After the morning recess, Hamilton presented his witnesses, who testified to Mr. Shelby’s good character. Just before lunch, the judge decided to grant bail. Her decision rested on the inability of the prosecution to produce a body.
Madison knew that the police and her father’s investigator were trying to find Mrs. Shelby or her corpse because the side that succeeded would win the case. Madison was torn between being worried about her former teacher and her dad’s chances of winning the case.
“Your dad is tougher than any of the lawyers in Max Stone’s books!” Jake said under his breath.
Madison was about to answer when she saw the woman who had been sitting in the back slip out of the courtroom. Madison thought that she looked worried. Just then the judge adjourned court.
“Are you going to say hi to your dad?” Jake asked.
“He doesn’t like me to bother him when he’s with a client. Let’s leave so we don’t distract him. He’ll probably be busy arranging to have bail posted as quickly as possible so Mr. Shelby can get out of jail. I’ll tell him tonight that we were in court.”
Jake wanted to eat lunch and Madison suggested the food court at the Pioneer Square Mall in the center of downtown Portland, a few blocks north of the courthouse. On the way over, Jake chatted excitedly about the bail hearing, but Madison only half listened. Something about the woman with the curly blond hair bothered her, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
Just before they sat down to eat, Madison figured it out. She was certain that the woman was not Mrs. Shelby, but she looked enough like her to be her sister.
Chapter 9
The Getaway
Beep.
Groggily, Madison looked at the clock.
Beep.
Eleven a.m. Wow, she’d slept late! She reached over and grabbed her cell phone.
Beep.
“Becca” appeared on the caller ID. Madison sat up, pushing her hair out of her face. She clicked the Talk button.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Madison, it’s Becca! You sound sleepy. Are you still in bed?”
“No, I—I was about to get up anyway. What’s up?”
“Well, Lacey, Jessi, and I are meeting in the mall food court at noon. I thought I’d find out if you wanted to come.”
Madison thought quickly. She did have homework to do, and she wanted to think about the Shelby case. And look for Ann. But maybe it would be fun to go to the mall like all the other junior high girls did. Plus, it was really nice of Becca to invite her. Ann was always the one the other girls invited to go to the mall, and Ann usually passed the invite to Madison. It felt good to get the invite directly from Becca.
“Sure!” Madison answered, swinging her legs out of bed.
At seven that morning, the sound of the front door closing had woken Madison up. Even though it was Saturday, her dad was at the office.
“My dad’s at work, so would I be able to get a ride with you?”
“We’ll pick you up in forty minutes.”
“Awesome. . . . Thanks, Becca! See you soon!”
Madison dialed her dad’s office, but the call went straight to voice mail. She sighed.
“Hey, Dad,” she said, “I’m going to the mall with Becca, Jessi, and Lacey today. I’ll have my cell if you need me. I love you.”
Snapping her cell shut, she went to the bathroom to shower.
The girls bought smoothies in the food court, then walked toward Nordstrom to look at shoes.
“So what’s Jake doing this weekend?” Becca asked with a coy smile.
Madison blushed. “I have no idea,” she said, stepping onto the up escalator.
“You should keep better track of your boyfriend.” Becca giggled.
Madison’s blush deepened. “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend.”
“You hang out all the time; he always talks to you at lunch. He’s either your boyfriend or he wants to be,” Becca argued.
Madison wondered if Becca was right. Of all the girls Madison knew, Becca was the authority on boys. She had “gone out” with three boys since the fifth grade and even kissed Jason Tompkins after the sixth-grade graduation dance. Suddenly all thoughts of Jake and boys vanished.
Ann’s mother was passing Madison on the down escalator.
At least Madison thought it was Ann’s mom. It looked like the woman Madison had seen at every soccer practice and game since she was five, cheering on the sidelines—but something was different. Ann’s mom usually wore professional suits or tailored clothes even on weekends, and had her hair up in a tight bun or French twist. This woman had Ann’s mom’s face but was dressed in a long, flowing gypsy skirt, and her long hair hung down in unbrushed waves.
“Mrs. Beck!” Madison yelled.
The woman turned, and her eyes locked with Madison’s. For a second the woman looked startled. Then she flashed a forced smile and gave a tight wave.
Madison’s escalator reached the top, and she ran around to the other side of the floor to catch the down escalator, ignoring the other girls’ puzzled calls. She ran down the escalator, pushing past shoppers. When she reached the bottom, she scanned the floor for the woman. Radio Shack, Body Shop, Kay Jewelers . . . but she’d lost her.
When Madison got back to the top of the escalator, the girls were laughing.
Jessi was bent over, hysterical. “OMG, you ran off like a crazy lady!” she said.
“That was Ann’s mom. I can’t believe she ran away!” Madison said, embarrassed and confused.
“She didn’t run away,” Lacey said, giggling. “I saw her wave at you. She probably didn’t know you were chasing her.”
“No way. She had to have seen me run down the escalator. I bet she was trying to get away so she wouldn’t have to answer questions about Ann.”
“I’m sure she wasn’t avoiding you,” Becca said, rolling her eyes. “She may not have been Ann’s mom anyway. I’ve never seen Ann’s mom in an outfit like that.”
“It looked like Mrs. Beck’s hippie twin sister or something,” Jessi said.
“That makes me even more nervous.” Madison sighed. “Maybe she was in disguise so we wouldn’t recognize her.”
“I’m sure Ann’s fine,” Jessi said, annoyed by Madison’s never-ending dramatics. “I’m sure everything is fine. Let’s go look at shoes.”
“Yeah, a little retail therapy will make you feel better,” Becca added, giggling.
Madison gave a halfhearted smile, but she couldn’t shake the worry. What could have happened to Ann?
Chapter 10
Madison Finds a Clue
When Madison walked out of the locker room after Monday’s soccer practice, Jake was standing with a group of guys from the boys’ team. He saw her and waved. Madison remembered what Becca had said about Jake being her boyfriend. Was he waiting for her outside the locker rooms or was it just a coincidence that they were there at the same time? Jake said something to his friends, then walked over to her.
“Hi,” Madison said. For the first time she found herself nervous around Jake. Why had Becca ever said anything?
“What are you doing?” Jake asked.
“I’m going to my dad’s office to do homework.” She felt impulsive. “Do you wanna come along? We can work on our science homework.”
“Sure, I’ve never been to a law office before.” Jake pulled out his cell phone. “Just let me call my mom and tell her I’ll be late.”
While Jake made the call, Madison thought about what she’d done. Had she asked Jake out on a date? No, they were just going to study, so this would be another educational experience, like going to court together to learn about bail hearings. Studying together would definitely not be a date, Madison decided.