Baby-sitters Beware Part 3

I hung up and dialed 911. with shaking fingers. "Quick!" I screamed. "Someone is breaking in!"

"Where are you?" the voice on the other end asked urgently.

"Not at my house. At my friend Kristy Thomas's. I was talking on the phone to her. She lives at twelve-ten McLelland Road!"

There was a pause, then some static and voices talking in the background, and then the first voice said, "We just took a call for that address. Officers are on the scene now."

"Is she all right? Is she . . ."

Is she what? I thought. Dead?

I swallowed hard. "Thank you," I said.

I hung up. Then I dialed Kristy's number again. My palms were wet with sweat as the phone rang and rang. I was about to slam it down, run to Sharon, who was downstairs, and demand that she drive me to Kristy's right away, when suddenly someone picked up.

"h.e.l.lo! h.e.l.lo, Kristy?"

"Mary Anne?" Kristy sounded stunned.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

I heard Kristy take a deep, shuddering breath. "The police just arrived. Shannon's okay. I'm okay." She paused, then went on. "Someone threw a rock through our living room window."

"Oh, no!" I gasped.

"That's not all," said Kristy. "They spray-painted the front door. It says, 'YOU'RE NEXT.'"

"Oh, my lord." I didn't know what to say.

Still sounding stunned and oddly detached, Kristy said, "I have to go now. If I don't call you back tonight, I'll talk to you tomorrow. But don't worry. Everything is fine."

She didn't convince me. She didn't sound convinced herself.

I hung up the phone slowly, and realized that my hands were cold and shaky.

Needless to say, I didn't get much more homework done that night. I kept imagining Kristy, crouched in the dark in her den, whispering on the telephone while some lunatic lurked outside.

It was too awful to think about. But I couldn't put the picture out of my mind. I wanted to call Dawn, but I remembered that she was going out to dinner with her dad and stepmother and Jeff that night. They'd probably already left.

Logan? The words of the note crept into my mind: STOP CRYING. Logan hadn't sent the note. I was sure he hadn't.

But if he had, and if I called him, would he think I was a crybaby to get so upset over what had happened to Kristy?

Of course not, I scolded myself. Anybody would be upset.

But I didn't call Logan, either.

At last I gave up and decided to go to bed. I shoved my books to one side, wandered to the window, and looked out.

I peered at the sky, wondering if it was ever going to snow. But the sky was dear, and I even saw a bit of the moon. We live in an old farmhouse on the edge of town. Our road doesn't have streetlights, so the moon seems to s.h.i.+ne more brightly out here, without all the compet.i.tion.

I leaned my forehead against the window - and froze.

Someone was standing in the shadow of the tree nearest my window.

I blinked, unable to believe my eyes. The figure didn't go away. It stayed there, motionless. The stillness, the watchfulness of it was very, very scary.

I don't know how long I stood there like that. Suddenly, I realized with a cold chill that I was outlined against the window by the light from my bedside lamp behind me. Whoever it was could see me dearly, could see my room, even though I couldn't tell anything about him.

I jerked back with a m.u.f.fled shriek. I yanked the curtains together and stood there, breathing hard, as if I had been running. After awhile, I realized that I was clutching the curtains so tightly that my fingers were beginning to tingle. I let go of tine curtains. I turned off the lamp and stood for awhile in the dark, letting my eyes adjust to it. Then I went back to the window and pulled the curtain to one side a little, just enough to peer cautiously out. I flinched as I did, half expecting a rock to come through the gla.s.s.

Nothing happened. All I saw was an empty lawn, the trees, the distant line of fence and a meadow, dark and still and quiet.

Had I imagined it after all? Had what had happened at Kristy's made me see things in shadows?

No. No, I was sure I'd seen a dark figure, lurking under the tree.

Hadn't I?

I decided not to tell Sharon and my dad, at least not right away. Instead I scooped up Tigger, who was asleep on the bed, and draped him over my shoulder. I walked around the house as casually as I could, making sure all the doors and windows were locked. I told Sharon good night and returned to my room to go to bed.

But it was a long, long time before I fell asleep.

"It was really creepy," I said. "I just happened to look out the window, and there he was!"

"He?" asked Stacey.

"Or she," I said impatiently. "Whoever." I shuddered at the memory.

Stacey asked, "Maybe you should tell your dad and Sharon."

"I know. I probably should." I sighed. Secretly, I was afraid if I told my father that I thought I'd seen someone lurking around our house, he'd start making up a list of strict, new rules "for my own good."

Stacey said, "I can't believe what happened at Kristy's. Talk about creepy."

"Could we not talk about creepy right now?" asked Claudia. "That's all we've been talking about. I thought we were here to shop."

"Sorry, Claudia," said Stacey.

Claudia looked contrite. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to be nasty. I guess all this stuff is just psyching me out, you know?"

She turned and refocused her attention on a rack of thin, silky-looking s.h.i.+rts that we'd been examining for at least five minutes. Then she said, "The blue." , "Huh?" I said.

"Try on the blue one," she commanded.

