Twisted (42 page)

Gramps had stopped fishing after the contest. He'd put his tackle box up in the attic and he'd never looked at it again. There had been sadness in his eyes when he'd walked out to his clear, sparkling river and stared down at the water. Grandma had tried to get him to tie new flies, but he'd told her that all the fun had gone out of it. And now it was over. Gramps's river was gone.

They'd dammed up the river when they'd built this place, and the shallow trickle that was left provided the water for the large fountain that decorated the front lobby of the mall. The boy had ruined Gramps's favorite sport. And the mall had turned his sparkling river into a concrete fountain, where giggling girls tossed in pennies to make wishes. It was a tragedy, but Santa would take his revenge. He'd punish the naughty boy and the mall, all at once.

H
al had suggested they get all dressed up with clothes borrowed from stores in the mall to have dinner at the Crossroads Bistro, and they were all seated at the very best table in the restaurant with a view of the surrounding countryside. Of course the view wasn't exactly what they would have liked. It was snowing again, and the winds were blowing so hard they could barely make out the lights on the Christmas tree at the entrance to the mall.

“This was a great idea, Hal.” Diana looked over at him and smiled. Hal had even done the cooking, and the meal was delicious. “You're a fantastic cook.”

Hal grinned, but he shook his head. “Thanks for the compliment, but I don't deserve it. The chef had the entrees in the freezer. All I had to do was turn on the oven and bake them.”

“That might be true, but none of us would have thought to do it.” Cindy patted Hal on the back. “And I've never had Beef Wellington before. It's delicious!”

“Mine's great, too. And I've never had it before, either.” Jay started to smile, but then he realized what Hal had said and he began to frown. “You didn't have any trouble with the oven, did you, Hal?”

Hal was clearly puzzled as he shook his head. “No. It worked just fine.”

“Thank God!”

Jay looked very relieved, and Hal looked at him strangely. But then he nodded. “Oh. I get it. But you didn't have to worry about me. I made sure the floor was perfectly dry, and I wore rubber gloves when I turned on the switch.”

Paul opened the second bottle of red wine, and filled their glasses. Then he picked up his camera, and nodded to Jay. “Let's have a toast.”

“To Hal.” Jay raised his glass. “He planned a great evening to cheer us up, and we're grateful.”

Diana raised her glass, and so did Cindy and Heather. Larry followed suit, and he even added the traditional response. “A speech from the man who made all this possible. Come on, Hal. Say something.”

“Thanks, guys. But it's really no big deal.” Hal had a big grin on his face as they started to applaud. He stood up and bowed, and then he sat down again. “I just thought we needed a night out . . . to get our minds off everything bad that's happened.”

Everyone nodded, and Diana spoke up. “You were right, Hal. And I'm glad you convinced us to dress up. I just hope I don't spill anything. This dress has to go back on the rack before anyone misses it.”

“Not necessarily.” Paul shut off his camera. “Why don't you girls do a little promotion piece for the store where you got your clothes. That way the management will probably let you keep them.”

Heather looked excited. “He's right! It'll be free publicity for the store and they always love that. Let's model the clothes for Paul's documentary, and see if the store offers to give them to us.”

“Do you want to go first?” Paul nodded to Heather as he switched tapes in his video camera.

“Sure.” Heather looked smug as she turned to Cindy and Diana. “Just watch me. And when it's your turn, do exactly what I did. I'll do the commentary, since I've had acting experience.”

Cindy and Diana exchanged glances. Heather was showing off again, but she probably knew a lot more about modeling than they did. If Paul was right, and they could get these expensive clothes for free, it would be fantastic!

“We'll work the modeling into our dinner scene.” Heather stood up and took charge. “As soon as Paul starts taping, I want Jay to tell me how fabulous I look. That's my cue to stand up and show off the dress.”

Jay glanced at Diana. They both knew that Heather was trying to look as if she were still Jay's girlfriend, but it really wasn't worth arguing about. Diana gave Jay a quick wink to tell him it was all right with her, and he grinned as he winked back.

“All right. Is everyone ready?” Heather glanced at her reflection in the mirrors that lined the dining room wall, and fluffed her hair. When everyone nodded, she motioned to Paul. “Okay, Paul. Let's roll.”

