Framed & Dangerous (9780545443128) by Kim Harrington

think that Charlie loved her back. There were rumors that they were going to prom together. But then Betty Frazier asked Charlie to prom.”
    She said that last part dramatically, but I didn’t get it. “Okay …” I said.
    â€œI know in this day and age, it’s not a big deal for a girl to ask a boy out,” Mrs. Wolfson explained, “but back then it was very forward of Betty. Though Betty and Charlie did make sense. Betty was the prettiest, most popular girl. What boy would turn her down?”
    â€œSo he went to the prom with Betty and not Helen?” I asked, trying to keep it straight in my mind.
    â€œYes. Helen was so distraught that she didn’t go with anyone. She stayed home alone. Though, Charlie wouldn’t leave the building because he swore he saw her there.”
    â€œAnd was she there?” Darcy chimed in.
    Mrs. Wolfson gave us a skeptical look. “No. She never went to the dance. People think that the fire messed with Charlie’s mind. Maybe he felt guilty about dropping Helen for Betty and he thought he saw her in the smoke.” She paused to take a sip of tea. “In any case, we’ll never know what he saw. He perished in the flames.”
    A chill ran across my skin. “Do you know what happened to Betty and Helen?”
    â€œBetty married some handsome young man and moved to the West Coast. Helen never married. Sometimes I wonder if it’s because she never got over Charlie. She’s still here in town.”
    Darcy straightened. “Do you know where?”
    â€œYes. At the Maples Nursing Home,” Mrs. Wolfson said.
    Darcy looked at me, eyes aflame. I knew that look. Helen Fallon was going to get a visit soon. From us.
    Â 
    On Sunday, we tried to visit Helen at the nursing home, but were told by the woman at the front desk that Helen wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t accept visitors. We’d have to try again in a few days.
    On Monday morning at school, I walked the hallway with my head down, eyes peeled for the Delancey-wearing arsonist.
    But by the time I reached my locker I’d already seen two girls wearing the shoes. I opened a notebook and jotted down their names, but a pit was beginning to form in my stomach. What if too many girls wore that brand? I sighed. Why did the arsonist have to be so trendy?
    Darcy strolled up to my locker with a notebook in hand and a pencil behind her ear. “I’ve been patrolling the hallways, and I’ve got four shoe suspects already!”
    That pit I mentioned before? Yeah, it was growing.
    â€œYou say that like it’s a good thing,” I mumbled.
    Frowning, Darcy said, “This was the plan, right?”
    I shrugged. “Yeah, but I figured maybe like three girls would have the shoes. Then we could rule outthose with alibis, figure out who was here early the day of the fire, and bam. Arsonist exposed. But we already have six names before first period! This clue isn’t going to help us much at all.”
    I gazed down at the floor as yet another pair of Delanceys approached.
    â€œDid you guys see the posters?” Maya asked nervously.
    I looked up into her worried brown eyes. “What posters?”
    â€œWe’ve been focused downward this morning,” Darcy explained, motioning at Maya’s shoes.
    Maya suddenly looked uncomfortable. I wondered how she felt about owning the same shoes the arsonist wore. I noticed Darcy giving Maya a long stare, and I knew the gears were grinding in her head. But I wouldn’t suspect Maya. No way. She was friends with Zane. She wouldn’t frame him.
    Maya tugged on my shirtsleeve and said, “Come with me.”
    Darcy and I followed her around the corner. Even though it was hopeless, I continued to scan shoes along the way. Until I nearly walked into Violet and Amanda, only one of which was wearing Delanceys.Before I could figure out who was who and why they would stop and stand in the middle of