Twisted (5 page)

“It's printed.”

Kevin handed the heart to Colleen, who nodded. “It's just like last Friday, Amy. I think it's the same printing, but it's hard to tell.”

“I wish I could figure out who was voting for me.” Amy looked wistful.

“Why?” Kevin stared at Amy. “What possible difference does it make?”

“Because I'd really like to have a date for the Valentine's Day Dance. And the person I was planning to ask is already going with someone else. If I knew who was voting for me, I'd ask him instead.”

I
t was one-thirty in the afternoon, and Tanya's funeral started at two. Mr. Dorman had excused the whole Senior class at lunchtime, so that they could go home and dress for the funeral. Since school was over at three, and the funeral would last for at least an hour, they weren't expected to come back to school until the following morning.

Amy shivered a little as she walked down the street toward the Porter Fine Furniture Store, where she was to meet Jessica, Michele, and Colleen. She'd borrowed her mother's trench coat, which wasn't very warm, but her bright pink flowered parka had seemed inappropriate for such a somber occasion.

“Amy! Wait up!”

Amy turned and began to smile. Colleen had never been very athletic, but she was running as fast as she could, her long black dress coat flapping behind her like the tail of some gigantic crow.

“I'm glad I caught you!” Colleen was panting as she arrived at Amy's side. “Your mom said you'd just left, and there's been a change of plans. Danny's taking us.”

“Danny's going to Tanya's funeral?”

Colleen nodded proudly. “I talked him into it.”

“You're kidding!” Amy was totally surprised. “When I asked Danny if he was going, he told me that he hates funerals. And he swore that he was never going to another one . . . except for his own.”

“I know. He always says that. I must have heard it a million times by now. Come on. We're all meeting at the Hungry Burger. We'll leave from there.”

Amy nodded, and started to walk again, in step with Colleen. The Hungry Burger was only a block and a half away, so they didn't have far to go. “Tell me, Colleen. How did you get Danny to change his mind?”

“I explained that since Tanya had been his classmate, it was his duty to attend her funeral.”

“An appeal to his social obligations . . . that's good.” Amy nodded. “What else?”

“I said it might seem like an insult to Tanya's parents if he was the only member of the Senior class who didn't show up.”

“Application of peer pressure, and a concern for the emotional well-being of others . . . that's good, too. What else?”

“I told him that we really wanted to go, but it was too far to walk and he was our only hope.”

“An appeal to his vanity by admitting that he was the only person who had the power to rescue us. Very good, Colleen. What else?”

Colleen frowned. “What makes you think there was anything else?”

“I know Danny. He wouldn't have bought any of those other arguments. There was something else, wasn't there? Something you're not telling me?”

“Well . . . yes.” Colleen nodded. “But it's really not worth mentioning.”

“I think you'd better tell me.”

“Oh . . . all right.” Colleen sighed deeply. “I promised him that we'd do his laundry and iron his shirts for the next four weeks.”

 

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together to say our earthly good-byes to Tanya Rachael Ellison, beloved daughter of Virginia and Spencer Ellison.”

The minister intoned the familiar words, and Amy shuddered. She could understand why Danny hated funerals. They were sad and depressing, and the funeral service reminded Amy that death was inevitable.

“Are you okay?”

Danny leaned close to whisper in Amy's ear, and she nodded. The other girls were sitting near the front of the church, but Amy had waited for Danny to find a parking spot, and when he'd returned to the church on foot, they'd taken a pew in the rear. Amy felt a tap on her arm, and she turned to see that Danny was holding out his handkerchief.

“Thanks, but I'm not crying.” Amy leaned over to whisper in his ear.

Danny reached out with the white linen square and gently blotted her cheeks. When he pulled his handkerchief away, Amy was amazed to see that it was wet with tears.

“But . . . I didn't know I was crying.” Amy was embarrassed.

“It's okay.” Danny reached out to squeeze her hand. “I've got tears in my eyes, too . . . and I hardly knew Tanya. That's the reason I don't like funerals.”

Amy nodded. Danny was still holding her hand, and she didn't even think of pulling away. It felt warm, and friendly, and very comforting. He held her hand through the rest of the service, and he didn't let it go until the minister had spoken his final words and the formal church service had ended.

