Who Killed the Homecoming Queen? (12 page)

Keith put his arms around both of them. “Hey, this is really incredible!” he declared. “Everybody's
been going nuts around here. What happened to you?”

Tania hugged them for a moment, then pulled away.

Tears streamed from her eyes. “I … I just heard the horrible news about Sandy. So I came home.”

“But where
were
you?” Eva demanded. “How could you just disappear like that without telling anybody? What happened?”

Tania wiped her eyes. Then she crossed her arms and stared at them. “It was a joke,” she declared.

“What?” Eva couldn't believe it. “Are you serious?”

Tania nodded.

“Whoa,” Keith murmured. “Some joke, Tania. We didn't exactly think it was funny.”

Eva felt a surge of fury. “But how could you do something like that?” she shouted at Tania. “It's sick! We all thought you were dead! Do you realize how awful we all felt?”

“It wasn't funny!” Keith repeated.

“No, but what all of you did to me wasn't funny, either,” Tania replied heatedly.

“Huh?” Keith's mouth dropped open. “What did we do?”

“You made a fool out of me,” Tania told them. “Everybody did. All of you knew Sandy was sneaking out with Cherise.”

Oh, no, Eva thought. Now I get it. She thought we were keeping it a secret from her.

“You all knew,” Tania repeated. “And not one of
you told me.” Her green eyes flashed at Eva. “Not even you, Eva. My best friend! I was so angry and so hurt, I decided to pay you back.”

“But …” Eva suddenly thought of something. “Tania—
you
made those frightening phone calls?”

“Yes, I did. I was so hurt. I really wanted to pay you back.” Tania stuck her hands in the pockets of her yellow windbreaker and hunched her shoulders against the wind. “I mean, you all made a fool out of me. In front of the whole school!”

Eva glanced at Keith. He looks so uncomfortable, she thought. How long has he known about Sandy and Cherise?

“Tania, we didn't mean to make you feel like a fool,” Keith told her.

“Maybe not, but that's what happened,” Tania insisted. “Everybody knew but me. I felt like a total idiot!”

“That's no excuse for playing such a dirty trick,” Eva snapped. “Anyway, I planned to tell you.”

“Well, you waited too long,” Tania declared bitterly. “When Jeremy told me about Sandy sneaking around with Cherise, I couldn't believe it. Once I stopped crying, I got so angry. And that's when I decided to get even.”

“Where were you all this time?” Eva asked Tania. “I mean, were you just hiding at home?”

Tania shook her head. “That's what I was going to do. But Jeremy had a better idea. He cooked up the whole thing. Sandy was in on the first part—the strangling part. But he didn't know I was going
to disappear. Anyway, I went to stay with my cousins in Waynesbridge. I told Mom and Dad not to worry, and
they
told the police I was perfectly okay.”

“So that's why the cops stopped the investigation,” Keith said. “No
wonder
they thought the whole thing was a joke. It was.”

“It was a horrible, sick joke, Tania!” Eva declared angrily. “How could you do that to us? How could you put us through all that just because your boyfriend was cheating on you?”

“I couldn't help it!” Tania cried. “I was so hurt and upset. And I wanted to hurt and upset everyone else, especially Sandy. I wanted you guys to feel like fools, just the way I did!”

Eva glanced down, taking a deep breath. She
did
feel like a fool. And she still felt hurt and angry. Tania got even, all right.

But at least she's alive, Eva told herself.

“How long was this joke going to last?” Keith asked Tania.

“Just another day or two,” Tania told him. “But then, I heard about Sandy.” Her eyes filled with tears again. “It's just horrible. I really cared about him. Even though he was a sneak,” she added.

Eva hugged her again. As she did, the familiar cold, dark feeling surged through her. “You said this was Jeremy's plan?” she asked.

Tania nodded as she pulled a tissue out of her jacket pocket.

“The whole thing?”

Nodding again, Tania wiped her eyes.

“Well, where is he?” Eva demanded. “Why isn't he …” She stopped as the feeling became stronger.

Something is wrong. Horribly wrong.

“Eva?” Tania asked. “What's the matter with you?”

“Something's going on,” Eva murmured.

Someone is in trouble.

As soon as the words popped into Eva's mind, she realized they were true. It's not just some weird feeling this time, she thought. I can tell that somebody's in trouble.

But who?

Shivering, Eva glanced around, then up into the bleachers. As her gaze rested on the broken railing, she froze.

Cherise, she thought.

Cherise was supposed to be here an hour ago. She promised Keith.

And Cherise wouldn't pass up a chance to be on camera.

Where is she?

“Eva?” Tania repeated. “Please. What is it? Why are you looking up there?”

Eva dragged her eyes away from the railing. “Cherise is in trouble,” she declared.

“What do you mean?” Keith asked. “What kind of trouble?”

“I don't know!” Eva exclaimed. “I can feel it,
though. Really strong. I can't explain it, but I know it's true. I just know it!” She turned and began running down the steps.

Get to a phone, she told herself. Call Cherise.

Hurry!

Eva jumped over the last two steps and onto the football field. With Tania and Keith running behind her, she raced across the field toward the school.

Inside, at the pay phone near the gym, she fumbled in her bag for a quarter and slid it into the slot. Her fingers shook. The quarter fell and spun across the floor.

Keith picked it up and stuck it into the slot.

