Framed & Dangerous (9780545443128) (10 page)

Fiona
stood waiting outside the classroom Thursday after the last bell.

“Thanks for calling an emergency meeting of the Dance Committee,” I said breathlessly as I ran up to her. The day had flown by as I made sure every part of our plan was in place.

We were going to catch the arsonist. Now.

Assuming everyone did their part. This was a group effort.

“Is everyone coming?” I asked.

Fiona nodded quickly. “I pretended to be in full-blown panic mode and made sure everyone knew they had to come. Or else.”

No one wanted an “or else” from Fiona. I was confident of that.

Members started streaming in, so we had to stop chatting. “You know what to do?” I whispered.

“Just leave it to me,” Fiona said. “This will be my crowning achievement in seventh-grade acting.”

And with that, Fiona charged into the room and waited at the podium. I took the seat closest to the door. Mrs. Haymon was sitting in her usual seat, but she had no papers with her to grade. Just an empty desk. She gave me a single nod and I returned it.

When the room was full, Fiona banged her gavel.

“What's going on?” Violet snapped. “I thought we finished all the decorations yesterday.”

Fiona waved her hand dismissively. “If we want the dance to be okay, then, yes, we finished. But I want nothing less than spectacular, and I'm sure the rest of you agree.” She eyeballed the crowd until every girl nodded in agreement.

“Wonderful,” she said. “Moving on. The first thing we need to create today requires beautiful handwriting. So I would like everyone to come up to the board. You should all write one word, the same word,
so we can compare and select the person whose handwriting has the … flourish that I'm looking for. The word shall be” — Fiona cast a quick look and a wry smile at me — “
dance
.”

I heard a few disgruntled mutters, but everyone lined up and took their turn at the board. Maya was first, wearing her Delanceys as usual. My stomach clenched, waiting for her to finish. She stepped away and I examined her
dance
.

No heart in the
e
. I let out the breath I'd been holding in.

Several girls started writing at the same time. I stared at their shoes and their handwriting in equal measure. No fancy
e
from any of them.

Last came Violet and Amanda. They walked to the whiteboard together, as they did almost everything else, selected markers, and started writing. When they finished and stepped back from the board, Fiona's eyes darted to mine.

My hand gripped my stomach, and I had to force myself not to audibly gasp.

The fancy
e
was on the board, with the little heart drawn inside.

We'd found her. I knew who had set the fire. I only hoped my secret weapon would come through.

Mrs. Haymon stood and said, “Meeting adjourned.”

“What's going on?” someone whispered.

“What about the new decorations?”

“We're finished here,” Mrs. Haymon said. “You can all go home. Except for you and you.” She pointed at me and one other girl. “You're coming with me to the principal's office.”

 

My
legs were trembling as I followed Mrs. Haymon down the hall with the girl who'd set fire to the field house. There were so many things I wanted to say and ask, but I kept my eyes straight ahead. I had to be patient.

My mind whirred, putting it all together. I almost couldn't believe it. I'd suspected Violet, but it was actually her best friend. Amanda never stuck out to me as guilty because she'd been so … nice.

But the evidence was all there. Amanda was on the Dance Committee. And unlike Violet, who Fiona said had her own sense of style, Amanda wore
Delanceys. And she put a happy little heart inside of her lowercase
e
's.

Now that I knew, little things were making more sense. Like that time Amanda and I spoke in the hallway and she'd said she was sure Zane “didn't mean for any of this to happen.” It had seemed like an innocent comment at the time. Now it had much more meaning.
Amanda
clearly hadn't meant for the fire to get so out of control. Well, it was too late now.

We reached the office waiting area and there sat Darcy, her knee nervously bobbing up and down. Her eyes widened as she saw Amanda with me. She hadn't been totally sure that we'd find the culprit. But the plan had worked, thanks to Mrs. Haymon.

I had met with her early in the morning and explained our predicament. As a math teacher, Mrs. Haymon appreciated logic and reasoning. So I'd laid everything out for her. We knew Zane had been framed because of the e-mail, and I could attest to the fact that his wallet had been missing before the fire. We had motive from the note and crime scene evidence with the footprint. All we had to do was use the process of elimination to match the handwriting and we had our arsonist.