The pallbearers, dressed in somber black suits, walked to the front of the church and surrounded Tanya's casket. The organ was playing softly, and Amy leaned close to Danny again to speak softly in his ear. “Did Colleen tell you that we're trying to spot Tanya's mystery boyfriend?”

“She told me. That's why I picked a spot in the back of the church. I've been here before, and the ushers always let the people in the front go out first. We'll be able to see their faces when they pass us.”

“Good thinking.” Amy nodded, and then she reacted to the rest of what Danny had said. “You've been in this church before ?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah. I dated the former minister's daughter. She used to drag me to service every Sunday to hear her father preach. I think she was trying to reform me, but it didn't work.”

“I see.” Amy nodded and stifled a grin. Everyone should have known that Danny couldn't be reformed. She glanced at the front of the church again, and she realized that the pallbearers were lifting Tanya's casket. “What are they doing?”

“They're carrying the casket out to the hearse. Then they'll drive it to the cemetery.”

Amy nodded. She watched as the pallbearers picked up the casket and carried it slowly down the middle aisle of the church. When the casket passed their pew, Amy shuddered. She was glad that they'd closed it and she couldn't see Tanya, but she had an almost overwhelming urge to jump to her feet and open the casket so that Tanya could breathe.

“Easy, Amy.” Danny slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Tanya's not in there. It's just her body.”

“I know, but . . .” Amy stopped in mid-sentence. She was very embarrassed about her irrational reaction to the closed casket.

“You wanted to lift the lid, so she could breathe?”

Amy nodded. It seemed almost as if Danny had read her mind. “That's exactly how I felt. But how did you know?”

“I felt the same way, the first time I went to a funeral. Maybe we'd better not go to the cemetery.”

Amy thought about it for a second, and then she shook her head. “No. We have to go. It's expected.”

“Okay.” Danny nodded. “The ushers are up in front now. We'd better watch.”

Amy blinked back a fresh rush of tears as Tanya's parents stood up. Mrs. Ellison was weeping softly, and Tanya's father looked pale and strained. They started down the center aisle, and Amy was faced with another quandary. She wanted to acknowledge them somehow, but was it appropriate to smile at a funeral?

“What can I do?” Amy poked Danny.

“Nod as they pass you. Just let them know that you're here and you care. A smile wouldn't really be wrong, but it wouldn't be exactly right, either.”

Amy nodded as the Ellisons passed her. And then she turned to look at Danny. He'd done it again. He'd read her mind about whether she should smile or not.

Brett and Gail were ushered out next, and Amy frowned as they passed her. Brett's eyes were red, and she could tell he'd been crying, but Gail looked perfectly composed. Her arm was tucked through Brett's, and she looked stunning in a light blue wool dress with tiny diamond earrings. Amy wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not, but Gail's eyes appeared to sparkle, and she seemed almost happy as she walked down the aisle with Brett. It reminded Amy of the weddings she'd seen, and how radiant the bride had been as she'd walked down the aisle with her new husband. After they'd passed, Danny leaned close and whispered, “Gail looks like she's practicing for her wedding.”

Amy didn't say anything. She just chalked another point up for Danny. He'd read her mind again.

Although Amy and Danny watched every guy who was ushered down the aisle, there was no one who looked like he could have been Tanya's mystery boyfriend. It was the same at the graveside. They knew most of the mourners, and there weren't any likely candidates.

Amy was shivering by the time they'd all piled into Danny's parents' station wagon again. The wind had begun to blow, and she'd nearly frozen, waiting for the minister to finish his prayers. “Maybe I was so cold, I didn't notice, but I didn't see any mystery boyfriends.”

“Me, neither.” Danny reached out to pat Amy's shoulder. “Cheer up, Amy. At least there wasn't a fight.”

Michele laughed from the backseat, where she was riding with Colleen and Jessica. “There wouldn't have been one anyway. Gail was hanging on to Brett's arm so hard, he couldn't even move.”

“You didn't see them in the car.” Colleen spoke up. “I don't think Brett's heater works.”

“Why not?” Michele sounded curious.

“Because they were huddling so close together, you couldn't have pried them apart with a crowbar.”

