(Not-so-revealing flashback to May 1963)
"I'm bored." Nine-year-old Madeleine looked around the playground bleakly. She and her best friend, Ricky's 12-year-old sister Colleen, were standing in the playground of JA MacCurdy elementary school, fifteen minutes after school had let out.
"Me too." Colleen was sharpening a Popsicle stick against a rock.
"What do you wanna do?" Madeleine asked. From across the playground she could hear the sounds of other girls and some teachers getting ready for the flying up ceremony, to take place after supper. Madeleine's intention had been to help, but she changed her mind when Colleen showed up.
"I dunno." Colleen looked reproachfully over at the girls.
"Wanna go to Rock Bass?" Madeleine asked. Rock Bass was a popular hangout for the neighbourhood kids.
"Maybe." Colleen shrugged.
"Are you coming to the flying up?"
"No. I gots better things to do." Colleen tested the tip of her Popsicle stick knife against her leg.
"There's Claire." Madeleine pointed across the playground.
Claire rode up to Madeleine and Colleen on her pink bicycle with fat tires, still wearing her blue school dress. She was holding a yellow buttercup, clutched delicately in her hand.
"Do you like butter?" she asked, dismounting her bike. She was very frisky for Claire, which surprised Madeleine. Claire held the buttercup up to Colleen's chin and giggled. "Yeah, you like butter," she informed Colleen. She held another one up to Madeleine's chin. "You love butter," she laughed.
Marjorie marched up to them just then, clutching a daisy.
"Ricky loves me, Ricky loves me not, Ricky loves me…" Marjorie was talking to loud, standing too close, to possibly be ignoring Madeleine and Claire like she was pretending to. Colleen gave her a weird look and turned to Madeleine, making the "cuckoo" sign next to her temple. Madeleine watched her pull two petals off at the same time, cheating. "Haha, Ricky loves me-ee," she chanted. Madeleine shrugged.
"Where're you going?" Colleen asked Claire.
Claire sighed romantically. "To Rock Bass with Ricky," she breathed.
Madeleine smiled and started to hum "Beautiful Dreamer". Even Colleen grinned. They both knew that Claire was just wishfully thinking. No big deal.
"Want to come, too?" Claire offered politely. "We can see if we can find a nest."
Colleen and Madeleine shook their heads. "No thanks. We're going to go for a walk," Madeleine said. "Thanks for offering."
Claire smiled. "It's okay," she said quietly. "Want to share the picnic now?" she pulled her lunchbox off of her wrist and opened it, scrupulously dividing the snack: a disc of Babybel cheese, a chocolate cupcake with blue icing and some apple slices. Claire's last meal. They ate, careful to leave some 'for the animals'. Madeleine took the wax from the cheese and made a pair of lady lips, making Claire laugh.
"Hey, you know what I seen at Rock Bass?" Colleen asked Claire, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
Claire shrugged. "What?" she asked.
"Baby rabbits. They gots a den right under the big maple tree."
"Wow. Thanks Colleen." Claire waved and rode off on her bike.
Once Claire was out of earshot, Madeleine hit Colleen's arm playfully. " 'Thanks, Colleen'," she mimicked. Colleen grinned and pulled Madeleine into a headlock, fiercely rubbing the top of her scalp with her knuckles until Madeleine begged for mercy, then she stopped and calmly walked off.
"Wait up, Colleen!" Madeleine ran after her.
From the school, she could hear the last strains of the band rehearsing. Madeleine outran them. "It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small world."
Claire rode past Ricky's house just as he was washing the station wagon. His fourteen-year-old sister, Elizabeth, was perched in her wheelchair under a big yellow blanket, watching. Their German Shepherd, Rex, trotted out to the front of the lawn to greet Claire.
"Hi, Ricky," she said shyly.
"Hi, pal," he said, waving amicably.
"Hi, Elizabeth," she said, walking over to the wheelchair.
"Ay, 'Laire." Elizabeth clutches a baby cup, the kind with a spout and lid, tightly in her fist.
"What are you drinking?" asked Claire.
"Emoway," says Elizabeth, and laughs her weightless laugh. Claire giggles too.
"Lemonade," translates Ricky.
"Oh. Is it good, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth nodded in all directions and almost fell out of the wheelchair. Claire glanced over at Ricky again. He was wearing his clean red jeans and a white t-shirt, red sneakers on his feet.
"You look nice today," Claire commented politely.
"You think so? Thanks pal." He smiled brightly at the little girl.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm washing the car, pal."
"Do you want to come for a picnic?"
