Waiting for Dusk (26 page)

Katie waved to her, and ran back to her
house. She flew in the backdoor, then up to her room. She looked
around for her phone, finding it on the floor. Katie sat in her
yellow chair, then pressed speed dial for Lindsey.

“Katie, we just got home from school. Has
something happened?” Lindsey sounded a little worried.

“No, but I have good news! Maya’s leaving for
California almost a week before Thanksgiving. So I thought on
Saturday we could break in.” She hated thinking about breaking into
Maya’s house and taking one of those books. Nothing was going to
stop her though. She needed that book more than ever, especially
since she learned Carl planned to burn them all.

“Sounds like a plan. Just promise me you’ll
keep me informed on what you’re doing.”

“Promise.” Katie was ecstatic that the first
part of her plan was in place.

She looked around her room. She didn’t have
any homework, had already read one of Jack Woods’ books and really
didn’t feel like reading much more of the second one. That would be
saved for when she was really needed a distraction.

There were four more days until Maya left so
she still needed something to keep busy. One more book was left in
the bag, so she decided to read it. The book was on the bottom of
the pile. Katie hadn’t really looked at the titles. She just
grabbed the one on top and began reading. This last one was the
journal Anna told her about. It was not surprising her dad kept a
journal. Every Christmas since she started school, he gave her one.
Her father encouraged her to do whatever she wished with them, draw
or write, he just wanted her to be creative. She promised herself
right then and there she would take up writing again.

Katie opened to the first page of Jack Wood’s
journal and started reading. It gave more of an insight to Jack,
recounting his days at the canyon and the discoveries he had made.
He wrote how the first thing people have to do is set aside their
pride and respect nature. No one can control it. Humans can only be
a part of it.

His goal had been to go white water rafting
on the Colorado River, his biggest challenge. He had practiced by
going on short trips with some of the men at a base camp that had
been stationed at the bottom of the canyon right by the river. Jack
had stayed there for days and had gone out with the men whenever he
could. He wrote about how many times he had fallen in the river and
had been pulled, exhausted, to the bank.

Jack had learned a lot about himself in those
days at the canyon. He had loved to go off by himself to a quiet
spot and just listen to the silence. It had been a different kind
of silence than sitting quietly in a house. He likened it to the
dawn of time when there was no one on Earth, no animals, no people.
He had spent hours by himself quietly walking, writing and taking
pictures.

There had been something that had stopped
Jack from totally giving himself to the canyon. Katie read that
entry over and over to herself:

The canyon is part of my soul. I never seem
to get enough of it. Yet, there is something holding me back from
completely giving myself to this wondrous place. There is something
that has a stronger pull on me, something that owns my heart and my
soul. I always have to go back to her and leave you behind, my dear
canyon. The love I have for my dearest Joanna exceeds whatever I
feel for you. So I will always visit you, my friend, but I shall
not stay forever. You see, it is love that has the stronger pull
and will always win out. I would be nothing without her; I would
not be the man I am today. I could not tackle your highest peaks or
white foaming waters without her in my heart. She is my heart and I
will always go back to her.

Katie wiped her eyes. That was her mother’s
name. It certainly made sense if Jack Woods was Jackson Roberts. It
was a beautiful passage. Katie marked the page with her bookmark.
It gave her insight to her father. Everything he did was out of
love. He stayed in the present because he loved his wife and
daughter. Nothing was more important than that. What didn’t make
sense was that her dad was so angry about her going to the canyon
and back to 1927. If he loved it so much, he should be happy she
was having the same great experiences. Katie decided the time had
come to confront her father.

Just then her phone buzzed. It was a text
message from Tyson.

Call me. That’s all it said.

She hadn’t heard from him in awhile. Tyson
and Erin were the new ‘it’ couple at school. Girls were jealous of
Erin and the gossip was she had everything a girl could want. She
was the captain of the basketball cheerleaders and had the star of
the team for a boyfriend. It was interesting that everyone called
Tyson a star because the season hadn’t started yet. There were
rumors he was really great in practice and the team could make it
all the way to the state finals.

Katie thought she better see what he wanted.
“What’s up, Ty?” Katie tried to sound light and cheerful.

