Framed & Dangerous (9780545443128) by Kim Harrington Page B

was just a little old lady, nothing to be scared of, but something about her seemed ghostlike and sad. “We’d like to talk to you for a few minutes, if that’s all right.”
    â€œAbout what?” she asked warily.
    I opened my mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come.
    Darcy had no such problem. “About prom night, 1948.”
    The woman’s eyes widened. After a long pause, she motioned to the couch opposite her chair. “Have a seat.”
    Darcy and I settled in on the couch, and Helen turned toward us. She was too skinny and seemed sickly. She let out a bone-shaking cough into her fist.
    I looked at Darcy and grimaced. That must have been what the woman behind the desk meant. Helen was dying. I felt guilty interrogating her about something that had happened so long ago. We should let her sit in peace. Yet, at the same time, she’d invited us to stay. Maybe she wanted to talk about it.
    â€œSo,” Helen said. “What do you want to know?”
    I nudged Darcy with my elbow. She could start.
    Darcy cleared her throat. “Um, I don’t know if you heard, but our field house burned down. At your old school.”
    Helen nodded. “Unfortunate. I read about that in the paper.”
    â€œWe were supposed to have our dance in that building,” Darcy explained. “So, our fire has brought up stories about …”
    â€œMy fire,” Helen said matter-of-factly.
    â€œYes,” I chimed in. “Rumors and ghost stories. We know that you and the boy who died were close, and I feel bad even asking you these questions, but we were hoping —”
    Helen put her hand up. She held me in a steely gaze, like she was making some momentous decision. After what seemed like forever, she simply said, “It’s time.”
    â€œTime for what?” I asked. Time for us to leave?
    â€œIt’s time for the truth,” she said, and her voice didn’t sound frail anymore. It had force behind it. She sat up a bit straighter in her seat and said, “I’ve kept it in for so long. A lifetime really. It’s time for my story to be told.”
    I could feel Darcy trembling with anticipation beside me. “Okay …” she said.
    Helen clasped her hands on her lap and met our eyes. “I set the fire.”
    I stared at her in shock. “What?”
    â€œProm. Nineteen forty-eight. I set the fire,” she repeated.
    Darcy and I sat in stunned silence. If I were the fainting type, I would have dropped to the floor.
    â€œI loved Charlie Austin,” Helen began. “And I do believe he was starting to return my feelings. Even though he was much more popular than I was, he’d asked me to prom. It was a dream come true.”
    Helen beamed at the memory. Then the smile slipped from her face as she said, “But then Betty Frazier and her boyfriend suddenly broke up. She was beautiful, a stunner really. And she decided she wanted Charlie by her side at the prom.”
    â€œWhat did he do?” Darcy asked.
    â€œHe dropped me. Just like that. The day before prom. I was dateless and heartbroken. Embarrassed and ashamed.”
    My heart sank, imagining how Helen must have felt. But then I remembered … she wasn’t so innocent after all. I said, “But you went to prom night anyway.”
    Helen took a deep breath. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, you should know that. All I wanted was to spoil the prom. Since it had already been ruined for me. I set a small fire in a darkened corner. I figured it would start slowly, they’d all run out, and the dance would end early. But the decorations caught and the flames spread too quickly.”
    I shuddered, picturing the moment. My fingers crept toward Darcy until they found her hand to clasp on to. Hers felt as clammy as mine.
    Helen’s eyes were wild and the words started to come faster. “There was panic and horror. Everyone made it out but Charlie