Trouble at Home Read online

  "My mom thinks it's going to be the biggest story at the station," Amy confided. Mrs. Sutton worked for a local TV station. "She says unless Mr. Santelli can clear his name, there's no way he'll be able to win the election."

  "Hey," Lila gasped, grabbing Jessica's arm. "There she is!"

  They turned to watch Maria, who was walking down the hall alone, her face grave.

  "Poor thing," Amy commented.

  "It would've been so much fun knowing the mayor's daughter," Jessica said.

  Lila shook her head. "I was even going to invite Maria over for dinner sometime soon, just to get to know her better." She shrugged. "I guess there's no reason to now."

  Jessica and Amy nodded. Jessica had been bending over backward to be extra nice to Maria at cheerleading practice. Who could tell whether or not she would come in handy? Maybe Maria's father would've become governor of the whole state one day! Even as mayor he would have been a big celebrity. But Lila was right. There was no point in being friendly to Maria any longer. Chances were that they would never hear from Mr. Santelli again.

  "Guess what?" Lila said in a bright voice. "Daddy's decided to buy me a present for my half-birthday. A video camera! Now I'll be able to make movies of all the famous people Daddy knows!"

  Jessica couldn't believe it. It was bad enough that Lila had a car phone. This was too much.

  Jessica was getting really tired of hearing her friend boast about her wealth, her father's friends, and all the things her father bought for her. Lila always had to be the first one to own a new gadget, the first one to spread the latest gossip. She had everything, and Jessica was sick of it! It was time for Jessica to come up with something new that Lila either didn't know about or didn't own.

  Once again, on Wednesday evening, things didn't feel quite right to Elizabeth around the Wakefield house. The family didn't eat dinner together the way they usually did because both of her parents were staying late at the office. Elizabeth missed the warm gathering that usually accompanied her family's evening meal. She made herself a small salad, took it up to her room, and was just about to start on her history homework when her twin barged through the door. Normally she would have given Jessica a hard time for not knocking, but right now she was happy for the company.

  "Hey," Jessica said, "are you busy?"

  "Not really," Elizabeth said, immediately closing her history book.

  "Guess what I just saw advertised on TV? It's this phone service for teenagers. You dial a nine hundred number and get to talk to all these other kids." Jessica's eyes were shining. "I'm dying to try it. They were interviewing this couple who met that way, and the guy was so gorgeous! And the girl talked about how romantic it was getting to know each other on the phone." She helped herself to some salad from Elizabeth's plate. "Kind of like love letters, only easier."

  Elizabeth was used to her sister's enthusiasm for the latest fad, but this time she was concerned. "Those phone services cost a fortune," she told Jessica. "And I don't think it's a very good idea, anyway. You could meet some real creeps."

  "Hey, you guys," Steven said, poking his head into Elizabeth's room. He was staying home the rest of the week to finish up some research for his legal ethics project. "Dad just got home. Let's go downstairs and keep him company. He's been kind of down since this whole Santelli scandal started."

  So Steven's noticed, too, Elizabeth thought unhappily.

  She followed her brother and sister downstairs to the front hallway, where Mr. Wakefield was hanging up his coat. He gave them a brief smile, but he looked drawn and pale.

  "Hi, kids. Where's your mother?" he asked.

  "Still not home," Jessica said.

  "How was your day, Daddy?" Elizabeth asked quickly.

  Before he could answer, the back door swung open, and they heard Mrs. Wakefield call, "Hi, everyone!"

  "Hi, Mom," Elizabeth and Jessica said in unison.

  Mrs. Wakefield walked to the front of the house to hang up her coat. "Why's everyone standing around in the hallway?" she asked.

  "Dad just got home, too," Elizabeth said. "We were talking."

  "Oh," Mrs. Wakefield said. "Has everyone eaten?"

  "I ate downtown," Mr. Wakefield said. The twins and Steven said they had gotten their own dinners.

  "Well, then," Alice Wakefield said, "any chance we can have coffee and dessert together?"

  Within minutes coffee was brewing, and Elizabeth was dishing up chocolate ice cream for the whole family.

