Story Time (27 page)

Then she ran for the door as fast as her costumed legs would allow her. Once in the hallway, she ripped off the orca head, unzipped the front, and threw the rest of the costume to the floor like a molted snakeskin.

Agent McCoy left his station and approached the Austins and the Wrights. He demanded to know, "What was that all about?"

Bud answered, laughing as best he could through his neck pain, "The poor kid! She forgot her lines. She just started yellin' stuff. Crazy, loco stuff."

Agent McCoy stared at Bud, then at Dr. Austin. After an icy look of warning, he turned to go back to the First Lady.

Susan Singer-Wright composed herself and walked as close to the First Lady as the Secret Service would allow. She smiled her widest smile. "Does the First Lady have any questions at this time?"

The First Lady did. She asked Susan, in a high, strong voice, "When can I visit the children in their classrooms? I'd like to see what they do on an average day."

Susan pictured the twelve empty classrooms in the basement. She fixed a frightened stare at the First Lady, as if she were looking at an oncoming train. But just then a thunderous, syncopated pounding began on the roof, directly over their heads.

Susan raised up one braceleted wrist toward the ceiling and shouted above the din, "Oh! I wonder what could that be?"

The First Lady smiled at her but did not respond.

Susan shouted again, "Maybe it's some authentic native American folk dancing. How does that sound?"

There was no response to that question, either, but the First Lady's entourage did get up as one, exit the County Commission Room, and proceed to the service elevator.

Agent Pflaum scanned the elevator for life-forms.

As the First Lady waited, she watched a tall boy in a painter's cap. The boy was dabbing at a ceiling mural with a small brush tied to an extension pole. The First Lady favored him with a smile. Then she turned her gaze to a square-cut hole in the center of the ceiling mural. Within the hole, the First Lady could see the underside of a wooden stage. It appeared to be moving slightly, sagging and rising under the force of many unseen, pounding feet.

Agent Pflaum gave an "All's clear" hand signal, upon which the group entered the elevator and rode up to the roof.

Cornelia's patriotic tableau was standing in place. Mr. Kagoshima, LoriBeth Sommers, and the Lincoln Middle School Band were arrayed behind the new, highly polished wooden stage. Center stage was currently occupied by the six Tri-County Cloggers, whose synchronized, stomping feet were making the boards quiver. The sides of the stage were festooned with red, white, and blue bunting hanging from vertical poles.

George stood stage left, holding an American flag. Kate stood stage right, holding a special flag designed by Cornelia. It contained the words
THE WHITTAKER BUILDING
and
THE WHITTAKER MAGNET SCHOOL
in alternating bands of purple and yellow.

Mrs. Brennan had accompanied Molly as a band chaperone. She was sitting on a folding chair, one of the hundred chairs arranged in a semicircle behind the First Lady's section.

One additional person—neither part of Cornelia's patriotic tableau nor part of the audience—was in attendance. Ashley-Nicole Singer-Wright, dressed exactly as she had been the day before, was standing by the stairwell just one foot away from a black library cart.

The First Lady waved to all in attendance and took her seat amid the din of the clogging. Agent Pflaum sat to her left, and Rosetta Turner sat to her right.

Dr. Austin posed before the stage and waited. The dancing and whooping of the Tri-County Cloggers clearly went on for longer than he or anyone else expected.

Dr. Austin finally turned and gestured at Ma and Pa to wrap it up. They finished with a six-person "Whoop!" that visibly startled the First Lady, after which she and her entourage applauded.

Dr. Austin held up his hands. "Now, let me introduce some of the fine young people we have here in King's County." He turned and raised his arms up and down to the Lincoln Middle School Band members, indicating that they should stand. The forty band members set down their instruments, stood up, and faced the First Lady. "Madam First Lady, all of these youngsters that you see before you took the test to get into the Whittaker Magnet School, and they all failed. That is how high our standards are." He motioned for them to sit back down.

The First Lady shifted uncomfortably. Rosetta Turner held up her wristwatch again and pointed to the time.

Dr. Austin nodded rapidly. "So, with no further ado, let me introduce the band director. Here he is."

Mr. Kagoshima stepped forward tentatively, not at all sure that he had been introduced.

Dr. Austin snapped at him. "Quickly, man. The First Lady is on a timetable."