“Just wanted to let you know the first game
is Saturday. Wanted to make sure you’d be there.”

Everyone knew that the first big game was
always the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It was more like a
preseason game. It didn’t count, but it was a big event for the two
small towns that played against each other. It was a tradition that
started long ago, and something everyone looked forward to. After
the game, there was a dance in the gym.

“Of course, I’ll be there, wouldn’t miss it.”
Katie wanted to see Tyson play. She knew he would be very good.

“I was just calling to remind you, that’s
all. Wish you were cheering on the sideline with the other
girls.”

Katie was glad she didn’t have to cheer at
the games. “You have Erin cheering for you. I’m sure she’s your
biggest fan.”

“I hope you are, too.”

“You know I am. I always want the best for
you.”

“Do you?”

“Of course, Lindsey and I will be in the
stands to cheer you on.”

“I haven’t seen you in awhile so do you want
to go to the dance with me?”

Katie couldn’t believe what he just said.
“Aren’t you going with Erin?”

“I think she wants to go home. We don’t have
to go to the dance. I’ll be hungry after the game. Promise me you
meet me and go out for a quick bite.”

“If you’re sure Erin’s going home.”

“Positive. Are you going to leave me starving
and lonely after the game? Some friend.”

“Fine, I’ll meet you by the locker room.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

“
Big day today for
our little town!” Katie’s dad was wearing a sweatshirt with her
high school logo on it.

“I’ll be glad when it’s over.” Katie was not
as excited as her father was.

“Thought you were looking forward to the
game. You couldn’t get there fast enough last year.”

She didn’t want to give the real reason why
she wanted it over. “That was last year.” She rolled her eyes so
he’d think she was having the typical teenage reaction to something
that was so last year.

What she really cared about was that Lindsey
was coming over in the afternoon. They would get the book, then
have dinner with Katie’s parents and head to the game.

She waited all morning for her parents to be
distracted or go out. No such luck. They read the paper and drank
coffee. Katie thought she would get them moving. “What are we
having for dinner tonight?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” her mother
said. “What do you want?”

Katie wished she looked in the freezer to see
what was in there. She would have picked something that was not
available. “Well, Lindsey does love salmon. She loves the way you
cook it on the grill, Dad.”

“I’ll need to go get some fresh fish, then.”
Her father grinned. “Always appreciate it when someone enjoys my
cooking. Joanna, let’s get some breakfast going and then go to the
market.”

Homerun, Katie thought. She would be the
sweet, helpful daughter until they left. They didn’t seem to
suspect a thing.

As soon as they left, Katie sent a text to
Lindsey to come over. She ran to the key cupboard in the kitchen.
Maya’s key was on an apple keychain hanging in its designated spot.
She sat at the kitchen table and waited.

Lindsey tapped on the back sliding glass
door. She wore a black hoodie and sunglasses.

“Too funny.” Katie wished she dressed in
black, too. “I’ll be right back.”

She ran upstairs and grabbed the Jack Woods
book to replace the one she’d be taking from the set. It was going
to be hard to part with one of his books but it had to be done. She
ran back down. “Let’s go!”

The two girls ran across the path to Maya’s
house. Then Katie suddenly stopped. “We have a problem. This is the
key to her front door.” They looked at each other. That would make
things a little harder. Tyson lived across the street plus there
were joggers and people walking dogs all the time. And someone
could drive by and notice.

“We can do this.” Lindsey ran up the side of
the house. “Come on!” As they approached the front, she said, “You
go in and I’ll stay out here and watch for anything
suspicious.”

Katie ran quickly to the front door, unlocked
it and went inside.

“Hello?” she said meekly. She tiptoed to the
family room. Although she felt extremely guilty she continued on.
As Katie bent down to open the bookcase, she remembered it was
locked and that Maya had the key on a chain around her neck.

Why didn’t I think of that? Katie went into
the kitchen and grabbed a butter knife. What else would work?

She felt like she had been in the house too
long already. Nervously, she rummaged around for a few more things
she thought would work—a letter opener, a paper clip. She took
everything to the bookcase. The butter knife was too big. The paper
clip was too small. The letter opener was just right. She felt like
Goldilocks only she hoped the three bears would not return home and
surprise her.

