“It’s nice of her to say that,” Hannah responded. “As a matter of fact, I brought you some cookies.” She produced the bakery box, set it on the table, and raised the lid. “I call these Yummy Yam Cookies. They’re made with sweet potatoes or yams and marshmallows.”

“That sounds wonderful!” Jennifer said, smiling broadly. “I just love sweet potatoes and yams.”

Strike two! Hannah’s mind kept the tally as Jennifer’s bat failed to connect with Hannah’s second pitch. Carly had told Hannah and Michelle that Jennifer hated sweet potatoes and yams. But was Jennifer just being polite? Hannah had to make sure.

Hannah watched Jennifer reach for a cookie and eat it eagerly. “These are great cookies!” she said.

“Thanks,” Hannah answered, but her mind was announcing the progress of the game. If the batter takes another Yummy Yam Cookie, the count is no balls, two strikes. And Jennifer reached for another cookie.

One more strike and she had her! Hannah got ready to throw the next pitch. She hadn’t asked about Jennifer’s new bedspread yet. “I hear you’re back in your old room,” she said, watching Jennifer reach for a third cookie. For a girl who hadn’t liked sweet potatoes and had hidden her portion in her napkin, this was a telltale sign.

“Yes. Everything’s just the same, except for the bedspread, of course. And the clothes in the closet don’t exactly fit me anymore.”

“The bedspread is different?” Hannah asked, picking up on what she knew to be an untruth.

“Yes. Oh, it’s the same design as the one I had when I left home, but Mom found the same material and made me a new one.”

Hannah felt like groaning, but she managed to keep the pleasant expression on her face. She thought her last pitch would strike Jennifer out of the game, but she’d managed to fend it off. Foul ball, the announcer in Hannah’s mind called out. The count remains at no balls, two strikes. Jennifer was staying in the batter’s box for another pitch, at least.

After five more pitches and five more foul balls, Hannah was getting desperate. No matter what she did, she couldn’t seem to get Jennifer to completely strike out. If she searched her heart, she’d have to side with Carly. She didn’t think that Jennifer was her sister. But there was nothing in Jennifer’s manner or demeanor that branded her as a liar. There was another emotion beneath her exterior, something Hannah was searching to identify. It was a powerful emotion, one that could drive a person to lie. But what was it?