Diana tried not to grin. She'd noticed that Paul had been taping the whole thing, from beginning to end. He'd captured Heather being bossy, and that was fine with her.

“Isn't this fun?” Heather smiled brightly at the camera. “I just love getting all dressed up and going out to dinner at the Crossroads Bistro, especially when the food is this fabulous! What are you having, Jay?”

“Beef Wellington.” Jay grinned as he went along with the scene. “It's the best I've ever tasted.”

Diana bit back a giggle. Jay had just told them all that he'd never had Beef Wellington before.

“Say, Heather . . .” Jay looked thoughtful. “Is that a new dress? It's really gorgeous!”

Heather stood up and turned around. The skirt whirled out around her hips in a graceful arc, and she smiled at Jay. “This lovely dress is from Elaine's Boutique, right here at the Crossroads Mall. Fashion experts agree that it's impossible to go wrong with basic black, and this designer creation combines style with comfort. Notice the loose, flowing design and the graceful lines of the skirt. You can add a touch of jewelry for color, or cinch in the waist with this stunning gold belt, also from Elaine's. Do yourself a favor and drop in at Elaine's Boutique at the Crossroads Mall to see the latest in fashion.”

Cindy couldn't help it. She burst into applause. After a moment, so did everyone else. Heather bowed and sat down. She looked very pleased with herself. “Okay, Diana . . . it's your turn. We'll need an introduction from someone.”

“I'll do it.” Jay grinned at Diana. “Should I tell you how incredibly beautiful you look?”

“No!” Heather looked embarrassed as everyone turned to stare at her. “I mean . . . you could, but you already introduced me. We should give someone else a turn. How about you, Hal?”

“Me?” Hal looked shocked. “But I don't know anything about women's fashion!”

“You don't have to. Just tell Diana you like her outfit. Then she'll get up and twirl around, and I'll describe what she's wearing. Ready, Paul?”

“I'm ready. Go ahead, Hal.”

Hal wiggled his eyebrows as he turned to Diana, and Diana almost lost it. He was even better than Groucho Marx.

“You really look good tonight, Diana. Of course you always look good, but that's really a stunning . . . uh . . . thing that you're wearing. The color makes your eyes glow like sapphires.”

“Thanks, Hal.” Diana managed to keep from giggling as she tried to remember what color sapphires were. “I went shopping this afternoon at Elaine's Boutique.”

As Diana got up to turn around, Heather described her outfit. Diana kept smiling, and somehow she managed to twirl around without losing her balance.

“Okay. I guess that'll do.” Heather gave her a nod when she sat down again. “Cindy? You're next. You can introduce her, Larry.”

Larry nodded. “Okay. But I've got a question first. What color are sapphires?”

“Search me.” Hal started to laugh. “I just thought it would sound good. It was a line from one of those late-night movies. Of course, that was an old black and white movie, so I just guessed.”

Heather rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Honestly, Hal. Everybody knows that sapphires are blue. But it worked because Diana's outfit is sort of a blue-green color.”

“Lucky for me.”

Everyone cracked up except Heather, and she was frowning when she turned to Larry. “Go ahead. And don't mention any precious stones unless you know what color they are.”

“Ready?” Larry turned to Paul, and waited until he nodded. Then he cleared his throat. “Hey, Cindy. You look totally fabulous. It's quite a change from your usual jeans and faded Ts. Where did you get that dress?”

Cindy laughed as she stood up and whirled around. “It's from Elaine's Boutique. I'm going to buy all my clothes there from now on, because Elaine's assistants are so helpful. If you're like me, and you're a total idiot when it comes to fashion, they'll give you expert guidance. To tell you the truth, I never dreamed I could look like this! Isn't that right, gang?”

Jay whistled, and so did Hal and Larry. And Diana applauded. Heather was just opening her mouth to speak, when Cindy went on.

“I'm going to let our fashion expert, Heather Perkins, take over now. She has to describe what I'm wearing because I don't know the difference between a camisole and a cummerbund.”

“Really, Cindy! You didn't have to admit that you were that stupid!” Heather groaned and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling again. “You can edit that out, can't you, Paul?”

Paul nodded. “Sure. Go ahead, Heather. Describe Cindy's outfit.”

