Dead Is Just a Rumor by Marlene Perez Page A

said. Lil had never been so talkative, but I couldn't figure out the clues she was giving me.
    Flo nodded. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?"
    "Unfortunately, no," I said.
    Flo shrugged and then bent down to plug in the jukebox.
    "Can I borrow a quarter?" I asked.
    Flo handed me a stack of shiny coins. "We need all the help we can get."
    The quarters went in and I looked at my selection choices. Maybe it was time I tried speaking her language. I punched in E4, which today was "Talk to Me." Nothing. My next try was "Tell Me" by Stevie Ray Vaughan, then "Tell Me Something" by Selena Gomez.
    Lil didn't respond for a long time. Finally, the music started playing. The song was "Help" by the Beatles.
    This time I got the message, loud and clear.
    I put my hand out and touched the warm smooth surface of the jukebox. "I'll help you, Lil," I said.
    Fortunately, we had a steady stream of customers. Samantha showed up with a group of anniversary party volunteers, who grabbed a table in the corner. Nurse Phillips and the rest of her band filled up one of the booths. I headed toward the Side Effects May Vary booth, but Flo waved me off and took their order instead.
    Gradually Slim's bad mood lifted. The ticket wheel shook occasionally with the force of his agitation, but by the time the breakfast rush had ended, Slim was back to his usual self.
    The people at Samantha's table, however, didn't look very happy. In fact, Lilah Porter was in tears. I asked Samantha what was up, when she approached me during my break at the counter.
    Samantha said, "Didn't you hear?"
    "Hear what?" I said.
    "Lilah Porter got one of those notes a few weeks back. And later, someone sent her parents some incriminating photos."
    "Photos of what?"
    "She didn't say," Sam replied. "But she's getting shipped off to boarding school."
    "But it's her senior year," I said.
    "Harsh, huh?" Sam said. "But her parents won't budge."
    A thought occurred to me. "Is Lilah ... you know?"
    "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Sam suggested. She motioned to Lilah to join us at the counter.
    Lilah's eyes were rimmed in red and she held a box of Kleenex. "What do you want?" she said. She sniffled noisily.
    "Daisy has a couple of questions for you," Sam said.
    I wasn't sure how to start. "So you're leaving for boarding school soon?" I finally said.
    "Yeah, can you believe it?" she said bitterly. "One little slip-up and my parents couldn't wait to ship me off."
    "About that slip-up," I said. "I heard you got a blackmail letter."
    "I thought it was a joke or something," Lilah said. "At first."
    "Then what happened?"
    "Then all hell broke loose," she said. "My parents got the photos in the mail and it was all over."
    "Can you show us the photos?" Sam asked.
    "No," Lilah said. "My dad was so mad, he put them through the shredder."
    "This is kind of a sensitive question," I said. I dropped my voice and made sure nobody else in the diner was listening in. "But do you happen to have any ... powers?"
    "You mean, am I psychic or anything?" she asked. "Like your family? Not exactly."
    "But there is something different about you," I said. It was a statement, not a question. I had a pretty good idea that Lilah was like the blackmailer's other victims. She had some sort of paranormal gift, although she obviously didn't want anyone to know about it.
    She nodded. "Let's just say that there's a reason I was protesting showers after PE." Lilah had successfully lobbied to make showers after gym class optional.
    "You mean...?"
    "Mermaid," she whispered. "On my mother's side. My dad is freaked."
    "There's nothing wrong with being a mermaid," I said.
    "Tell that to my father," Lilah replied.
    "And the photos?" Sam asked.
    "Midnight swim. I thought I was alone, but obviously I wasn't."
    "Do you remember when the photo was taken?"
    She shrugged. "Right after school started. I wanted to get one last swim in before the water got too chilly. Even mermaids get cold."
    "Did the note ask for money?" I