Chapter 11

Eddie Ryker was drying the supper dishes when the telephone rang. His mother lifted a plate out of the sudsy water. ‘Would you get that, honey? ’

‘Sure. ’ He balled up the dishrag. As he backed away, he shot it toward the sink. It flared out, and dropped like a sheet over the rack of dishes waiting to be dried.

In two long strides, h

e was at the kitchen door. He picked up the wall phone.

‘Hello? ’

‘Eddie? ’ asked a soft, breathy voice.

He smiled. ‘Oh, hi Aleshia. How are you? ’

‘I miss you. ’

‘Me too, ’ he said, and wished he’d picked up the phone in a different room. He never expected the caller would be Aleshia. She usually phoned much later, talking quietly from her dark bedroom.

‘How was football practice? ’

‘Just fine, ’ he said. He remembered her waving as she ran by with the other cheerleaders, her legs quick under the pleated skirt. ‘How did your practice go? ’

‘Oh, just fine. Except for Sue. She’s such a know-it-all. I just wish she’d fall off her pedestal and break a leg. Or something higher up, if you get my meaning. ’

Eddie smiled.

‘I suppose you heard about Chief Boyanski? ’

‘Yeah. It was on the news. ’

‘Isn’t it just ghastly? To think there’s a murderer running around town! Yick! ’

‘Well, they’ll probably catch him. ’

‘I hope so! It’s disturbing to have a thing like that, especially the day before Halloween. ’

‘Well …’

‘Anyhow, that’s not what I called about. I came into a very rude surprise, when I got home from practice. ’

‘Oh? ’

‘An invitation came for me in the mails. ’

‘For that Spook-House Halloween Party? ’

‘You got one, too? ’

‘Yeah. ’

‘Well, do you realize what night that party’s scheduled for? ’

‘Tomorrow night. ’

‘Precisely. ’

‘And what else is that night? ’

‘Your party, of course. ’

‘Precisely. ’

‘Well, I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m still planning on yours. ’

‘I should certainly hope so. But what about everyone else? ’

‘I don’t know. ’

‘I invited a dozen friends to my party. Now suppose half of them decide they would rather go over to the creepy old Sherwood place? What kind of party’ll we have, then? ’

‘A small one. ’

‘You may be amused, Edward Ryker, but I most certainly am not. ’

‘I just don’t think it’ll happen. Some of the kids you asked might’ve gotten invitations to the other party, but I’ll bet every one of them will decide on yours. ’

‘Do you think so? ’ she asked, sounding relieved.

‘I’m positive. ’

There were a few moments of silence, rare during conversations with Aleshia. ‘You don’t suppose, ’ she finally said, ‘that somebody concocted this other party just to spite me, do you? ’

Eddie laughed. ‘Who’d do that? ’

‘Just about anyone I didn’t invite to my party, of course. ’

‘Well, maybe, but I doubt it. I think it’s just a coincidence. ’

‘Maybe yes and maybe no. Anyhow, I have a jillion calls to make. I’ll give you a buzz later. ’

‘Okay. ’

‘Around ten. ’

‘Fine. ’

‘From my bed. ’

He grinned. ‘Okay, great. Talk to you then. ’

‘Bye-bye. ’ She hung up.

‘Beth, telephone. It’s Aleshia. ’

‘Right there, ’ she called to her father. She flipped through the pages of her physiology book, counting. Six to go in the chapter, but two were mostly diagrams. Not so bad. She could handle that.

She dropped a pencil into the crack of the open book, and got up from her desk. As she stood, she watched herself in the window reflection. The image on the dark glass, transparent as a ghost, hinted of beauty and mystery. It looked good to Beth.

In the reflection, her freckles and braces didn’t show.

With a shrug, she turned away. Her eyes avoided the full-length mirror on the closet door: it would show details she didn’t want to see.

She hurried down the upstairs hallway, entered her parents’ room, and picked up the telephone extension.

‘… absolutely marvelous pyramid, and then we all collapse into a pile …’

‘I’ve got it, ’ Beth said.

‘Okie-doke, ’ said her father. ‘Bye now, Aleshia. ’

‘Bye-bye, Mr Green. ’

Beth heard the phone go down. ‘Hi-ho, ’ she said.

‘I just adore your father. ’

‘He’s not bad, ’ Beth said, smiling.

‘I only wish my father was as cute and charming. ’

Beth shrugged. She had never seen Aleshia’s father. He seemed to be out of town constantly.

‘Anyhow, I just gave you a buzz to find out if you’re coming to my Halloween party. ’

‘Yeah, ’ she said, confused. She’d already told Aleshia she would be there. ‘Is something the matter? ’

‘It appears that someone has decided to go into competition. ’

‘Oh, you mean the other Halloween party? ’

‘Precisely. ’

‘You think it’s for real? ’ Beth asked.

