Obsessed (20 page)

“I did learn a valuable lesson, but that wasn’t it.” Nita’s dark eyes flashed a warning. “You see, my fifth grade teacher ended up marrying someone else. And that taught me that anyone can change their mind, right up until the day of the wedding.”

Berto looked very uncomfortable as he grabbed Judy’s arm. “Come on, Judy. Let’s go see that mummy while we’ve still got the whole museum to ourselves.”

“Good idea.” Michael took Nita’s arm, and steered her off toward the exhibit of Egyptian artifacts. Then he leaned close to ask an important question. “Were you terribly heartbroken?”

Nita shook her head. “I got over it by the end of the day. But every time I look at you, I remember how crazy I was about Mr. Scott. That’s why I wish we could be alone. I’d like to show you exactly how wild I was about him.”

Nita heard a little gasp behind her, and she knew that her voice had carried. It served Judy right. She shouldn’t have interfered. Judy was probably upset about the contest, but Nita was
n’t even trying to win anymore. The contest didn’t matter, now that she’d really gotten to know Michael. She liked him. Very much. But should she dump Ramon and concentrate entirely on Michael?

As she walked down the marble hallway, Michael’s arm around her shoulders, Nita thought of the life she would lead if she married Michael. Even if he didn’t make it as a singer, they’d still have his family money to fall back on. Nita had seen where he lived. His parents’ house was prac tically a mansion, and Michael was an only child. It would all be his someday. What she wouldn’t give to live in a beautiful house like that!

“It’s great, isn’t it?” Michael pointed to a gruesome mummy in a glass case.

“Yes. It’s wonderful!” Nita smiled up at him happily. It was a good thing Michael didn’t know the reason why her eyes were sparkling, and her face was flushed with excite ment. He might get totally freaked if he guessed that she’d just made a very important decision. She was going to be Mrs. Michael Warden, or die trying!

Seventeen

J
udy took a savage bite of her tuna salad sandwich and chomped down so hard her teeth ground together. After they’d finished looking at the Egyptian artifacts, they’d de cided to have something to eat before they tackled the Ame
rican History exhibit. Now they were sitting out on the balcony adjacent to the food service area, eating their lunch.

Berto was munching on a cheese sandwich with catsup and dill pickles, a combination that made Judy shudder. And Nita and Michael, who were seated on a ledge over looking the grounds, were sharing a plate of nachos. Nita and Michael were the reason Judy was grinding her teeth. Nita was feeding the crispy corn chips to Michael, one by one, while they stared soulfully into each other’s eyes.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t order any sugar,” Judy said to Berto, her eyes blazing. “There’s so much sweet stuff around here, I’m practically in a diabetic coma.”

Berto sighed. “Yeah. I know. It makes me sick, too. While you were at the counter, ordering your sandwich, Nita told me that she’s very serious about Michael.”

“Oh-oh.” A frown spread across Judy’s face. “How se rious is she?”

“She’s going to call Ramon tonight and tell him that things are over between them.”

Judy felt her heart begin to pound in alarm. “Didn’t you try to talk her out of it?”

“Of course. I told her it was a mistake to rush into such a big decision, but Nita said she’d made up her mind. She said she was going to marry Michael, and that was that.”

“Michael asked her to marry him!?” Judy was shocked.

“No. Nothing like that. But he will.”

“How do you know?” Judy’s voice was shaking. Berto looked entirely convinced.

“Once Nita decides on something, that’s it. And she always gets everything she wants. If she wants Michael to marry her, he’ll do it.”

Judy raised her eyebrows. She wanted to tell Berto that this might be one time Nita didn’t get what she wanted, but she swallowed her words when she saw how upset Berto was. He’d told her how much he was looking forward to having Ramon in the family, and it was clear he was terribly disappointed.

“Thanks for telling me, Berto. I’m just sorry that poor Ramon will be hurt. From what you told me, he sounds like a really nice guy.”

Berto nodded. “He is. Say, Judy . . . maybe I should . . . ”

“No way.” Judy interrupted what was sure to be an offer to set her up with Ramon. “I hate arranged dates. And I’m already interested in someone.”