Mr. Kagoshima walked to his spot in front of the band. He gestured to LoriBeth Sommers. She walked center stage to a point equidistant between Kate and George. The Tri-County Cloggers rearranged themselves along three sides of the square, posing like country-and-western chess pieces.

Then Mr. Kagoshima raised and lowered his hand. The orchestra started to play, LoriBeth Sommers started to sing, and the Tri-County Cloggers started to clog.

The combination was dreadful. The Juku Warriors made a great show of covering their ears. The First Lady's face contorted in pain.

Mr. Kagoshima raised his hand higher, trying to control the band members, trying to get them in sync with LoriBeth Sommers and the cloggers. But the cloggers took this as a signal to clog even harder.

Kate and George exchanged a fearful look. The stage boards were clearly moving, vibrating up and down, rippling like a suspension bridge in an earthquake.

Just as LoriBeth threw herself into the highest note of the national anthem, the center section of the stage splintered apart, its wooden boards snapping like Popsicle sticks. The Tri-County Cloggers all dived for safety. And while the band played die last notes of "The Star-Spangled Banner," LoriBeth Sommers disappeared through the hole.

The First Lady's smile tightened. No one moved until Agent McCoy jumped to his feet. He stepped forward to examine the hole, but Dr. Austin cut him off.

Dr. Austin turned on his brightest smile. Then he threw out his arms and yelled, "How about that finale! I told you we had a few surprises in store for you today!"

Agent McCoy answered him hotly. "No, you didn't."

But Dr. Austin talked past him, to the First Lady. "Don't worry. It's all part of the show. We rigged up a special stage!"

Agent McCoy peered past him at the hole. Dr. Austin explained, "She's completely fine! She landed on a ... trapdoor, padded thing, right below there."

To prove this, he stepped back himself and leaned over the edge of the hole. He called down, "Ha-ha, young lady! That was a good one. Ha!" He made a thumbs-up sign into the hole. Then he yelled to the audience, "She's smiling back and laughing."

Susan Singer-Wright stood up and started to laugh uproariously. She was followed by Bud and, to a lesser extent, Dr. Cavendar. Then Susan hurried to the stairwell, bugging her eyes out at Dr. Austin, as if to say,
Do something!

Kate lowered her flag and took three cautious steps toward center stage. She stared down through the opening. At first, she could only see a wedge of the eighth floor. She then spotted an aluminum extension pole, and then the green-clad arms of LoriBeth Sommers clinging to it. LoriBeth's mouth was open, and she appeared to be screaming, but no sound was coming out. As Kate watched, the pole swung away, and LoriBeth vanished.

One floor below, William Anderson had been watching closely as the wooden stage started to splinter apart. He thrust his painter's pole into the hole in a desperate attempt to shore it up. To his great surprise, LoriBeth Sommers burst through, hit the pole, and grabbed at it. William leaned down on the pole, using the railing as a fulcrum. He slowly guided LoriBeth over the railing, to a hard landing on the carpeted hallway.

William pulled the pole back and let it fall noisily to his side. Then he took off running. By the time Susan Singer-Wright reached the bottom of the stairwell, William was cradling LoriBeth in his long arms and muttering, "There, there. You're okay now."

Susan stared at them with immense relief. She stooped down and, with William's help, pulled LoriBeth to her feet. LoriBeth, her mouth still frozen in a screaming position, pressed her face into William's side. He held on to her tightly until she was able to stand upright on two very wobbly knees.

"Thank you so much for your help, but I'll take over from here," Susan told William. "You go on upstairs and enjoy the rest of the presentation."

William started to back away, but LoriBeth wouldn't let go of him. William assured her, "There, there. You're safe now," until LoriBeth finally released her grip, although her jaws remained locked two inches apart. Susan then guided her around the corner and into a nearby office.

Upstairs, Dr. Cavendar approached the First Lady's entourage and explained, "I am going down to see the girl, but only to congratulate her and maybe to check her blood pressure."

Bud said, "I'll go with you, Doc."

Dr. Austin, still laughing about the surprise, added, "Me, too!"

He turned to Cornelia, put his mouth up to her ear, and hissed, "Stall them. For god's sake, stall them!" The three men half walked, half ran to the service elevator.

