April Fools (15 page)

Cautiously . . . slowly .. . Belinda peeked around the door, squinting against the narrow glare of a lamp that angled down onto a desk.

What she could see of the room appeared to be an office, or a study.

And then she saw him.

Adam was bent over the desk, one hand grasping the edge of a drawer, the other holding a thick sheaf of papers. As his lips moved silently, he seemed to be mouthing whatever he was reading, his head shaking slowly from side to side. And then, as she watched curiously, his eyes narrowed, the hand on the drawer moving slowly up to clutch the other side of the papers. In the eerie half-light, he looked like he was smiling.

He lowered the pages.

And then he let them go, sheet after sheet fluttering like fragile wings to the desktop.

He gathered them up. And thrust them in a drawer. And locked it.

Belinda saw him hide the key inside a book on a paneled shelf.

In the shadows his eyes glittered with a strange light.

And he began to laugh . . . deeply . . . horribly.

It was a cruel sound, without feeling.

And as Behnda turned and ran, she realized that Adam's laugh hadn't even sounded human.

"Something in the desk," Belinda said again. "He was laughing ... he sounded horrible --"

"But what was he doing in Fred's study? Did he see you?" Noel glanced at her anxiously as he turned onto her street. "Did he know you were there?"

"No, I'm sure he didn't." Belinda gazed unhappily out at her old, famiUar neighborhood. "But what do you think it means?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure going to find out."

"Noel . . . I've been thinking --" Belinda faced him, all seriousness. "Maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore."

The car nearly went onto the sidewalk as Noel stared at her. Quickly he got it under control, but his voice was astonished as he gave her a teasing grin. "Only one date and I get the brush-off? One date? Two kisses and one date?"

In spite of herself Belinda chuckled. "It doesn't have anything to do with you --"

"Oh, right. You don't want to see me again, but

it's not personal." His eyes twinkled, warming her. "Okay, what's wrong now?"

"It's just that. . . well, after what happened last night, if Adam is after me, then you nearly got killed because you were with me."

"I can't think of a nicer way to go --"

"Noel, I'm serious! Please -- I don't want you to get hurt --"

"And I don't want you to get hurt. Will you be okay at home today? Till I get back later?"

"Yes, but --"

"Look." He reached over and found her hand, his fingers entwining with hers. "Until we're sure what's going on here, I'm afraid you're stuck with me. End of discussion. Now shape up -- there's your mom."

Mrs. Swanson was just pulling into the driveway as they drove up. Belinda introduced her to Noel who politely declined an offer for coffee, saying he'd promised an emergency run to the grocery store for Cobbs and needed to get back. Belinda watched him drive away, and as she turned back toward the house. Mom gave an approving nod.

"He's cute."

"Yes." Behnda nodded with her, smiling. "And very sweet."

"And charming to mothers. The young man knows how to make points. So how are you feeling? I knew you'd come down with something sooner or later -- the way you've been working so hard --"

**Whoa. I'm much, much better."

"Hmmm . . . now, would that have anything to do with Noel?"

They laughed and went inside, and though Mrs. Swanson was dead on her feet, she insisted on hearing all about the picnic before she went to bed. Belinda fixed coffee, trying to recall funny incidents she knew her mother would enjoy . . . friends her mother would recognize. .. anything but the terror that had followed them on into the night.

"I'm glad you had such a good time, honey." Mom leaned back, looking truly pleased. "And Fm glad Noel's such a nice boy. Think you'll be seeing much of each other?"

"I don't know how long he's staying in town," Belinda said evasively. "And -- in case you haven't noticed -- our worlds are very different." She gave a wry smile, looking up as Mom's hand covered her own.

"I didn't notice that it bothered him. And if it doesn't bother him, there's no reason at all why it should bother you."

Belinda nodded, remembering last night, Noel's kisses, hoping her flushed cheeks wouldn't give her away.

"And anyway" -- Mom patted her and stifled a yawn -- "you make a very attractive couple."

"You'd say that about anyone I went out with," Belinda scolded.

"Wrong. I didn't say that about Homer Washburn."

"Homer Washburn picked his nose, and we were only in the third grade!"

"See? I rest my case." Mom blew her a kiss from the doorway. "See you later, sweetie pie -- these double shifts can't last forever."