  "Boy," Mrs. Wakefield said, kicking off her shoes and collapsing into a chair, "what a mess about Peter. It's all I've been hearing about for the past two days."

  "Me, too," Steven said. "It seems like rumors are really spreading fast."

  "Did you talk to Mr. Santelli today, Daddy?" Elizabeth asked.

  "As a matter of fact, I did. I ran into him at a restaurant where we both go for lunch fairly often, and he sat down with me for a while. Naturally he was very upset. He insists that he's never accepted a bribe, and I have to tell you, I don't doubt it for a minute."

  "What's he going to do?" Steven asked.

  Mr. Wakefield shrugged. "I don't think he knows right now. Of course, he's still a candidate for mayor, and his first interest is in trying to minimize negative publicity. But you can imagine how hard that is to do. Meanwhile, police are investigating the matter. He told me they found that a huge sum of money was deposited into his bank account four days ago, but it was without his knowledge." Mr. Wakefield looked grim. "Ten thousand dollars. Can you imagine what'll happen once the papers get hold of that one?"

  "How could the money have gotten there?" Elizabeth asked her father.

  "Who knows? Someone could be framing him, Liz." Mr. Wakefield sighed. "All I know is this: I think he's innocent."

  "I agree," Mrs. Wakefield said fervently. "Poor Peter. It must be terribly frustrating for him after he's worked so hard."

  Mr. Wakefield was quiet for a moment. "I think there's a lot more in store for him than frustration and disappointment. Because the police have uncovered this questionable bank deposit, I think we have to count on the fact that they will press criminal charges."

  "What exactly does that mean?" Elizabeth asked.

  "It means," her father said quietly, "that Mr. Santelli could be put on trial. And if he loses, he could be sent to prison."

  Shocked silence followed these words. Elizabeth was still trying to find her voice when the phone rang. It was Mr. Santelli calling for Mr. Wakefield.

  "Oh, no," Mr. Wakefield said sadly into the phone. "Peter, I'm so sorry." He was silent for a minute. "Well, I could meet you at your house tonight, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be much use to you in this one, Peter. I'm not a—I don't do that kind of law." After another brief pause, Mr. Wakefield cleared his throat. "Of course, Peter. I'll be right over."

  "What happened?" Jessica asked the second her father hung up the phone.

  "I'm afraid the worst has happened. Peter's been charged. He's out on bail now, but this thing is going to trial."

  "Does he want you to defend him, Dad?" Steven asked.

  Mr. Wakefield nodded. "He and I go way back. We've known each other for years, and I think he asked me to represent him because we're such old friends. He doesn't trust most of the lawyers he knows."

  "Daddy, that isn't the only reason he asked you!" Elizabeth cried. "He asked you because he knows what a fantastic lawyer you are."

  "That's right, Dad," Steven agreed. "Hey," he added, "why don't you do it? Why don't you take on his case and prove to whatever jerk is trying to frame him that it just won't work?"

  "If I were your age again, Steven, with your optimism, maybe I could do that. But I haven't taken on a criminal case in fifteen years. I wouldn't even know where to begin," he added slowly.

  Elizabeth sat straight up and stared at her father. "Dad, Steve's right. You have to do it. You're the only one who could save Mr. Santelli—and save his chance for becoming mayor."

  Mr. Wakefield sho
ok his head. "Now, wait a minute, Liz. I was just saying that I haven't—"

  "That's a fantastic idea!" Jessica cried. "Dad, you'd be a hero! You'd probably get a big public appointment the minute he became mayor," she added.

  "It's a ridiculous idea." Mr. Wakefield glanced at each member of his family. "But then, again—that doesn't make it a bad idea."

  Mrs. Wakefield raised her brows. "Honestly, Ned, you're not really thinking of defending him, are you?"

  "Why not?" he asked calmly.

  "I know you've been disillusioned with work lately," Alice Wakefield said gently. "But wouldn't this just compound the problem? You'd probably have to work long hours," she added, "and right now, right after I've just taken on more responsibilities at the office, I'm not really sure—"

  But Mr. Wakefield didn't seem to hear her. "You know," he interrupted, "I think you kids have a good point. There's no use sitting around and complaining about the way law works nowadays. It's up to me to try to do something to change it. After all, that's what I'm always telling you."

