“Raven,” Andie whispered, “you didn’t … I know we talked about making Leeza pay, but that was just … we were just kidding around. Right?”
Raven met Andie’s eyes. “Were we? Just kidding around? Don’t you hate her guts?”
“I do. But … but she could have died.”
To that, Andie was greeted by complete silence. Then Raven shook her head. “You said you wished she was dead, Andie. So, why do you care? What if she had died? If you ask me, the little bitch got what she deserved.”
For a moment, Andie couldn’t speak. She hated Leeza for taking her father away. She did. But … saying she wanted her dead wasn’t the same as meaning it.
Surely Raven understood that.
“Gosh, Andie, don’t look at me like that.” Raven laughed and sat up. “I didn’t do it, for heaven’s sake. I’m only saying that I don’t care that it happened and neither should you. Look what she’s done to your family. To your mom.”
“That’s right,” Julie piped in, looking relieved. “Rave wouldn’t do something like that. But I don’t feel bad for that little witch, either.”
Andie brought a hand to her chest. “For a moment there, I thought you …” She let the words trail off. Something about Raven’s expression, something bright in her eyes, made her uneasy. She cleared her throat. “But … how do you think the snake got in her car?”
Raven shrugged. “You said she leaves the top down all the time. I bet that stupid little snake dropped out of the trees she parks under and curled up under her seat for a nap.”
“I bet you’re right.” Julie giggled. “The same thing happened to Mrs. Beasely, from church. Only it was bird poop. It landed right on her head. She got nearly hysterical.”
Raven hadn’t done it. Of course she hadn’t. Andie laughed weakly. “What would I do without you guys?”
“Go crazy.”
“Become a total spaz.”
The three laughed. “So what do we do now?” Andie asked.
“I say we get back to our little mystery.” Raven lowered her voice to an excited whisper. “We watch the house. We figure out what he’s up to. That shouldn’t be hard. The house is surrounded by trees. My dad’s got binoculars—”
“So does mine,” Julie offered.
“Good. Then, when we find out what he’s up to, we bust his ass. We go to our folks, they go to the police and we’re heroes.”
Andie drew her eyebrows together. “And what if he’s not up to anything?”
“Then we chalk up the whole thing to overactive imaginations.”
“It is kind of exciting,” Julie murmured. “I feel like Nancy Drew.”
Andie had to admit her curiosity was piqued. What if this guy was up to no good? What if he did mean someone harm? She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if that was true and she had sat back and done nothing.
“When do we start?” she asked.
“Tonight.”
She let out a long breath. “Okay, I’m in. On one condition.” The other two looked at her. “We don’t go in again. Not ever, no matter what. I mean it, or no deal. Otherwise, I go to our folks. Deal?”
Julie nodded, then looked at Raven. The girl paused a moment, then acquiesced. “Deal.”
7
The three friends had made their plan for watching the house. They would spend the afternoons and after-dinner hours, barring any unexpected monkey wrenches, together. They split the rest of the days and nights into shifts, their times determined by their home situations.
Julie took the early-morning watch not only because her house was on the same street as the one they were watching, but also because her dad operated under the belief that most sin took place later in the day. Combined with the fact that the morning hours were busy ones in the Cooper household, Julie had a good bit of freedom before 10:00 a.m.
Raven’s dad, on the other hand, gave her an incredible amount of latitude—as long as she was waiting for him when he arrived home from work, dinner on the table and a smile on her face.
Andie filled in the weekday time gaps. Between her mom’s job hunting and her constant depression, she hardly even noticed if Andie was around.
Weekends were up for grabs, though; because of increased activity on the street the girls didn’t think they would see their mystery man then anyway.
They had found the perfect lookout in a huge oak tree in the empty lot next to the house. A couple of years back, some kids had begun to build a tree house in its big branches, but had been forced to abandon it when the lot’s owner had discovered their handiwork. Though nothing more than a wide platform, it fit the three of them comfortably, shielded them from sight and afforded them a clear view of the house’s driveway.
So far, however, there had been no sign of their mystery man.
Frustrated, they had decided to try something new. Both times they’d heard the music, it had been late—past eleven. So tonight they had decided to sneak out of their houses and meet at the platform at ten-thirty sharp. It was now ten to eleven.
“Where do you think Rave is?” Julie asked, glancing at her watch.
Andie shrugged. “Maybe she couldn’t get out. You know, sometimes her dad stays up late.”
Julie caught her bottom lip between her teeth, obviously worried. “You don’t think he found out what we’re up to? If he did, he’ll go straight to our parents. You know he will.”
Andie peered toward the street. “Naw. Raven’s dad would be the last to find out something. Raven’s too smooth to get caught.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Julie shivered and rubbed her arms. “I guess I’m just nervous, that’s all.”
Andie brought the binoculars to her eyes. The mystery house was as dark and deserted-looking as always. Weird, she thought. The whole thing was weird.
“There she is!”
Andie swung the binoculars to the street. Sure enough, Raven was making her way toward the empty lot at a jog. Moments later, she crashed through the underbrush, heading in their direction.
“We were getting worried,” Julie called in an exaggerated whisper.
“Sorry,” Raven answered, skidding to a stop under the tree and looking up at them, struggling to catch her breath. “Wait till you hear this, you’re not going to believe it. My dad’s dating! That’s why I’m late. We had to have dinner together. They’re going out dancing now.” She took another deep breath. “I had to wait for them to leave.”
“Dating?” Andie scooted to the right to make room for Raven. “That’s hard to believe.”
“No kidding.” Raven climbed onto the platform. “I was blown away.”
“I always thought it was sweet,” Julie murmured. “The way he pined for your mom. Sitting on your patio for hours, just kind of staring off into space.”
“Real sweet.” Raven made a face. “Anyway, I played super nice for this lady, making like my dad was some sort of superhero or something. I felt like warning her instead.” She brought her hands to her mouth, megaphone-style. “Caution, asshole ahead!”
Julie burst out laughing. “Raven, you kill me. Your dad’s not that bad.”
“No,” she said softly, looking her friend dead in the eye. “He’s worse.”
For