‘Why wouldn’t it be? ’

‘It looks awfully queer. ’

‘Queer? ’

‘First off, my invitation wasn’t signed. It doesn’t give the first hint about who’s throwing the party, or even ask for an RSVP. ’ She sat on the edge of the bed, and lay back. ‘Second, it’s supposed to be at the old Sherwood house. That place has been boarded up for as long as I can remember. How’d they even get in to have a party? I just think the whole thing’s queer. I bet somebody sent out those invitations for a gag. ’

‘Or to ruin my party. ’

‘If it is for real, nobody’s gonna go. Nobody with sense, anyway. I wouldn’t be caught dead in the old Sherwood house myself. ’

‘Oh, I imagine half the kids in town would love to get in there, especially on Halloween night. It is the creepiest place in the whole world. Wouldn’t you like to see where it all happened? ’

‘No. Thanks anyway. ’

‘I certainly would, but not when I’m having my own party. I’ll just die if nobody shows up ’cause they’re all over at the Sherwood house traipsing through gore. ’

Beth laughed softly. ‘I don’t think the gore’s still there. Someone must’ve cleaned it up. I mean, it’s been about fifteen years or something. ’ The hand resting on her flat belly bounced as she laughed. ‘And even if it didn’t get cleaned up, it’d be all dry, by now. It’d take a putty knife to pry it off the floor.

‘Beth! You’re awful! ’

Beth couldn’t stop laughing. Her eyes teared. ‘Oh, ’ she gasped. ‘Oh, wouldn’t that be a sight …! Some old janitor crawling around with a putty knife … trying … trying to jimmy the guts off the floor! ’

‘Beth, you’re sick, ’ Aleshia said through her own laughter.

‘Ohhh. Oh wow. ’ She wiped her eyes, and tried to catch her breath. ‘Oh. Don’t know … what got into me. ’

‘While you’re on that subject, who’s your date for the party? ’

Beth took a deep, shaky breath. ‘I … I don’t know. ’

‘You what? ’

‘I don’t know. ’

‘Beth, the party’s tomorrow night! ’

‘Oh, I’ll find someone to take me. ’

‘I certainly do hope so. Well, I’d better leave you, now. I’ve got a jillion more calls to make. ’

‘Are you phoning everyone you invited? ’

‘I just might, Beth. ’

Karen Bennett sat at the kitchen table of her rented house, correcting a stack of papers turned in yesterday by her fourth period class. She finished Dave Sanderson’s Halloween theme. At the bottom, in red ink, she scribbled, ‘Cats are people, too. ’ She flipped to the front page and marked the top B-.

She took a sip of Chablis.

She scooted a bit farther forward, and gently rubbed the underside of her right leg. Earlier, she’d bandaged the worst of the scratches. For the past hour or so, they’d been feeling itchy. If she used her fingernails, though, they hurt.

That creep, Houlder. She really ought to report him. She couldn’t write him up, though, without implicating Bill. She hated to do that.

Hell with it.

She lowered her eyes to the next theme, and moaned. Jim Miller had used a pencil. After all the times she’d told them only to use ink. Doesn’t anybody listen, for Christsake? She picked up her red pen.

‘Use ink only! ’ she wrote at the top.

Then she began to read. ‘Halloween is the time for tricks and treats. Little kids get dressed up like pirates and hobos and wiches and nurses, and docters and bums …’

The telephone rang.

Thank God.

She put down her pen, picked up her wine glass, and went to the phone. ‘Hello? ’

‘Hello, Miss Bennett. This is Aleshia. ’

‘Oh, hi Aleshia. ’

‘I hope I’m not disturbing you. ’

‘No, not at all. What’s up? ’ Reaching down, she scratched the back of her leg, and winced.

‘I’m calling about my Halloween party? ’

‘Yes. I’m looking forward to it. ’

‘Oh good. I was a little bit worried that you might change your mind, or something. ’

‘I’ve already got my costume ready. ’

‘Oh, super. I was just wondering, because it turns out there’s this other party tomorrow night and I’m afraid some people might decide to go to it instead of mine. ’

‘Not me. ’

‘Did you get an invitation to it? ’

‘No. Yours is the only one I got. ’

‘Maybe they’re not asking teachers. ’

‘Maybe not. ’

‘I mean, I didn’t invite any, either. Just you. But that’s because you’re really special, and not like a real teacher. ’

‘I’m not? ’ She grinned. ‘I hope the Board of Education doesn’t find out. ’

‘I mean, you’re a real teacher. You’re the best. But you’re not like the others. You listen to us, and stuff. ’

‘Well …’ She realized she was blushing. ‘Thank you, Aleshia. ’

‘Do you have a date? ’

‘He’s all lined up, ’

‘Oh good. Who is it? ’

‘That’ll be my secret. ’

‘Oh, Miss Bennett. ’

‘You’ll find out, tomorrow night. ’

‘Is it someone I know? ’

‘

That’d be telling. ’

‘You’re awful! ’

‘An ogre. ’

‘Well, I’m just dying to see who it is. I’d better hang up, now. You must have a jillion things to do. ’

‘Nice talking to you. ’

‘Okay. Goodnight. ’

‘Night, Aleshia. See you tomorrow. ’

She hung up, and stared across the kitchen at the pile of Halloween themes. A jillion things to do. Seemed like a jillion, all right, when she had to struggle through pencil-written messes like that turkey Jim Miller turned in.

She took a sip of wine.

With a sigh, she returned to the table.

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