Diana watched Paul's expression as Heather described what Cindy was wearing. He was grinning and Diana hoped that he'd leave Heather's comment in. Heather was running true to form and it would be wonderful to see her bitchiness on tape, even if that snide little comment she'd made got edited out before Paul tried to sell his tape to the station.

“Well? What did you think?” Heather finished her description and turned to Paul.

“Very good.” Paul nodded. “I'm sure Elaine's will give you the clothes.”

“You want to know what I think?” Jay grinned at Heather.

“Of course.” Heather wore a smug smile. It was clear she expected Jay to compliment her on the wonderful job she'd done.

“I think my entree's getting cold. Let's eat!”

 

After dinner was over, there was the usual discussion of what they should do for the evening. No one felt like going to another movie, not after what had happened last night.

“How about bowling?” Paul looked thoughtful.

“That's a great idea!” Jay grinned at him. “Does anyone know how to work the machinery?”

“I do.”

Everyone turned to Larry in surprise, and he shrugged. “I worked down at the Portersville Bowl when I was in junior high.”

“The Portersville Bowl?” Cindy grinned. “Wasn't that the place they called the Toilet Bowl?”

Larry nodded. “Yeah . . . it wasn't exactly a showplace. But I did learn a lot and I'm sure I can get us started.”

“Bowling!” Heather shuddered slightly and wrinkled up her nose. “Could we think of something a little more
refined?”

Cindy grinned at Heather. “Nope. The orchestra's not playing tonight, and there's miles of snow between us and the opera house. Come on, Heather . . . be a sport.”

“Well . . .” Heather gave a long-suffering sigh. “All right. I'll go along and watch. But I just had my nails done, and I don't want to even
think
about participating.”

“O
h, my God! I can't believe I did that!” Heather jumped up and down and threw her arms around Cindy. “What's that called again?”

“A strike. You got a strike. You're a natural, Heather. I told you you'd love bowling.”

Heather looked a little sheepish. “I know you did. And I do. But it really is hell on my nails.”

“Why don't you cut them off?” Cindy suggested. “You can always have them done again later.”

Diana held her breath, waiting for the explosion. Heather's long, highly polished nails were her pride and joy. But the anticipated explosion didn't come. Instead, Heather smiled at Cindy and nodded.

“Good idea. Does anybody have nail clippers?”

“I do.” Diana found her nail clippers in the pocket of her purse, and handed them over quickly, before Heather could change her mind. Heather was certainly different, now that she was enjoying herself. Was it possible that she was actually human?

“How about a team tournament?” Jay suggested. “We could have the boys against the girls.”

Diana shook her head. “That won't work. There's one more of you than there is of us.”

“That's okay.” Cindy grinned at her brother. “I'll bowl twice. That'll make it even.”

Jay shook his head. “I don't think that's a very good idea. We wouldn't want to wear you out.”

“Oh, you don't have to worry about that. Just get your team organized. And say a little prayer while you're at it.”

While the guys went to the racks to find bowling balls, Diana turned to Cindy. “Jay looked really upset when you said you'd bowl twice. What was all that about?”

“He knows my average. That's why he's worried.”

“It's that bad?”

“No. It's that good. I was the Prairie Falls teen champ for three years running. If I haven't lost my stuff, we're going to beat the pants off them!”

“That's great, Cindy!” Heather smiled, but she looked a little worried. “I just hope I don't spoil things for us. Maybe that strike I got was just beginner's luck.”

Cindy shook her head. “Don't worry. You'll do just fine. I'll give you pointers as we go along.”

“Are you ready?” Hal walked over to join them.

“Almost.” Cindy started to write their names on the transparent grid that was showing on the overhead projector. “I just wish we had a trophy or some prizes. That'd make it more fun.”

Hal gestured toward the case of trophies on the wall. “I don't suppose . . . no, we'd better not. They belong to the bowling alley.”

“How about using some of those stuffed toys under the tree?” Diana suggested. “We could make up little plaques to hang around their necks.”

Hal nodded. “Good idea. I'll go get eight of them. Four for the winners and four for the runners-up.”

“Wrong.” Cindy shook her head. “You only need three for the winners. I'm bowling twice, remember?”

“I'll help you, Hal.” Heather put her bowling ball on the rack, and hurried to catch up with Hal.