The books all looked alike. They were all a
dull black color so the book she brought would blend in nicely.
Katie made the exchange and locked the case. Returning to the
kitchen, she made sure everything was back in order.

Then she ran to the front window and looked
out. Across the street, she saw Lindsey playing basketball with
Tyson.

Now she had to somehow get out of the house,
without him seeing her. Katie saw Lindsey flashing looks over at
the house. Lindsey needed to know she was ready to leave. Katie
left her phone at home. She decided to wait for the next time
Lindsey looked over, and would quickly open and close the front
door.

After a few more minutes, Lindsey stopped
playing and rested her hands on her knees as if to get her breath.
Katie opened the door and then shut it. She watched through the
window again and saw Lindsey had Tyson by the shoulders and was
talking to him. He faced his house, and she faced the street. Katie
made a break for it. She locked the front door all the while
looking over her shoulder. She ran over to the side of Maya’s house
and across the back yard. Then she entered her own house and rushed
to the front door.

She called to Lindsey, “Sorry I didn’t hear
you!”

Lindsey waved to Tyson, then crossed the
street. Tyson waved to Katie and went back in his house.

“That was a close one! He came out as soon as
you went in the house!” Lindsey was out of breath. “I knew he saw
my car in your driveway. I was afraid he might come over to your
house. I ran around to the back of the houses and came out the side
by your driveway. I went across the street and told him you must be
doing something because you didn’t hear me knocking. Ty suggested
calling and I said I did that. So I just challenged him to a game
while I kept an eye out for you. I swear he must keep tabs on you
24/7!”

“Thanks so much.” Katie hugged her. “I got
the book. It’s mine forever! I need to find a good hiding place for
it now.”

They ran up to Katie’s room. Lindsey looked
around and then spotted the quilted book bag that her Grandma J
gave Katie. “Why not hide it in plain sight?” She pointed to the
bag.

“Good idea!” Katie placed the book underneath
the other two.

By the time Katie’s parents arrived home, it
was dinnertime. Everyone enjoyed the meal and the talk was about
the game. Katie was in a good mood, especially since she was in
possession of the book. She forgot all about promising Ty to go out
after the game.

Katie and Lindsey left before Katie’s
parents. They wanted to see Jordyn. It would be her first game, and
she was a little nervous. When they got there, Jordyn was with
Matt. “Do you mind if Matt sits with you guys?” she asked them.

“Of course not! We’ll be your cheer
section!”

Jordyn was called away for practice. Erin
gave Katie an evil stare.

“What did I do now?” Katie asked Lindsey.

“I think she knows Ty asked you out.”

“Ooo, forgot about that. I don’t really want
to go. Plus it’s just going out and getting something to eat after
the game. We’re friends.”

“Did you forget about the dance, too? I think
Erin planned on going with Ty,”

“The liar told me she was going home. I’ll
handle it. I’ll tell Ty to go to the dance.”

Matt, Lindsey and Katie got a seat a few rows
up behind the bench. The cheerleaders sat under the basket and
would come out onto the floor during timeouts. The team was already
practicing on the court. Brian and Ty were both in the starting
line-up.

“Oh, Lindsey, there’s Brian.” Katie poked her
playfully.

“We’re just friends,” Lindsey said sincerely.
“And he knows it.”

“Okay, I wished that worked for me,” Katie
put her head on Lindsey’s shoulder.

The game was exciting. Lots of people were
there. Jordyn was doing well as a new cheerleader. Her moms sat
with Katie’s and Lindsey’s parents. Katie watched everything as if
it were a movie. The basketball players jumped and drove to the
basket in slow motion, the cheerleaders yelled out but she didn’t
hear the cheers. She found herself clapping with the rest of the
crowd and not really knowing why. Katie wanted the night to be
over. She wanted it to be the start of Thanksgiving vacation. She
planned to go to the canyon on Tuesday night, knowing it would be
Wednesday there. Then she’d return for Wednesday in the present,
then go back for Thanksgiving. Feeling like a ping-pong ball, she
wished she didn’t have to go back and forth. She wanted to spend
her vacation there, returning on Sunday. It just couldn’t be done
though. She had to live two lives during the break.