“Anybody I know?” Berto grinned at her.

“As a matter of fact, you know him quite well.”

Judy didn’t realize how that sounded until she saw the pleased expression on Berto’s face. Oh, great! Berto thought she was talking about him! Judy tried to figure out some way to let him down easy, but everything she thought of sounded too cruel. She guessed it wouldn’t hurt to let Berto think she was in
terested in him, at least for today. She’d straighten everything out later, when she wasn’t so preoc cupied with Nita and Michael.

“Here, Judy . . . I’ll take your tray.”

Judy barely noticed as Berto got up and carried their trays to the trash container against the wall. She was too busy trying to decide what to do about Michael and Nita. They really looked as though they were falling in love. Of course it wouldn’t last. Judy knew that. Nita wasn’t right for Michael at all. They didn’t have a thing in common. Michael would be truly miserable if he married Nita, but he wasn’t thinking clearly enough to realize it. It was up to her to save him from Nita’s clutches. But how?

Suddenly Judy began to smile. She’d show Michael just how unsuitable Nita was, and the American History exhibit was a good place to start. Michael was a Civil War buff— that was why Judy had memorized the whole time line of Civil War battles in her encyclopedia. All that work was about to pay off. She’d get Michael talking about the Civil War, and ask him some pertinent questions. He’d realize that she could carry on an intelligent conversation, and Nita wouldn’t be able to say a thing.

“Are you ready to go?” Berto came back to the table and held out his hand to her.

“I’m ready.” Judy took his hand and stood up. “Do you know much about the Civil War, Berto?”

“Sure. That’s my favorite time period.”

“Really!” Judy smiled happily. Berto was bright, and she had no doubt that he could hold up his end of the conver sation. They would have a three-way discussion which would leave Nita out in the cold . . . she hoped. Judy held her breath as she asked the question. “How about Nita? Is she a Civil War buff?”

“Nita?” Berto’s mouth dropped open, and he began to laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding! Nita hates history. Re member that television miniseries about the Civil War?”

“The Blue and The Gray?”

“That’s the one.” Berto nodded. “Nita read the title in the T.V. Guide, and she asked me who was playing.”

Judy was puzzled. “I don’t get it.”

“Neither did Nita. She thought blue and gray were the colors for a football team!”

“Isn’t that fascinating, Nita?” Judy had the smile of a predator as she turned to face Nita. “I just love those col orful stories about Jefferson Davis, don’t you?”

“They’re very interesting.” Nita smiled right back. She knew what Judy was trying to do and she was determined to turn the tables on her. Judy wanted Michael to think she was stupid because she knew nothing about Civil War His tory, but her little plan wouldn’t work. Judy might not re alize it, but she’d met her match.

“You’re not bored?” Michael slipped his arm around Nita’s shoulders and led her to the next exhibit.

“How could I be bored?” Nita gave him her best wide eyed look. “I just wish history class had been this interest ing. Then maybe I wouldn’t have slept through the lectures.”

Michael nodded. “You must have had a bad teacher. That’s too bad, Nita.”

“I know.” Nita sighed deeply, and played her ace in the hole. “You make history come alive for me, Michael. And now I realize how much I missed. I don’t suppose you could . . . but, no, that would take so much of your time. It’s too much to ask.”

“What is it, Nita? Ask me.”

Nita sighed again. “Oh, I was just wishing you’d tutor me in history. I feel like a real dummy, especially since the rest of you know so much about it. Do you suppose you could explain the exhibits to me? If you wouldn’t mind, that is . . . ”

“I’d love to!” Michael hugged her tightly. “And there’s no reason for you to feel like a dummy. Now look over here . . . ”

Nita smiled triumphantly as Michael led her over to a glass case where several uniforms were displayed. She knew she was in for a long, boring explanation, but it was worth it to beat Judy at her own game.

The dinosaur exhibit was great. Even Nita had to admit that. It had been built for kids and each model of prehistoric beast had a button you could press to make it move and hear the sounds it had made. Luckily, Nita’s eyesight was excellent. She’d managed to read the descriptive plaques from all the way across the room and she’d used the infor mation written on them to join in the conversation. But how many times could she say, “Oh, look! There’s an ankylosaur. They think it’s an ancient relative of the armadillo.” Or, “The ornithischians look dangerous, but they were herbivo rous. Do you think the early cave dwellers kept them in cages like we do with parakeets?”

