Cliff-Hanger (6 page)

Slowly, Lucky let go of one hand. With all her strength, she grabbed the rung above. Then the next hand, followed by one foot, then the other.

“You're doing great. All right!” Jack cried. “You're going to leave me down here, feeling stupid.”

“I don't think so.” Lucky's voice wavered, but the tiniest smile curled a corner of her mouth.

“One more rung with your foot,” Jack coaxed. Hesitantly, Lucky moved her foot, and Jack followed, reassuring, cajoling until she grasped the metal handholds at the top and Stan pulled her to safety. “Way to go,” he told her, as the remaining crowd burst into applause. “You made it!”

Jack clambered over the top just as Lucky answered Stan, “Thanks to Jack. He saved me.”

Lucky was babbling. Information spilled out of her mouth in a waterfall of words, with Olivia, Steven, and Jack drinking it in.

Only Ashley seemed apart, even though they all shared the same small, square table at the Spruce Tree Restaurant. Ashley's eyes roamed the ceiling as Lucky filled in the details of her exciting day. “And then Stan, the ranger, said that there might be spirits in Balcony House and that at times he's even felt like he was intruding up there because it's a sacred place,” Lucky said eagerly. “So I tried to feel their presence, but I didn't sense anything. And right then, this hawk flies by and just soars right in front of me! I couldn't believe it! Maybe the ancient spirits were sending me some kind of message.”

Jack continued, “After Lucky was so scared on that ladder, I was sure we'd be in big trouble when she saw the rest of Balcony House. The first courtyard had a wall, but the second—” He made a slicing motion with his hand. “No barrier, just straight down to the canyon floor. If you fall, splat!”

Nodding, Lucky flashed Jack a smile. “But, with Jack beside me, I was OK. Stan showed us these two kivas with sipapus in them. A sipapu is a hole in the bottom of the kiva. Stan said the People believed their ancestors once came through a hole to Earth—that their spirits traveled up through four levels, from the lower worlds all the way into this one. That's what the sipapu symbolizes.”

When Lucky took a breath, Ashley broke into the conversation.

“You should have seen Cliff Palace. Dad and I—”

Without waiting for Ashley to finish, Jack talked right over the top of her. This was Lucky's story, not Ashley's. Maybe now his sister would get the point: Being nasty to Lucky was the same as being nasty to Jack.

“I'm telling you, you guys should have seen Lucky!” Jack said loudly, keeping his eyes focused on his parents. “I mean, there she was, afraid of heights, and we were, like, floating right over the edge of this humongous canyon, and instead of being scared, she really got into what the ranger said about the Ancestral Puebloans. And right at the end of the tour was this tunnel we had to crawl through to get out of Balcony House. You had to leave a different way than you went in.”

“Yeah. It was this little, tiny tunnel, about this big.” Lucky made her arms into a square. “I was afraid the lady in front of me was going to get stuck, but finally she squeezed through.” Lucky began to laugh, her eyes dancing as she thought of the woman. “And then those other steps on the way out! I thought the first ladder was bad! There are these toeholds carved into the sides of the sandstone walls. They go straight up the cliff, and that's how you have to get up, putting your toes into them, one foot after the other.”

“I thought you were going to freak out again—”

“But I didn't because you were right there behind me—”

“I would have caught you if you fell—”

This time, Ashley's voice exploded like a cannon.
“Dad and I had fun at Cliff Palace!”

The whole table fell silent. Ashley looked around, color rising in her cheeks. “We did! I helped him take pictures. It was really big, and our ranger said that it was the biggest and the most important cliff dwelling in all of Mesa Verde!”

“You were a great help, Ashley,” Steven agreed, patting her shoulder. “I couldn't have taken all those pictures without you.”

More silence. Even though his conscience stabbed at him, Jack set his jaw firmly. Ashley was getting what was coming to her. Just to teach her a lesson, he'd keep shutting her out of the conversation. “I learned a lot about the Ancestral Puebloans at Balcony House,” he said to his parents. “That's what I'm going to write my paper on for school. Did you know Mesa Verde is the only national park specially set aside to preserve the work of prehistoric people?”

“True,” Olivia said, “but in addition to that, it's a great place to be an animal. Speaking of which, I'd like to tell you about
my
day—”

A shrill series of beeps cut into Olivia's sentence. Looking down to the small, black box on her belt, she sighed and said, “Sorry, I'm being paged by the park. Did I show you guys this pager they gave me? It's so they can find me at all times. I feel like a doctor on call.” Craning her neck around the room she asked, “Does anyone know where a phone is?”

