Wrong Number 2 (8 page)

“So what did you do?” Jade demanded.

“I tried to find it,” Linda replied. “But I couldn't.”
She sighed. “Stanley didn't believe me. He accused me of stealing it. He phoned me from prison a few weeks ago. He said that if I don't come up with the money by the time he gets out, he'll kill me!”

“So you've been searching the house for the money?” Deena guessed.

“I've looked everywhere,” Linda replied, her eyes again brimming with tears. “That's all I've been doing for weeks. But I can't find it. And I think I know why.”

“Why?” Jade asked.

“Someone else must have taken it,” Linda said. “Someone else who knew it was there.”

Her expression changed. She glared at Jade, then at Deena. “I just figured it out!” Linda Morrison exclaimed. “Oh, man. I've been so stupid. But I just figured it out.
You
took the money—didn't you?”

The woman moved quickly to block the front doorway. “I'm right—aren't I!” she cried, studying them both.
“You
took the money!”

Deena was about to protest. But Jade, as usual, spoke first. “Yes, you're right. We took it all,” Jade confessed.

D
eena gasped. What was Jade saying? Had she lost her mind?

“We took the money,” Jade repeated. “Then we flapped our arms and flew to the moon.”

Linda Morrison stared hard at Jade. “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying that's crazy,” Jade told her. “Deena and I didn't know about any hidden money.”

“That's a good story,” Linda replied sharply. “But I know different. I know that the night Stanley caught you last year, you were searching his house. What else could you have been looking for?”

“We were looking for papers,” Jade replied. “Looking for some kind of proof that Farberson was guilty.
Deena's brother Chuck had been accused. We were trying to find something that would prove Chuck was innocent.”

Morrison studied them. “Why should I believe you?” she demanded. “All I know is, the money is gone. And Stanley will blame me.”

“Well, we didn't know about it. And we didn't take it!” Jade insisted.

Linda blew her nose and sighed. And now her mood seemed to change again. “I suppose I have no choice but to believe you,” she said.

“Maybe Farberson lied about hiding the money,” Deena offered.

“I thought of that,” Linda told her. “But if so, why is he threatening me? In any case, I give up. I'm not looking for it anymore. Last night was my last attempt.”

“What are you going to tell Farberson?” Jade asked.

“Nothing,” said Linda. “I'm too afraid to even think about talking to him again. I've decided to move someplace far from here, where he can never find me. That's why my house is up for sale. As a matter of fact, I was starting to pack when you called this morning.”

“Well, good luck,” Deena said, not knowing what else to say.

“Thanks,” Linda replied. “And good luck to you girls too.” She narrowed her eyes at them. “If Stanley gets out, you may need it.”

• • •

Deena spent the rest of the afternoon working on her algebra and a history paper. She kept listening for Chuck to come home. But there was no sign of him.

Jade called at six. Her mom and sister had gone to visit Jade's aunt. She invited Deena over for pizza.

“Thanks for getting me out of the house,” Deena said when Jade opened the door. “It's a nightmare there. My parents are so mad at Chuck.”

“Good thing he's over here, then,” Jade said, gesturing toward the sofa.

“Chuck!” cried Deena. “Do Mom and Dad know you're here?”

Chuck gave her a sour scowl that told her he was sick of talking about the whole situation. “As far as I'm concerned,” he said, “they don't need to know anything about me—ever.”

Deena decided to keep her mouth shut. She sat down on one of the armchairs across from Chuck. From the two pizza crusts on a paper plate, she could see that he already had a head start on dinner.

“Have a root beer,” Jade offered, handing Deena a glass.

“So Jade was just telling me about your big adventure this afternoon,” Chuck said, pulling another slice from the carton.

Deena snickered. “You should have seen Jade with short, curly black hair.”

“I'll bet she looked great!” Chuck gushed, gazing at Jade admiringly.

“I told him what Linda said about the money,” Jade said. “I told him she thinks the money isn't there anymore. But Chuck says—”

“I think the woman is lying,” Chuck interrupted.

“Why would she lie?” Deena asked.

“Because she doesn't want anyone else to get it,” Chuck replied impatiently. “The Morrison woman may be going away, but I'll bet she still wants to get her hands on the money.”

“Chuck could be right,” Jade said thoughtfully. “Think about it. Remember how she kept saying over and over that the money was gone?”

“That's because it
is
gone!” Deena exclaimed.

“No, it's because she didn't want
us
to find it!” Jade declared.

“She told you about the money to see if you girls knew anything about it,” Chuck explained. “Then, when she found out you didn't, she wanted you to think it wasn't in the house after all.”

“Well, maybe you're right,” Deena agreed. “But so what?”

“So—I think that money is ours!” Chuck exclaimed, grinning.

“Chuck!” Deena gasped. “You don't mean—”

“I don't know how much there is,” he continued, ignoring her. “But it will go a long way toward getting me to Los Angeles.”

“You can't take that money!” Deena protested.

“Why not?” Chuck replied, still grinning. “We deserve it after everything we went through last year. In a way, you could say we
earned
it!”

“Jade, talk him out of it!” Deena pleaded.

