I knocked on Dave's door. Curiously, he wasn't home. I frowned. What would Dave be doing on a Saturday? Shrugging, I took a taxi to see the Bentons.
"Hello Lucy," Cleo greeted me warmly when she saw me at the door. She was becoming more tired these days. I could see it in her eyes. But she let me in. I smiled at Reese and tried to say hello and ask how he was. My sign language wasn't perfect. But he seemed to get the message and kindly nodded to say he was fine.
"What brings you to our home this early?" she asked.
"Um... This'll be hard to say..." I was finally realizing how painful a subject this must be for people.
"Have a seat. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."
"Do you know where your husband is?"
"Do you want to speak with him?" she sounded surprised.
"I'd like to speak with both of you," I told her. Cleo nodded.
"I'll get him." When Cleo was away, Reese approached me and signed something.
"I'm sorry... what?" I asked. He smiled. He could lip read a bit and new medical sciences were trying to see if they could do something about his deafness. He walked over to the kitchen, got out a glass and a carton of orange juice, and pretended to pour it.
"Oh, no, thank you, Reese," I said, shaking my head. He shrugged and walked over to his easel.
He was a brilliant painter.
I walked over to see what he was painting. In the front was a bird, it looked like a parrot, perched on the branch of a tree in the rainforest. In the background was gray sky and fallen trees.
"Very cheery," I said to myself sarcastically.
"Yes, Lucy, what can I do for you?" Peter's voice made me jump. I smiled at them.
"What I'm about to say may make you feel uncomfortable or angry with me, but I just have to know."
"You won't make us angry, Lucy," Cleo assured us. There was a pause as I debated. I had to ask. Why was I holding back? I'd been more forthright with Jing-Mei and Elizabeth. Why was I hesitant to ask Mister and Mrs. Benton? Maybe it was the old, cautious part of me that I'd suppressed the day I found out about Luka. But, in the end, I did ask.
"What can you tell me about John Carter and Lucy Knight?"
They're reaction was as I expected. Surprised, unnerved, questioning... but they spoke about it. Cleo told most of it. Peter was quieter. I listened to the tales they told me of both Lucy and Dr. Carter with great interest. My curiosity was returning swiftly. When they had finished, Cleo showed me to the door.
"I hope we helped you," Cleo said. I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, thank you."
"I apologize for Peter. He's... well, he and Dr. Carter were very close. In fact, Peter was his mentor and dear friend."
"That's alright. I understand it's a tender subject. Well, I have places to go. Goodbye!" I shouldered my backpack, took out my phone, and called another cab.
"Lucy, hi, she's been expecting you," Dave grinned at me. I was surprised to see him at Kerry's house, but here he was, answering her door.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him. Dave shrugged.
"Eh, Weaver's always found it difficult to talk to you. She called me over to make it easier. We know each other better, don't we, kiddo?" Dave grinned at me. Even 16 years after his departure from County, I remember everyone, my parents, the Bentons, Kerry Weaver especially, saying that Dave hadn't changed (or "grown up" as Kerry puts it.)
"How did you know I was coming?"
"Hey, save the questions for the great and all-knowing psychic, Weaver!" Dave led me into the living room where I saw the 'great and powerful Weaver' sitting on a couch, drinking tea. I looked at him with jesting skepticism.
"Yeah, Dave, very great and all-knowing."
"Don't count your chickens..." Dave warned.
"Hello, Lucy." Kerry gave me a warm look.
"How did you know I was coming?"
"I'm psychic."
"No, really," I said with small laughter.
"Your parents called me and said you might be over to talk about John and Lucy," Kerry answered with another sip of her tea.
"Oh..." I said quietly, looking at my feet. I didn't want to talk about Abby and Luka right now. Did they call her to tell her to bring me home? If they did, I would be very angry.
"They also said that you were on a quest for knowledge. To find information about your father and your namesake," Kerry continued, "I know your namesake and I know that your mother wasn't speaking about Luka. So I assumed she told you about Dr. Carter?" I nodded. She smiled again and took another sip of her tea.
"I'll give it to you straight, Lucy. I'm sick, you know that, right? I believe I'll probably die soon because I refuse to get treatment. I just want to stay here and die in peace, in my home and not in my workplace. And I also wanted to tell you about both Lucy and Carter before I die. And so here it goes." Kerry explained everything. She explained how Carter and Lucy had always lusted after each other and Carter kept denying it. Kept mistaking it for any other emotion. Anything but love. Kerry didn't know why he kept denying it. But she did know one thing.