At last it was over, and Nita walked out of the dinosaur room with her head held high. She’d managed to hold her own, but she knew she couldn’t fake it forever. Berto and Michael seemed fascinated by a display of rocks and min erals against the wall. If she could just get a couple of minutes alone in the hall of dioramas, she could cram for those exhibits just like she’d crammed for her tests in school.

“Michael?” Nita tapped him on the shoulder. “I need to make a trip to the ladies’ room. Shall I meet you back here in a couple of minutes?”

“That’s fine with me.” Michael grinned at her. “Take your time, Nita. If we’re not right here, we’ll be in the pre-Columbian room. It’s right through that archway to your left. Judy says they’ve built a model of an Aztec temple in there, and I’d like to take a look. Then we’ll go to the dioramas, okay?”

Nita nodded. “I’ll join you at the Aztec temple. I’d like to see it, too.”

As she walked down the marble hallway, Nita gave a huge sigh of relief. She’d been a little afraid that Judy would offer to come to the ladies’ room with her. But she hadn’t. She was more interested in staying with Michael and impressing him with how much she knew about Aztec Indians. It was a lucky break for Nita. She’d make a quick stop at the ladies’ room, and then she’d choose a couple of dioramas and study them carefully. She’d memorize all the information on the plaques, and then she’d be sure to make points with Michael.

The ladies’ room was deserted. They seemed to be the only ones left in the whole museum. They’d only seen one tour group today, four adults and a bus load of Sunday school children, but they had already left. Nita combed her hair, put on a bit more lipstick, and walked out into the marble hallway again.

Her footsteps echoed hollowly, and Nita shivered. She’d never liked stone buildings. They always felt cold and forbidding. The museum might be fun on a day when it was crowded, but she felt like the only person left alive as she entered the hall of dioramas.

Suddenly Nita thought of it. She was alone, completely alone. And all the other girls had been murdered when they were alone. She hesitated at the doorway. Should she rush straight back to the safety of their group?

No. Nita made up her mind. Even though it seemed like it, she wasn’t really alone. There were docents wandering around, and a guard at the door. No one could get in without a ticket. Since the museum was almost deserted, the woman at the counter would be sure to remember anyone who’d come in today. The killer would be a fool to risk that kind of exposure. She was perfectly safe as long as she didn’t leave the museum.

Nita shivered as she walked forward. Everything here was dead and stuffed. They tried to make the animals look alive by painting the background to resemble their habitat, and they’d filled the display cases with things that would have surrounded them in nature. It was a remarkable illu sion, but the leopard’s eyes were lifeless as he sat on his real tree branch, and the hyenas were frozen in place, laughing forever at a painted sky. And everything was behind glass, everything except one exhibit. And that exhibit was absolutely wonderful!

Nita gasped out loud as she reached the end of the long hallway and sat down on a bench which had been placed directly in front of the huge diorama. This exhibit was im mense, covering the whole end of the wide hallway and extending back for what looked like at least forty feet. It was an African watering hole, with huge elephants and gi raffes and even a lion. And it had sound effects. There were monkeys chattering in the trees, exotic birds singing their strange, throaty calls, the distant roar of a lion, and even the sound of water splashing as the animals waded and drank. Nita had never seen anything so lifelike before. The person who had designed this diorama could get a job mak ing sets for the movies, no problem. There was only one thing that spoiled the illusion, and that certainly wasn’t the designer’s fault. A door at the side of the hallway was propped open, and Nita could see the delivery dock at the rear of the building, and beyond it, Judy’s car in the dis tance. The sight of Judy’s car made Nita frown. Michael had told her that Judy owned the expensive Volvo, free and clear. He’d also told her that a brand new Volvo, with all the options, sold for over fifty thousand dollars. Judy was rich, and she could buy anything she wanted. But Judy wanted Michael, and he was one thing she couldn’t buy.