The Secret of Willow Lane (8 page)

“But why wouldn’t he raise the baby himself?”

“Maybe he was too old or shocked because Alice died,” Jessie said. “Anyway the dates are right. Daddy was born about then.”

“So, how did they end up across the street from C.G.?”

“Maybe C.G. talked them into moving here so he could see Daddy grow up.”

Tina thought about it. “It makes sense. That would make Alice your grandmother. Which would explain why you look just like her. Neat!”

“The thing is,” said Jessie. “How do I tell Daddy? This could be a big shock.”

Just then, Jessie’s father said, “May I come in?”

Both girls jumped. Jessie slid the copies under her tray.

Tina went to the door. “Hi, Mr. Hanson. I have to get home. Mom said I could only stay a few minutes.”

“Don’t leave on my account,” said Jessie’s dad. “You look like you’re all mended, Tina. That’s good!’

“Thanks. See you tomorrow, Jessie.” Tina waved. “I’ll come over early.” She ran from the room.

“So, Jess,” said her dad. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, lots better. The pizza was great and my ankle feels pretty good if I keep it up.”

“Good. The police called. The man who fell down the stairs is a distant relative of Alice Johnson. His name is Walter Jorgenson.” He sat in the chair next to the bed. “If no Will was found, he would automatically inherit the Johnson estate. So—he decided to find it and destroy it.”

“But how did he find out there
was
a Will?”

“It seems he’s known Mr. Simms’ son for years. They both live in a little town in Wisconsin.”

“Why did Mr. Simms’ son—what’s his name?—live in Wisconsin and not here in Fairfield?”

“Mr. Simms’ son’s name is Monty,” her dad said. “His folks sent him to Wisconsin years ago. He went to a special school where he could get help for his leg injury.”

“What happened to his leg?” She wanted to stay on this subject and put off talking about C.G. and Alice.

“He fell out of a tree. I remember when it happened. He fell in C.G.’s backyard.”

“I saw him, Daddy. Through a crack in the door next to Mr. Johnson’s study. He was walking pretty good!”

“Well, as I say, this school worked with his injury. C.G paid for it all. I guess because it was
his
tree.”

“So, Monty told Walter Jorgenson about the Will?”

“He must have. The police talked to Mr. and Mrs. Simms and both of them said they told Monty that they were witnesses when Mr. Johnson signed the will,” he said.

“Will Walter Jorgenson go to jail for this?”

“Probably,” he said. “And Monty Simms too. If they sign confessions, there won’t be a trial. The judge will just sentence them. They’ll doubtless get some jail time.”

“They sure had the nerve, huh?” Jessie said.

“Yep.” He paused a moment. “There’s something else you need to know, Jess. There was a letter addressed to me in the envelope with the Will.”

“I remember,” she said.

“It contained some surprising information,” said her dad. “The letter was from Mr. Johnson. It says that he and his wife, Alice, were my real parents. While you were asleep, I went to the office and, sure enough, my name and date of birth were recorded in that Bible C.G. gave me. I’ve been in a state of shock ever since I read the letter.”

“Does it say how it happened—that the Hansons raised you, I mean?” Jessie asked.

“Yes. Why aren’t you more surprised, Jess?”

Jessie pulled the copies of Alice’s pictures from under the tray. She handed them to her dad and said, “Miss Tyler, at the library, found these for me. I copied them today.”

Her father took the copies and looked at them for a long time. “Of course. You must have known as soon as you saw these. She was beautiful, wasn’t she?”

“I didn’t really know right away,” Jessie said. “I just felt all mixed up. But, when I thought about it, it began to make sense.”

“It’s funny,” said her dad. “Lots of times, I thought C.G. acted like a father to me. He used to visit me at the university after my folks died in the car accident. He encouraged me and gave me financial help.”

“Do you think he was sorry he let you go, Daddy?”

“In the letter, he said he regretted it many times.” Her dad had tears in his eyes. “The people in Fairfield knew that the baby had lived and the story was that relatives in Wisconsin were raising him. The Hansons were giving me a secure home. C.G. didn’t want to disrupt my life with gossip around town.” He stood up. “When you’re older, I’ll let you read the letter.”

* * *

Jessie and Tina rode their bikes through the piles of fall leaves. The sun was bright in a radiant blue sky and a chill was in the air.

“It’s almost a relief to go back to school. Anything to get out of that bed!” Jessie said. “It feels great riding my bike again. Don’t you love autumn?”

“It’s a beautiful day all right,” said Tina. “So, what was in C.G. Johnson’s Will? Did you ever find out?”

“Daddy said it was private information. All he told me was that C.G. gave the house to the Nebraska Swedish Society. It’ll be a kind of museum to show how so many Scandinavians came to this country and settled here. So they could own land.”

“Oh, right,” Tina said. “We studied it in school. The Homestead Act. Our government gave one hundred sixty acres free to anyone who would live on the land and farm it.”

“Honestly, Tina, how do you remember all that stuff? And Daddy said that C.G. left money to pay for college for Phillip and me. That is, if we get good grades.”

“Always a string attached,” said Tina. “You know, pretty soon, I’ll be free like you.”

“Free? Are your parents taking a trip?” asked Jessie.

“Not exactly,” giggled Tina. “But they’ll be very busy. My mom’s going to have a baby!”

The girls threw back their heads and laughed.

THE END