To be doubly sure, I told Mrs. Haymon that she could check the computer lab records. Though Darcy and I couldn't access them, Mrs. Haymon could. To use one of the computers, you have to log in with your school user name and password. Mrs. Haymon could check to see who logged in during the early morning hours the day of the fire. And if that person also had the telltale handwriting at the meeting, then we'd know for sure. I also explained how I'd already been to Mr. Plati once to plead Zane's case. It would mean a lot more coming from Mrs. Haymon.

Mrs. Haymon had agreed to look into the records and speak with Mr. Plati. And — if the handwriting showed up on the board during the meeting — we'd take it from there.

So now our entire case rested on what happened in the next five minutes.

We walked with Mrs. Haymon and Amanda into Mr. Plati's office, and we all took seats across from his desk. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I just hoped it didn't all backfire.

Mr. Plati clasped his hands on his desk. “Amanda, do you know why you've been called into my office?”

“No, sir,” she said, though her voice was trembling.

“There isn't … anything you'd like to tell me?” he said, giving her one last chance to come clean.

I closed my eyes and hoped that she'd confess.
Do it
, I silently said.
Confess and this will all be over.

“No,” Amanda said. “Nothing.”

My heart sank.

Mr. Plati stood and crossed his arms. He always looked more intimidating when he did that. Even
I
was scared, and I hadn't done anything wrong.

“We have a problem then, Amanda,” he said firmly. “Did you know that I have security cameras in and around the school?”

“N-no,” she nervously replied.

“And we just got finished going through the footage for the morning of the field house fire. And we were able to narrow down who was here early. I saw you, on video, hanging posters.”

She nodded. “F-for the d-dance.”

“Right.” Mr. Plati lowered his voice a couple octaves. “I saw something else on the footage, too. It would be much easier on everyone involved if you'd admit it yourself before I have to say it. Would you like one last opportunity to do that, Amanda?”

She looked over at Darcy and me, and the guilt was written all over her face. She blinked her suddenly wet eyes and turned back toward Mr. Plati. In the smallest voice, she said, “It was me. I burned the field house down.”

My mouth went dry. Hearing the words come out of Amanda made it real.

“Why?” Mr. Plati asked.

With a trembling hand, Amanda tugged her hair behind her ear. She cast a sidelong glance at me, her face bright red. “I heard Fiona talking about how Zane Munro liked Norah and that he was going to ask her to the dance. And I was just so mad.”

“Because
you
like him,” Darcy said.

“Yeah,” she snapped. “And I couldn't believe he liked Norah the Nerd over me.”

Since she was in the middle of a confession and all, I decided to let that one go.

She continued, “On that Friday, his wallet fell out of his pocket in class. I picked it up and — for some reason — I kept it. Then, Monday morning when I came in early to hang the posters … I started the fire and dropped his wallet so he'd be blamed. That way he couldn't go to the dance with Norah.”

“But the entire field house burned to the ground,” Mr. Plati said angrily.

“I didn't mean for that to happen.” She sniffled. “I set a small fire in a trash can, with napkins and perfume. I never expected the fire to go past the trash can. I thought the sprinklers on the ceiling would go off and put it out. So, no real damage done, but Zane would get in trouble.”

“But the sprinkler system wasn't finished yet,” Mr. Plati said. “It wasn't on.”

“I didn't know that,” Amanda pleaded. “I didn't want to ruin the building. And I never wanted Mr. Gray to get hurt. Never in a million years. I didn't even want Zane to be in deep trouble. Just enough that he couldn't go to the dance.”

“You should've told the truth right away,” Mr. Plati said. “Because now you're the one in deep trouble.”

 

Mr.
Plati asked Mrs. Haymon, Darcy, and me to step outside while he called Amanda's parents. Mrs. Haymon had to go, but Darcy and I thanked her profusely for her help, and she thanked us for being so persistent in our research.

