My mom's bottom lip puckers out.

"Sadie will read us the riot act if we don't let her go with the other kids," my dad continues. "You know that as well as I do."

My mother nods a small unwilling okay to me. She watches me and Nat walk up the switchback. I know she's worried about Natalie, like always, but there's something else in her eyes-something I'm not used to seeing She's worried about me too.

In the distance, the boarding whistle blows and the buck sergeant hollers last call. I hear the clickety-click of her high heels as she runs down to the dock, clutching her music bag in one hand and keeping her hat on her head with the other.

Natalie walks along at her own pace oblivious to the gusty wind that picks up a leaf and blows it against her cheek. She operates out of her own coc.o.o.n, which she takes with her wherever she goes. She doesn't follow me, lead me, or walk by my side but seems to drift along like we are caught in the same gust of wind. I explain we'll be visiting Piper. I tell her if she's good, I will bake her a lemon cake.

She appears to be ignoring me, but then I hear her say almost to herself, "No bake."

I laugh. Natalie knows I can't cook. I once tried to bake her alphabet cookies and they were so hard you could shoe horses with them.

When we get to the warden's mansion I ring the bell several times before w.i.l.l.y One Arm opens the door with Molly on his shoulder. "It's Moose," he calls out.

Nat looks up from her shoes, directly at the mouse. "Mouse," she whispers, her voice loaded with excitement.

"Let him in." I hear Buddy's voice in the background. w.i.l.l.y One Arm scoots out of the way. Buddy and Piper are playing checkers in the living room. From the number of gla.s.ses, empty plates, and crumpled napkins on the table, it looks like a marathon tournament. Piper is studying the board. So many wisps of hair have come free from her ponytail that there can't be much back there anymore. It looks as if she slept in her clothes.

Right now, the island is being scrubbed and shined from one end to the other in preparation for the visit of the head of the FBI. Just this morning I heard the warden chewing out a.s.sociate Warden Chudley because the whitewall tires on the Black Mariah weren't brand-spanking clean and there were dead plants in the flower beds. So why would the warden's own house be in such disarray?

w.i.l.l.y One Arm walks back to his seat at the dining room table, where he has a long list of numbers in front of him. His hands are busy shining a pair of shoes-probably the warden's-while his eyes scan the list of numbers.

"Mouse," Natalie says.

"Molly," w.i.l.l.y One Arm mumbles.

Nat's eyes are glued to Molly, who sits on One Arm's shoulder as if she's supervising his work.

I position myself between the two rooms so that I can see both Natalie and Piper.

I know Piper sees me here, but she ignores me.

"Could we talk?" I ask her as the sound of a bell tinkles from the kitchen.

Buddy Boy shoves his feet in his shoes. He fishes his tie out of his shirt pocket and tosses it over his head, shimmying the knot up beneath his Adam's apple as he heads for the kitchen.

Piper watches him, a hollow look in her eyes. "Go away," she says.

"Really, Piper. We have to talk," I tell her.

She glares at me. "No, we don't."

I walk over and sit down on a nearby chair, then scoot it over so I can still see Natalie. She and the mouse are transfixed as if they have just discovered something significant in common.

Piper pushes the wisps of hair out of her face with the heel of her hand. Her foot fidgets, and she glances up in the direction of the bell.

"Come on, Piper. Please. This is important," I tell her as Natalie reaches her hand out to Molly, who scampers onto her palm. w.i.l.l.y One Arm looks up from his page. His hand hovers over the mouse, as if he's ready for her back, but Natalie has her face right up close to Molly, whispering urgently to her.

"Give the mouse to w.i.l.l.y," I tell Natalie.

"Her name is Molly," Nat mutters.

"Give Molly back," I say, turning my attention toward Piper.

Piper continues to study the checkerboard as if it is endlessly interesting. "Please, can we talk outside?" I ask.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"It's private." I motion with my thumb to the door.

"I'm busy," she says, but her voice is thick as if she has a cold.

"When will you be free?" I ask as Buddy Boy comes back from the kitchen.

"Is Mommy okay?" Piper asks in a small voice.

"She is." Buddy smiles warmly at her. "Don't you worry, Piper my girl. She's just fine."

Piper seems to take this in. It perks her up considerably.

I try again to catch her eye, but she ignores me. She's clearly not in any mood to talk today, plus it feels creepy in this house and I want to be out of here.

"Let's go, Natalie. Give Molly back," I tell her.

Natalie is petting the mouse with one finger, across her head and down her back, across her head and down her back, the exact same route each time.

"Natalie, please," I wheedle.

But every fiber of Natalie's being is focused on petting Molly.

w.i.l.l.y One Arm looks up from his numbers, slips his hand around the mouse, and slides her into his shirt pocket in one greased motion.

Uh-oh. I'm not sure how Nat's going to take this. Once she smacked a guy who messed with her b.u.t.tons-punched him right in the kisser. The guy wasn't hurt, but my mother was mortified. She gave the man twenty whole dollars on the spot and begged him not to press charges.