“I think I agree with Chuck,” Jade confessed. “I mean, it's not like we're robbing a bank or anything. The money is already there—and no one knows it's there. And we did go through a lot because of Farberson. I mean, Chuck ended up in jail, and you and I nearly got killed!”

“But it's illegal money!” Deena protested. “Farberson stole it.”

“The insurance company has probably paid everyone by now,” Chuck said, finishing his third slice and dropping the crust onto his paper plate. “Don't be such a wimp, Deena. It's free money. And it can be ours!”

For a moment Deena just stared at her brother. How could Chuck even be thinking of trying to find that money?

Jade is nearly as bad, Deena decided. How could she encourage him?

“So what do you say?” Chuck asked, jumping up. “How about a little treasure hunt?”

“You mean tonight?” Jade cried, surprised.

“The sooner the better,” Chuck told them.

“I don't know if I'm ready to go back there,” Jade said, biting her lower lip. “Especially after last night.”

“Let's go to a movie or something instead,” Deena suggested.

Ignoring them, Chuck made his way to the front entryway.

“Chuck—come back!” Jade called. “We have to talk about this some more.”

“I don't need your permission,” Chuck called back. “I don't even need your help.” He pulled open the front door.

“Chuck, no!” Deena pleaded.

“Last chance to come with me!” Chuck announced. He stepped out into the dark.

Deena and Jade followed him onto the porch. “Jade, you've got to stop him!” Deena pleaded.

“I'm trying!” Jade said. She ran down the sidewalk after Chuck, screaming his name over and over. “Chuck, please stop! Listen to me! Chuck!”

Jade grabbed his shirt and he struggled, pushing her aside. “No! Don't!” she wailed.

Deena started after them. But she stopped when she saw someone standing under the streetlight at the curb.

His face was buried in shadows.

But Deena could see that he was tall. And broad.

Dressed in black.

Farberson?

She opened her mouth to call to Jade and Chuck.

Too late.

The man burst out from behind the light post.

He grabbed Chuck. They wrestled for a moment.

Jade uttered a frightened scream as the man wrapped Chuck in a choke hold.

Deena watched Chuck sink to his knees, his arms flailing wildly, helplessly, as the man, grunting and cursing, strangled him.

I
n the pale, hazy light from the street lamp, the scene in front of her seemed like a dream to Deena.

Chuck lay sprawled on his back at the foot of the driveway, the big man pressing him down. Jade shrieking as she tried frantically to pull the man off Chuck.

A terrifying dream.

And as Deena ran down the driveway, she entered the dream.

Jade's frightened cries grew louder.

The intruder's grunts and groans rose on the still night air.

Chuck didn't move.

“Chuck! Chuck!” Deena repeated his name as she ran.

And then another name burst into her ears.

“Teddy—stop! Teddy!”

Jade's desperate cries. “Teddy—please!”

And Deena realized the powerful intruder wasn't a stranger. She recognized Teddy. The basketball game flashed into her mind. Teddy's heroic shot at the sound of the buzzer.

Teddy had seemed so light on the basketball floor. So graceful and light.

And now he had become a heavy monster, strangling Deena's brother, leaning on Chuck's still body, holding him down.

“Let me up!” Chuck pleaded weakly.

Not dead. Not strangled!

Deena breathed a long sigh, her heart still thudding.

“Let go of him! Teddy—let go!” Jade's shrill pleas.

A neighbor's lights flashed on. And the lights flickered on in the house across the street.

Slowly, breathing hard, Teddy backed away.

“Teddy—why?” Jade cried shrilly, tugging him away. “Why?”

“I heard you screaming at him,” Teddy replied, breathing hard. “I saw you running after him, yelling at him. I saw him push you. I thought he was hurting you—”

“But he's Deena's brother!” Jade cried.

But before Teddy could say anything, Chuck startled them all by jumping to his feet.

“Chuck—no!” Deena screamed.

Too late.

With a loud groan, Chuck pulled back his arm—and swung his fist hard at Teddy.

The punch went wild as Teddy ducked. Chuck staggered forward, off balance. Teddy landed a hard punch on Chuck's shoulder.

“Stop it, you two! Stop it!” Jade shrieked.

Deena covered her eyes. Why won't they stop? Why are they doing this?

She opened her eyes in time to see Teddy land a solid punch on Chuck's face. Chuck's nose began to bleed, bright red blood streaming down his face onto his sweatshirt.

Chuck staggered, his eyes wild with surprise. Deena thought he would go down. But then he came back at Teddy with a shout—and began beating frantically on the bigger boy's back and sides.

Teddy grunted with pain, then twisted around and pulled himself away from Chuck.

Chuck's face twisted with fury. He ran toward Teddy again, the full weight of his body behind him.

Teddy dived to one side.

Chuck staggered forward. Stumbled.

Fell.

Deena heard the crack as his head hit the curb. The sound seemed to split the air. It forced Deena to shut her eyes again.

“Chuck!” Jade was shrieking. “Chuck!”

Chuck didn't answer.

Deena opened her eyes.

Chuck lay sprawled facedown in a dark pool of blood.

His head twisted to the side at an odd angle. The one eye Deena could see was open wide, staring blankly down the street.