Wicked (4 page)

“If Angela's so busy helping everyone else, when does she have time to do her own work?”

“Beats me.” Ryan shrugged. “She helped Scott right after we ate lunch, and she gave Cheryl some advice before dinner. Angela even went over one of Dean's songs with him. He said she was really helpful.”

Eve mentally added up all the people Angela had helped, and then she asked her question again. “So when did she have time to write her own work?”

“I don't know, but she's managing somehow. Her chapter tonight was great, wasn't it, Eve?”

“Yes. It really was.”

“Good night, Eve.” Ryan gave her a kiss on the forehead and turned to leave. “I wish I could stay, but I've got to get to work. See you in the morning.”

Eve stepped into her room. She'd just learned some very interesting news, but she wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Angela's chapter had been very good. It had read exactly as if a professional writer had written it. But Angela hadn't had much time to work if she'd helped Scott, and Cheryl, and Dean before their meeting. So when had Angela written her chapter?

The night was hot and muggy. Eve changed to a light silk nightgown and opened the French doors to her balcony. There was a gentle breeze blowing, and Eve stepped out, keeping as far away from the rail as she could. She was terrified of heights, but she was fine as long as she didn't lean over and look directly down at the ground below her. Of course, she'd never admit that to anyone. It was a sign of weakness.

There was a lounge chair on her balcony, and Eve sat down to stare out at the courtyard garden. It was paved with bricks and there were potted trees and flowers everywhere. The house was L-shaped and all the bedroom windows looked out on the courtyard, but only Eve and Ryan had the luxury of balconies.

As she looked out, Eve saw someone walk across the courtyard. It was Cheryl, and she set a baking dish on one of the white, wrought-iron tables. Since the light was still on in the kitchen, Eve realized that Cheryl was probably testing another of her grandmother's recipes.

Eve's mouth began to water as the breeze carried the scent of cinnamon up to her. Perhaps she should go down to see exactly what Cheryl had baked. A piece of spice cake or a cinnamon roll, straight out of the oven, would be great. Eve was about to stand up and do just that, when someone else came out of the kitchen to join Cheryl.

It was Angela. Eve recognized the silvery laugh that floated up in the warm night air. Then Cheryl laughed, too, and they sat down at the table together.

Eve watched as Cheryl took something out of the pan. She handed it to Angela, and then she served herself. There was silence for a moment, and then Angela's voice rang out.

“This is incredible, Cheryl! I'm so glad you invited me to share it. Do you think we should take some upstairs to the rest of the group? Eve's light is still on. She might like some.”

“No way.” Cheryl laughed. “Let's just sit here and pig out. I'll bake more tomorrow, but this pan is ours.”

A frown furrowed Eve's forehead. When Cheryl had baked at the sorority house, she'd always knocked on Eve's door with a sample. She'd told Eve that baking was fun if she shared it with her best friend. It was clear that Cheryl had a new best friend and Eve couldn't help feeling hurt.

“Did you finish your chapter for tomorrow, Angela?” Cheryl reached for another helping.

“Yes, I'm all through.” Angela helped herself to another piece, too. “I'm reading Ryan's chapter at breakfast, tomorrow, but I'm free in the afternoon if you want me to help you with yours.”

“Thank you, Angela. That would be wonderful!”

Eve's frown grew deeper. How could Angela have finished her second chapter when she'd been so busy helping everyone else?”

As Eve watched the two girls eat, she thought about it. After they'd all read their chapters, they'd watched
Ten Little Indians
. When the movie was over, at ten-thirty, Angela had helped Tracie and Jeremy. She was with Cheryl now, and it was shortly before midnight. If helping Tracie and Jeremy had taken an hour of Angela's time, she would have had only fifteen minutes to write her second chapter.

That was impossible. No one could work that fast. There was something strange going on, something that wasn't quite right. And before the workshop was over, Eve was going to get to the bottom of it.

CHAPTER THREE

It was over a hundred degrees in the shade and everyone was miserable. They were all sitting in the front of the television, listening to the noon weather report, hoping that the heat wave would break soon.

“
Bad news on the weather front.
” The anchorman sounded very serious. “
Our Channel Seven weatherman, Stormy Raynes, will give you the details right after these messages from our sponsors.
”

Angela laughed. “Stormy Raynes? That can't be his real name!”

“It's not.” Ryan's face was perfectly innocent as he turned to her. “His real name is Will Frieze.”

Angela cracked up and so did everyone else. And then she turned to the screen again, where Stormy Raynes was standing in front of a weather map, smiling. “How can he smile in weather like this?”

“It's simple.” Eve shrugged. “He's in an air-conditioned studio.”

“Everyone told me they were really miserable last night,” Angela said. “It's hard to work when it's so hot, and it doesn't really cool down much at night.”

