Read OUT ON A LIMB for Free Online Page B

conservatory and the butler was dashing off to find smelling salts for the anorexic niece who’d dropped by unexpectedly in hopes of a substantial loan to pay off her gambling debts, Inez came down the hallway.
    “Good night, Ms. Malloy,” she murmured.
    “Did you and Caron conquer binomials?”
    “I suppose so. Are you going to need any help with Skyler? I can leave after fifth period tomorrow. Mr. O’Nally, the Latin teacher, is having some sort of creepy surgery on his toenails and gave us passes to the library.”
    “That’s very kind of you, Inez. I don’t think I’ll need any help, but if you’d like to come by the Book Depot, you can take Skyler outside. A little sunshine might be good for him.”
    “You said his mother’s my age?”
    “Thereabouts.”
    “Is she married?”
    I put down the book. “I don’t think so. From what I was told, she was kicked out of her home and was living on the streets.”
    Inez thought this over. “Do you think she was going to Farberville High School before she got pregnant?”
    “Probably, but I can’t give you a decent description of her beyond medium height and long, dark hair. Can you think of a girl who dropped out before Christmas?”
    “No one in any of my classes. Shall I ask around?”
    “It can’t hurt,” I said, “although she may be from one of the little towns around here or even another state. Twenty dollars will buy a bus ticket; no passport required.”
    “This is so sad,” she said, her lenses fogging up.
    I went over to her and squeezed her shoulder. “Skyler is safe, Inez. We’ll look after him and make sure that nothing bad will happen to him. If his mother is unable to convince me that she can take care of him, I’ll call social services. They don’t have metal cribs these days, and they’re not brawny sadists. Their job is to do what’s best for children in harmful situations.”
    “But what if his mother shows up and just takes him away? The police can’t arrest her, can they? You can’t stop her.”
    I pulled off her glasses and dried them on my shirttail. Settling them back on her nose, I lapsed into the maternally obdurate voice I usually reserve for Caron when she wheedles for an advance on her allowance or forgets to take out the garbage. “I will stop her, if I have to tie her up and read self-help books to her until the authorities arrive.”
    Inez sniffled, then slung her backpack over her shoulder and went downstairs.
    I waited for a moment to see if Caron might come padding down the hall to second Inez’s apprehensions, then sighed and resumed the position on the sofa. The lady of the manor dithered for another page or two, but she no longer held my attention. I checked on Skyler, then reminded myself that I had yet another rock-a-bye baby, in this case literally in the treetop. Randy had not called, but it was possible the scrap of paper with my name and number was in the first wastebasket he’d encountered inside Koenig Hall. Even if his intentions had been honorable, he might be having problems getting a ride back to Oakland Heights, Phase One.
    After a few minutes of wrinkling my brow and gazing blankly at the wall, I remembered his last name and opened the telephone directory. There was only one Randy Scarpo. I dialed the number, hoping he’d been so dumbfounded by whichever vectors had been differentiated that he’d forgotten to call me.
    A woman answered. I asked to speak to Randy in what I thought was a modulated and polite voice.
    “Who’s this?” she said shrilly, as if I’d hissed an obscenity.
    “Is this Jillian?”
    Her decibel level rose. “Why are you calling? Where did you get my name? I don’t know you!”
    “Well, no, you don’t.” I went on to offer a somewhat coherent explanation for the purpose of my call, then added, “I’m worried about Miss Parchester. Some of the sightseers were hostile.”
    She calmed down, although there remained an inexplicable edge in her tone. “I understand