Nowhere to Turn (6 page)

“My mom said he only left when she called 9-1-1,” Isobel continued. “The police arrested him again.”

I pulled a notebook and pen out of my backpack and scribbled down my cell phone number.

“If you need any help with Orion, call me,” I said. “I'd be glad to help.”

As I walked to the bus stop, I thought about Nick. Should I try to see him again? Could I bear to after what he had said? What would I do if he came right out and told me that he and Beej had been seeing each other?

Beej.

She was worried about Nick. She was afraid he wasn't going to put up a fight and, much as I hated to agree with her on anything, it looked like she was right: Nick seemed to take it for granted that everyone believed the worst of him. Despite that, Beej was determined to help him. And for that she needed me. She wasn't allowed to see Nick, but I was. She couldn't get near Mr. Schuster's house, but I could. She believed Nick when he said he didn't do it. The least I could do was keep an open mind. As for Nick and Beej—if they ended up together, well, maybe that was meant to be. Maybe Nick was right about us. Maybe we were too different from each other. But that didn't mean I didn't care.

“. . .Mars. . .,” Ben said. At least, that's what I heard.

“Mars?” I said.

Ben gave me a look. “March—not Mars. You're not even listening.”

“I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else.”

“It sounds like that project you and Morgan are working on is taking over your brain. Or is there something else on your mind?”

“My teachers are really piling on the homework,” I said. “I guess I'm just feeling pressured. What were you saying?”

I felt bad lying to him, but it would have been worse if I'd told him the truth. A guy who considers himself your boyfriend does not want to know that while you're with him, you're thinking about another guy—especially an ex-boyfriend. But that's what I had been doing.

“I was saying that we should start making plans for March. One more week of school, and we're sprung for a whole week.”

Originally, we were supposed to spend spring break at his family's cabin with Morgan and Billy. Morgan had been looking forward to it—especially after she heard that he had a hot tub. But a massive storm at the end of February had toppled a lot of trees up north. Two enormous ones had fallen on Ben's family's place. So we were city-bound.

“We could do some day trips,” Ben said. “Cross-country skiing—or downhill, if you like—hiking . . . What do you say?”

My cell phone trilled. I checked the display: “Schuster, M.” It couldn't be Mr. Schuster. I guessed Isobel. I was right.

“Can you come over here tomorrow?” she said.

“What for?”

“My dad wants to meet you.”

“He does?”

“Grandpa really enjoyed your visit,” she said. “I suggested that my dad hire you to walk Orion. Grandpa liked the idea. But my dad wants to check you out.”

“What do you mean?”

“He's like that. He ran a check on Nick.”

“He did?”

“That's how he found out that he'd been in trouble with the police. That's why he fired him. You haven't been in any trouble, have you, Robyn?”

I thought about a nasty little accident that had occurred during one of Billy's animal rights demonstrations last summer. I ended up under arrest, but my mom managed to get the charges dropped—in exchange for my doing community service at the animal shelter where I'd met Nick and Mr. Schuster.

“Nothing your dad would worry about,” I told Isobel. I didn't tell her that I wasn't sure I wanted the job.

“There's just one thing,” she said. “It's probably not a good idea to tell my dad that you know Nick. In fact, it's probably not a good idea to mention it to anyone in my family. If Dad thinks you know Nick, he won't hire you. Okay?”

I hesitated. A picture forming in my mind, one that explained how Nick had ended up in so much trouble:

Mr. Schuster has a stroke. When his family shows up at the house—surprise!—they find Nick camped out on the couch. They talk to Mr. Schuster, though, and at first they go along with his wishes. Elliot hires Nick to look after Orion. But when he finds out about Nick's record, he does what a lot of people would do in his position—he fires Nick, cutting him off from his beloved Orion.

To the rest of the world, this might seem understandable. But it wouldn't be understandable to Nick. What if he'd reacted the way he'd done so many times in the past? What if he flew into a rage? What if he really did take those coins, because he was lashing out? What if he'd gone back to the house afterward to explain and had ended up lashing out again, at Mr. Schuster's daughter-in-law? But then why had he asked me to tell Mr. Schuster that he hadn't done it? Was he too ashamed to tell the truth? That would explain why he wasn't doing anything to help himself. He was ready to take whatever punishment some judge would give him.

I could see Nick's aunt and Glen believing that was what had happened. I could see the cops believing it. I could see Elliot Schuster believing it. But after my brief visit today, I couldn't see Mr. Schuster believing it—not the stealing part, anyway.

Suppose Nick hadn't stolen those coins? Suppose he'd been falsely accused and had wanted to explain that to Mr. Schuster, but Claudia Schuster had blocked him? Maybe he'd tried to get past her and things had got out of hand. That didn't excuse the assault, but it did explain it. It also meant that no matter what, Nick was in trouble.

