Unbreakable Read Free Page B

at his own wit.
    "You rotten–"
    "What is going on here?" Mrs. Applebee walked into the coatroom to find Jacie with her fist raised high above her head, ready to pound Bucky, and Audrey using her considerable bulk to keep her prisoner from escaping as she administered a wedgie he wouldn't forget for weeks. And Katy was industriously stuffing her chewing gum in the ear of a screeching girl who had the bad sense to join in with the boys' mean teasing.
    The coatroom went deathly silent.
    Mrs. Applebee rolled her eyes and grabbed Jacie by the collar, lifting her off Bucky Lee. As she called out the names of the other fight participants, she pointed towards the door with an authoritative finger. They would all be spending the afternoon in the principal's office.
    Nina drew in a breath to protest, but Gwen turned around and clamped her hand over her new friend's mouth. "Shhh! If you say anything then you'll probably get in trouble, too. Mrs. Applebee is already really mad."
    "B-but it's not their fault and now they're in t-trouble!" Confusion showed in Nina's blue-green eyes. "Why d-did they do that? I can take care of my-myself."
    "Because we're a club, silly. C'mon." She guided Nina back through the coatroom and back to her seat, which was across the aisle from her own. "I live by Audrey," she whispered. "I can go to her house tonight after school and tell her mom that the fight wasn't her fault. And her mom will tell Katy's mom. Maybe then they won't get into too much trouble."
    Nina nodded, liking that plan. "I live by Ja-Jacie." She'd seen the girl walking to school but had never had the nerve to approach her. "I'll talk to her mom, too, if you think I-I-I should."
    "Of course you should! The most important part of being in a club is being best friends and sticking together." Gwen retrieved her pencil from her desk and pulled a wide-lined piece of paper from her tablet, readying herself for Mrs. Applebee's return.
    An enormous smile lit Nina's face. She'd never had best friends. "Really?" she asked hopefully.
    Gwen was filled with pride at how their club had defended one of their own. "Really."
    "Wow. This is going to b-be so fun."
     
    *  *  *

   
     
    Present Day
Town & Country, Missouri
         
    The chiming of the grandfather clock jerked her from the memory, and she stood up and closed the window. Moving to her desk, she lifted a photo in a burnished copper frame. It was of five girls in their earlier teens, their slim arms wrapped around each other's shoulders. Their faces were wreathed in smiles, two of them grinning wildly despite the railroad tracks that were wrapped around their teeth. It had been early summer, she recalled, and the attire was cut-off blue jeans and white muslin shirts embroidered with bright flowers and cut with an empire waist or peasant blouses made of gauzy cotton.
    The mysteries of the world were still theirs to explore and their happiness and innocence showed.
    Tears stung her eyes as she slid the photo from its frame, careful not to crease it. She pulled her PDA from her desk drawer and laid the photo in her scanner as she retrieved a phone number and email address. When she found them, she moved to her computer and spent a few moments composing an email before picking up the phone.
    "Gramercy Investigations," a man answered. "This is Ted Gramercy speaking."
    "Hello, Mr. Gramercy, this is–"
    "Mrs. Langtree, I'd recognize your voice anywhere." She'd called him the day before, but had rushed off the phone when Malcolm came home unexpectedly.
    She cringed, reminded once again of the distinctive, if gentle, Southern twang that she never had been quite able to lose completely and that clearly denoted a lower-class bloodline to St. Louis society.
    "I'm glad you called the agency," Ted continued. "It's my pleasure to have the opportunity to work for you. What can I do for you, ma'am?"
    She rubbed her temple with one hand, feeling a headache coming on fast. "I just emailed you a photograph,