Dead Is Just a Dream - [Dead Is - 08] by Marlene Perez Page A

Mom hollered. She did not sound pleased.
    “On my way,” I replied. I put on jeans and my favorite Side Effects May Vary tee and went downstairs.
    “Can you explain this?” she asked. She pointed to muddy footprints all over the front hallway.
    “No, I can’t.” It was the truth. I couldn’t explain it, not without complicating my life. Besides, Mom probably wouldn’t have believed me anyway.
    She gave me a long-suffering sigh. “Could you please clean it up?”
    “I’ll get right on it,” I said. But first, I was going to grab my cell phone and snap a photo to show Flo.
    I took photos of the footprints from several different angles and then got out the mop and cleanser. While I was cleaning, I noticed a scrap of fabric clinging to the throw rug.
    “Jessica, are you almost finished?” Mom asked. “Mrs. Devereaux is meeting me here today. I’m going to show her a couple of places.”
    “Sam’s mom is moving back to Nightshade?” I asked. I stuffed the fabric into my pocket when she wasn’t looking.
    “She’s thinking about it. She wants Samantha to move out of the dorms and move in with her.”
    Sam didn’t get along with her mom very well and I didn’t really blame her. Her mom had basically abandoned her when she took off for San Francisco years ago.
    “Is Sam going with you?”
    “No,” Mom replied. “She’s still not feeling up to it.”
    “Is she still staying at the Giordanos’?” I asked. “Maybe I’ll go over and see how she’s feeling.”
    “That’s very kind of you,” Mom said.
    “Don’t sound so surprised,” I said.
    “That’s not what I meant. It’s just I didn’t get the impression that you cared for Samantha all that much.”
    “She’s growing on me,” I admitted. “There’s more to Sam than I once thought.”
    I rounded up Katie, who was in her room playing with her dollhouse.
    “The prince and princess don’t want to play,” she said sadly.
    “Why not?”
    “They just want to make googly eyes at each other,” Katie said. “Like you and Dominic.”
    I laughed. “They’re in love.”
    “Are you and Dominic in love?” Her blue eyes were filled with curiosity. I squirmed and quickly changed the subject.
    “I have something that will cheer you up,” I said.
    “I doubt it,” she sniffed.
    “We’re going to visit Daisy and Samantha.”
    “Why didn’t you say so?” She jumped up and tore down the stairs so fast that I barely had time to grab my phone.
    Rose answered the bell. “Daisy and Samantha are in the back,” she said.
    The two of them were sitting at the patio table. There was a plate of fruit and a pitcher of orange juice on the table, but Sam’s plate looked untouched.
    “Jessica, come join us,” Daisy said. “Have a glass of juice. Sam hasn’t eaten anything.” She sounded worried.
    Katie practically knocked me over to sit next to Sam. When I saw that it made Samantha smile, I didn’t even mind.
    “So did you find out anything new?” Daisy asked me in a low voice.
    I glanced at my sister. Katie was telling Samantha some story about her classroom, so their attention wasn’t on us.
    “Something weird happened last night,” I said. I described the clown’s late-night visit and then said, “I don’t think I was dreaming. I have the lump on my head to prove it.”
    “It sounds like it was someone who just wanted to scare you,” she said. “Otherwise, you probably would not have ended up in your room.”
    “Flo will make me go get checked out at the doctor,” I said glumly. “And then I’ll have to make up something to tell my mom.”
    “Don’t tell her, then,” Daisy suggested.
    “Yeah, right.”
    “I’ve got some cinnamon rolls baking. I think they’re ready. Do you girls want some?” Daisy asked.
    “I’m not very hungry,” Samantha said.
    “Are you okay?” I asked. “How are you sleeping?”
    She shrugged. “Not so great.”
    Daisy went to the kitchen and came back with fat, delicious cinnamon rolls still