Page 18 of Charm on the Rocks
“Claire?”
“Madison?” She heard her sister smile as she spoke. “Oh my God, you’ve been in California for what, maybe a couple of months, and you’ve already lost your accent. I’m so jealous.”
“We don’t have accents, remember Claire?” Madison teased.
She missed her sister, too. God, she missed Claire. Even though Claire was just eighteen and a senior in high school, Madison could tell Claire anything and know that her younger sister wouldn’t tell anyone about it at all. Besides Stephanie and Rhine, and now Amanda, Claire wasn’t just a sister, but Madison’s best friend as well.
“Hang on a sec, I’m going to go to my room so we can talk more privately,” Claire said. There was a shuffle, and it was a few seconds as Claire walked down to the basement, where Madison knew Claire’s bedroom was situated after Madison had moved out. “Okay. I’m back.”
“How do you like your new room?” Madison asked.
“I love it,” Claire said. “It’s so private down here. Well, as private as it can get in this place. You know how Dad is.”
“Yeah.”
Madison did know. Her father wasn’t just critical about his daughters’ appearance, but there was a lack of privacy in the house. At random times, her father would come into their rooms without knocking, searching for things like drugs or hidden alcohol containers, just in case. South Haven might have been a small town, but there did seem to be a never-ending supply of drugs for those who sought it out, and while Madison and Claire knew this, they both wished their father trusted them.
“I got asked out to homecoming by Aron,” Claire said in a whisper, despite the fact that she was in the basement and away from anyone who might overhear her omission and despite the fact that her father was at work.
“That’s great!” Madison exclaimed. She knew Aron from Claire’s apt description of him being way smart, really cute – he wore glasses but they actually made him look cuter – and loved learning about Einstein as much as she did. Claire had met him freshman year of high school and they had been friends ever since. He had even met her parents, although apparently the girls’ father promptly ignored him, and after Aron left, her father told Claire she wasn’t allowed to see that boy ever again even though the two were just friends.
“No, it’s not great,” Claire murmured. “You know how Dad is. He’d never let me go to any dance, ever. The only one I can actually look forward to is prom, and that’s months away! Who knows if Aron will even be interested in me?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down,” Madison said. “First of all, are you guys going together, as in, a date?”
“I – I don’t know,” Claire admitted. “He asked if I could go with a bouquet of roses and he never mentioned that we’d go as friends. But I don’t know if that means he just thought I’d assume we’d be going as friends or” –
“Stop.” Madison felt herself grinning because she was the same way. “You’re thinking too much about it.”
“I had to throw away the flowers,” Claire said. “I couldn’t bring them home. Dad would ask where I got them from and I just didn’t want to deal with that. It’s like, no matter how convincing I am, he knows when I’m lying.”
“Well, you’re going to have to lie if you want to go to that dance,” Madison pointed out. “Maybe you can tell Mom that you’re spending the night with your friends – what are their names? Emily and Sara? – after the game. Instead of actually sleeping, though, you guys get ready and go to the dance.”
“And how am I supposed to get a dress?”
“Go shopping, buy one – I know you have money saved up – and leave it at either Emily or Sara’s house.”
There was a long silence on the other end. Madison knew Claire was trying to decide if the pros weighed out the cons when it came to this instance.
“Okay.” Another pause, and then, “What about you, Maddy? How’s California? You know I’m going to be moving out with you right when I graduate. No community college for me.”
“Do the parents know this?” Madison asked.
“Yup, and they agree,” Claire said, “if I get a scholarship of some sort. Anyway, tell me how life is. How’s that job? School? Boys?”
Claire was the only one back home who knew that Madison was a Gulls Girl and had kept the secret to herself. She never judged Madison and said that doing something like that might actually be fun – and it would definitely help her meet hot, California guys.
Madison told her sister a short but detailed version of everything that had happened since the last time they spoke, including her interaction with Alec Schumacher, Brady, and her classes. She also mentioned that she was responsible for coming up with some sort of memorial for the owner of the Gulls.
“I can’t believe that guy’s dead,” Claire said in a hushed voice. “I’ve heard Dad talk about it since it’s hockey news and everything. I just didn’t realize that you used to work for him. I mean, before he died. But Maddy, if no one has been arrested yet, if the cops haven’t made an arrest, that means that the person who did kill the owner is still out there. You’re not in danger or anything, are you?”
“No, definitely not,” Madison reassured her. In all honesty, the thought had never crossed her mind until Claire had brought it up. And even though she was still certain that her life wasn’t in danger, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t spooked at the thought that she might be interacting with a killer on a daily basis.
When the conversation wound down, Claire said, “I’d give the phone to Olivia, but she’s out with all her cool friends.”
Madison could have detected the disdain in her sister’s voice if Claire hadn’t made it as obvious as she had. Claire and Olivia were about as opposite in personality as one could get and that tended to cause a lot of friction. While Claire liked her independence and only had two close friends, Olivia – a sophomore – was one of the most popular girls in her class, though her grades were lacking in comparison to her two sisters.
“That’s okay. Send her my love. And hey, tell me how homecoming goes. If you need anything, day or night, don’t hesitate to call.”