Who Killed the Homecoming Queen? (11 page)

Is that true? Eva wondered. Tania's missing. And Sandy's dead, and I got that message. But still … something doesn't make sense.

Something feels wrong.

“What I want to know is why someone's doing it,” Keith said. “Why would someone want us dead?”

“Who cares why?” Cherise asked. “The important thing is
who!”

Everyone turned to Leslie.

She sat huddled on the couch, nervously chewing on a thumbnail.

Did Leslie really cut herself on a mirror this afternoon? Eva wondered.

Or did she kill Sandy?

Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Leslie stopped
chewing her nail and stared back. “Don't look at me like that,” she told them.

Eva dropped her eyes, feeling slightly ashamed. Okay, so Leslie had a bad temper. And she was furious with Tania
and
with Sandy.

That didn't make her a killer, did it?

“The police grilled me too, remember?” Leslie reminded them in a shaky voice. “I was alone in the school. Eva found me covered with blood. They kept asking me what happened, over and over and over! It was horrible. And now you guys are staring at me as if you suspect me, too!”

“Look, we're upset and scared,” Keith said.

“So am I!” Leslie insisted. “But I'm not a killer. None of us are. We're all just normal kids. Who is doing this?”

The telephone rang shrilly, and everyone jumped.

Eva slipped out of the chair. It's Mom, she thought as she crossed the living room to answer it. Probably calling to say she's leaving work now. Thank goodness she wasn't home when we got here.

She's going to freak when she hears what happened to Sandy.

“Hello?” Eva said.

Silence.

And then a low, raspy voice came over the line. The same voice Eva had heard at Cherise's house.

“Your turn next,” it whispered.

“What?” Eva gripped the phone so hard her
knuckles turned white. “Who
is
this? What are you trying …”

“Your turn next,” the voice interrupted. “First Tania. Then Sandy.”

Silence for a second.

Eva waited, her heart pounding.

“Then
you,”
the voice whispered.

chapter 22
 

“I
really don't feel like doing this,” Eva told Keith the next afternoon.

“Come on, Eva,” Keith hoisted the camcorder on his shoulder and gave her a pleading look. “It won't take long.”

Eva yanked her hair out of her face and glanced up at the top of the football stadium bleachers. “I didn't braid my hair. This wind will turn it into a tumbleweed.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Don't worry about the way you look. These are supposed to be candid video portraits of my friends, remember? It's not a modeling job, for crying out loud.”

“What am I supposed to do, anyway?”

“Just talk to the camera,” Keith told her. He turned and started up the steps. “Or you and Cherise can talk to each other. She's coming, too, remember?”

“Well, why do we have to be outside?” Eva asked. “Why can't we go in where it's warm?”

Sandy shook his head. “All the other video portraits were done out here—Jeremy's and Tania's and Sandy's. I want them all to be in exactly the same place.” Keith reached the top of the bleachers. “Besides, I told Cherise to meet us up here,” he added. “Come on!”

Eva followed reluctantly. She really did not want to stand in front of a camera and talk, but she'd promised Keith.

“What should we talk about?” she asked.

“Whatever you want,” he called over his shoulder. “Whatever's on your mind.”

Tania and Sandy, Eva thought. That's all that's on anyone's mind.

Tania and Sandy … and that horrible phone call yesterday.

Your turn next.

Eva shivered and ran up the last few steps, joining Keith at the top of the bleachers. While he checked out the camera, she fished in her jeans pocket, hoping to find a rubber band.

Nothing but lint.

“I can't stand this!” she cried, sweeping her hair out of her eyes.

Keith glanced at her. “Not your hair again.”

“No!” Eva knelt down and began rummaging through her book bag. “It's not my hair at all. It's everything that's going on. I can't stop thinking about it!”

Keith carefully lowered the camera onto a bleacher seat. “Yeah. I know what you mean. I guess that phone call really shook you up, huh?”

“I'm scared to death,” Eva admitted. She pawed through the book bag some more and finally found a rubber band way at the bottom. “That voice—I kept hearing it in my head, all night long.”

“I wish I could have heard it,” Keith said.

“You wouldn't have recognized it,” Eva assured him. “It's creepy and rough. Not anybody we know.” She grabbed her hair and twisted the rubber band around it. “Someone is planning to kill us all. But why? What did we do?”

Keith shook his head. “I don't know. I'm as confused as everybody else. We're all in the dark about this. That's what's so scary.”

Eva took a deep breath. “Well, anyway, that's why I don't feel like doing the video—because I'm worried. Not because of my hair.”

“But you'll do it, anyway. Right?” Keith asked.

Eva nodded.

“Great.” He picked up the camcorder and peered through the lens. “Smile—I'll make you a star.”

I don't want to be a star, Eva thought.

I just want to be safe. I want everybody to be safe.

