What Holly Heard (11 page)

Jed rounded the corner and stalked away from her, toward the doors to the parking lot. Miriam hurried to catch up.

“Jed?”

He turned violently, his eyes flashing. When he saw her, he relaxed a bit. “Hey,” he said curtly.

Miriam approached, hugging her books to her chest, trying to be brave. She had to be calm, try to find out what was going on.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I'm … I'll be okay,” she managed. “I'm getting better.”

“That's good.” He nodded absently. “Real good.”

A tense moment passed.

“Uh, Jed—”

“Look, I—”

They both stopped.

“Go ahead,” he urged.

“No,” she replied. “Please. You first.”

“I … I just wanted to apologize for last night. I know I'm apologizing almost every day for something. But I wanted you to know I was truly sorry for the things I said. Holly was your best friend, and I guess I let my own feelings get in the way of that.”

Miriam nodded. “And?”

Jed seemed puzzled. “That's it. And I was hoping you would come to the game tonight. It's against Reed Valley. If we win, we make the finals. And Coach Hurly said that this is the one I have to nail. There
will be a half-dozen scouts watching.” He smiled. “This is the big one.”

Again, Miriam only nodded. Then she said: “I'm going to give you one last chance, Jed. And I want the straightest answer you've ever given in your life.
What is going on with you?”

His jaw tightened. His fingers flexed on the strap of his gym bag.

“Well?” Miriam demanded.

“Miriam, if I blow this tonight, I'm through. No basketball, no scholarship, no college at all. Can't you
understand
that?”

“There's
more,
Jed!”

“What else could there possibly be? I swear I'm telling you the truth! What more do you want from me?”

Miriam leaned toward him. “What are you hiding?”

“What?”

“You're hiding something, Jed. Holly called me the night she was killed to tell me something she found out about you. What is it?”

Jed tossed up his arms. “How should I know? I don't even know what you're talking about!”

“Yes, you do!”

“Look, Miriam, I'm sick of talking about Holly! I don't care what she told you. Holly's dead, and you still want to know her gossip! Get over it.”

Miriam took a step back. Jed was getting violent again. Why wouldn't he tell her what Holly had found out?

Then it hit her.

Holly knew something about Jed.

Something bad enough to upset Gary.

Jed had been at school the night Holly died. Alone.

He showed up right after I found Holly.

Was he somehow involved with her death?

Was he
responsible
for her death?

Miriam stared at Jed, studying his face.

She had to ask. She had to ask it again.

“What were you doing at school the night Holly was killed?”

“W
hat are you, a cop?” Jed snapped. “I told you. I was in the weight room. Lifting.”

“Wasn't it a little late for lifting?”

“Whoa. Wait a minute.” Jed's eyes narrowed. “You think
I
killed Holly?”

Miriam stared him in the eye. He was obviously furious, but she wouldn't back down this time. She had to know the truth.

“If it's not that, then tell me what it is, Jed. Tell me!”

“Gary and I had a late session because of so much time between playoff games!” he told her. “We didn't want to lose our edge! If you don't believe me, go into the locker room and
ask
Gary. Go.
Go!
Ask him!”

Miriam hesitated. Had she gone too far?

“Something is going on with you, Jed,” she stated. “And I'll find out what.”

Jed gave a dry, humorless laugh. “I can't take this anymore, Miriam. I'm done.”

He backed away from Miriam, shaking his head. “If you think I killed Holly, fine. I'm a murderer,” he continued. “Well,
this
murderer is going home to get ready for his big game. This murderer is going to score forty points tonight and get a full ride to Georgetown. Okay? See you later.”

He bolted for the doors.

“Jed!”

He ignored her.

“Jed!”

The crack in her voice stopped him. He stood still for a moment, then finally turned. His eyes no longer held rage, only exhaustion.

Miriam's hands were shaking. Her whole body shook. She thought maybe she was truly losing her sanity.

But she had to make a decision.

She did not believe Jed was a murderer. Did not believe he was capable of that much violence. He was acting strangely about Holly now. But he had always been friends with her before. He couldn't have killed her.

Jed did
not
kill Holly, Miriam told herself.

“Come on, Miriam,” Jed said impatiently. “I've got to go.”

The words wouldn't come. “Oh, Jed … I'm …”

He nodded curtly. “I know you are.”

“Sorry.”

“I know.”

“I'll be at the game tonight,” she promised.

“Thanks,” he replied. “So will I.”

“Please come to the game with me, Ruth,” Miriam begged. “I can't handle being there alone.”

Ruth shook her head violently. “There is no way I'm going anywhere that Mei and Noah can see me,” she declared. “And if you were smart, you'd stay away from them, too.”

Frustrated, Miriam flopped back on Ruth's bed, watching as Ruth fiddled with the water bottle in her hamsters' cage.

Miriam had gone to her friend's house on the way home from school. She needed Ruth's level-headed advice on how to deal with Jed.

But Ruth didn't seem very level-headed today.

Ruth seemed terrified.

Ever since Miriam had told her about seeing Mei and Noah in the bathroom, Ruth had been acting like a frightened child. She had gone home directly after school, and she refused to leave the house for the basketball game.