" 'Bye, Mom," Belinda said fondly, blowing her a kiss back. She watched the empty threshold with a queer, aching loneliness, wishing for the hundredth time that things -- everything -- could be normal again.

The phone rang, and Belinda scrambled to answer it, brightening when she heard Hildy's voice.

"Where on earth have you been? Don't lie to me, Behnda Swanson, I know you didn't come home last night -- I called forever!"

"There was an . . . emergency." Behnda smiled, imagining Hildy's expression all too clearly. "I had to spend the night at Noel's."

"Did you say at Noel's ... or with Noel?" Hildy's voice lowered. "I have to hear all the details --"

"I'm afraid you won't really want to. They're not what you expect."

'What's that supposed to mean?"

"Can you meet me? The mall in half an hour?"

"I'll be there."

Behnda left a note against the coffeepot, grabbed an umbrella, then took off on foot down the street. Rain came down in a soft, steady drizzle, and the world lay drenched around her, soggy and cold. There weren't many people out today -- even the traffic seemed hghter than usual for a Saturday. Walking slowly along, Behnda tried to remember how she had felt a month ago, before everything had happened. . . . She closed her eyes against the

stinging chill, then opened them, not sure if her sudden tears were from the wind or her own despair.

And suddenly she wasn't on the sidewalk anymore, beneath the spreading trees of a quiet, old neighborhood . . . she was back on that hillside and it was April Fools' Day and while someone screamed in agony from a burning car, a figure stood on the crest of the hill. . . not helping . . . not answering . . . just watching.

And again she could see Hildy and Frank, coming so slowly . . . and all the while shouting her name .. . shouting at the tops of their lungs... ''Belinda! Belinda!"

With a sudden, inexplicable feeling of dread, Belinda cast a look over her shoulder and began to run.

She ran through puddles -- she slipped and fell -- she scrambled up again and ran on --

Runy Belinda Swanson . . . run for your life.

As the mall appeared at last, she raced into its noisy, crowded corridors. Hildy was waiting at their usual meeting place, and when Belinda collapsed into the chair beside her, Hildy jumped up in alarm.

"My God, what happened to you?"

"Nothing. I . . . nothing."

"You act like someone's after you. Is someone after you?" Hildy scanned the crowds nervously, but Belinda pulled her back down.

"Sit down and listen to me. I'm not imagining things this time. We're all in real danger --"

"What are you talking about?" -

"Listen -- please -- just be quiet and listen! What if we really didn't have anything to do with Adam's accident --"

"Oh, for God's sake, Belinda, that's what we've been trying to tell you --"

"Shut up, Hildy! Please! Look" -- Belinda clamped down on her friend's arm -- "what if the driver caused the accident, but we were there and he jumped out and saw us and heard you calling my name --^"

**Wait -- stop -- you are not making any sense at all --"

"Yes! Yes, I am -- just Hsten -- think back to that night, okay? Okay? The man. The man on the hill--"

"Belinda, what man? You're the only one who saw someone there, and Frank and I still think --"

'What if it was Adam?"

Hildy's eyes narrowed, fastened on Belinda's face . . . widened again as she drew back.

"What if the person I saw on the hill was Adam. What if Adam caused the wreck, and somehow escaped and he saw us there. And now he's chasing me because I have his handkerchief and he doesn't want any witnesses --"

*What handkerchief? Is this some joke you and Frank are -- ?"

"I'm serious, damn it! What if Adam's trying to kill me!"

Hildy stared at her for a long moment. She chewed thoughtfully on the end of one silver braid . . . shook her head slowly. She saw the desperation

in Belinda's eyes . . . then the blazing anger as Belinda pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and shook it under Hildy's nose.

"That is disgusting!" Hildy made a face. "What are you carrying that disgusting thing around for anyway -- ?"

Belinda cut her off sharply. "I found it. That night. Remember when I fell in front of Frank's car and my nose started bleeding --"

"Well. . . not really . . . sort of, I guess --"

"This was on the ground, and I picked it up and used it. See the bloodstains --"

"I see them, Belinda." Hildy grimaced. "Get that thing away from me."

