Chapter 10 #2
‘Shall we walk?’ I asked when we got out onto the street and I’d pushed my sunglasses down on my nose, satisfied that it was safe. ‘It’s only, like, two stops on the subway.’
‘Sure. I hardly ever go over to the piers. I didn’t realize they were that close.’
We crossed the street to walk in the sunshine.
‘I can’t believe how much we’ve achieved already in the past couple of days,’ Alice said. ‘It feels like ages since I first came to the shop and met you.’
‘That’s often how it works when my mom sets me a scavenger hunt.’ I realized I was talking about her in the present tense and ignored the pang of pain in my chest. ‘Either I figure it out really quickly, or I end up getting stuck on a clue that takes me days, or even weeks to unpick.’
‘You love it, though, right?’ Alice asked. ‘I can tell.’
‘Yeah, I do,’ I said softly. ‘The thrill of the chase. It’s the same with buying and selling antiques actually.’
‘How long have you been involved in the antiques business?’ Alice asked. ‘I feel like I hardly know much about you and your life before this.’
‘I’ve been part of it my whole life.’ I laughed.
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. When I was a kid, my grandfather ran the shop. My mom and I lived in another apartment then, over in Vinegar Hill.’
‘So you grew up in Brooklyn?’
My hand accidentally brushed against Alice’s as we walked, and I felt a jolt in my stomach, like when she’d touched me yesterday. I quickly tucked my hands into the pockets of my shorts.
‘Yep,’ I said rushing to cover my emotions. ‘The summer before I started high school my grandfather passed away, so we moved into his apartment over the shop so my mom could be closer to work.’
Alice was quiet for a minute while we crossed over Greenwich Avenue.
‘I can’t imagine how hard this is for you,’ she said as we passed the little triangle-shaped park of Jackson Square. ‘Not just the scavenger hunt. Everything.’
I shrugged. ‘What option do I have other than to keep going?’
‘You could ask for help. Your uncles would help you out, I’m sure. Or your friends.’
‘I don’t need help,’ I said quickly.
‘Everyone needs help sometimes, Kendra. Don’t be dense.’
That made me laugh. ‘I’m not dense. Trust me. There’s freedom in self-sufficiency, you know.’
‘That sounds like something someone else has told you.’
‘It is,’ I said lightly. ‘My mom was well known for being a tough businesswoman. She worked in a male-dominated field her entire life and had to deal with …’
‘Who?’
‘You know,’ I said, not wanting to be too explicit while we were out on the street where anyone could overhear. ‘Some interesting characters.’
‘Tell me about them,’ Alice insisted.
‘Later.’ My eyes darted around. ‘So what do you know about this place?’ I asked as we approached the piers.
The west side of Manhattan still housed the ghosts of its industrial shipping history, though many of the docks weren’t in use any more. You were more likely to see New Yorkers jogging or sprawled out on the grass, reading paperback novels, than unloading containers from enormous ships.
‘Not much,’ Alice admitted. ‘I was reading about what happened to the survivors, since Abigail was one of them, and I came across an article that mentioned how the Carpathia had unloaded the Titanic’s lifeboats at the pier the ship was supposed to dock into before they finally disembarked at Pier Fifty-Four. I guess a lot has changed since then.’
‘New York has changed a lot since then,’ I said.
We stood underneath the old, rusting archway with the faintest remnants of a sign that read: WHITE STAR LINE – the company that had owned the Titanic. Even though I had no idea what we were looking for out here, it felt like we were on the right track.
Alice led the way down the bare, concrete pier until we emerged into an oasis of greenery. The plants and trees in the park were in full bloom, and a twisting path seemed to encourage us to explore.
‘It’s nice out here,’ Alice murmured.
‘I can’t believe I didn’t even know this existed.’
We walked deeper into the park, finding a small amphitheater with stadium seating, looking out across the Hudson River toward New Jersey.
Alice wandered over to a wooden A-frame sign covered in flyers.
‘It looks like they put on concerts,’ she said, reading the details.
‘Like classical music?’
‘All types of music. I guess they could even host theater productions. I bet it’s really pretty at sunset.’
I thought Alice looked really pretty in the glow of the late-afternoon sunshine, but I wouldn’t tell her that. I wasn’t sure I even knew how to tell a girl they looked pretty without it sounding like I was being sarcastic.
‘What’s that?’ Alice asked.
I glanced at the wood-framed building. ‘It might be for the technical crew who operate the stage,’ I said. ‘Lights, sound, that kind of thing.’
‘That would make sense.’
‘Wanna look inside?’ I asked with a conspiratorial grin.
Alice gaped at me. ‘What? No.’
The opportunity to tease her was too good miss. ‘Why not? It would be a great place to hide the next clue.’
‘Kendra, you promised no more breaking into places today,’ she said.
‘It won’t even be hard.’
‘But what if someone sees us?’
I glanced around at the couples strolling hand in hand, a young woman pushing a stroller, a few tourists taking pictures.
‘No one is paying attention. No one ever pays attention.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want to come back when it’s dark?’ Alice said, craning her neck like she was looking for security guards.
‘Nope. Just keep quiet. Or, actually, be loud. That would be better. Pretend to call someone. Create some girl drama. And keep watch.’
‘We’re going to get caught,’ she said a little desperately.
‘Nah, I never get caught.’ I grinned. That wasn’t strictly true, but it seemed like enough to get Alice on board.
I pulled out my wallet and slid the tiny lock-picking tools out of the back.
The building had obviously been designed to blend into the rest of the park, and the door was even more hidden round a corner that didn’t seem to get a lot of foot traffic.
That didn’t mean no one could see me, though, and I was very aware that there was no way to pick a lock in broad daylight without it being very obvious.
Alice took my instruction to heart and put her phone to her ear and started wailing.
‘Oh my God, Erica, he broke up with me!’
I snorted with laughter. A few people glanced our way, then their attention focused in on Alice.
God bless New York.
‘He broke up with me to hook up with Olivia. Olivia!’ Her voice rose to a shriek. ‘That skank!’
I was still laughing as I turned my back on her.
I took a second to scan the area, checking for anyone who might be watching me, or security, or cameras.
I ducked down, putting myself at eye level with the lock.
Then I wriggled the tool into the lock and pulled the handle.
Something gave way with a pleasing click, and I pushed the door open easily.
To be totally sure I was alone, I took a few steps inside and glanced around. The place was messy, but empty.
When I stuck my head back round the door, Alice was leaning against a low wall and sobbing softly. I waved at her until she noticed me.
‘I don’t even know, Erica. I never want to see him again,’ she continued.
‘I’m in,’ I mouthed and gave her a thumbs-up.
Alice glanced around, then told the fake person on the other end of the fake phone call, ‘Got to go,’ before she fake-ended the call.
I pressed my hand to my mouth to keep myself from laughing.