  "Daddy," Elizabeth said excitedly, "does that mean you're going to take Mr. Santelli's case?"

  Mr. Wakefield smiled. "Well, I'm certainly going to think about it," he said. "It may mean working a lot of extra hours, but I can't imagine anything more worthwhile!"

  Elizabeth was delighted. She was sure this was exactly what her father needed. Once he saw how much good he could do for Mr. Santelli, he'd definitely take on the case. And she was sure he would win.

  Jessica had had enough of the doom-and-gloom conversation her family was having. The first chance she got, she raced up the stairs to her room. She closed her door tightly and unfolded the slip of paper on which she had written the number of the party line she'd gotten from the TV commercial. She was so excited that she had butterflies in her stomach. "Romance! Excitement!" the ad had promised. "And all within easy reach. Just use your touch-tone phone." This was it. She had finally found something that Lila didn't know about and hadn't got to first. Jessica intended to take full advantage of that fact! She was going to find the most gorgeous, exciting boyfriend this way, and Lila would be green with envy. Jessica took a deep breath and punched the numbers. After a few rings, an operator answered.

  "Would you like to be connected to the teen party line?" she asked.

  "Yes, please," Jessica said.

  The operator explained the rates, which Jessica didn't pay any attention to. "Fine, fine," she said. "Go ahead and put me through."

  The next minute she heard a click, and then a bunch of voices.

  "Hey!" a girl's voice said. "I think someone new has come on. Hello?"

  "Hi," Jessica said.

  "Hi. I'm Michael. Who are you?" a boy's voice said next.

  Jessica introduced herself. There were six other people on the line. Four girls—Michelle, Sara, Nicola, and Bea—and two boys—Michael and Charlie.

  "Where are you from, Jessica?" Charlie asked. She liked his deep, sexy voice. He definitely sounded cute.

  "From Sweet Valley. What about you?"

  "I'm from Riverdale," Charlie said, naming a nearby town.

  "Hey, you two, this is a party line, remember?" Sara said in a coy, possessive voice.

  Jessica felt her heart beat a little faster. This was definitely her kind of thing. Now she knew she had to compete with Sara for Charlie's attention, and there was nothing she liked more than going after what she wanted.

  For the next ten minutes everyone joked around, talking about school, shopping, surfing. Jessica made sure she got to pitch a few comments directly to Charlie, and she lingered over his name when she said goodbye.

  "Hey, Jessica," he said, "will I get to talk to you again?"

  "Maybe," Jessica said mysteriously. "I haven't decided yet."

  "Oh, that voice. It's dazzling, Jessica. I can hardly wait to hear it again. Good night."

  "Dazzling!" Jessica repeated to herself as she hung up. That was one of the nicest compliments anyone had ever given her. Charlie must be quite a guy, she thought. She could hardly wait to talk to him again. The party line was even better than she had thought it would be.

  Three

  On Thursday morning Mr. Wakefield was whistling when Elizabeth came down for breakfast. Mrs. Wakefield had already left for work.

  "You sound cheerful today, Dad," Elizabeth commented.

  "Good morning, sweetheart. Can I get you some juice?"

  "Sure, thanks. So what happened last night at Mr. Santelli's?"

  Mr. Wakefield removed a large carton of juice from the refrigerator. "Well, he convinced me defending him on this case would be the right thing to do. So I agreed to do it."

  "Daddy, that's wonderful." She jumped up from her chair to give him a hug.

  A few minutes later, the two of them left the house together. Jessica had gotten a ride to school with Lila that morning, so Elizabeth drove alone. She hummed all the way, pleased and excited about her father's decision to defend Mr. Santelli.

  But the good mood around the Wakefield household didn't last for long. On Thursday evening Mr. Wakefield seemed tense about the possibility of a trial, rather than excited, and even worse, Elizabeth noticed that her parents were barely communicating. Mrs. Wakefield still didn't seem convinced that her husband's decision to defend Mr. Santelli was a good idea. And Mr. Wakefield was unhappy that Alice Wakefield had not gotten home until eight-thirty. Elizabeth had a feeling that meant things were only going to get worse.