“There's one in the gift shop,” Ashley told her.

“Great. You all go on and eat. I'll be right back.” Scraping her chair against the tile, Olivia hurried to the counter inside the small store that was next to the restaurant. Jack watched his father put his large hand on top of Ashley's small one; she laid her forehead on his hand and closed her eyes.

“Tired, sweetie?” he asked her.

She nodded, then shook her head. “No, not really tired. I'm—”

“I wonder why they're paging Mrs. Landon,” Lucky broke in, ignoring Ashley. She picked at squares of lettuce with her fork but didn't eat them.

“It could be the local newspeople. They've been trying to reach her to question her about the cougar situation. You know, Lucky, if you stand next to her when she's interviewed, maybe you could be on TV, too.”

“You mean, I could be a star?” Lucky gave a little
huh
of laughter. “Forget that!”

“Why? I thought you'd like it. Anyway, here comes Olivia.” Steven knit his brows together as he added, “But by the look on her face, I'd say that whatever's going on isn't good.”

By then Olivia had reached their table. “We need to go,” she told them quickly, quietly. “Get your things and any food you haven't finished. You can eat it back at the round house.”

“What happened?” Ashley asked, sitting up. “Is something wrong?”

“An elderly woman…. I keep wondering if I should have encouraged them to close the park. I
knew
that wasn't the right cat….”

Jack leaned forward. “What is it, Mom?”

An expression of regret mixed with alarm clouded her face. “There's been another cougar attack. It's even more serious than the last one. This time the woman may die.”

B
ack at the round house Olivia told them, “Apparently the woman was crouching down at one of the trailheads, tying her shoe. The cougar came out of nowhere. She's hurt pretty bad.”

Ashley shuddered. “That's awful.”

“I think your dad should come and photograph the scene where the attack took place. Is that OK with you, Steven?”

“Absolutely,” Steven agreed.

“The press and TV are already on to this, and now there are threats to shoot all the cougars in the park. Threats not just from here in Colorado, but from all over the Four Corners area—Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, too. Other people are saying that if the park doesn't act, they'll come here personally and start putting out poison.” Closing her eyes, Olivia pressed the tips of her fingers into her lids. “This is getting bad. There's supposed to be a local citizens' meeting to decide what action they want to take on their own. I'd like to be there so I can try to calm things down.”

“You should go, Mom,” Jack told her.

Steven leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He searched the kids' faces. “Can you three make it on your own for a while?”

Smiling, Lucky nodded. Jack felt a fizz of excitement at the thought of some time alone with Lucky. He tried not to sound too eager as he assured his parents that the three of them would be just fine, that they'd stay inside and there'd be no problems at all. Only Ashley looked grim.

“Jack, I'm holding you personally responsible for the three of you. We won't be away more than an hour,” Steven said as he packed up his camera equipment. “If there's any problem at all, run over to park headquarters and page Mom on her beeper.”

“Not to worry, Dad,” Jack assured him, and then Olivia grabbed her briefcase and they were gone. Now if Jack could just get rid of his little sister! In his head he thought of a dozen excuses for asking her to leave—like suggesting she go upstairs and read one of the books she'd brought—but they all sounded so lame that he knew Ashley would make a big deal of them, would refuse to go, and would report everything he said to their parents when they got back. So Jack stayed silent, Ashley hung around, and finally Lucky yawned and said she thought she'd get ready for bed.

A few minutes later Ashley started rattling the doorknob of the tiny bathroom.

“Don't go in there,” Jack ordered. “Lucky's in the shower.” Lucky had said she needed to wash the sweat from Balcony House out of her hair.

“I just have to brush my teeth,” Ashley said. “I'll be in and out in a couple of seconds. She won't even know I'm there.”

“OK. Make it fast.”

“What makes you the gatekeeper—?” Ashley began, then said, “Oh, never mind.” She opened the bathroom door and closed it behind her.

Jack turned his camera in his hands, gently blowing a tiny speck of lint off the lens. Earlier in the day, after they'd safely climbed the toeholds in the rock cliff from Balcony House to the rim above, Jack had asked Lucky if he could take her picture.

She'd shaken her head. “I don't like having my picture taken.”

“Why not?”

“I just…don't,” she'd answered. “But since you saved my life today, I'll let you take my picture before we leave Mesa Verde.”

“When?”

“I don't know. Sometime.”

“Tomorrow? Like in the morning?”

Lucky had given him a small smile. “Maybe,” she'd told him. “I'll think about it.”