Eva jabbed at the numbers, gasping for breath. Her heartbeat hammered so loudly in her ears, she could hardly hear the phone ring.

And ring.

And ring.

After fifteen rings, Eva slammed the phone back. “No answer.”

“Let's go to her house,” Keith said. “Come on. We'll take my van.”

The three of them raced out to the parking lot and piled into Keith's black minivan. All the seats had been folded down except the driver's. Eva sat with Tania on the scratchy carpeting in the back, hunched next to a pile of cardboard boxes holding cables and microphones and other video equipment.

Keith peeled out of the lot, ignoring the speed
bumps. The tires screeched as he swerved onto the street. A horn blared loudly.

“Stop driving like a maniac!” Tania told him. “We'll never get there if you're pulled over for a ticket.”

“Sorry.” Keith slowed a little and clutched the steering wheel nervously. “Eva got me spooked.”

Eva huddled near the bouncing boxes, digging her fingernails into her palms. Hurry! she wanted to shout. Don't worry about a ticket. Just get us there, fast!

A few minutes later, Keith pulled the van onto Cherise's street and barreled toward her house. The van lurched to a stop at the curb, and Eva slid the side door open.

As she jumped down to the sidewalk, she heard a scream.

A wild, terrified scream.

A girl's scream, from inside Cherise's house.

chapter 25
 

“O
h, no!” Tania gasped, jumping down beside Eva. “Eva, you were right!”

Keith leaped out of the van, clutching his precious camcorder in one hand.

Another scream pierced the air.

“Whoa,” Keith murmured, his face turning pale.

“Hurry!” Eva cried. She took off across the lawn, the dry fall leaves crunching under her feet.

As the three of them raced up the porch steps, the girl screamed again.

Louder this time. More terrified.

Keith yanked open the rattling screen door, and Eva shoved the front door open.

“Help me!” the girl's voice shrieked. “Somebody—please help me!”

Cherise's voice.

With Keith and Tania close behind her, Eva tore down the hall and burst into the living room.

Eva saw Jeremy race across the rug, heading for the dining room.

The toe of his sneaker caught on the rug. He stumbled sideways, and fell to the floor.

As he tried to scramble up, Eva could hear him gasping in fear.

A whimpering sound made Eva turn. She bit back a scream of her own as she stared.

Cherise crouched on the floor near the couch, her red hair tangled, her eyes wild with terror.

In one hand, she clutched a long-bladed butcher knife.

Eva's mouth opened in a horrified cry.

“He … he killed Sandy!” Cherise screamed. She rose to her knees, still clutching the knife.

Eva's heart stopped, then began racing, trying to pound its way out of her chest.

“Jeremy killed Sandy!” Cherise wailed. “And he tried to stab me! But I grabbed the knife away!”

Jeremy leaped up, panic in his face. “Get away!” he shouted at them. He leaped over a footstool and raced toward the dining room again.

“Stop him!” Cherise shrieked. “He's the killer! Stop him! He wants to kill all of us!”

Eva couldn't move.

Keith stood frozen, his fingers nervously clutching the camcorder.

“Jeremy!” Tania sobbed, racing after him. “Jeremy—why? Why did you do it?”

chapter 26
 

“S
tay away!” Jeremy warned.

With a cry, Tania jumped at him—and tried to grab hold of his windbreaker. Instead, she rammed into his back and knocked him off balance.

Jeremy pitched forward, then fell straight down.

A horrible cracking sound echoed through the room as his head slammed against the corner of a low table.

He groaned once, then didn't move.

“Jeremy?” Tania gasped. She shook his shoulder and peered into his face. “He's knocked out.”

“Thank goodness!” Cherise cried.

Eva helped Cherise onto the couch. Keith stood by, a stunned expression on his face. Tania stayed next to Jeremy, keeping one hand on his shoulder.

“Cherise, what happened?” Eva asked.

Cherise took a deep, shaky breath. She still held the knife, and stared at it in horror as she spoke. “He tried to stab me,” she told them. “He said he was going to kill me!”

“But why?” Tania cried. “Why would Jeremy want to kill you?”

Cherise turned and stared at her. “For you, Tania. He wanted to get revenge for you—by killing Sandy and me.”

Tania's eyes filled with tears.

“He said you were the first family he ever had,” Cherise went on. “He said he couldn't stand to see you hurt.”

Tania blinked. The tears spilled out and rolled down her cheeks.

Eva stared down at Jeremy.

He told me he got into some trouble at his old school, she remembered. But he didn't say what. He didn't want to talk about it. He said it was all in the past.

What kind of trouble? Eva wondered. Murder?

Was murder in Jeremy's past?

No, he'd be in prison, wouldn't he?

Unless he got away with it somehow.

Eva jumped as Cherise touched her arm. “He told me he was going to kill you too, Eva.”

“Me?” Eva felt dizzy. “Why would he want to kill me? I'm Tania's best friend. He knows that!”

“Yeah, and he doesn't like it one bit,” Cherise
declared. “Tania spends too much time with you, he said. He's jealous of you, Eva.”

“But …”

“I told you what he said about family,” Cherise reminded her. “Jeremy wanted Tania and his mom and dad all to himself. He didn't want anybody butting in, not even you, Eva. He's really crazy.”

Eva shook her head, shocked.

“And that's why he sawed the bleacher railing,” Cherise added. “To get rid of you. Thank goodness you didn't fall!”