He didn't notice when I sat on a bench outside the court's wire fence. I brushed the gnats away from my face and waited. At last he stopped to drink from a water bottle.
"May I talk to you?"
He spun around, surprised, then glanced about to see if anyone else was there. "All right," he said, but he stayed where he was, midcourt on the other side of the tall wire fence. "About what?"
"My sister."
He didn't move.
"My sister Liza."
He wiped his face on his shirt and walked toward me, but only as far as the fence, keeping it between us.
"When did you know who I was?" I asked.
"As soon as I saw you."
"Why didn't you say something?"
"Why didn't you?"
"I have reasons," I replied.
"So do I."
I kicked at the grass, frustrated. He turned the face of his racket horizontal and bounced the ball against the court.
"Why did Liza give you the picture of her and me?"
"I guess she told you I liked it," he said, continuing to dribble the ball. Then his hand swooped down and snatched it. "No, she couldn't have, or you would have realized that I recognized you. How do you know about the photo?"
"I saw it in your room this afternoon."
"In my room?" His eyes narrowed, turning the color of blue slate. "What were you doing there?" Snooping.
He looked at me, amazed. "I can't believe it," he said. "I can't believe you'd do something like that."
"At least I'm honest in admitting it. You lied to me about Liza."
He turned his back on me and drove the ball hard against the wall. "You lied the day you introduced yourself as Jenny Baird."
"If you knew who I was, why did you He to me about her?" I persisted.
He faced me again, frowning.
"Why didn't you admit you were dating, in love, whatever?"
"Whatever," he echoed.
"You had to realize she'd tell me about the two of you. Sisters share almost everything."
"I don't know what Liza told you, but we were just friends."
I shook my head and turned to walk away.
"Jenny, listen. I may have. . misled Liza," he said haltingly.
I glanced back.
"When we first got to camp we became friends almost instantly. We spent a lot of time together and told each other stuff about our families. We had a lot in common-l mean, our dream of being actors and all.
I realized too late that Liza was misinterpreting things, that she thought I was interested in her romantically when really I was-" He broke off.
I stepped toward the fence and finished his statement: "Interested in my father, interested in his connections. Maybe he could get you a scholarship, like Walker did," I said and started to laugh, though I didn't think the situation funny. "You know, I've been used by guys who wanted to date my sister. I've been used by theater groupies who wanted access to Dad, but I didn't think something like that would ever happen to Liza."
Mike said nothing.
"Do you have any idea how much it hurts to be used that way-how much it makes you feel like a nothing?"
"I tried to let her down easy. I tried to back out, but she wouldn't let go."
"Did you kiss her?" I blurted.
He looked at me curiously. "Does it make any difference to you?"
"No, of course not." Talking about lying, I thought, I had just told a big one.
Mike was silent for a moment. "Well, as you know, accidents happen."
I stared at him angrily. "Next time, kiss up to my father, not me and my sister."
He took a step back.
"Why did you send Liza the note asking her to meet you by the river?"
"I didn't."
"You know what note I mean," I went on.
"The one Ken claims she saw, asking Liza to meet me at the gazebo. If there was one, I didn't send it. And, besides, Liza was killed under the bridge."
"Under the pavilion," I corrected him.
His forehead creased. "They found her under the bridge."
"She was murdered under the pavilion."