"Aw, I'm sorry, kiddo. I promised Elizabeth I'd take her for a run."
"Oh."
"Do you want a drink?"
"Oh, yes please!"
Ricky offered her a drink from the hose, cold clear water. Claire thanked him, patted Elizabeth and then Rex, and rode off.
"You ready to go, Lizzie?" Ricky asked.
"I Rek umming?" Elizabeth asked.
"I don't think so. It might be too hot for him. He's very furry." Ricky considered the dog.
"Ing sah wa-ah," Elizabeth suggested.
"Great idea. Thanks!" he jogged into the house for a canteen.
Ten minutes later, Claire was on the dirt road to Rock Bass. It took her longer than it should have because after she talked to Ricky, she stopped to watch some boys and their dads building a go-cart.
She stopped again just by Madeleine's front yard because she thought she could hear someone calling ever-so-softly, "Claire…Claire…" She looked around for the voice but couldn't see anyone. She got off her bike and lay on her stomach, peering down the drainpipe, imagining a little elf coming to take her away to the land of the elves and fairies. She notices a little ladybug climbing up her arm and smiled.
"It was you, wasn't it?" she said to the ladybug, stroking the hard shell. "It's okay, your children are safe. Now fly away home," she told the ladybug. It flew away, and she got back onto her bike.
By the time Claire finally reached the end of the dirt road, she forgot that she wasn't allowed into the woods alone. She had been so intently set in the fact that she was going with Ricky that when he had turned her down, she kept traveling alone. She heard her name again, softly, "Claire…Hey, Claire…" and thought it must have been her conscience, reminding her to be home in time for supper and Brownies. She was going to become a Brownie for real that afternoon. She began to pedal as fast as her legs could carry her. She was turning into the woods when Ricky jogged up behind her, pushing Elizabeth and holding Rex's leash. Claire was out of breath from pedalling so hard and Ricky stopped, attached Rex's leash to the handle of her bike and the foursome travelled on.
Meanwhile, Madeleine and Colleen had finally decided to go to the willow tree, which overlooked the dirt road to Rock Bass. They had cut across people's lawns, and a kid threw a stick at Madeleine. Madeleine picked the stick up and carried it, wielding it like a sword. They stopped at a nearby convenience store with the intent to buy an orange soda.
"Ricky gives me allowance from his paper route," Colleen explained as she bought the soda. They left the store quickly, pretending to be soldiers at war, slithering on their stomachs through the tall grass, making sure that Marjorie and Grace haven't followed them.
"Phew, that was close," Madeleine said. Colleen nodded appreciatively and opened the bottle, taking a sip and handing it to Madeleine, who likewise sipped, then wiped the bottle with the hem of her t-shirt.
"Coast is clear," Colleen reported.
"Come on." Madeleine half-pulled Colleen towards the main road.
She heard the sound of footsteps and howled "DUCK!". She pulled Colleen into a ditch and aimed an imaginary rifle at the enemy: Ricky, pushing Elizabeth's wheelchair and Rex pulling Claire on her bike.
"Would you look at that," laughed Colleen.
"She really was goin' on a picnic with Ricky, nyah, a Ricknic, that's the ticket!"
"Doubt it," Colleen said dubiously.
"We can find out," said Madeleine. "Just wait and see if he turns down the road with her or not."
"I gots better things to do." Colleen stood up, picking up the straw.
"I'll betcha a nickel he turns down the Rock Bass road."
"Eh, you jealous?"
"No! I just bet!"
"I don't take money off a little kid," Colleen said, dusting off her knees.
"I'm not little!" Madeleine insisted.
"And you gots a crush on my brother," she teased.
Madeleine blushed. Colleen grinned. "Madeleine's in love with my brother!" she yelled, jamming the soda bottle shut with her thumb and running away. Madeleine hung back in the ditch for a few moments. It's true that everyone was in love with Ricky. She watched the dust that Claire and Ricky left behind drift to the ground. They were far enough down the road that they were beginning to waver in Madeleine's vision. She watched long enough to see them turn to the willow tree, and then took off after Colleen. She didn't know for sure whether or not Ricky had turned from the dirt road to the intersection or if he followed Claire, but something in the back of her mind told her that Claire had followed someone calling her name.
Claire's body was found three days later.
A/N: Nothing pertaining to the present in this chapter, but it does give you some background on Claire's last day. Hmm…who was behind the voice, I wonder? Next chapter…more revelations from Madeleine and more downright stubbornness from Marjorie…and maybe…some drama within the lives of our beloved detectives.