Cornelia beamed her brightest smile at the First Lady. The First Lady and her entourage stared back blankly.

Cornelia then asked, "Would anybody like a beverage?"

The First Lady bent and whispered something to Rosetta Turner. Rosetta signaled Agent McCoy to come over. She spoke to him; then he walked up to Cornelia. "The First Lady would like a beverage."

"Ah! Excellent." Cornelia looked around for the rolling refrigerator. She spotted it off to her left, where Kate and George had parked it. She curtsied to the First Lady, walked over, and opened the lid. Then she let out a horrified scream.

Agent McCoy unholstered his revolver.

Rosetta leaped to her feet. "What is it? What happened?"

Cornelia slammed down the lid, spun around, and asked, "Does the First Lady drink regular or diet?"

Rosetta walked toward Cornelia, answering warily, "The First Lady is opposed to empty calories. She is also opposed to artificial stimulants. She will have a sugar-free, caffeine-free beverage."

"Oh? I'm sorry," Cornelia explained. "We only have high-sugar, high-caffeine beverages." Rosetta stepped closer to the refrigerator, but Cornelia blocked her view. "Would she prefer a Mountain Dew, a Surge, or a Jolt Cola?"

Rosetta decided, "The First Lady will pass for now." She gave up trying to see past Cornelia and returned to her seat.

At that moment, inside the refrigerator, Mrs. Hodges's eyes, dead for four days, suddenly snapped open. They gazed outward with a mischievous twinkle. Then one thin hand disengaged itself from Walter Barnes, reached up, and opened the frosty lid. The hand tapped on Cornelia's back rhythmically, like a secret knock.

Cornelia turned, annoyed at the interruption. Then she saw who was interrupting. Before she could scream again, the hand grabbed the front of her blouse and pulled her halfway into the cooler.

Cornelia stayed that way for several seconds, looking as if she was trying to decide between the three types of beverage. When she finally straightened and turned back around, she had a new, strange light in her eyes.

She rasped out, in a voice somewhat higher than normal, "Don't move, children! I'll be right back for a very special Story Time." Then she bounded off toward the stairwell.

Kate and George exchanged an excited look George pointed to himself. He mouthed the words, "I'll go," and took off after Cornelia. He slipped through the door and raced down the steps, leaping the final three to the landing. He spotted Cornelia running around the eighth-floor railing and into Cornell Whittaker Number Two's office.

George followed as fast as he could. He sprinted to the office door and fearlessly slipped inside. Then he crouched low and crawled across the carpet toward a large mahogany desk.

George peeked up over the desktop. The bookshelf along the rear wall was now open, revealing the secret room. George slid his chin along the top of the desk to a point where he could see inside.

He watched Cornelia flip over Cornell Whittaker Number Two's heavy wooden trunk like it was made of Styrofoam. She ripped a yellowed piece of tape from the bottom, revealing an iron key. She let the trunk crash back upright, thrust the key in, and opened the lid.

Cornelia stared into the trunk for ten seconds. Then she reached in and removed several fantastical items—a long black necromancer's robe, a floppy black hat, and a magic wand.

She quickly donned the robe and hat, but then, just as quickly, she snatched the hat back off. As she did, her blazing eyes turned toward the opening, prompting George to dive for cover under the desk.

Cornelia hurried into the outer office, ransacked the desk drawers, and pulled out an electric hair trimmer. She stomped back into the secret room, found an outlet, and plugged it in.

Then, as George watched in amazement, she shaved her own head. Several yards of long blond hair, one thick strand after another, plopped down into the opened trunk and onto the floor.

It was all over in a minute. Cornelia pulled the hat onto her head and ran back out, wand in hand. George ducked and scooted around a corner of the desk as she bounded by.

Twenty seconds later, Cornelia made a sudden, splashy return to the rooftop. She threw open the door and skipped clumsily toward the First Lady's area, popping her wizard's hat on and off of her exposed scalp. Some of the children started to laugh; some started to nuzzle nervously into their parents' sides.

She spoke over the head of the First Lady, directly to the children. "Greetings! I am Cornell Whittaker Number Two. Do you know what that makes me?" She held up two fingers. "That makes me twice as many as Cornell Whittaker Number One."