"Okay, now, just listen -- Hildy, please -- you've got to see how this is all fitting together --"

"What I'm seeing is you going insane right in front of my eyes." Hildy pulled back with an exasperated sigh. "But, go ahead, I'm hstening."

"When I was with Adam the other day he saw this handkerchief-- he asked where I got it."

"So what."

"Don't you see? He saw that I had the handkerchief. If he saw that I had it, then he's positive I was there at the crash."

Hildy considered a moment. 'Why are you so sure it's his?"

"Look here -- the initial?"

"Belinda!" Hildy gaped at her. "It could be anybody's handkerchief! You can buy these at any store anywhere in the country! For crying out loud, look

at this old thing. You don't know how long it could have been lying out there -- it could have been there for months and months." She gave a shudder. "Ugh. I just hope you didn't catch some disease from it or something."

"Someone followed Noel and me last night -- we could have been killed -- someone tried to run us off the road!"

"Are you . . . serious?"

Belinda's fingers cut into her wrist. "Adam was in an accident when he was ten years old -- his aunt and uncle died, but Adam didn't -- don't you understand? That accident he had before sounds exactly like the accident he was just in -- the one we saw!"

Hildy was staring at her in shocked silence. Belinda shook her by the shoulders.

"You see, don't you? How it all makes sense?"

"Nothing's making sense. Least of all, you.*'

"Oh, God." Belinda's eyes lowered to her hands, to her fingers working nervously in the folds of the handkerchief. "Don't you see that he really could be . . . completely crazy?"

"Ycm're crazy, Belinda. Forget about Adam. You're the one who's completely crazy. Totally over the edge."

"I'm not," Belinda said tightly. "I'm not --"

"Okay, then, if Adam's some kind of murderer, then how does he get around? Fly? And how come he wants to kill his father in the first place? Motive, Detective Swanson!"

"Maybe he doesn't need a motive. When you're

crazy, you don't need a motive, you just do it because you're crazy --"

"Stop. I don't want to hear any more of this. Ever since this thing started, Frank and I have worried about you -- you took it all way too seriously. And now look. You've woven this whole fantasy around this stupid April Fools' joke, and you've talked yourself into believing it was the same accident and that it was our fault." She paused, but Belinda wouldn't look up. "I thought you'd snap out of it. I thought, with a little time, you'd Ughten up and see how it didn't matter! But now you've gone and concocted this whole new horror story about Adam being crazy and Adam being a murderer. God, poor Adam, does he even realize how screwed up he is there inside your head?" Hildy stared at her, pleading. "Belinda -- please -- please stop all this. You've always been so level-headed and calm about things -- and now you're just. . . you're just..."

"Someone tried to kill me last night, Hildy. Do you think I imagined that? Do you think Noel imagined it? Do you want to see his car?" Belinda's voice shook dangerously. "Even Noel thinks I have a reason to be scared about all this --"

She broke off, shocked, as Hildy began to cry --

"Did you tell Noel? Did you? You promised -- we made a pact --" She backed away from Belinda, her eyes hard and accusing as she sobbed angrily. "I told Frank not to do it! I told him not to, but he said it'd he funny I He said it was just ajoke, and he promised he'd tell you about it later --"

"What?" Belinda's words came out slowly, between clenched teeth. **What -- are -- you -- talking -- about?"

Hildy wrapped her arms around her chest, as if to shield herself from the slow dawn of realization in Belinda's eyes. "The package on your porch -- that calendar -- Frank did that. And the day those police came to your house --"

Belinda's body went numb; her eyes burned with hurt and rage. "And that night -- in the parking lot -- the voice at my window -- I bet you two really had a good laugh about that."

Hildy was crying harder now, and several people had stopped to stare. "I don't know anything about that -- I didn't have anything to do with those --"

"Oh, Hildy, stop it! How long did you two plan? Scare Belinda to death -- what fun! Call Belinda a murderer -- April Fools', huh?"

"I swear, Belinda, I swear! I don't know anything about those things -- if Frank did them, I didn't know! I wouldn't have done that to you, I swear I wouldn't --"

"Oh, right." Belinda was striding through the mall now, elbowing her way through packs of shoppers. She could hear Hildy racing behind her, begging her to stop, but all she could see were the exit doors and the gray world beyond, and all she could think about was getting to Frank --