  It was all Elizabeth could think about at school on Friday. And it was still on her mind after school, when she and Todd met on the grassy lawn to talk about their days.

  "Hey," Todd said, tipping up Elizabeth's chin and gazing deeply into her eyes, "I'd say 'penny for your thoughts,' but from your expression I have a feeling I ought to offer a little bit more. How about a buck?"

  Elizabeth tried to smile, but it took a real effort. "Sorry, Todd. I'm just worried about my parents," she said softly.

  "Your dad's still down in the dumps?" Todd asked sympathetically.

  Elizabeth nodded. "I thought he was going to start feeling better once he decided to defend Maria's father. But he's working harder than ever, and he seems to think it's a hopeless case. And in the meantime, my mom does nothing but work on her mall project."

  "I guess that means they haven't had much time to be together," Todd said softly.

  Elizabeth took a deep breath. "As far as I can tell, they've barely said two words to each other in the past two days. Mom is completely obsessed with this new project. And it's almost as if Dad is trying to compete with her by being as obsessed as she is! Todd, it's awful!"

  Todd stroked the back of Elizabeth's neck. "You know what I'm worried about?" he asked thoughtfully. When Elizabeth didn't respond, he went on. "I'm worried about you. Because, as usual, you're worrying about everyone but yourself." His expression was tender and loving.

  Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't know, Todd. I just keep thinking that there ought to be something I can do to relieve the tension around the house. But I can't think of anything."

  "Liz! Hey, Elizabeth." Jessica came hurrying toward them across the green lawn with an urgent look on her face. "I've been looking for you everywhere," she cried, sitting down next to Elizabeth. "Cheerleading got canceled today, and I don't have a ride home. Can I take the Fiat?"

  "And I thought you wanted to see me because you missed me so much after a whole day apart," Elizabeth joked. She dug in her pockets for the car keys. "Todd? Can I get a ride home with you?" When he nodded, she dropped the keys into her sister's outstretched hand.

  "Hey, isn't it great having such a heroic father?" Jessica asked. "Maria was just telling me how great Dad is for coming to her father's rescue."

  Elizabeth shrugged. "Remember what Dad said, Jess. It isn't going to be easy to disprove the bribery charge. The trial may drag on for ages. Besides," she added, "we don't want everyone expecting too much. If Dad loses, think how disappointed he'll be."

/>   "He won't lose," Jessica said.

  Elizabeth shook her head as she watched her twin dart off toward the parking lot. "Jessica is amazing," she said to Todd. "At first she seemed upset that Mom and Dad were arguing so much and about Daddy's attitude about his job. Now it doesn't seem to bother her at all."

  "Maybe she has the right attitude," Todd said. "Things might just blow over. Every relationship goes through rough patches." He ran his fingers through her hair. "Even ours. That's what commitment is about—sticking together through the bad times as well as the good. Don't worry too much, Liz. Your parents will get through this just fine."

  Elizabeth instinctively touched the gold locket Todd had given her a long time ago, when his father had been transferred to a new job in Vermont, and his whole family had moved away. True, she and Todd had weathered some rough times. They'd broken up, dated other people, and had still come back together. Elizabeth felt a tiny bit better. Once her parents got used to their new schedules, everything would be OK again.

  She let herself relax as Todd slipped his arms around her and gave her a gentle kiss.

  That evening Elizabeth was determined that the family was going to have a nice dinner together, even if it meant she had to make it. She stuck to a simple menu—hamburgers and salad—and her spirits rose as she finished each task. Todd was right. Everything was going to be just fine. She was worrying for no reason. Mr. Wakefield was in a good mood when he got home, full of stories about preparing for Mr. Santelli's trial. And the mood before dinner was much better than it had been over the past few days. Steven had gone out for dinner with his girlfriend, Cara Walker, the twins were both in high spirits, and they were having a good time joking around and teasing their father.

  There was only one problem: Mrs. Wakefield didn't come home at six-thirty, the way she usually did. She didn't even come home by seven. Mr. Wakefield's good mood seemed to flatten a little, and finally, at ten past seven, he announced it was time for dinner.