So Over My Head (35 page)
“That was some good lunchtime entertainment,” Ruthie says. “I give it four stars out of five. There wasn’t any blood, or else I’d totally bump up the score.”
I shoot Lindy a curious look. “I didn’t see that coming.”
She picks up her water and takes a drink. “I didn’t either. But dang if that didn’t feel good. Oh, and Matt, my schedule seems to be clear today for an after-school date at the park.”
Matt’s eyes go wide. “Date?”
“Yes. I’m asking you out.”
My head jerks in a double take. “Who are you and what have you done with my friend Lindy?”
She only has eyes for Matt. “I am never more myself than when I’m hanging out with you, and I’ve missed you lately. I’ve missed us. And I realize you’ve never felt anything but friendship for me, but you need to know that I’m sick of pretending to be someone I’m not. And who I am”—Lindy straightens her back, squares her shoulders—“is a girl finally telling you how I feel.”
“I—I, um . . .” Matt’s face is red as cherry Kool-Aid. “I—don’t know what to say.”
“Oh.” Lindy’s face falls “Okay, yeah, sure.” She picks up her tray. “I gotta go.” With the speed that’s earned her many a track medal, she leaves the table and heads toward the exit doors.
“You’re just a chicken.” Ruthie cracks her knuckles. “And if you don’t go get her right now, I’m gonna tuck your head so far up your—”
“Wait!” Matt jumps up. “Lindy, wait!”
Ruthie and I follow him, as he runs to catch up with our friend in the hall.
“Lindy!”
She stops and slowly spins around. “What?”
Matt’s lips struggle to form the words. “Um . . .” He stares at the white ceiling tiles over her head. “Would—would you like to go to the park today? On, um, a date?”
Lindy studies his face for a moment before she breaks into a wide grin. “Okay.”
His head bobs once. “Then okay. I, will, uh, see you there after, um, school.”
“Don’t forget the pizza.”
His smile grows steadier. “No, I won’t forget.” He watches her walk away. “Oh, and Lindy?”
She turns.
“You have burrito on your shirt.”
N
o, Bella. Absolutely not.”
“But, Mom!” I pace the kitchen, torn between wanting to yell or stuff my face with Oreos. “I have to see Cherry’s last performance.”
My mother crosses her arms and gives me the stern look she’s been cultivating for almost a year. “You should’ve thought of that before you left me out of so many details in your life.”
“These were trifling details though. I thought they would just bore you.”
“Then I’m glad we’ve got this cleared up. So
next
time an accused murderer breaks into your car or someone tries to kill you with carnival equipment, you will know to clue me in.”
I nod once. “Right. I’ll definitely do that. Let me just get my purse, and I’ll go with you to the carnival.”
Mom wags a finger. “Nuh-uh. You can stay home and clean the house.”
Sometimes I really miss my old tuned-out Mom who I had wrapped around my finger. Those stupid parenting books. I think the first order of business in cleaning will be flushing those things down the toilet.
Mom snaps her fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot. Dolly and Mickey have been at the carnival grounds all afternoon keeping an eye on Cherry. I need you to go over to Dolly’s and let Cherry’s dog out.”
“I can go all the way out there, but I can’t go down the road to the carnival?”
“I’ve already checked in your car—there’s no one hiding out. You go straight to Dolly’s and right back.” My mother plants a kiss on my cheek. “I mean it, Bel. If I see you at tonight’s show, I will ground you for life. You’ll be fifty and still won’t be allowed to date.”
“But—”
“No buts. Dolly is taking her new video camera, so she’ll get it all.”
“Are we ready to go?” Robbie does two swoops around the kitchen, his red Superman cape flapping behind him. “I didn’t get my name on the board all week, so I get a funnel cake. And the rides close extra early tonight, so we have to hurry.”
“Get in the Tahoe, Robbie. Budge will meet us there.” Mom picks up her keys and gives me a final warning stare. “I’m serious. If you disobey me on this, there will be heavy consequences unlike any you’ve ever seen—including a long summer at your dad’s.”
“Ugh. Say no more. Like I want to be there right now.” Just because Dad and I are on the mend doesn’t mean that I want to spend too much time in Manhattan right now. Dad called this morning, and Marisol’s already moved back with him—indefinitely. Talk about recipe for a nightmare.
Barely resisting the urge to throw myself on the floor and scream
no fair!
I watch Mom and Robbie pull out of the shrub-lined driveway and turn onto the dirt road.
Might as well get the dog task over with. Grabbing my own car keys—plus three more cookies—I slip out the back door and into my Bug.
My phone beeps, and I check the text. It’s from Luke.
You + Me = Later
.
I’m ready for our big talk. I think. And though I didn’t get to speak with him the rest of the day, I’m pretty sure Ashley Timmons was just blowing smoke. Some girls and their insecurities. I mean, she’s so full of it. Right?
As I buckle my seat belt and do my fifth check in the back-seat for any unwanted passengers, I feel another wave of anger over how tonight has turned out. I can’t believe everyone in town will be at the carnival, and I won’t. After all those long hours in clown shoes and honky noses! And for what? To get grounded and locked away while the rest of the world is watching Cherry and Stewart. And probably while Luke is solving the mystery. By himself. Without me . . . and hopefully without a certain blonde reporter.
Ten minutes later, I stop the Bug in Dolly’s driveway. Using Mom’s key, I unlock Dolly’s massive front door and slip inside. The setting sun bounces off the large windows in the living room, making me want to flick on the TV and curl up on the overstuffed couch. I bypass the warm, inviting space and call for the dog.
“Peg! Here, Peg!”