He'd had to be content with that. Now he was checking his camera to make sure everything was right—film loaded, batteries strong, lens spotless.

Just then Ashley came out of the bathroom looking puzzled. With her hand outstretched, she walked toward Jack. “I know you're not talking to me, even though what happened was not my fault and you're believing Lucky over me, which makes me feel pretty bad—”

“Knock it off, Ashley—” Jack began.

“But you can still look at this 'cause I think if you do, you'll have to see that there's something really strange about Lucky.”

Jack wanted to walk away, but curiosity drew him. “OK. What have you got?”

Ashley opened her hand. “It's Lucky's watch.”

“I can see that. So what are you doing with it?” Jack demanded.

“She left it on the glass shelf in the bathroom. I was squeezing the toothpaste when I heard this weird noise. Like a tiny rattle.” She hesitated. “First I couldn't figure out what it was, but then I could tell it was coming from the watch, so I thought it was an alarm going off, and I picked it up.”

“So?”

“When I picked it up, I couldn't hear the noise any more, but, Jack, I could
feel
it. It
vibrated!”

Not understanding, he just stared at her.

“In my hand. I could feel the watch, like, jiggle.”

Jack said, “Maybe it's some silent kind of alarm.”

“Yeah, but when I looked down at it, I saw these numbers on the dial.”

He snorted. “Big surprise! What'd you expect to see? The Energizer Bunny?”

“Listen to me, please! I looked where it's supposed to tell the time. Only it wasn't the time, it was three numbers, then a dash, and then four more. It's a phone number!”

“Let me see,” Jack said. When she gave it to him, he said, “I know what this is: It's a pager. You know, like the beeper Mesa Verde gave to Mom? Only this one doesn't beep, it vibrates, so, like, if you're at a concert or something, it won't bother people—you'll just feel it. I saw one advertised in my photography magazine.”

“Why does Lucky need a pager?” Ashley asked.

“I don't know. Why do you need to try to nail her all the time?”

He'd just handed the watch back to Ashley when Lucky flung open the bathroom door, her hair hanging in wet ringlets. She had on a white, V-neck nightshirt scattered with tiny red hearts. In two seconds flat her face morphed from good fairy to wicked witch—her eyebrows slammed together in a deep-creased frown, and her lips thinned into a snarl. “What are you doing with my watch?” she shrieked.

Ashley stammered, “N-noth—” but before she got the word out, Lucky had snatched the watch with such force that Ashley reeled backward.

“What is it with you Landons?” Lucky raged, staring at the watch and then quickly buckling it onto her wrist. “I don't mean you, Jack, but everyone else in this family, especially your sister—”

“Wait a second,” Jack broke in. “She didn't mean anything. Your watch was making some kind of noise, and she wanted to show me, that's all.”

Again, Lucky's face seemed to run through, in split-second succession, a dozen different expressions before she looked up, her eyes filling with tears. She seemed anguished. Pathetic.

“Ashley, why do you hate me so much?” she asked. “What did I ever do to you?”

“I don't hate you,” Ashley protested.

Tears began to run freely down Lucky's cheeks. With the palms of her hands, she rubbed them away, leaving fist-size red marks on her skin. “You know, I never had a little sister. I never had anyone in my life that I could really be close to! And when I met you and we sat talking in the living room, I thought you were so cool. I thought we could be special friends. But you've hated me from the start, and I don't even know why.”

Vehemently, Ashley declared, “That's not true!”

“Yes, it is. First you accused me of stealing from the burn area, then you went through my duffel bag, trying to find whatever it is you thought I stole—oh yeah, I know about it. Your mom really raked me over the coals on that one. Thanks to you I'll have to deal with Ms. Lopez about that credit card number, even though I told your folks it's only a number game I play to see how good my memory is. Why didn't you just ask me about it, Ashley? I would have told you.”

Ashley's cheeks flamed.

“And now you break into the bathroom and take my watch!”

Keeping her voice even, Ashley explained, “I just went in to brush my teeth, and your watch was making this weird sound, so I picked it up.”

“I was scared to death when I looked for it and it wasn't there. You…you took something really precious. This watch is the only thing I have left from…my mom.” Lucky's head drooped, as if in painful remembrance. She took a breath. “My mother gave it to me right before she died.”

Ashley crossed her arms over her chest.

“I know I'm overreacting, but it's all I've got of my mother. I…I guess I'm too emotional….”

“It's OK—” Jack began. He tried to reach out, but Lucky gently shook his hand off her arm.