“She sure seems different.” Cindy turned to Diana. They were both amazed that Heather had offered to help. “Do you think it's permanent?”

“I don't know. She cut her nails, and she seems to love bowling. And she pulled her hair back into a ponytail without even checking the mirror. Those are very good signs.”

“True.” Cindy nodded. “Well . . . let's just cross our fingers and wait. I didn't think I'd ever say it, but there may be hope for Heather yet.”

 

It was a sudden death play-off, with one ball for each contestant. The boys had gone first, and now it was time for the girls to bowl. The boys had proved to be a lot tougher to beat than Cindy had thought. Paul was an excellent bowler, and so was Jay. Even Hal had held his own, although he claimed he'd never done much bowling. The boys would have won, hands down, if it hadn't been for Larry. Although he had a very good average, his game was really off tonight.

“Uh, oh.” Cindy winced as Larry threw his first strike of the night. “We've got our work cut out for us. We all have to bowl strikes if we're going to win.”

Heather nodded, and gave a deep sigh. “It's all my fault. I really blew my last three frames.”

“That's okay, Heather.” Diana patted her on the shoulder. Heather really did look miserable. “It's just a game . . . right, Cindy?”

“Diana's right. And you did incredibly well for a beginner. Is your arm getting sore?”

Heather rubbed her arm and nodded. “It is kind of sore. But we need strikes to win, and I've got to try.”

“Come on, girls,” Larry called out to them. “It's too late to plan strategy. Why don't you just admit you lost and save yourselves the trouble. There's no way you can all bowl strikes.”

Cindy bristled. “Oh, yeah? Says who?”

“Says me.” Larry put his hands on his hips and his grin held a clear challenge.

Jay walked over to intervene. “Hey, Larry. Don't give the girls a hard time. We're not out to prove anything here.”

“That's right.” Paul walked over to join them. “This is just a friendly tournament. It doesn't really matter who wins.”

Even Hal got into the act as he walked over to take Larry's other arm. “Take it easy, Larry. We're supposed to be having fun.”

“Okay, okay.” Larry shrugged them off. “But there's no way they can win. Maybe Diana and Cindy can pull off strikes in the pinch, but Heather's going to bomb. She's a waste.”

Cindy walked back to join Diana and Heather. She was shaking her head. “Competition really changes Larry's personality. Jay used to be on a dart team with him, but he bowed out when Larry got nasty with the other teams. He told Jay he was using psychology to rattle them, but Jay thought it was more like a personal attack.”

“But what Larry said is true.” Heather looked very depressed. “I don't think I could bowl a strike if my life depended on it.”

Heather's words set Diana's mind whirling. If Larry was using psychology on them, there had to be some way to turn it around. Suddenly she had an inspiration, and she turned to Cindy and Heather. “We can use psychology, too. Let's think of somebody we absolutely can't stand, and pretend they're standing right in front of the head pin. That ought to give us plenty of motivation to bowl strikes.”

“That's a really good idea!” Cindy started to smile. “I'll use Dr. Oliver.”

“But why?” Heather looked puzzled.

“He's head of the chemistry department. And he made the rule about not allowing students to use calculators on exams. Professor Oliver's the reason I almost flunked my chemistry final.”

Diana and Heather watched as Cindy got ready to bowl. There was a fierce expression on her face as she picked up her ball and took her place on the lane. Her steps were deliberate as she went into her delivery and the ball flew from her hand with much more force than usual.

“Wow!” Heather's mouth flew open as Cindy's ball mowed down the pins. “It worked! You're up next, Diana. Who are you going to use?”

“I'm not sure.” Diana looked a little embarrassed. Before this bowling tournament had started, she would have used Heather for motivation, but she didn't feel like doing that now.

“How about me?” Heather grinned at her. “I wouldn't blame you.”

Diana could feel the blush rising to her face. Had Heather read her mind? “Uh . . . what do you mean?”

“I tried to get Jay away from you. That must have made you mad enough to throw a bowling ball at me.”

Should she be honest? Heather was certainly being very candid. Diana sighed, and then she nodded. “That's true. I was really mad at you, before tonight. But you seem a lot different now. I think I'll use Aunt Sharon. She's always trying to convince my mother that I should go to an all-girls college.”

