Chapter Six: Decoding the Message
Early the next morning, the group spilt in half for the time being – Ben and Abigail headed off in search of a department store, while Andrea and Riley walked over to the Franklin Institute. As the two approached the famous museum, Andrea stopped in her path.
Riley peered at her and touched her shoulder in question. "What's wrong?"
"Do you think we should go in?" Andrea gazed hesitantly at the marble building. "What if the FBI tracked down my grandpa and he told them where we were going? Or what if Ian's on our tail and is in there this very moment?"
"Good point," Riley observed their surroundings. A hot dog vender was selling two dogs with the works to a young couple, while a yellow school bus pulled up to the curb. Andrea and Riley watched as the doors to the bus creaked open and a twenty-something-year-old camp counselor climbed out, followed by about eighteen campers dressed in matching yellow shirts.
A light bulb flashed above Andrea's head. "I have an idea," she grinned at Riley. "Just follow my lead." Approaching the camp counselor, she began, "Good morning, miss! My colleague and I are new recruits of the Franklin Institute…" She racked her brain for the right words. "…History Mystery Squad…"
Riley snickered; Andrea stepped on his foot very lightly. Beaming at the counselor, she continued, "…And we'd like to tell one of your campers – a very bright one – about the history mystery of the Silence Dogood letters that are displayed in the museum. May we borrow one of your campers for this life-changing experience?" Oh, God, she thought. That sounded so cheesy…
The counselor glanced at the two in a tired way. "Look, lady, the only reason I'm doing this is for the pay. I barely know the kids' names – pick one yourself, okay?" She strutted off towards the museum steps, her campers following her. One kid hung behind though, and shyly approached Andrea and Riley.
With wide eyes, the kid asked, "Are you two from the CIA?"
Andrea shook her head, and bent down to the kid's height. "What's your name?"
"Jamal."
"Okay, listen, Jamal – we'll pay you a buck every set of letters you bring us – go inside, find the Silence Dogood letters, and write down each capitalized letter in order on here." She handed Jamal a sheet of paper and a pencil. With a low, unprofessional voice, she continued, "We'll give you an extra three bucks if you don't tell anyone what you really did."
With that, Jamal shrugged to himself and bounded inside the museum. "Wow," Riley looked impressed. "You have a way with kids – tough and straight to the point."
Andrea nodded. "That's what three summers of being a counselor at Camp Sunshine can get you."
The two walked across the street to sit on a bench to wait for Jamal, Riley buying a newspaper from a vendor on the way over. The two sat patiently, carefully analyzing every person that passed, praying that it wasn't a FBI agent or Ian…
At a nearby Urban Outfitters', Ben and Abigail were changing their clothes in separate dressing rooms that happened to be next to each other. Abigail was the one that started up a conversation. "So, you show up at your father's door, you say you're in trouble, and the first thing he assumes is that I'm pregnant?"
Ben laughed. "Apparently, my father thinks I've been a little too cavalier in my personal life. He's the straightforward type." He zipped up the jacket he had just slipped on. "…Andrea's just like that."
"I've noticed how she can get," Abigail remembered how Ben's niece had acted in Riley's van the previous night. "I feel bad for her…because of her parents."
Ben opened the hinged door to his dressing room and stepped out. "Oh, well…it was a long time ago and she was only a baby." He smiled. "Her mother was named Abigail, you know."
"Oh?" Abigail came out of her dressing room as well. "Hey…Ben, has Andrea seen any guidance counselors over the years about any issues she may have?"
Ben stared at her with realization. "She was rude to you last night, wasn't she?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say rude…with what she's been through, that's perfectly normal behavior."
"Ah," Ben pondered the thought for a moment. "Well, she regularly saw the school guidance counselor in junior high, but mostly because she wasn't very social with the other kids. Come on, really, why do you ask?"
"No reason," Abigail said flirtatiously.
Ben gazed at Abigail, enhanced by her eyes. He suddenly forgot all about his niece's old middle school problems. "This is off-topic, but have you ever told someone – not a relative – "I love you"?"
Abigail sported an all-knowing look. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
Ben shook his head, beaming. "No reason."
Riley nibbled on his pencil's eraser and frowned at the letters he had scribbled onto his newspaper. With only one more set of letters to retrieve, Jamal was inside the museum, taking an extremely long time to bring Andrea and Riley the last part of their puzzle.
"I'm stuck," Riley announced. "Can that kid go any slower?"
Andrea was finishing off a hot dog she had purchased from the nearby vendor. "Give him a break, Poole, he's only nine years old."
"Said the girl who could name all the presidents in chorological order by the time she was seven," Riley haughtily shot at her.
Andrea glared at him, and tossed the remains of her lunch in a nearby garbage can. "Hey, that's what you get when you're raised by a U.S history genius."
