Oh, wow. The looks on their faces—priceless!
Amber’s eyes bulged behind those thick glasses. I thought Delia was going to fall off her chair. Julie only blinked. She’s the smartest one in the room.
I laughed. “I was in your front room,” I said. “I heard everything Liam said.”
His face was as red as fire, and he made a choking sound. Poor guy. I’ve never seen anyone look that embarrassed. He jumped to his feet. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He gave me a pleading look.
I walked over and gave his chest a playful, two-handed push. “Liam, do you really think I’m a vampire?” I snapped my teeth at his neck a couple of times.
The girls laughed. Liam backed away, his face even darker.
“I . . . wasn’t serious,” he said. “It was like a joke.”
I didn’t let him off the hook. “What’s the joke part?”
He decided to play the sympathy card. “Look, Morgan, I’ve had a bad day, you know? My mother’s funeral? Maybe I’m not thinking clearly. Maybe . . .”
I should just bite his throat and drain him dry, I thought, watching him squirm. He looked so cute. I should drain him right in front of everyone. That would give the girls a thrill.
The thought made me burst out laughing. I was seriously tempted.
Too bad I’m still so full . . . from his mother.
“Give Liam a break,” Julie said. She motioned to a dining room chair across the table from her. “Come sit down, Morgan. I want to show you all something.”
I could see she was eager to change the subject. She could see Liam was suffering. I patted his hand. “You’re forgiven,” I murmured.
Julie hurried from the room as I took my place next to Delia at the table. “Still lots of invitations to address,” she said.
Liam sat down, too. His face started to return to its normal color. Amber was squinting at me through her glasses, studying me. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
“Look what we’ve got,” Julie said, striding back into the room. She raised a long-handled ax in one hand. The handle was painted in blue and yellow stripes.
“Are you practicing to be a lumberjack?” Liam said. It wasn’t funny, but at least he was trying.
“It’s the official Linden Vikings ax,” Julie said, holding it high. “See? The yellow and blue stripes, the team colors?”
“We get it,” Amber said. “But . . . why do we need an ax?”
“It’s from the old days,” Julie replied. “They used this ax to chop down the goalposts after winning a state championship. You know. A ceremony. The ax has been passed down for over fifty years.”
“And why do you have it?” Amber asked.
“Each year, it’s given to a Linden graduate who comes to the carnival to keep for a year. It’s an honor, see.”
“Can I hold it?” Liam jumped to his feet. He reached out both hands.
“Careful,” Julie said. “The blade is as sharp as it looks.”
Liam raised the ax and held it for a while. Then his expression changed. His face appeared to crumble. His body slumped. “Wish . . . ,” he muttered. “Wish I could use this on that guy who killed my mother.”
Then he burst out sobbing. Julie took the ax from him. Liam covered his face with both hands. His shoulders rolled up and down as his loud sobs shook his entire body.
Julie turned and carried the ax from the room. Amber and Delia jumped up and wrapped Liam in a hug. They held on to him until his body stopped shaking and the sobs faded to silent tears.
“Can we drive you home?” Amber asked.
Liam shook his head. He took a Kleenex from Delia and wiped his eyes and cheeks. “No. I’m okay now. I can drive myself.”
He started toward the front door. I took his arm and helped steady him, and we walked to his car. I opened the car door for him.
“Sorry . . . about before,” he said, avoiding my eyes.
“Forget about it,” I said. “At your house this afternoon, I didn’t mean to upset you.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I like you.”
I couldn’t see his face. He didn’t reply. Just closed the car door, started it up, and squealed away.
As I walked back to the house, I thought about Liam.
He’s tense and sad now. His blood will taste sour.
Liam is off the hook . . . at least for a while.
His buddy Zane would taste sweeter, like a fine dessert.
Yes. Zane. Zane the comedian who is always serious. The sweetest!
My mouth is already watering. Zane for dessert.
When I stepped back into the dining room, the girls had returned to the stack of envelopes. “Poor Liam,” I murmured. “I hope I didn’t upset him with my vampire joke. I’m so sorry about it now. It wasn’t in good taste, was it?”
“Don’t feel bad,” Julie said. “Liam and his mother were very close. I know he always felt closer to her than to his dad.”
Delia shivered. “Two murders in Linden. Two people we knew. I am so freaking out. I am seriously scared.”
Julie’s phone buzzed. She raised it to her ear. “Hi, Mom. Where are you?”
I could hear Mrs. Hart’s voice on the other end.
Julie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh no.” A moan escaped her throat.
“What is it?” Amber cried.
Julie’s mom talked some more. Julie just kept repeating, “Oh no, oh no.”
Finally, she clicked off and set the phone facedown on the table. She shook her head.
“What is it? What did she say?” Amber demanded.
“Remember the funeral director today? That chubby guy in the tight suit? He did the ceremony at the funeral for Liam’s mom?”
We all nodded.
“He seemed nice,” I said.
“He—he was murdered, too,” Julie said, her voice cracking on the words. “They just found him. In the chapel. He was killed. They think some time after the funeral ceremony.”
Silence for a long moment. Everyone was trying to take in the shocking news.
“Who would do that?” I cried finally. “That’s horrible!”
“This means the killer is still out there,” Julie whispered.
Everyone stared at one another.
“Is someone just killing people we know?” Amber cried, her voice cracking. “Is someone following us around and randomly killing us?”
No one had an answer.
Julie sighed. “What should we do?”
“Let’s keep working,” I said. “We can talk and maybe take our minds off what’s happening.”
“Yes. We’ve got to keep busy,” Delia said. “It’s the only way.”
We took our places, and Julie passed around envelopes and invitations.
I volunteered for the invitation-sending committee because I had a good reason. I had some surprises in store for all my new friends.
I had some people I wanted to invite. Special people.
“Do you have any extras?” I asked Julie. “I just thought of some people I need to invite to the carnival.”