Thuds resound overhead, as the dog scrambles through the rooms above, then down the stairs.
“Hey, girl.” I stand at the end of the long staircase. Peg lands next to me with a leap and instantly goes to sniffing. “Um, kind of intrusive there. Watch the nose. Watch the nose!” I would never sniff her butt. She could at least return the courtesy.
I reach down and run my hand over her furry head. “You ready to go out? Come on.”
Peg’s ears perk at that command, and her feet
clickity-clack
on the hardwood floor as I open the back door. “Okay, girl. Do your thing, and make it snappy.”
Ten minutes later, the dog has not returned, so I step outside. “Peg!”
I walk the grounds of Dolly’s massive yard, calling Peg’s name and searching high and low. Nothing. I even look over the side of the pool to make sure she’s not floating face down, doing the eternal doggy paddle. But aside from some stray leaves, the pool is empty.
Where is that dog? This animal is all that Cherry has left of Betty the Bearded Lady. If I’ve misplaced Betty’s only child, I will never get ungrounded.
And that’s when it hits me.
Look through town. Tear it apart. But the answer you seek. Is circled
’round my heart
.
That’s it.
I know the answer to the riddle.
P
eg! The answer has to be with that dog! Aside from Cherry, there was nothing more important to Betty.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and call Ruthie. She answers on the third ring.
“This better be important. We’re about to start, and I haven’t done my pre-unicycle deep-breathing exercises yet.”
“Ruthie, I need to talk to Cherry. Now.”
“Fine. I’ll get her. But some people need to recognize there’s more than one star to this show . . .”
I continue yelling for the dog, but no sign of the furry beast.
Finally I hear Cherry’s voice. “Yes?”
“This is urgent. I think I know the answer to the riddle, but I need to find Peg. I’m over here at Dolly’s, and I let her outside. But that was almost fifteen minutes ago. Where would she be?”
The background noise of the carnival almost overpowers her voice. “I don’t know. Probably out at the barn. She loves the horses.”
“The barn’s like a few miles away!” I’m not in the mood for a long walk.
“Yeah, you’ll have to drive out there. She won’t come back on her own though. That’s why you use the leash by the door.”
“Oh. Right.” Well, excuse me. Any dog that is intelligent enough to work for a circus ought to be able to figure out how to pee and return home by herself. “I’ll go out to the horse stables then. Thanks.”
“Wait—Bella. You said you have the answer?”
“I think the answer is around Peg’s neck. She’s the missing piece in all of this. I’m going to check out her collar.”
“Let me know what you find . . . and be careful out there.”
Hopping back into the Bug, I beat it down the dirt road and turn into the field that leads to the horse stables. Dolly may look like an ordinary waitress, but she’s really just a millionaire horse breeder in disguise. Looks are so deceiving—just ask my dad.
The foreman drives my way in his beat-up Ford, and I roll down my window. “Have you seen Peg—the dog?”
He leans out his window and spits on the green grass below. “Yup. Seen her around here nosing ’round my horses. Get her on back home, would ya? And close the gate when you leave the property. We’re all checking out for the night. Going to the big top to see Cherry.”
Who isn’t? Oh . . . me.
I search in every building until my feet ache. My patent-leather flats are not dog-hunting shoes. Sticking my head in the last stall, I grin with relief. “Peg!” The dog runs from the side of a chestnut mare and sniffs my hand. A smart girl probably would’ve brought treats. Now how am I going to coax her into my car?
“Hey, Peg. It’s time to go back home now, okay? You’ve had your big walk.” And hopefully a big tinkle. “Let me see this collar here.” I go to my knees in front of the dog. She sticks her nose in my hand, as I try to wrangle with her tags. “What does this say here?”
“Thanks for the tip.”
My head shoots up, and I’m on my feet. “Alfredo.” I eye the magician with cold dread. “Wh-what are you doing here?” My hand slips into my pocket.
“Don’t even think about going for the phone. In fact”—his arm shoots out and grabs my hand—“these ought to keep you from doing anything stupid.” Alfredo wrenches my arms behind my back and slaps handcuffs on my wrists.
“What are you doing? Are you nuts?” My pulse escalates until it pounds in my ears. “Let me go.”
“I don’t think so.” Leaning down, he coos to the dog. “What do we have here? So the answer’s on the dog’s collar. My Betty—she had a heart of gold, but she wasn’t the smartest rabbit in the hat.” His beady eyes narrow as he flips over the dog’s name tag. “Nothing here! Just the dog’s stupid name.” He looks up at me with wild eyes. “It’s a name tag. Cherry said you knew the answer was on the dog’s collar.”
“She called you after I talked to her, didn’t she?” How does a runaway convict have a cell phone?
“Cherry knows I only want what’s best for her. She trusts me— whether she should or not. She told me you were gonna turn me in.”
“So that’s why you haven’t contacted me.”
“This could’ve played out much differently.”
“Have you been staying out here?” I remember Dolly saying Cherry had been feeding the dog—a lot. “Cherry’s been bringing you food, hasn’t she? She’s known you were here the whole time. You’ve forced her to break the law.”
“Shut up!” Alfredo blasts. “I only want what’s best for her and—”
He freezes like a statue as a truck rumbles outside. I take advantage of the moment and scream like I’m on fire. “Help! I’m in here, I—
oomph
!” My words are lost as Alfredo plasters his hand to my mouth.
“Be quiet. This doesn’t have to be like this, so cooperate, would you?”
I torque my head and glare. Like I’m going to let him just do—I shudder—
whatever
to me without a fight.
“Alfredo?” A familiar voice calls. “Alfredo?”