couple of kids possibly make something thing as crazy as Ordinary Farm work? How could they succeed where Gideon himself was failing?

“But changing the will didn’t happen,” said Stillman. “Until tonight, that is. Dankle took a cab to your farm half an hour ago. He was expected. They let him inside.” Suddenly his voice, which had been calm, grew tense. “Your turn, kiddo. Are they changing the will tonight? And why aren’t you there?”

And suddenly things began to make sense-an evil, evil kind of sense.

“I think they are changing the will,” she said slowly. “But it doesn’t have anything to do with me or my brother now. It’s Mrs. Needle. It has to be!”

Stillman gave her a skeptical look. “What, the housekeeper? I told you, child, don’t lie to me. I know too much.”

“You don’t know anything!” Grown-up men, she was learning, could be just as wrongly sure of themselves as her little brother. “ She’s the one you’re fighting-she’s your real enemy, not me and Tyler. We’re just kids!” And it was true: there was very little she could do. But there was a lot that Ed Stillman could accomplish.

She told him what she and Tyler had overheard in the Liberty city park when Dankle met with slave-trader Kingaree, although obviously she didn’t mention Kingaree’s connection to the Fault Line. “Whatever they’re doing, it must be tonight.” Lucinda could not keep her fear inside any longer. “Kingaree must be working for her. Mrs. Needle, she’s… she’s brainwashed Gideon somehow. Drugged him. He’s been really sick for weeks. And now I’ll bet she’s changing the will so that she and her son get the farm!” Lucinda knew she was right-she could feel it. Suddenly she was desperate to find some way to get to Ordinary Farm. “Tonight!”

Stillwell’s expression had become less angry but no less intense. He looked at her like a piece of equipment he was considering buying, one that might or might not do the job. “Tonight, is it?” he said at last. “Well, that two-faced shyster Dankle is going to get a shock-and so’s this Needle woman if she really thinks she’s going to steal something that rightfully belongs to Edward Stillman.” He stood up and headed for the door.

“Take me with you!” Lucinda cried, hurrying after him. She couldn’t just sit here reading on the couch while the world came to an end. “I can help you get in. I know the place.”

Stillman laughed at her as if she’d told him she could lend him money. “You’re joking, right? You help me?”

Lightning flared outside the window. “My brother’s on his way there! He’s trying to sneak onto the property. I have to find him.” She hated doing it, but she let her feelings into her voice. She was pleading with the man who might be the farm’s worst enemy. “Please help me- please!”

He considered for a moment, then showed a small, crooked smile. “All right. Get a jacket. It’s pouring.”

That was almost like a normal human being, Lucinda thought, but she didn’t let it fool her. “Thank you. But I have to leave a note.”

“Hurry up, then!” His moment of amusement was over.

She scribbled a quick note- I’m okay, will be back soon, Lucinda -and followed Ed Stillman out the door with her jacket pulled over her head and water splashing all around her feet. The front yard was turning into mud. The rear door of the big car swung open as they approached. Stillman pushed her inside, next to a large black man.

“Make room, Deuce-we have company.” Stillman swung himself in beside her, then called to the bulky white man in the driver’s seat, “Go. Tinker farm.” He turned to stare out the window as the driver swung them out onto the main road. “God, this is a hellish night. And it’s only going to get worse… for somebody.”

On Lucinda’s other side Big Deuce laughed, a man cheerfully looking forward to some serious unpleasantness. His arms were as big around as Lucinda’s waist. She huddled down in the soft leather seat and began to wonder whether this had really been such a good idea.