“Robyn?” Isobel said. “Is it okay? Can you come over?”

“Okay,” I said. “I'll be there tomorrow after school.”

“Be where?” Ben said after I'd finished the call and dropped my cell phone into my backpack.

“A friend of the family had a stroke,” I said. “I offered to help around the house.”

“I'll go with you if you want,” Ben said. “Two can get twice as much done as one.”

That was Ben. Kind, considerate, always ready to lend a hand—all the qualities that had attracted me to him in the first place. And how was I repaying him?

By lying to him, that's how.

CHAPTER
SIX

A

tall, thin man answered Mr. Schuster's door the next afternoon. He had the same long nose as Mr. Schuster and the same hazel eyes.

“You must be Robyn,” he said. “I'm Elliot Schuster. Come in.”

He hung up my coat while I pulled off my boots.

“Let's go in here.” He gestured to Mr. Schuster's den. “Forgive the mess.” A laptop computer sat open on the desk. Every available surface was piled high with paper. “I'm basically running my business from here until we see what sort of recovery my father is going to make. Please, have a seat.”

I sat down in a chair facing the desk.

“Isobel tells me that you know my father from the animal shelter,” Elliot said.

“That's right. I met him last summer when I volunteered there.”

“She also tells me that you're acquainted with that beast of his.”

“I know Orion looks scary,” I said. “But he's actually well-behaved.” For Nick, at least.

“Try telling that to my wife. He bit her the day we arrived, and since then he's done nothing but bark and growl. The children are terrified of him. I don't know why my father would adopt such a creature.” He shook his head in bewilderment. “But he feels strongly about the animal, and I'm not inclined to jeopardize his recovery by getting rid of the dog—unless I'm forced to. Isobel says you're good with him?”

“Well, I—”

“I need someone to walk him. I could hire a professional walker, but they usually take charge of half a dozen or more dogs at a time. My father's needs are more specific. He wants to be able to visit with his dog. He's making a good physical recovery, but he isn't strong enough to handle it on his own and he can't give it voice commands. To be honest, I'm not even sure how well my father understands what's going on.”

I was surprised to hear him say that. Mr. Schuster had seemed to understand everything when I had visited.

“In any case, I can't have that animal running free in the house,” he continued. “I need someone who can control him while he's with my father. I would pay you for your time, of course.”

I had thought about my answer all night. I'd seen how grateful Mr. Schuster was to see Orion and how thrilled poor Orion had been to finally get out of the basement and visit his master. And looking after Orion would give me a chance to try to figure out exactly what had happened. I handed Elliot an envelope.

“What's this?” he said.

“Isobel told me why you wanted to see me, so I put together a résumé,” I said.

He opened the envelope and unfolded the sheets of paper inside. The first contained my name, address, and phone number; the academic awards I had won; the volunteering I had done—anything I could think of that would show him how reliable and responsible I was. On the second sheet were my parents' names, occupations, and phone numbers, and the names of some people who could say something nice about me: a teacher, my school principal, and Morgan's parents. Elliot looked impressed.

“After you talk to my references, if you want to hire me, I can start tomorrow,” I said.

“Actually, I was hoping you could start right now,” he said. “That dog hasn't been walked in days. Even I feel sorry for it.”

There was a boy in the front hall when I emerged from Mr. Schuster's den. He looked eerily like Isobel. He even seemed to be the same age. He regarded me with keen interest.

“Connor, this is Robyn,” Elliot Schuster said. “I've just hired her to walk Grandpa's dog.” To me, he said, “Connor is my son. He and Isobel are twins.”

I said hello. Connor murmured a greeting in response. But when he saw me head for the basement door, he retreated into the living room and closed the French doors behind him. He was still there when I brought Orion up from the basement. I held tightly to Orion's leash, unsure how he would react in the presence of two clearly nervous people.

“Sit,” I told the big dog. Instead of obeying me instantly, the way he had the day before, he started to bark.

“Orion, sit,” I said again. He kept right on barking. My cheeks burned. Isobel had told her father that I could handle Orion. I didn't want him to think I couldn't. I tried to remember what Nick did whenever Orion became too excited to pay attention. I gripped the leash closer to Orion's collar. “Sit,” I said again, in a firmer tone this time.

Mercifully, it worked. Orion dropped his rear end to the floor.

“Good boy,” I said. I was so grateful that I felt like hugging him. “Stay,” I said. I wound the leash around my wrist. Connor watched me from the other side of the glass doors. Elliot backed up a few paces. But Orion sat quietly and watched me pull on my boots.

“Connor,” Elliot called to his son. “Go and get the dog's booties.”