CHAPTER 16

I knew the second Heath got back in town because he interrupted my dream. I had been lying out in the sun (see, clearly a dream) on a big, heart-shaped floatie in the middle of a lake made of Sprite (who knows? ), when all of a sudden everything disappeared and Heath's familiar voice burst into my skull.

" Zo! "

My eyes fluttered open. Nala was staring at me with grumpy green cat eyes.

" Nala? Did you hear something? "

The cat " mee-uf-owed, " sneezed, stood up long enough to pad around and around in a circle several times, then she plopped down and went right back to sleep.

" You're really no help at all, " I said.

She ignored me.

I looked at the clock and groaned. It was seven o'clock, p. m. Jeesh, I'd slept for about eight hours but my eyelids were like sandpaper. Ugh. What did I have to do today?

Then I remembered Professor Nolan and the conversation with my mom and my stomach clenched.

Should I tell someone about my suspicions? As Loren had said, the People of Faith had already been implicated in the murder by the awful note that was left behind. So, did I really need to say anything about the fact that I wouldn't be surprised if the step-loser was involved? Mom had made it clear to me that he'd been home all last night, and this morning. At least, that's what she was saying.

Could she be lying?

A shiver went through my body. Of course she could be. She'd do anything for that disgusting man. She'd already proven that by turning her back on me. But if she was lying, and I told on her, then I'd be responsible for what happened to her. I hated John Heffer, but did I hate him enough to cause my mom to go down with him?

I felt like puking.

" If the step-loser is tied up in the murder, the police will figure it out. If that happens, nothing that comes of it will be my fault. " I said the words out loud, letting my voice calm me. " I'll wait and see what happens. " I couldn't do it. I just couldn't. She was awful, but she was my mom, and I still remembered when she used to love me.

So I wasn't going to do anything except try and put my mom and the step-loser out of my mind. Period. I mean it.

While I was attempting to continue to convince myself I'd made the right choice, I remembered what else was going on today. The Dark Daughters' Full Moon Ritual. My heart sank into my clenching stomach. Normally, I'd be excited and a little nervous. Today I was just stressed. On top of everything else, having Aphrodite join our circle wasn't going to be a popular move. Whatever. My friends were just going to have to deal with it. I sighed. My life seriously sucked. Plus, I was probably depressed. Didn't depressed people sleep for, like, ever? I closed my bristly eyes, giving in to my self-diagnosis and was almost asleep when " Zoey baby! " screamed through my mind just as my alarm started bleating. Alarm? It was the weekend. I hadn't set my alarm.

My cell phone was chiming with the little noise it made when I had a text message. Groggily, I flipped open the phone. Instead of finding one text message I found four.