"C'mon, Natalie," I plead, wishing I could grab her and carry her out of there. "We can see Molly tomorrow."

"Tomorrow. We can see Molly tomorrow," Nat mutters.

"That's right, Natalie," I say.

And then as if a circuit switch flips inside Natalie's brain, her face relaxes, her shoulders ease down to where they're supposed to go, and she trails after me.

I open the front door and we troop out, but before I get the door closed, Piper slips outside with us.

"I thought you wanted to talk?" Piper asks innocently, as if I were the one refusing.

"I do," I tell her as I sit on the steps. Piper leans against the house and Natalie rocks on one foot, as if this motion is endlessly interesting.

I take a deep breath. "I don't know how to say this . . . but did you have anything to do with getting my dad and Mr. Mattaman on probation?"

Piper scratches her ear. "Who wants to know?"

"I want to know."

Piper stares at the cell house, a blank look on her face. "Maybe."

"Maybe? You either did or you didn't, Piper."

I wait for her to answer. She continues to watch the cell house.

"I told everyone you wouldn't lie like that," I tell her, my voice full of acid.

But this is useless. Piper always lies to get her way. Everyone lets her too. If my mom and Mrs. Mattaman thought Piper was responsible for getting my dad and Mr. Mattaman put on probation for no reason, why didn't they call her on it? Because she's the warden's daughter. That's why.

"You were wrong. Theresa deserved it and so did you. You didn't stand up for me. You were just worried about making Theresa mad." She snorts. "n.o.body can ever be mad at poor little Moosey. You have to make sure everybody loves you every stupid minute."

"I don't like to collect enemies the way you do, if that's what you mean."

She shrugs. "Oh, who cares anyway. This is boring."

"It's boring? You get my dad and Mr. Mattaman on probation for nothing and then you say it's boring?"

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"Tell the truth."

She rolls her eyes. "Why would I do that?" she asks like she really doesn't know.

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"You actually think that matters to me?"

I've never met anyone as irritating as Piper. She makes me feel like I've got gun powder exploding in my veins.

"I'll tell you what," she suggests. "I'll get this squared away, but then you'll owe me."

"You mean you'll tell your dad the truth?"

"Of course not. I'll tell him that I thought it was booze they were drinking. It was clear and gold like beer, but it was only apple juice."

"How will you explain not telling him this before?"

Her brown eyes are keen. She looks directly at me. "I felt so awful about what happened." She makes her voice tremble with emotion. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you." She dabs at her eyes.

What a performance! How can I like this girl? I make myself sick.

But even now I'm watching her lips, the curve of her arms, the shine of her hair. Messy as she is today, she's still beautiful.

"But like I said," she continues, "you'll owe me."

"I'll owe you what?"

"I haven't decided yet." She takes a step closer, leans down so she's right in my face. I breathe in the sweet talc.u.m smell of her. Her lips brush my cheek and everything inside me hits a pothole.

"Piper, can I ask you something?" I whisper. "Couldn't you be just a little nicer?"

"Now?" She strokes my cheek, ever so gently, just where her lips touched it. The sweet, powerful smell of her comes over me like a hot sweat.

"No," I tell her as I reach my hand out to hold her chin, gently, so gently. "All the rest of the time?" I whisper as my lips find her lips. I don't know if this is the way you're supposed to do this, but suddenly I don't care about Scout and his instructions. I'm going to do this my way.

"Theresa," Natalie whispers, startling me. I'd forgotten all about Natalie, but here she is, swaying back and forth between her two feet as if she's on a rocking horse. And then I see Theresa and Jimmy running up the hill toward us and I can feel the deep flush of blood in my face, but my back is to them. I don't think they saw.

Still, I can't believe it's Theresa again again. That girl has a knack for being where she's not supposed to be.

"Moose," Jimmy calls. "We need you!"

"Moose, we need you," Piper mimics, her voice sour. She glares at me, turns, and walks back into her house, the door closing hard after her.

"Moose kiss," Nat mutters. "Moose is kissing."

My face gets so hot I feel like I just stuck my head in the oven, but Jimmy and Theresa are so upset they don't hear Natalie.

"Just tell him, Jimmy," Theresa prods.

"Shut up, Theresa," Jimmy says, his cheeks flushed. He straightens his gla.s.ses one way, then straightens them the other, as if he can't find plumb on his nose.

"Tell me what?"

Jimmy kicks the ground. "I messed up," he mutters, his face scarlet. "I threw it, okay? I did, but-"

"Threw what?"

"The bar spreader. Janet Trixle has it," Theresa blurts. "She's using it in her carousel. All of the painted ponies are tied to it. And she has a hot pad on the top for the tent cover."

"How'd she get it?"

"Must have washed back up on the beach and she collected it in her beach bag. Took it home and used it for her carousel." Jimmy still can't look at me.

"She doesn't know what it is?"

Jimmy and Theresa both shake their heads.

"But Darby knows what it is. . . . We are in so much trouble," I say.

"She's got it decorated like a barber pole," Jimmy explains.

"It's right in front of his nose and he hasn't noticed yet?"