But she forced a smile. Keith is only trying to cheer me up, she realized.

“Okay … ready?” he called.

“Wait a sec.” Eva glanced around. “I thought you said Cherise was coming.”

“Yeah, well, she's late.” Keith shrugged. “I'll get her some other time. Now—start talking.”

Eva rolled her eyes. “Okay. Hi, Keith.” She stuck out her tongue and waved to the camera. “How's that? Is that enough?”

“Are you going to clown around the whole time?” he asked, exasperated.

“Okay, no more clowning. I promise.” Eva took a deep breath. “Hi. I'm Eva Whelan.”

“Hold it,” Keith interrupted. “Step back, would you? Lean against the bleacher rail. You look like you're standing at attention.”

Eva backed up a couple of steps and stretched her arms out along the wooden railing.

“Perfect,” Keith told her. “But lean against it. Try to relax.”

Eva leaned back, letting the rail take most of her weight.

A horrible cracking sound split the air.

Gasping, Eva felt herself falling backward as the rail started to give way behind her.

“Help! Keith!”

Too late. She started to fall.

Out of the corner of her eye, Eva caught a glimpse of the ground, far below.

It really
is
my turn, she realized.

My turn to die!

chapter 23
 

“K
eith!” Eva shrieked. “Keith!”

Eva twisted sideways and caught the edge of the bleacher step with one hand. She hung by an arm, her legs dangling in the air.

Her fingers began to slip. She screamed again.

Then Keith grabbed hold of her wrist, clamping onto it like a vise.

Eva swept her other arm toward him, and he latched onto that one, too.

“Don't let me fall!” she cried. “Please!”

Keith began pulling her up, his eyes squeezed almost shut with the effort.

Pain shot through Eva's arms. It felt as if they were being torn from their sockets.

“Swing your leg up!” Keith groaned, pulling
hard. His face turned red as he struggled to hang on. “Get your leg up!”

Eva's chest scraped against the edge of the bleachers. She swung her leg and tried to hook her toe onto the edge. But her sneaker started to slip off.

She bent her knee and felt it scrape up and over the rough cement. Keith pulled harder, grunting and straining.

And then she was up, scrambling over the edge.

She lay flat on her stomach on the hard cement, dazed with relief.

Keith sat back on his heels, panting.

Eva finally pushed herself to her hands and knees. “Thanks,” she said shakily. She rolled over and sat. “Thanks, Keith.”

“Sure.” Keith hung his head, still catching his breath. “What happened, anyway? I heard this cracking sound.”

“The railing. It broke.”

Keith shook his head. “How could that happen? It's new. They put it in last spring, remember?”

Eva turned to the broken railing. It had broken in the middle, but it hadn't fallen completely off.

And the break didn't look jagged at all. It looked as if it had snapped cleanly.

Scrambling to their feet, they both went to check it out.

“It didn't break.” Keith rubbed his finger across one end of the wood, then stared at Eva. “This didn't break by itself. Somebody sawed it.”

A shiver ran up Eva's back. She stared at the railing.

Someone tried to kill me, she realized.

And they almost succeeded.

“Come on,” Keith's voice sounded rough with fear. “Let's get out of here.”

He picked up his camcorder and started down the steps.

Eva followed, still shaken.

Your turn next,
the voice had told her.

First Tania. Then Sandy. Then you.

Am I really next on the list?

Will someone try again?

When they reached the ground, Keith turned to her. “Are you really okay?”

“Sure. What about you?” Eva asked. “I mean, your arms must be about five inches longer.”

Keith smiled grimly. “I'm fine.”

“Good. But I lied before,” Eva confessed. “I'm not okay. I'm scared.”

“Yeah. Should we tell the police about it?”

“I guess.” Eva sighed. “But what if they still think this whole thing is one big joke?”

“Wait until they see that railing,” Keith declared. “That will show them. When they see that it was sawed, they'll know this is serious. Besides, after Sandy's murder they have to know this isn't a joke.”

Eva nodded, swallowing nervously. Serious is right, she thought. I almost fell and broke my neck.

I could have died.

I was supposed to die.

Eva shivered. She glanced back up, to the top of the bleachers.

Someone stood there, not far from the broken railing.

“No! I don't believe it!” Eva screamed. “
You're
here?”

chapter 24
 

“T
ania?” Eva shouted. “Tania!” The figure turned, her straight blond hair blowing in the wind.

“It
is
her!” Keith yelled. “Hey, Tania!”

Tania raised her hand in a quick wave, then started down the steps.

Eva couldn't wait for Tania to climb all the way down. With Keith behind her, she raced up the steps and met her friend halfway up the bleachers.

“You're alive!” she cried, throwing her arms around Tania. “I'm so glad to see you. I can't believe it! You're alive!”