“
They're calling this the mother of all heat waves.
” Stormy Raynes pointed to a red area on the map. “
We broke the record yesterday, and today our temperatures are expected to rise even higher. Here's the five-day forecast, folks.
”

Eve gasped as she read the numbers. They were all above a hundred degrees. It was going to be a miserable week.

Stormy Raynes sighed. “
There's no relief in sight and the national weather bureau just issued a heat wave warning. Here are some of their recommendations.
”

Everyone leaned closer to the screen as a list of warnings appeared. They were exactly as Eve had expected.

“
Stay inside during the hottest periods of the day.
” Stormy Raynes pointed to the first warning on the list. “
If you must go out, make sure you take along water and protection from the sun.
”

They all listened as he read the other warnings about leaving children and animals in cars, turning off lights when you weren't in the room, limiting strenuous physical exercise, and drawing drapes and blinds to keep out the heat of the day.

“
Remember, folks.
” Stormy Raynes pointed to the last item on the list. “
Conserve electricity during peak heat periods. If everyone turns on their air conditioners at once, we could be faced with a citywide power failure.
”

“At least we don't have to worry about that.” Eve gave a sarcastic laugh. “We couldn't turn on our air-conditioning if we wanted to!”

“Let's look on the bright side,” Ryan said. “At least we've got the courtyard. It's cooler out there with all those big shade trees.”

Angela stood up and switched off the television, and then she glanced at her watch. “I've got a surprise for all of you, and it should be here any minute.”

“What is it?” Ryan started to grin. “A big block of ice?”

Angela shook her head. “No, but it's something to help us cool off.”

There was a rumble outside, and they all rushed to the window. As they watched, a big truck came around the corner and parked in front of the mansion.

“It's here!” Angela looked very excited. “Come on, everybody. We've got to decide where to put it.”

Angela raced out to the truck and everyone followed her. Two burly men got out of the cab, and one of them opened the door at the back of the truck.

“Sign here, lady.” The older man handed Angela a clipboard. “Where do you want us to set it up?”

“Bring it around to the courtyard. We'll decide where to put it and meet you there.”

“Where to put
what?
” Eve asked the question that was on everyone's mind as they followed Angela to the courtyard. “What is it, Angela?”

Angela laughed. “A portable swimming pool. I ordered it this morning. They promised me they'd have it set up in an hour, and then we can all cool off.”

“That's fantastic!” Cheryl gave Angela a hug. “You're wonderful, Angela! Isn't she wonderful, everybody?”

Eve watched while everyone congratulated Angela and thanked her for her gift. The swimming pool was a wonderful gift. Eve knew that. But she couldn't help feeling that Angela was using her money, trying to impress everyone else.

But she'd done that, too . . . hadn't she? She'd used her money to pay for parties and redecorate the sorority house. At the time, it hadn't seemed wrong, but perhaps that was because she'd been the one who was doing it.

* * *

Eve picked up her pages from the printer and smiled. She was the only one who'd worked this afternoon, and it had been no easy task. Everyone else had been too busy enjoying their new pool, splashing and laughing right below her balcony. It had been impossible for Eve to concentrate, but she hadn't wanted to complain. If she'd complained about the noise, it would have made her the most unpopular member of the workshop. She'd shut her balcony doors and suffered the hot, stuffy air in silence.

She'd done exactly what Angela had said and rewritten the first chapter of her book. Eve had thought about her heroine, and she'd finally come up with a motivation. Rochelle Dubois was Tracie in disguise, a woman who kept searching for romance in all the wrong places. Just like Tracie, Rochelle was sometimes foolish, and her dream of the tall, handsome stranger guided every aspect of her life. But just like Tracie, Rochelle now had a sweetness about her, an innocent quality that made her appealing.

Eve's vampire had changed, too. He was no longer a he. Her vampire was a woman, a rich, evil woman who enticed her victims with her wealth and beauty and killed them when they were most vulnerable. Eve's vampire was modeled after Angela, and Eve had named her Adonna.

As Eve turned to leave the fourth-floor hallway, she felt strange, as if someone were watching her. She whirled around, but no one was there and the doors to the servants' quarters were all tightly shut. She shrugged it off. Her book was scary, and she'd managed to scare herself. There was no one here. The fourth floor was off-limits. But she hurried down the stairs, just in case.

The third floor was deserted. Everyone was still in the courtyard, laughing and talking after their swim. Eve wished she could have gone swimming, but she hadn't brought her suit. Jumping in the pool in a T-shirt and cut-offs just wasn't her style. She'd go shopping for a new, fashionable swimsuit, and then she'd join the group around the pool.

Eve stacked her pages on the desk in her room, picked up her purse, and went downstairs. Cheryl was in the kitchen, and Eve smiled at her. “Hi, Cheryl. I'm going to run out to the mall to get a swimsuit. Do you want to go along?”

“No thanks, Eve.” Cheryl shook her head. “I'm making dinner and I still have to write my pages. I just don't have time.”