Amy winced. She really wanted to say something about how they shouldn't gossip, but she wasn't quite sure how to do it. She'd just opened her mouth to speak up, when Danny cleared his throat.

“Now girls . . .” Danny sounded stern. “You know it's not nice to gossip. If you gossip about somebody else, they might just gossip about you.”

Jessica giggled. “They can go ahead and do it. My life's an open book. It's blank, but it's open.”

That cracked everyone up, Amy included. But all the while she was laughing and releasing the tension from the funeral, she was wondering why Danny always seemed to read her mind and anticipate exactly what she wanted to say.

I
t was Wednesday afternoon, and Amy, Colleen, and Kevin had just finished counting the votes. Amy had typed them up neatly, and as she walked down the hall to post them on the bulletin board, the loudspeaker crackled into life.

“Attention all students . . .” Amy recognized Mr. Dorman's deep voice. “The National Weather Service has determined that road conditions are hazardous, and the scheduled basketball game with the Farmington Mountain Lions has been postponed. I repeat, there will be no basketball game tonight. That is all.”

Amy sighed as she reached the bulletin board and tacked up the latest contest results. There was clearly a new leader for Valentine's Day Queen. Gail had a total of eighty-five votes, and Jessica, her closest competitor, had only twenty-three.

“Hey, Amy . . . are you going down to the Hungry Burger tonight?” Danny grinned as he approached the bulletin board from the opposite direction.

“I guess so. We always do when there's no game. How about you?”

“I'll be there. How's the horse race coming?”

“Danny!” Amy laughed. “It's not a horse race and you know it!”

Danny grinned. “Too bad it isn't. I'd bet Gail to win.”

“I don't think you could find anybody to take your bet. Brett's been spending a lot of money buying her votes, and she's way ahead of everyone else.”

Danny glanced at the list, and nodded. “You're right. It's pretty one-sided. But the rest of you are getting some votes.”

“Not enough to win. Jessica's the closest with twenty-three, and Michele's got nineteen. And then there's Colleen with twelve.”

Danny raised his eyebrows. “Twelve? Are you sure?”

“I'm positive. We count the votes twice to make sure they're right.”

“And she really got twelve?” Danny began to grin. “That's great! Maybe I can stop spending my money on her.”

Amy was curious. “How much did you spend?”

“Five bucks. I didn't want her to be the only girl without any votes. Do you have any idea who's been voting for her?”

“Not really. I didn't recognize the handwriting.”

Danny shrugged. “Oh, well. Whoever it is, I owe him one. I was getting tired of spending my hard-earned cash on this dumb contest.”

“Danny?” Amy turned to look up at him. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure, Amy. What is it?”

Amy began to blush. She hated to ask, but she really wanted to know. “I've got a total of five votes. Are you . . . uh . . . spending your money to buy me votes, so I won't be embarrassed?”

Danny shook his head. “Not me. Don't get me wrong, Amy. I would have written in your name, but I noticed that you were getting votes on your own.”

“Thanks . . . I think.” Amy laughed, and then she turned serious. “I wonder who's voting for me.”

“I don't know. Can't you tell by his writing?”

Amy shook her head. “No. He always prints. Do you think you could ask around, without being too obvious about it?”

“Sure. But why do you want to know?”

“Well . . .” Amy hesitated. She was terribly embarrassed. “If I tell you, will you promise not to say anything to anyone else?”

Danny nodded. “I promise. Now tell me.”

“I don't have a date for the dance. I was going to ask Brett, but he's going with Gail, and I don't know who else to ask. If I can find out who's voting for me, I'm going to ask him.”

“That sounds like a risky proposition. It could be someone you don't like.”

Amy shook her head. “I don't think so. If he's voting for me, I'll probably like him.”

“He might be short, with zits and sweaty palms.”

“So?” Amy shrugged. “It's like my grandmother used to say:
Handsome is as handsome does.
And it was very handsome of him to vote for me. Besides, it's only for one night, and I really want a date for the dance.”

“He could be incredibly stupid. After all, he's . . .”

“Voting for me!” Amy laughed as she finished the rest of his sentence. “Thanks a lot, Danny. After all that's happened, I needed a laugh. But will you try to find out for me soon? It's really important.”