“Gary is going to need all his friends for support, Ruth,” Miriam insisted. “This game will be really hard for him. You know how wrecked he is by Holly's death.”

“I know. But think how wrecked he'd be if you and I were murdered, too,” Ruth replied. She placed the
mesh top back on the hamster cage and turned to Miriam. Her expression was serious.

“I think you should tell the police that Mei and Noah threatened you today, Miriam.”

Miriam thought about Noah and Mei in the bathroom. She pictured Noah's eyes. So cold.

So menacing.

But Noah hadn't really
threatened
her.

“I don't know, Ruth,” she said thoughtfully. “I got the feeling that Mei was telling the truth. I mean, I
did
know her really well once. I could probably tell if she was lying.”

Ruth's eyes narrowed. “I can't believe you!” she cried. “If Mei and Noah didn't kill Holly, who did? Why would anyone else want to kill her besides them? Who do you think sent us that bloody notebook?”

“But I think Mei was telling the truth,” Miriam insisted. “I think she believes her mother's death was an accident.”

“Maybe she does believe that,” Ruth agreed. “Maybe that's what Noah wants her to think. I bet he's the one who killed her mother—and Holly.”

Miriam shrugged. She couldn't stand to think about Holly any more. She dragged herself off Ruth's bed.

“I promised Jed I'd go to the game,” Miriam told her friend. “If you're not coming, I'd better go on home and get ready.”

Ruth turned back to the hamster cage. She sure loves those two hamsters, Miriam thought. I can't believe she hurries home to them after school.

“Please don't go, Miriam, I mean it,” Ruth warned.

Although Ruth's voice was calm, Miriam felt a chill crawl up her spine.

“What could possibly happen at a basketball game?” Miriam asked.

“I don't know,” Ruth replied. “But something is going to happen tonight. Something terrible.”

M
iriam's mother dropped her off at the gym. Miriam had pleaded again with Ruth. But Ruth wouldn't change her mind. She had insisted on staying safe at home.

Maybe she's the smart one,
Miriam thought as she entered the gym by herself.

She arrived early. The game wasn't supposed to start for another hour and a half. She hoped to get a moment with Jed before everything started. The afternoon's explosion still weighed heavily on her mind.

How could she have thought that Jed had murdered Holly?

This was
Jed!
He had no reason to do it, no reason at all.

She was wrong to accuse him, and she wanted to apologize. He shouldn't be worrying about her during his big game.

Miriam strode out into the main hallway, which was nearly deserted this far from game time. She rounded the corner to the boys locker room—and grinned at her good luck.

Jed leaned over the water fountain, in his warm-up uniform, all alone.

Before she could call his name, he popped something into his mouth and took a hasty drink to wash it down.

“Jed!”

He spun sideways, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“Miriam,” he gasped. “You scared me.”

She approached him with a smile. “I'm sorry. What was that you were taking?”

“Oh, um, it's a high-potency vitamin,” he replied. “I found it at a health food store in Waynesbridge. It gives me energy right before the game.”

Miriam nodded. “Jed, I—”

He held up a finger to stop her. “Don't apologize, Miriam. I'm the jerk here, remember?”

Miriam smiled. “I do remember something like that, now that you mention it.”

“Look, I'll make a deal with you. Don't say anything. I'm going to go out there and kick some Reed Valley butt, mop a few floors, get a couple scholarships, and then we can go out afterward. Sound good?”

Miriam laughed. “Yeah, it sounds great.”

“Good. I've got to get to warm-ups.” He gave her a quick kiss. A thrill went through her at his touch. She wished he could stay.

“Jed?” she called.

He turned back to her.

“Kill 'em,” she said.

By the middle of the third quarter, Jed was on fire. He'd already scored twenty-one points, but Shadyside was losing to Reed Valley, 52-45.

Miriam had never gone to a game by herself before, but she was so into it she didn't even think about Holly's absence.

Until, during a time out, her eyes scanned the bleachers—and came to rest on Noah Brennan.

He stared back at her.

Miriam stiffened. Why was he watching her? She scanned the crowd for Mei, but didn't see her. Miriam pretended not to notice Noah's glare.

She focused on the game.

Jed was barking at his teammates, bringing the ball upcourt. He passed to Gary, who took an outside shot and missed.

Jed didn't like that at all. He gave his friend an angry shout after a Reed Valley player got the rebound and brought the ball back downcourt.

Reed Valley scored.

Miriam groaned.

Jed was in a fury. He yanked the ball from the ref and inbounded it violently to Gary again.

Miriam looked down the bleachers.

Noah was gone.

She turned her attention back to the game.

Jed drove for the basket. He dribbled hard and prepared to leap. Then a Reed Valley player stepped in front of him. Jed barreled over him, stomping him into the floor.

The refs whistle blew.

An offensive foul on Jed.

He exploded. Slammed the ball to the floor.

It bounced up a good twenty feet, and the crowd let out a gasp. Jed moved into the ref's face, bellowing words Miriam couldn't quite make out from her seat in the bleachers. She bit her lip. If he argued any harder, he'd get a technical foul, maybe even an ejection.