"One time he actually talked to me," she said, "He sat down in the lounge and we talked about it. He said, 'Kerry, can I tell you something as a friend?' and I said yes but he wanted to be sure that I'd react as a friend would and that I wouldn't say anything. I told him I would never betray his trust. So, he told me that he'd figured out how he felt towards Lucy and he was going to tell her when she graduated. A few weeks later, they were stabbed and she died. That's when he took that silver locket around your neck and threw it at her grave."
"Elizabeth picked it up," Dave added, "Elizabeth and I went with Carter to her grave. It was a few weeks after the stabbing when Carter was working at County again. He'd missed the funeral and wanted to see her grave. When he threw the necklace at the grave, I heard him mumble something, but didn't hear what and Elizabeth picked up the necklace."
"Elizabeth never told me that..." I said, puzzled. She had noticed the necklace on me, I know she had, because she had glanced at it so often while talking to me.
"She probably didn't want to say anything about it because..." Dave started, but Kerry cut him off.
"She doesn't need to hear that, Dave. She wants to know about John and Lucy."
"But..."
"Dave..." Kerry gave him an icy stare and he fell silent. I looked from one to the other, confused. What could be so bad about finding a necklace at a grave? I voiced the question.
"It's not so much where the necklace was thrown as it was-"
"Dave, if you don't shut up this instant-"
"Kerry, would you let me finish a sentence for once?" Dave screamed, annoyed. Kerry was shocked.
"OK, go ahead. I just didn't want you to frighten the girl!" Kerry said.
"Trust me, I won't be scared," I said with a smile. I wasn't even afraid of the dark when I was three.
"As I was saying," Dave continued, eyeing Kerry closely, "It's not so much where the necklace was thrown as to what Carter said when he threw it."
"I thought you said you didn't catch it," I said, confused again.
"Well, I didn't..." Dave said, "But Elizabeth did."
"What did he say?"
"'I'm sure, then, that she'll look exactly like you.' That's a direct quote." There was silence. Was this supposed to scare me?
"Lucy, did you look at the picture in your locket?" Kerry asked.
"Yeah."
"Have you looked in the mirror?" she asked. I then realized. Those bright blue eyes, the straw blond hair... I was looking at an exact reflection, an exact reflection... Of a part of me that died eighteen years ago.
"Hello Lucy," Cleo greeted me warmly when she saw me at the door. She was becoming more tired these days. I could see it in her eyes. But she let me in. I smiled at Reese and tried to say hello and ask how he was. My sign language wasn't perfect. But he seemed to get the message and kindly nodded to say he was fine.
"What brings you to our home this early?" she asked.
"Um... This'll be hard to say..." I was finally realizing how painful a subject this must be for people.
"Have a seat. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad."
"Do you know where your husband is?"
"Do you want to speak with him?" she sounded surprised.
"I'd like to speak with both of you," I told her. Cleo nodded.
"I'll get him." When Cleo was away, Reese approached me and signed something.
"I'm sorry... what?" I asked. He smiled. He could lip read a bit and new medical sciences were trying to see if they could do something about his deafness. He walked over to the kitchen, got out a glass and a carton of orange juice, and pretended to pour it.
"Oh, no, thank you, Reese," I said, shaking my head. He shrugged and walked over to his easel.
He was a brilliant painter.
I walked over to see what he was painting. In the front was a bird, it looked like a parrot, perched on the branch of a tree in the rainforest. In the background was gray sky and fallen trees.
"Very cheery," I said to myself sarcastically.
"Yes, Lucy, what can I do for you?" Peter's voice made me jump. I smiled at them.
"What I'm about to say may make you feel uncomfortable or angry with me, but I just have to know."
"You won't make us angry, Lucy," Cleo assured us. There was a pause as I debated. I had to ask. Why was I holding back? I'd been more forthright with Jing-Mei and Elizabeth. Why was I hesitant to ask Mister and Mrs. Benton? Maybe it was the old, cautious part of me that I'd suppressed the day I found out about Luka. But, in the end, I did ask.
"What can you tell me about John Carter and Lucy Knight?"
They're reaction was as I expected. Surprised, unnerved, questioning... but they spoke about it. Cleo told most of it. Peter was quieter. I listened to the tales they told me of both Lucy and Dr. Carter with great interest. My curiosity was returning swiftly. When they had finished, Cleo showed me to the door.
"I hope we helped you," Cleo said. I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, thank you."