Cheryl had never turned down the chance to go shopping before. Eve headed out to the pool to ask the other girls, but no one wanted to go. Eve was just heading for the front door alone, when the telephone rang. She picked it up and got the surprise of her life. It was the president of the college, and he asked her to gather everyone around the speaker phone in the library.

It didn't take long to get everyone together. A summons from the president of the college was important. Eve swallowed hard and then she spoke. “We're all here, President Graham.”

“I'm afraid I have some bad news for you.” President Graham sounded upset. “I'm here at the hospital, and they've just taken Professor Hellman to isolation.”

Everyone exchange puzzled glances, and then Ryan moved closer to the speaker. “Excuse me, President Graham. It's Ryan Young. Is Professor Hellman sick?”

“I'm afraid so.” President Graham cleared his throat. “I'll let Dr. Fischer speak to you. Listen carefully and do exactly as he says.”

There was a moment of silence and then Dr. Fischer came on the line. “We've run some tests, and Professor Hellman has an unusually virulent strain of infectious hepatitis. I understand he was with you yesterday?”

“That's right,” Ryan answered. “Is Professor Hellman going to be all right?”

“He's doing very well, considering the seriousness of his illness. Do you have enough food to last for the next ten days?”

Ryan turned to Cheryl. She knew the contents of the kitchen better than anyone. Cheryl nodded, and Ryan spoke into the speaker again. “Yes. We've got enough food.”

“Good. You're all under quarantine for ten days. No one is to leave the workshop for any reason. If you need supplies you can have them delivered, but tell them to drop off the packages outside the front door. I don't want you to come into contact with anyone who's not a member of your group.”

“Excuse me, doctor.” Eve spoke up. “Does this mean we could get infectious hepatitis, too?”

“There's a slim possibility that Professor Hellman was still in the infectious phase when he met with you. It's unlikely, though. This is just a precaution.”

“Oh, great!” Eve sighed. “What are we supposed to do if one of us gets sick?”

“We'll send out a team dressed in protective gear to transport you to the hospital. I want you to call me immediately if anyone shows symptoms.”

“What are the symptoms?” Ryan took out a pad of paper and started to take notes.

“Fever, nausea, and a change in skin color. Check the whites of your eyes every morning. They're the first to change color. If you have the disease, they'll turn slightly yellow.”

“Wonderful!” Jeremy started to laugh. “We get hot, we toss our cookies, and our eyes change color. It sounds just like one of our frat parties!”

Eve couldn't help it. She cracked up. There were times when Jeremy was actually funny.

“Excuse me, Doctor.” Angela spoke up. “There were two delivery men here this afternoon. Should we notify them?”

“That's not necessary. If some of you did contract the disease, you won't be in the contagious phase for at least three days. And remember, I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call me.”

“Oh, sure,” Jeremy said to Eve in an undertone. “Have you ever tried to call a doctor? All you get is their answering service. By the time the doctor gets your message, your relatives could be holding your memorial service.”

Ryan turned to them. “Quiet! President Graham wants to talk to us again.”

“I've assured Dr. Fischer that you're all responsible adults, and I expect you to follow his restrictions. You're not to leave the Sutler Mansion for any reason. Is that clear?”

Ryan answered for all of them. “It's clear, sir.”

“Good. This is a very unfortunate circumstance, and I want all of you to know that I'm very concerned about your welfare. Continue with the assignments that Professor Hellman has given you, and call Dr. Fischer if you have any medical problems. You can contact me at my office if there's anything else you need.”

“Thank you, sir. Good-bye.” Ryan hung up the phone. And then he turned to the rest of the group. “Is anybody having any symptoms?”

They all shook their heads, and Ryan turned to Cheryl. “Are you sure we have enough food?”

“I'm sure.”

“Maybe we'd better call in a grocery order, just in case.” Angela spoke up. “I've got an account at Appleton's Market, and they'll deliver if I ask them. It'll be my treat. If we can't go out, at least we can have our favorite foods in the house.”

Ryan smiled. “That's really nice of you, Angela. What does everyone want?”

As the group gathered around Angela, Eve sighed and turned away. Angela was trying to buy friends again, and from the smiles on the faces of her fellow workshop students, she was succeeding. Angela was the center of attention again, just as she'd been this afternoon when the pool had been delivered.

“Eve? Don't you want anything special?” Angela smiled at her, her pen poised over the grocery order.

“No thanks.” Eve tried to be pleasant, but it was difficult. “Whatever's here is fine with me.”

Eve went up the stairs to her room. Everyone probably thought she was upset at being quarantined, but that wasn't it. She didn't really mind the isolation and the fact that they couldn't leave the grounds. It would have been fun to be separated from the rest of the world with Ryan. What really made Eve furious was that Angela was quarantined with them. What Eve had told Angela was true. She didn't want food. What she wanted was some time alone with Ryan. And now that they were all quarantined with Angela, Eve couldn't even suggest that the two of them get away for a romantic evening together!