"Ha, ha," Riley rested his head in his hands. "My family was nothing like yours…they're so different you'd be surprised."
"Try me."
Riley's eyebrows rose. "No, I'm serious. You'd be stunned."
"Well, at least tell me about your folks," Andrea looked questioningly at Riley. "I've known you for almost two years and the only thing I know about your personal life is that you've never been in a serious relationship with a woman for more than two months."
Riley growled at her. "That stays a secret between the two of us, okay?"
Andrea laughed. Leaning her head back to soak in the sun's warm rays, she remembered how back in the Artic, she had promised her uncle that she'd stop teasing Riley for the rest of the summer. So much for that promise, she thought. Suddenly recalling yet another memory, Andrea faced Riley again. "Alcoholics."
"Excuse me?" Riley's face turned red for a moment.
"Your parents were both alcoholics," Andrea choked on her words, her eyes growing watery. "Uncle Ben told me back when he first hired you…he said to try not to bring it up with you, because you'd be too upset…" Hesitantly, she reached over and gave Riley a hug. "I'm so sorry, Riley."
He sniffed and uncomfortably shifted in her arms. "Andy, really, it's no big deal, I was in a foster home by the time I was four…"
Andrea glanced at him, question in her eyes. "Did you have problems with abandonment too?"
"What?" Riley looked confused. "Of course, I didn't, I was able to understand that my folks had problems, so – "
"You're lying!" Andrea's voice rose, and the hot dog vendor peered over at them in suspicion. Andrea ignored him. "Riley, that can't be true…there must be a reason why you act all sarcastic – "
"Andrea, stop it –" Riley made to push her away, but something in his hands did the wrong thing – actually, not his hands, more like his head. Something in his body caused him to lean forward and brush Andrea's lips with his.
Andrea yelped and pulled away, quickly standing up from the bench, her face burning hot. Riley, also blushing, stood up as well. "I swear I didn't mean to do that! I – I don't know what happened! Andrea – "
Her heart thumping, Andrea turned away from him, unsure of what to say. Finally, she scooped up the discarded newspaper from the bench and studied the letters once more. "Come on, Poole, we've got to figure out what this means – Jamal is taking too slow."
"Andrea," Riley's ears were still a shade of bright pink. "Really, I didn't mean to…"
"Riley," she glanced up at him, and Riley was stunned to find her eyes swimming with tears, "just help me figure this out, okay?"
Riley kept his distance away from Andrea, but stayed close enough to read the letters scribbled onto the paper. Convinced that he'd never crack the code, he glanced around the street anxiously, taking in all of the scenery. A passing bus caught his eye, and advertisement for the Liberty Bell emblazed on the side of the vehicle. His eyes widening, he suddenly noticed exactly what he and Andrea were looking for. He snapped his head towards her. "Pass and Stow – the words on the Liberty Bell!"
Andrea glanced up to look at the bus, and her eyes grew round in recognition. "Of course!" She thrusted the newspaper at Riley. "Come on! We've got to go tell Ben and Abigail!"
Riley began running first, Andrea shortly took off after him. But something made her stop. Turning around to face the museum, she wondered if she should leave the rest of the money she promised Jamal on the bench. Before she could convince herself to pull out the right amount of money, she caught sight of a burly man with shaggy, blond hair descending the steps of the museum, apparently following Jamal, who was patiently waiting at the curb to cross the street.
Andrea's heart twisted up in fear. "Oh my God," she muttered to herself. "I'd know that hair anywhere."
As if the world had suddenly gone into slow motion, Andrea watched as the traffic light hanging on a wire in the air turned green and Jamal began dashing across the road. She felt her knees wobble under her weight as Ian Howe strutted right after the little boy…
…And turned his head in Andrea's direction. For a moment, it appeared as if Ian had seen her, and Andrea could of sworn that he was looking at her with wide eyes, immediately recognizing her as Ben's niece. Andrea just couldn't run, her feet were glued to the sidewalk…
"Andrea!" Riley stopped in his path, and quickly ran back to the girl he had accidentally kissed a minute ago. Reaching her, he wrapped his arm around her. "What's wrong? Why aren't you coming?"
Andrea broke her eyes away from Ian – he was crossing the street, coming closer and closer… "Riley…" her heart was beating so loud she could barely hear herself speak. "…Just run!" Grabbing his hand, she made a mad dash for the clothing store her uncle and Abigail were in, not daring to look behind her…
I thought that the whole conversation between Andrea and Riley was pretty random, but you know, it was what was needed to finish the chapter :) I'd really like to hear your opinions and comments, a writer's best tool is a good piece of critique!
Oh yeah, and in case you rememebered that in the film, "Jamal" is dressed in a school uniform, but this was taking place in the summer, so I made it summer camp :)