“I'm sorry, but right now, I think I need to be alone. I need some space. I'm going for a walk.” She went back to the bathroom to retrieve her jeans and a pair of sandals.

“You're leaving? You can't go out at night!” Ashley warned. “There's a crazy cougar out there!”

“I'm not afraid,” Lucky said coolly. “The cougar attacks weren't anywhere around here. They were miles away on the other side of the park, your mother said.” Pulling on her jeans, Lucky slipped her feet into her sandals and quickly headed for the door. The nightshirt hung past the knees of her jeans, but she didn't seem to care.

“You're not allowed out alone unless my parents say it's OK,” Ashley repeated. “And they're for sure going to say no because the cougar—”

“Would you stop with the cougar? I've handled worse things in my life than a big cat.” Lucky's voice turned flinty. “As far as getting your parents' permission, well, they're not here to give it to me, are they? If they come before I get back, you tell them it's your fault that I had to go.”

“Leave it alone, Ashley. I'll walk with her,” Jack said.

Her face softening, Lucky turned again to look at Jack. “The thing is, I need some time for just me. I won't be long.” With that, she breezed out the door.

Jack and Ashley stood silent for a moment, staring at the closed door until Ashley remarked, “What the heck was
that?
”

“What?”

“That. The show. I have never seen anyone throw a fit like she just did. I mean, those tears came out of nowhere. And that story about the watch! Give me a break!”

“She was scared. She thought it was gone.”

“No,” Ashley said, narrowing her eyes, “that's not what I'm talking about. The whole story about her mom giving it to her right before she died. She was lying. I'm positive she was. And if she was lying about that, could it be that maybe she was lying about taking something from the burn area? Maybe she lies about everything.”

A burst of heat erupted inside Jack, created by his own twinge of doubt colliding with the need to stand up for Lucky.

“Think about it,” Ashley went on. “Lucky said she was five when her mother died, which means the watch was from eight years ago. You saw that thing—it's brand new. And there's no phone here in the round house, right? So I bet she's on her way to a pay phone to call the number that showed up on her watch.” Smiling triumphantly, Ashley finished with, “I say we follow her.”

“More spying?” Jack's voice was hot. “You really are out to get her, aren't you?”

For a moment, Ashley didn't answer. It seemed as though his words had hit her hard; she lowered her eyes, then raised them slowly. “So after everything that's happened, you're still taking her side.”

“This isn't about sides.”

“Yes, it is.”

He couldn't meet her gaze. “Look,” he said stiffly. “Think what you want. I'm going after her. You stay here and tell Mom and Dad what's going on.” When Ashley started to protest, he snapped, “I bet she's right outside, taking in some air. I'll get her and bring her back. End of story.”

“Fine.” Ashley scowled. “Whatever.”

Ashley was angry, but Jack couldn't deal with both his sister and Lucky. Too many emotions crowded inside him; he knew he'd have to deal with them one at a time, starting with Lucky.

Night sounds floated over Jack, and his footsteps crunched beneath him on the path as he searched for Lucky. Wind pushed through scrub pine, sounding strangely like rushing water. Every now and again he heard the hum of a car passing on the road below.

With the moon bright and full, Jack could see clearly enough to know Lucky wasn't anywhere close by. He circled the house once, then again. It was the first time he'd noticed how the house was put together—the square downstairs part built right up against the tall, round tower, with the tower's window looking down on the square roof.

Behind the round house was an old tennis court. Maybe, Jack decided, she'd gone there. He picked his way through the wild grasses until the fence stopped him. Resting his fingers in the chain link, he searched the battered court. Empty.

Almost against his will, he took the trail to the road. Another 200 yards and he'd made his way to the pay phone outside the restaurant.

He could tell it was Lucky by the hair, flaming in a copper halo from the light overhead. Her back was toward him as she feverishly whispered into the phone. She was making a call, just like Ashley had said. The sight made his chest ache.

At first, Jack thought of returning to the round house without her. He didn't know which he hated more, that his sister was right or that Lucky had lied to him. Still, he waited, uncertain whether to leave or confront her. Suddenly, she snapped the phone back into its receiver and whirled around.

“Jack!” she cried out in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“You said you just wanted to go for a walk.”

“I did. And then I just….” She stumbled, searching for words.

“You got paged on your watch, didn't you? That's why you had to leave. Who'd you call? Who paged you?”

“Maria.” Moving confidently toward him, Lucky slid her arm around Jack's and began to pull him in the direction of the round house. “It's good news. She's left the hospital and is back home. I would have told you, but Ashley was standing right there.”