Danny nodded, and started down the hallway. But before he got very far away, he turned back to grin at her. “If I can't find out, and you really want a date, you can always ask me. I'm not taken.”

“Right.” Amy grinned back. “I'll definitely keep that in mind.”

As Danny disappeared around the corner, Amy's grin faded, and she looked very thoughtful. It was a well-known fact that Danny never attended any of the Senior class dances. He'd told Colleen that it was because he was older, and it would bore him to tears to sip ginger ale from a paper cup, and dance around the gym with a girl who was still in high school. When Danny had said that she could ask him to the dance, he'd certainly been kidding . . . hadn't he?

 

Cat frowned as he rummaged in his locker for a missing library book. He'd cleaned out his locker at Christmas break, but it was a mess again. There were piles of papers on the floor, and his books were no longer arranged in alphabetical order by author as they'd been at the start of the year. Now that Karen was dead, a little thing like an organized locker just didn't seem to matter anymore.

He managed to locate the library book, mashed in the corner, under an old pair of sneakers. He pulled it out, dusted it off on the sleeve of his jacket, and frowned. There was only one section of his locker that was still neat and clean, and he'd hidden it from prying eyes. He glanced around, checking to make sure the halls were deserted, and then he removed the large three-ring binder that blocked the top shelf.

“Karen.” Cat sighed as he stared at her photograph. It was an eight-by-ten print that the school photographer had taken last year. He'd framed it, and now it was propped up on the top shelf of his locker, surrounded by a circle of the pretty white, vanilla-scented candles she'd loved so much.

Something glittered in the center of the ring, and Cat smiled as he fingered the thin gold chain holding the half-heart pendant. Perhaps his locker wasn't the best place to keep it.

Cat picked it up, and wondered if he should wear it around his neck. No, that would be much too dangerous. If anyone spotted it, they might guess that he'd killed Tanya.

“You understand about the heart, don't you, Karen?”

Cat smiled as he said the words. Karen had always loved puzzles, and the half heart was a puzzle that no one else would be able to solve. It was a symbol for the way that Tanya had broken Karen's heart by gossiping about her. When Cat had finished taking Karen's revenge, he intended to bury the half-heart pendants with her. But Karen's revenge was far from over, and he had to find a safe place to store the charm.

His backpack was sitting on top of his locker, and Cat grinned as he remembered the pocket inside. It was intended for pens and pencils, but it was a perfect hiding place for the pendant. He opened the backpack, unzipped the pocket, and slipped the other half of Tanya's pendant inside. He'd carry it with him to remind himself that his work was far from finished.

“They posted the results of the contest, Karen. Now that Tanya's dead, Gail's in the lead with eighty-five points, and everyone's sure she's going to win. Is Gail the right girl for queen?”

Cat listened, but of course the photograph didn't speak. Karen's smile was frozen in time, forever young and forever beautiful. As he studied her lovely image, a cold draft seemed to emanate from the depths of the locker, and he shivered with anticipation.

“Is that you, Karen? Are you with me?”

Cat shut his eyes, and tried to be perfectly receptive. He felt that Karen was with him, but she still hadn't spoken to him. Perhaps she never would. They hadn't seemed to feel the need to speak when Karen was alive. They'd sat close together, perfectly silent, their minds on the same wavelength. On most occasions, he'd known exactly what Karen had been thinking.

“Karen . . . you've got to let me know. Was Gail one of the girls who hurt you?”

Cat frowned as he tried to remember everything Karen had told him on the night she'd cried in his arms. He was almost sure she hadn't mentioned Gail by name, but perhaps Karen hadn't known exactly who her enemies had been.

“This is very important, Karen. Do you want me to test Gail to see if she's worthy to be the Valentine's Day Queen?”

Cat listened intently, but there was nothing to hear. There was silence, broken only by distant and indistinct murmuring from the classroom down at the end of the hall.

“Please, Karen. I've got to know what you want.” Cat's voice was shaking with intensity. “If you can't speak to me, try to give me a sign.”

As Cat stood there, trembling, another icy draft swirled around his feet. And then a door slammed across the hall with a bang that made him jump. Cat hurried to the closed door, and peered through the glass pane at the empty classroom inside. No one had been near the door to slam it.