As Darcy and I stood in the hall, I couldn't believe it had all come together. Zane's suspension was over, but Amanda was about to get a new one — big time.

A few minutes later, Mr. Plati came out of his office and closed the door behind him.

“Amanda's parents will be coming now,” he said. “You girls can go on your way. I'll take it from here.”

That was good enough for me, but Darcy didn't budge.

“Wait a second.” She tilted her head to the side and stared at the principal. “Mr. Plati, if you had the crime on video, why did you wait this long to bring that up?”

His lips tightened, fighting a smile. He whispered, “I
don't
have the crime on video.”

Darcy gasped. “You bluffed?”

He laughed and turned back toward his office, saying over his shoulder, “What, you think you're the only ones in this school who can play detective?”

Thursday
night, the phone rang. I grabbed the cordless and ran into my room.

“Hello?” I said breathlessly.

“Norah? It's Zane!”

I hadn't heard his voice in over a week. And he sounded so happy. I thought my heart would burst. I nervously paced the room while I talked.

“I'm so glad you called,” I said. “Have you been taken off suspension?”

“Yes! And my permanent record was cleared. Principal Plati even personally apologized. And it's all because of you.”

I felt a blush spread from my neck to my forehead. “I had help,” I said.

“Still. You never gave up.” He grew quiet, and the silence stretched on for a long moment. “Norah?”

I stopped pacing and stood perfectly still. “Yes?”

“There's something I've wanted to ask you for a while.”

I had to remind myself to breathe. “Okay …”

“Will, um … will you go to the dance with me?”

I flopped backward onto the bed and kicked my feet in the air. I tried to keep my voice cool and answered, “Yes, I will!”

I didn't even squeal or scream.

Until I hung up the phone.

 

I
spent Saturday at the gym, blowing up balloons and hanging decorations with Maya, Fiona, and the rest of the Dance Committee. Well, everyone except Amanda, who'd been suspended and might end up expelled. We didn't know what the police were going to do, but rumor had it her parents made her apologize to Mr. Gray and grounded her to the age of, like, forty. While we decorated, it was all anyone talked about. Even Violet was shocked by her friend's crazy behavior.

After finishing up at the gym, I went home, showered, and started to get ready. Darcy came over, and we blasted music and sang into hairbrush microphones. “What do you think?” Darcy asked once she was ready. She gave a twirl. Her dress was black with a purple ribbon around the waist. And she wore her big black boots, of course.

“It's perfectly Darcy,” I said, smiling.

I held my hands out and did a twirl of my own. I'd gone last-minute shopping at the mall with Fiona the night before and picked up a new dress and matching flats. The dress was silver with sparkling sequins on the bodice and a layered skirt that came to my knees. Fiona chose it and told me it would shimmer under the lighting.

“And that one,” Darcy said, pointing at my dress, “is so Norah.”

I laughed. I couldn't imagine any dress seeming natural on me. “How so?” I asked.

Darcy smiled. “It looks like it's made of stardust.”

 

My
mom dropped Darcy and me off at school. As we walked toward the gymnasium door, anxiety hit
me like a wall of cold water. Somewhere in there was Zane, waiting for me. And suddenly a thousand questions shot through my head.

Do I go in and search for him? Or stand somewhere and wait for him to find me? Are we just dancing to one or two slow songs or should we hang out all night?

Uncertainty drove me crazy. This was my first dance; I had no idea what I was doing!

“Hey, stress ball,” Darcy said, nudging me with her shoulder. “Chill out. Tonight's going to rock.”

And with that, she pushed open the door and all my worries evaporated into space.

I'd been there in the gym this afternoon, hanging decorations. But the lights had been on bright, and it hadn't looked like this. Now, with the lights dimmed and everything pulled together … the gym had been transformed.

The glow-in-the-dark stars lit up the walls. Shimmering cutouts of planets and moons hung from the ceiling. Glow bracelets dangling from kids' wrists added a cool touch.

