The Big House

The Big House — page 3 — everything and it reverberated throughout the imposing polished courtroom straight up Ivy’s backbone and out the top of her head All during the trial she had wished for a fancy hammer of her own and now she wanted one more than ever something she could lift and lower to decree what was what Her hand tightened in a fist at just the thought of wielding one Ray tugged at her sleeve and pulled her back down beside him She crossed her arms hard across her chest and leaned over to him It's not fair she whispered loud It's not Ivy was sure She had paid close attention during the trial she had even kind of enjoyed it safe in her conviction that her parents would beat the rap She liked hearing people tell the same story in completely different ways and she liked deciding who she believed and who she didn't And she hadn’t believed one word Marietta Noland had said about Dan and Carol The old witch insisted they had embezzled money from the estate of her dear departed father Blackstone Mouton and his charity the Last Best Hope So how Ivy wondered could the judge and jury possibly have believed Marietta over Dan Her father's story had been ten times better And he was so much nicer to look at and listen to as he told it sitting in the chair below and to the side of the judge explaining how Marietta had recruited him to set up a charity for

The Big House — page 4 — distributing part of her father’s vast fortune Didn't the judge see how her father had an answer for everything Didn't he notice how beautiful his smile was Ivy thought the lawyer should have asked Dan to do some of his tricks hide a pea under walnut shells know without fail which card you had pulled from the deck produce a penny from behind your ear but all anyone had talked about was money Money money money and who had done what with it When Marietta Noland testified she had worn white gloves with lacy cuffs and a charm bracelet laden with little things that jiggled whenever she moved her hand and a hat with fake berries tied around the brim She had sniffed as she told the story of how Dan Fitts that man she said in her quavery voice pointing at Ray and Ivy’s father with her bony crooked finger had secretly siphoned off thousands of dollars untold thousands she said Money her dear father intended for charity And the judge had believed her the witch Ivy should have known he would she had distrusted the judge from day one from the moment he had entered the courtroom through the special door in the corner his black robe swirling around him Maybe it was the mustache But she also hadn't liked how often he called the lawyers up to his desk and whispered things that no one else was allowed to hear

The Big House — page 5 — Now he had declared Dan and Carol guilty Ivy knew her parents were in for it Her father had told her that if the judge got the chance he'd throw the book at them Ivy sat up straight She scanned the judge's desk set high upon a raised platform He had his hammer but she didn't see any book And then he spoke I sentence you he began Ivy closed her eyes tight but even in the dark of her eyelids she saw a big fat book sailing straight toward them all to twenty five

The Big House — page 6 — Ivy was on her feet in a flash eyes wide Twenty five she cried out Shouting the number only made it explode more inside her head all those years and years and years and years Ray was pulling on her arm again What Ivy he said Ivy turned and looked into her little brother's face a face remarkably like her own Forever she said It had hit her Both of them Dan and Carol had been sent off to jail before but never at the same time and never forever The entire courtroom was buzzing and stirring The backs of her parents heads seemed miles away all their perfect curls The judge pounded his hammer and continued on Ivy caught only a word now and then It was roaring between her ears Finally little by little she began to hear again He was talking about the children and it took her a moment to realize he meant them Ray and Ivy and then she had to hurry inside her head to catch up with what he was saying During the confinement of Dan and Carol Fitts he droned their children as the first beneficiaries of Blackstone Mouton's Last Best Hope Charity would be commended to the care of Marietta and Lionel Noland Marietta and Lionel Was he crazy The ones who had accused her parents of

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