I looked doubtfully at the silky blue s.h.i.+rt. It was a very bright blue. I am not a bright blue sort of person.

On the other hand, Stacey was nodding slowly. "I can see it," she murmured.

"Okay," I said, "I'll try it on. But I don't promise to like it."

We were shopping at the mall. Specifically, Claudia and Stacey were helping me look for something new (and affordable) for the special football-season-is-over date.

Logan had mentioned the possibility of going to a "real" restaurant for dinner.

He hadn't mentioned sending me any notes.

As if she had read my thoughts, Stacey said, "So, what did Logan say about the note he sent you?"

"He didn't say anything. I don't think he sent it." I'd told everyone in the BSC about the note I'd found in my locker. Everyone except Logan, that is. For some reaso'n, I was waiting for him to say something.

Didn't the fact that he hadn't said anything prove that the note was some kind of weird joke that someone - not Logan - was pulling?

Both Stacey and Claudia thought this made sense.

"Hmm," said Stacey, raising her eyebrows. "I wonder which extremely immature person in SMS might do an extremely childish and stupid thing like sending anonymous notes."

None of us said anything for a moment. But I knew we were all thinking of c.o.kie Mason. Not only had she had a ma.s.sive crush on Logan, but she also had sent Kristy threatening notes once.

Then Claudia remembered our mission. "The blue s.h.i.+rt," she said, thrusting it into my arms.

We headed for the dressing rooms.

By the time we'd finished shopping, I'd added not a blue s.h.i.+rt but a very thin, lace-edged sweater to my wardrobe. I was going to wear it with a skirt, and one of Stacey's belts. I also bought new, patterned stockings, and Claudia promised to lend me a pair of her earrings "that would be awesome."

I was feeling pretty pleased as we walked out of the mall and headed for the corner, to wait for the bus back to Stoneybrook. We were going back to Claudia's house. Later, Sharon was going to pick up Stacey and me, and drop off Stacey on the way to our house.

Suddenly, I had this creepy sensation. I was sure I was being watched.

I stopped so abruptly that Claudia ran into me. "Hey!" she complained. "Watch out!"

I didn't answer. I turned and looked around the parking lot. Plenty of people were around, driving cars, parking, and walking to and from the mall.

n.o.body was paying any attention to me.

That's what I told myself. But I also realized that if someone wanted to, he or she could watch me very easily. He could slump down in the seat of any one of dozens of cars, or crouch down beside or behind one of the cars, in the shadows. There were plenty of ways to see me without being seen.

"Mary Anne?" Claudia touched my shoulder. "Is there a reason you want to wait for the bus in the middle of the road?"

"Oh. Sorry," I said. I felt foolish. I joined Claudia and Stacey in the shelter of a bus stop.

The late afternoon shadows were lengthening. As the days grew colder and winter settled in, the dark came earlier and earlier. It would be almost dark by the time we reached Claudia's.

I s.h.i.+vered.

Claudia said, "I could use some quality junk food about now."

"Claud, we had popcorn in the mall," Stacey reminded her.

"True," Claudia answered regretfully.

I didn't say anything. I just kept looking around. Someone was watching. I could feel it.

I was sure of it. Someone was out there in one of those cars, watching me.

The way someone had watched my house.

But I couldn't prove it. If I said anything, I would probably sound as if I were paranoid, because of what had happened at Kristy's house. And what I thought had happened at mine.

. So I kept quiet. And I kept watch, too, until at last the bus arrived and we were able to head safely home.

"We're hooooome," sang Claudia as we pushed open her back door.

From upstairs, I heard a door open, and footsteps.

"De de, de de." Claudia hummed the theme from that old show, The Twilight Zone.

Her sister Janine's voice floated down the stairs. "Claudia. You do recollect that it is your responsibility to set the table and start dinner tonight?"

"No sweat," Claudia called back. "Trust me. We'll be feasting before you know it."

Janine didn't answer. Her footsteps retreated along the floor and her door closed.

"What are you making for dinner?" asked Stacey.

"I was thinking of a Twinkie ca.s.serole with Dream Whip topping," Claudia answered, deadpan. Then she laughed. "All I have to do is set the table and make the salad, and then help my father cut up some vegetables for the pasta."

"We can help you set the table," I said.

Stacey and I slung our packs over the backs of the kitchen chairs. I put my shopping bag down, and we began to help Claudia set the table for dinner.

We'd just finished folding the napkins when Stacey sniffed the air. "You didn't put something in the oven, or turn on a burner or anything, did you, Claudia?"

"Nope. The frozen meatloaf is tomorrow and it's Janine who has to - " She stopped. She sniffed the air, too.

"Wow," she said. "Something's . . . burning?"

"Maybe someone's burning leaves," I suggested.'

"No," said Stacey. "They can't do that anymore. Remember how excited Dawn was when they made it a law that everyone has to put their leaves out for compost for the parks department?"

We sniffed the air again, this time simultaneously.

And we all noticed the same thing at the same time.

The dining room was filling up with smoke.

"Fire?" said Claudia.