Page 50 of The Library of Borrowed Hearts

Jasper didn’t have to askwhohe was visiting. Even if he hadn’t witnessed the prodigal mother returning, the expression of distaste on the girl’s face told him everything he needed to know.

“Is your sister also ‘visiting’?” he asked, aiming for polite disinterest and falling painfully short of his goal. Fortunately for him, Trixie and Theo were too caught up in their own emotions to notice.

“She almost cut her finger off,” Theo announced in a delighted voice that showed what he thought of such a treat. He turned until Jasper could see the sleeve of his T-shirt, where a patch of red showed. “Look. She got blood all over me. She was cutting up carrots for dinner. No one even likes carrots. But then in walks Mom, and BAM!”

“Don’t you dare call her that,” Trixie said, her voice low and dangerous. “She isnotour mom. I don’t care how many presents she brings or who this fancy new guy—” She cut herself off, her lower lip between her teeth, and dropped a bag to the floor with a thud.

It was only then that Jasper realized what she was carrying—what they werebothcarrying. Backpacks, and ones that were stuffed so full that there was no way they’d just stopped by for some help with their homework.

Trixie followed the path of his gaze and bit her lip even harder.

“I know you don’t like us very much,” she said. “And I know it’s a lot to ask, but pretty please can we stay here for a few nights? Me andTheo both?”

“No.” The word shot out before Jasper could stop it.

Instead of taking this sharp denial at face value, both of the Sampsons seemed to draw strength from it. Theo clasped his hands in front of him and put on an expression that could only be described as that of a fallen angel. Trixie, conversely, narrowed her eyes with a shrewd understanding that belied her tender years.

“We’ll be so good, Mr. Holmes,” Theo begged. “You won’t even know we’re here, honest. Unless that flower over by the window is nightshade, like I think it is. I might take an eensy-weensy clipping so I can—”

“Stop it, Theo. You aren’t helping.” With a determined tilt of her chin, Trixie cleared her throat and launched into speech. “Webster’s Dictionarydescribescommunityas afeeling of fellowship with others.In the following argument, I will relay to the audience not only that community extends beyond the mere—”

“Absolutely not,” Jasper said, cutting her short.

She blinked up at him. “But I haven’t gotten to the good part yet. You have to at least let me get past the opening statement.”

Jasper was about to point out that he didn’thaveto do anything he didn’t want to when Theo dug a hand deep into his pocket. The boy pulled out a crumpled, well-worn slip of paper and held it out.

“Here,” he said as he slipped it into Jasper’s hand. “Maybe this will help. I stole it from Chloe’s purse. It’s the blank check you gave her.”

“The devil it is,” Jasper muttered as he uncrumpled the paper and laid it flat. Sure enough, his own signature winked up at him from the bottom. From the looks of it, no attempt had been made to name a figure—not the five thousand dollars he’d offered, not the million dollars she’d threatened to steal, and not even a five-dollar fee to cover a single box of name-brand cereal.

“If I give it back to you, it’s kinda like paying room and board, isn’t it?” Theo asked, a look of anxiety causing lines to form around hismouth. Of all the Sampson children, Theo was the one Jasper had always felt himself to have the least in common with; he was too exuberant and boisterous, his confidence off the charts. Something about those lines, however, struck home.

“I don’t have any money of my own, or I’d add it to the pile,” Theo said. “I tried having a paper route once, but there are only like six people in the whole town who get newspapers anymore.”

“You don’t understand,” Jasper said, his words almost a plea. He started taking a few steps back, as though putting space between him and these two kids might help him stave off the inevitable. “You can’t stay here.”

“We won’t take up much space,” Theo promised with another of those woebegone looks.

“And we’re at school most of the time anyway,” Trixie added. “You’ll barely notice us.”

Jasper reached for the only available lifeline he saw. “But what about your sister? You’re just going to abandon her?”

The two kids shared a look so intense that Jasper could practically feel the current flowing between them. He doubled down.

“She gave up everything to take care of you, and this is how you repay her? By running away at the first sign of trouble? Some brother and sister you’re turning out to be.”

His words were cruel and his tone even crueler, but that was the problem with kids who’d grown up the way they had. Few things had the power to scare them.

“Chloe can handle anything,” Theo said with a determined jut of his chin.

“She knows how I feel about that woman,” Trixie added, stopping herself just short of spitting in disgust. As if sensing how close Jasper was to the brink, she started to unzip her backpack. “I can pay you, too, if it helps.”

“I don’t want your money—” he began, but he cut his words shortwhen he saw what she was pulling out. As with the past two books that had recently been returned to him, this one was as recognizable as his own face. AsCatherine’sface.

“This is yours, right?” Trixie said, holding the book—a first-edition library copy ofThe Haunting of Hill House—out of Jasper’s reach. He could have easily snatched it from her despite his advanced age, but he didn’t.

I was right. Lonnie actually had it. That old bat’s been holding on to the book for all these years.