"I apologize for Peter. He's... well, he and Dr. Carter were very close. In fact, Peter was his mentor and dear friend."
"That's alright. I understand it's a tender subject. Well, I have places to go. Goodbye!" I shouldered my backpack, took out my phone, and called another cab.
"Lucy, hi, she's been expecting you," Dave grinned at me. I was surprised to see him at Kerry's house, but here he was, answering her door.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him. Dave shrugged.
"Eh, Weaver's always found it difficult to talk to you. She called me over to make it easier. We know each other better, don't we, kiddo?" Dave grinned at me. Even 16 years after his departure from County, I remember everyone, my parents, the Bentons, Kerry Weaver especially, saying that Dave hadn't changed (or "grown up" as Kerry puts it.)
"How did you know I was coming?"
"Hey, save the questions for the great and all-knowing psychic, Weaver!" Dave led me into the living room where I saw the 'great and powerful Weaver' sitting on a couch, drinking tea. I looked at him with jesting skepticism.
"Yeah, Dave, very great and all-knowing."
"Don't count your chickens..." Dave warned.
"Hello, Lucy." Kerry gave me a warm look.
"How did you know I was coming?"
"I'm psychic."
"No, really," I said with small laughter.
"Your parents called me and said you might be over to talk about John and Lucy," Kerry answered with another sip of her tea.
"Oh..." I said quietly, looking at my feet. I didn't want to talk about Abby and Luka right now. Did they call her to tell her to bring me home? If they did, I would be very angry.
"They also said that you were on a quest for knowledge. To find information about your father and your namesake," Kerry continued, "I know your namesake and I know that your mother wasn't speaking about Luka. So I assumed she told you about Dr. Carter?" I nodded. She smiled again and took another sip of her tea.
"I'll give it to you straight, Lucy. I'm sick, you know that, right? I believe I'll probably die soon because I refuse to get treatment. I just want to stay here and die in peace, in my home and not in my workplace. And I also wanted to tell you about both Lucy and Carter before I die. And so here it goes." Kerry explained everything. She explained how Carter and Lucy had always lusted after each other and Carter kept denying it. Kept mistaking it for any other emotion. Anything but love. Kerry didn't know why he kept denying it. But she did know one thing.
"One time he actually talked to me," she said, "He sat down in the lounge and we talked about it. He said, 'Kerry, can I tell you something as a friend?' and I said yes but he wanted to be sure that I'd react as a friend would and that I wouldn't say anything. I told him I would never betray his trust. So, he told me that he'd figured out how he felt towards Lucy and he was going to tell her when she graduated. A few weeks later, they were stabbed and she died. That's when he took that silver locket around your neck and threw it at her grave."
"Elizabeth picked it up," Dave added, "Elizabeth and I went with Carter to her grave. It was a few weeks after the stabbing when Carter was working at County again. He'd missed the funeral and wanted to see her grave. When he threw the necklace at the grave, I heard him mumble something, but didn't hear what and Elizabeth picked up the necklace."
"Elizabeth never told me that..." I said, puzzled. She had noticed the necklace on me, I know she had, because she had glanced at it so often while talking to me.
"She probably didn't want to say anything about it because..." Dave started, but Kerry cut him off.
"She doesn't need to hear that, Dave. She wants to know about John and Lucy."
"But..."
"Dave..." Kerry gave him an icy stare and he fell silent. I looked from one to the other, confused. What could be so bad about finding a necklace at a grave? I voiced the question.
"It's not so much where the necklace was thrown as it was-"
"Dave, if you don't shut up this instant-"
"Kerry, would you let me finish a sentence for once?" Dave screamed, annoyed. Kerry was shocked.
"OK, go ahead. I just didn't want you to frighten the girl!" Kerry said.
"Trust me, I won't be scared," I said with a smile. I wasn't even afraid of the dark when I was three.
"As I was saying," Dave continued, eyeing Kerry closely, "It's not so much where the necklace was thrown as to what Carter said when he threw it."
"I thought you said you didn't catch it," I said, confused again.
"Well, I didn't..." Dave said, "But Elizabeth did."
"What did he say?"
"'I'm sure, then, that she'll look exactly like you.' That's a direct quote." There was silence. Was this supposed to scare me?
"Lucy, did you look at the picture in your locket?" Kerry asked.
"Yeah."
"Have you looked in the mirror?" she asked. I then realized. Those bright blue eyes, the straw blond hair... I was looking at an exact reflection, an exact reflection... Of a part of me that died eighteen years ago.