Isaac, who hadn’t even looked as if he were paying attention to the conversation, responded for her. “We couldn’t get her out of the water if we tried.”
Gussie looked confused and turned to her father, “Dad, but she can’t—”
Before Gussie could get anything else out, Anna reached forward, grabbed her hand, gave the group an apologetic smile, and guided her inside the candy store. Stuart waited a few seconds to excuse himself, then followed them inside, where he found Anna and Gussie among several large bins of saltwater taffy. Anna was at eye level with Gussie, smoothing her hair as she spoke to the child in soft, soothing tones. Stuart had to get close before he could hear what she was saying.
“… important not to tell.”
Gussie looked like she was on the verge of tears. “But I thought we were just keeping the secret from Mother.” Her lip started to quiver. “Because, because, because of the baby.”
“Shhhh,” whispered Anna. “It’s confusing, I know.”
Stuart approached the pair and crouched low. “I think your grandparents are worried that, if lots of people know Florence has died, someone will tell your mother. It makes it easier to keep the secret if only a small number of people know.”
“We’re like a special club,” said Anna. “Have you ever been in a club?”
“Like asecretclub?” Gussie asked.
“Yes, the most secret kind of club. The kind with handshakes and passwords and secret languages,” said Anna.
“Some of the girls at school are in a secret club.”
“Not you?” Anna asked.
She shook her head sadly. “In their club, they speak Pig Latin.”
“But that’s barely secret at all!” Stuart said, allowing a look of horror to fall over his face. “Everyone knows Pig Latin!”
“Our club is top secret,” said Anna.
“And I’m a member?” Gussie asked.
“All of us are members,” said Stuart, looking at Anna. “Everyone who knows what happened to Florence.”
“Do we have a secret handshake?” asked Gussie.
“?‘Do we have a secret handshake?’ Anna, can you even believe what this girl is asking? ‘Do we have a secret handshake?’ We’ve got a secret handshakeanda secret language!”
He grabbed Gussie’s small wrist and squeezed it twice before curling her pinkie into her palm and tugging at her thumb. “Is that secret enough for you?” he asked, grinning at her.
“And our secret language?”
“Anna, should we tell her the secret language? Do you think she’s ready for something so top secret?”
Anna made a face, as if she were carefully assessing Gussie’s secret-keeping attributes.
“I think she will do all right with such a big secret.”
Stuart had to think fast to come up with something. “It’s called ARP Talk, and it’smuchmore sophisticated than Pig Latin. You have to say ‘arp’ before every vowel sound. So, your name is Garp-u-sarp-ie. And I’m Starp-u-arpart.”
“What’s Anna’s name?”
“Arpann-arpa, of course.”
Gussie practiced for a few minutes. She said the made-up words for beach and sand and home.
“You’re quite good,” said Anna.
“So, the club rules are pretty straightforward,” said Stuart. “Don’t share the secret handshake with anyone who’s not a member, don’t teach anyone who’s not in the club the secret language, and—” He hesitated here. “Don’t tell anyone that Florence is dead.”