“Your Aunt Sharon sounds awful!” Heather nodded. “And I'm glad you don't hate me anymore. I promise I won't try to break up you and Jay again . . . honest.”

“Ready, Diana?”

Cindy motioned to her, and Diana walked up to get her ball. She did her best to visualize Aunt Sharon's face as she stood at the end of the lane and concentrated.

“This is for you, Aunt Sharon.” Diana whispered the words as she stepped forward and let the ball fly. Then she closed her eyes and listened as the ball struck the pins with a very satisfying clatter.

“That was great, Diana!”

Diana opened her eyes to see that she'd bowled a strike. Then Heather came up and all three girls grinned at each other.

“Hey . . . this targeting really works.” Heather watched as Cindy picked up her ball. “Are you going to use Professor Oliver again?”

“No. He's only good for one time. I think I'll use Rita Carpenter. She's the beautician who gave me this beastly hair cut.”

Diana and Heather watched as Cindy took her place on the lane. She glared at the pins for a moment, and then she bowled another strike.

“Uh, oh. My turn.” Heather looked scared. “Who am I going to use?”

Diana patted Heather on the shoulder. “Use someone who's done something mean to you, someone who's embarrassed you and made you want to cry.”

“Okay.” Heather took a deep breath and picked up her ball. “I know exactly who I'm going to imagine standing in front of those pins.”

Diana and Cindy watched Heather take her place on the end of the lane. Both of them looked a little uncomfortable as they caught a glimpse of Heather's face. She really looked mad enough to kill.

Heather mouthed something under her breath and stepped confidently to the line. Her bowling ball hit the boards with a solid thunk and flew down the lane to knock over every pin.

“You did it, Heather!” Diana rushed up to hug her.

“Good for you.” Cindy nodded. “Who did you think about?”

Heather grinned at them. “I took your advice and thought about the person who embarrassed me. And I threw that bowling ball straight at Larry's big mouth!”

 

“We got prizes for everyone.” Hal handed out the packages. “Since we couldn't get trophies, we thought these would do.”

Jay grinned as he opened his package. “Oh, great. Just what I wanted. A stuffed something-or-other.”

“At least you put my name on mine.” Larry looked disgruntled as he ripped open his package.

“But we didn't!” Diana was puzzled. “We didn't have time, unless . . . Hal? You didn't tag them, did you?”

Hal shook his head. “Not me. Heather and I just grabbed seven packages and carried them here.”

“Hey! This isn't funny!” Larry stared down at his open box. “There's nothing in here but a packing slip.”

“Here. You can have mine.” Jay exchanged boxes with Larry. “I'll go out and get another package.”

Diana felt her heart begin to thud in her chest as she waited for Jay to unfold the piece of paper. But he didn't. He just stuffed it in his pocket, and headed for the exit.

“Wait for me!” Diana stood up quickly, and hurried to catch up with Jay. She knew he was going to look at the paper in private and she wanted to be there.

The moment they were outside the bowling alley, Diana grabbed Jay's arm. “What does it say?”

“I don't know. And I'm not sure I want to know. I'm hoping it's just a packing slip, but I'm not going to look right now.”

Diana nodded, but she shivered slightly as they walked to the Christmas tree. When they were seated on the bench in front of the tree, Jay took the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and read it.

“Is it from ‘Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town?' ” Diana knew the answer, without even asking. There were deep worry lines on Jay's forehead. He handed her the note without a word, and Diana read it out loud. It was another line from the Christmas carol, even more ominous than the first two.

“He's making a list and checking it twice; Gonna find out who's naughty and nice.”
Diana shivered and turned to look at Jay. “Who's doing this? It's scaring me!”

“I know.” Jay slipped his arm around her shoulders. “That's why I didn't let Larry read it. I thought maybe if he didn't get the note . . .”

Diana nodded. “Right. But do you think it's just bad luck? Or do you think that . . . ?”

“I don't know.” Jay interrupted her quickly, before she could finish her thought. “Let's get a package and go back. I'm going to talk to Larry in private. I'll tell him about the note and warn him to stay close to us, tonight . . . just in case.”

Diana nodded, and they started walking back to the bowling alley. A chill had invaded her body when she'd read the note, and she was still shivering slightly. Jay's arm was warm around her shoulders, and it came close to chasing away the chill. But it didn't. Not quite.