Darcy went to get a cup of punch, and I stood peering through the dim light, looking for Zane. I felt
a soft tap on my shoulder and turned around with a giant smile.

To face Hunter Fisk.

“Oh, hi, Hunter,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed.

“Hey, Norah.” He scratched nervously at the back of his head. “Uh, I have to, um, confess something.”

Well, this seemed to be the week for confessions. “Okay,” I said warily.

His eyes darted back and forth, and he said in a hushed tone, “Slade and I painted that stuff on the dance banner.”

“‘The Prom Killer is back'? You wrote that? Why?”

“We wanted to help,” he said. “We figured if people thought it was the Prom Killer coming back, that it would take the attention away from Zane.”

It had terrified our classmates and nearly gotten the dance canceled altogether, but I guess it was the thought that counted. Hunter and Slade were only trying to help. “Thanks, I guess,” I said with a half smile.

But Hunter didn't walk away. He looked down at his shoes and scuffed at the hardwood floor.

“Was there something else?” I prodded.

“Um …” A blush rose on his cheeks. “Do you think … if I asked Darcy to dance … would she say yes or punch me in the face?”

I thought about it for a moment. There had been a few times lately when Darcy seemed a bit … funny when the topic of Hunter came up. I grinned. “Go for it, Hunter.”

He smiled and dashed off to Darcy's side. I stood still and watched to be sure my instinct was correct.

She didn't punch him.

Fiona was flirting with some cute boy, Maya was having a blast with a few other girls from the Dance Committee, and now Darcy was slow dancing with, of all people, Hunter Fisk. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

“Excuse me?” said a voice behind me. “Would you like to dance?”

I slowly turned. Zane stood looking totally handsome in khaki pants and a white button-down shirt. And he had his hand out, waiting for mine. For a moment, I thought my heart would explode. But instead I just nodded yes and followed him to the middle of the gym floor.

It had only been a week and a half since I'd last seen him, but it seemed like forever. And now we were about to dance. I'd never danced with a boy before. A wave of anxiety rushed over me.
What if I step on his foot? Where do I put my hands? Should we talk? What should I say?

But then I put my hands on his shoulders. I recognized the song as one of my favorites. We did this sway-shuffle thing that certainly wasn't graceful. But I realized it didn't matter. Zane's smile lit up his whole face, and I'm sure mine matched.

I felt like I was dancing in space, surrounded by stars and planets. It was like something from a beautiful dream, but it was really happening. I thought for a moment about how it had all come so close to not happening. All because of the same problem. Jealousy had nearly ruined my friendship with Darcy. It had caused Helen to become the Prom Killer. And it turned Amanda's feelings for Zane into rage with almost deadly consequences. Jealousy is no good. I vowed to never feel that way about Zane, Darcy, or anyone.

“Are you having a good time?” Zane asked, and his eyes seemed to twinkle like stars themselves.

My heart fluttered. “I feel like I'm in a fairy tale.”

He shook his head and chuckled.

“What?” I asked, feeling my cheeks flush.

Zane turned serious. “I was in a whole lot of trouble and things were looking pretty hopeless. But you were so smart, brave, and determined. You figured out the truth. If this is a fairy tale, Norah Burridge, then
you're
the hero.”

I smiled, and my heart felt like it was going to spin out and orbit the room. “The princess saves the prince,” I said. “I like it.”

After the song ended, Zane offered to go get us punch. Darcy strolled up to me, grinning. “Is it as perfect as you imagined?”

“Even more so,” I said breathlessly.

Darcy grinned at me. “Partners in Crime did it again.”

I grinned back. We almost hadn't made it this time, in more ways than one. But things were looking up now. Our friendship was stronger than ever. We righted a wrong. And I was so full of pride and happiness. It was one of those evenings where I felt like anything could happen.

Darcy shook her head. “I can't believe that when we argued, I said Partners in Crime was ‘over.' That's ridiculous. We're just too good.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “I know,” I said. “I'm glad we got back together. And I look forward to our next case!”

“To teamwork,” Darcy said, holding her fist out.

“To best friends forever,” I said, and bumped it.