It must have been a sign from Karen.

“Yes, my darling Karen . . . I understand.”

Cat walked back across the hall, and took down Karen's photograph. He smiled at her lovely image, gently touched his lips to hers, and replaced it on the shelf. Then he put the three-ring binder back in place and closed and locked his locker. He was smiling as he headed back to the library with the missing book. Karen had broken through the barrier between the dead and the living to give him a sign. That meant she was pleased with what he was doing to keep her memory alive in his heart.

Several students nodded to him as he walked back into the library. He was well-liked at school. He saw Amy, sitting at a table in the back of the room, and he was almost tempted to join her. Amy was a nice person, not like the others, but he walked past with a smile. He had work to do, and he had to be alone.

Cat sat down at a small table in the front, which was so close to the librarian that most students avoided it. Then he opened his notebook and began to plan out the rest of his day. He had to devise a test for Gail, a fair test that would tell him what sort of person she really was.

If she passed, he would let her be queen.

But if she failed, he would arrange another accident that would take her out of the contest.

For good.

 

Amy and Colleen pushed open the glass door to the Hungry Burger, and a blast of noise assaulted their ears. It was the after-school hangout for the whole Senior class, and every booth was taken.

“Oh-oh.” Amy began to frown. “I guess we should have gotten here earlier.”

Colleen nodded. And then she smiled as someone in the back of the crowded room began to wave frantically. “It's okay. Jessica and Michele have that big booth in the back, and they saved a place for us.”

Amy was smiling as she followed Colleen through the crowd, but her smile changed to a frown the moment she saw who else was sharing the booth. Kevin was there, and that was fine, but Gail and Brett were huddled together in the farthest corner.

“Amy . . . come on.” Colleen grabbed her hand and pulled her forward as Amy hesitated. “Don't let them know that they bother you. That way you win, and they lose.”

“Huh?” Amy was clearly puzzled. “You're not making any sense, Colleen. Where did you hear a dumb thing like that!?”

Colleen shrugged. “My mother. She's just as bad as yours, in a way. Mine has crazy sayings, and yours has crazy diets.”

“That's true.” Amy sighed. “I don't know how much longer my dad's going to put up with this one. She started him on tofu and bottled water this morning. It's supposed to clean all the poisons out of his system, or something like that.”

Danny came up just in time to hear Amy's comment. “I really feel for your father. Have you ever tried tofu? It tastes like milk Jell-O.”

“That's exactly what Dad said. He dumped it in the ivy plant while Mom wasn't looking.”

“It'll probably die of lack of nutrition.” Colleen started to frown. “Why doesn't your dad put his foot down and tell her he wants a real breakfast?”

“He loves her, and he understands that she's just concerned about his health. And he knows it's only a matter of time before she switches him to a new diet.”

Danny nodded. “I guess you have to compromise if you want a marriage to work. But in the meantime, what does your dad do for food?”

“We stop at Dunkin' Donuts every morning. Mrs. Beeseman always has a hot cinnamon bun ready for Dad. He never eats lunch, so that's okay, but then he has to come home to whatever Mom decides is a healthy dinner.”

Danny looked thoughtful. “Why don't you print up a fake fad diet?”

“A what?”

“A fad diet, just like the ones your mother follows. Make a list of all your father's favorite foods and write down some great-sounding reasons why he should eat them. Your mom'll never know the difference.”

Amy began to smile. “That's really a good idea . . . and it might just work. But how do I get Mom to fall for it?”

“Send it to her through the mail. Make up some catchy title like the Fit and Trim Nutritional Guide.”

“I could do that. But what do I use for a return address? I can't give my own.”

Danny thought for a moment, and then he grinned. “Call yourself the Y.M.A. Nutritional Council. That stands for your name spelled backward, and it sounds legitimate. And make up a fake post office box in New York City.”

“But isn't that cheating?”

“I guess it is, in a way.” Colleen shrugged. “But we learned about well-balanced diets in Home Economics class, and we probably know more about nutrition than the people who make up those other diet sheets.”

“You're right, and I'll do it.” Amy grinned at them. “You guys are terrific . . . you know that?”