said, turning to the doorway.
“Stay put, please.” Ms. Carter’s voice had a steely edge. “Let’s get to the bottom of this. Jeri, what in the world are you talking about?”
“Check Brooke’s palms, Ms. Carter.”
Brooke frowned at her hands. “It’s a rash. You already know I have allergies.”
“I know you
told
me Monday night that you had allergies. That’s when you heard me go into the bathroom and rushed in after me, pretending to be sick.”
“I wasn’t pretending to be sick!”
“Well, you made a lot of gagging noises anyway, to throw suspicion off yourself. You sure didn’t want me to get Ms. Carter that night.”
“I told you why!” Brooke spluttered.
“You told me lots of things,” Jeri said. “Today at the greenhouse I saw a garden plot with your name by it. It reminded me that you use daffodils in your science display.”
“So?”
“So if we look in your room, would you have any daffodil bulbs up there?”
“No.”
Emily’s voice was soft—and confused. “But you got some today.”
Brooke turned on her in fury. “So what! I used them for my science fair project. You know that.”
Ms. Carter stepped forward then. “Jeri, I’m not following you. What does Brooke’s science fair project have to do with this salsa?”
“Nothing,” Jeri said, “except I saw Brooke earlier. I thought she was on the way home from setting up at the gym, but she was actually coming back from the greenhouse. She had a lump in her pants pocket then, like a rock.” She pointed at Brooke’s front pocket. “It’s not there now. I’m betting that the ‘rock’ was a daffodil bulb from the greenhouse.”
Ms. Carter shook her head slowly. “I still don’t understand.”
Jeri could see that the house mother thought she’d lost her senses. “I just found a crushed daffodil bulb under Brooke’s bed. In their garbage can I found a spoon with salsa and bits of the crushed bulb on it. Daffodil bulbs are poisonous,” she explained. “People can get accidentally poisoned when they think a daffodil bulb is a small onion or piece of garlic.” She held up her hand. “And when you handle daffodil bulbs without gloves, you get a rash—just like the rash on Brooke’s hands.”
Emily shrank back from her roommate, pushing herself into the corner of the couch. “Is this true? Did you try to poison me?” Her pale face lost even more of its color. “But why? What did I ever do to you?”
It felt to Jeri as if everyone had frozen. Someone had even paused the movie, capturing a swimmer in the middle of a high dive.
Emily’s anguished questions hung in the air. When Brooke just stared at her lap, Jeri said, “I think I can guess. Ms. Todd believes you’ll win the science fair with your brain functions display. Brooke tried at Abby’s party to make you too sick to work on your project. When that didn’t work, she added something during the week to your trail mix. But you recovered again and got back to work. Today’s salsa would have made you too sick to answer questions for the judges tonight. That would finally give Brooke a chance to win.”
Emily frowned. “But Brooke doesn’t care about winning. Just ask her.”
“That’s right,” Brooke said. “I’ve already got an A in science, and I don’t need a scholarship.”
Jeri glanced at Ms. Carter, who was watching her as if she’d gone crazy.
Have I?
Jeri wondered. Was her conclusion all wrong? No, it couldn’t be! But if Brooke didn’t need the grade or the scholarship, why
would
she do it?
“Well?” Ms. Carter finally said.
Jeri shook her head, as if clearing away mental cobwebs. Something didn’t add up, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
God, what is it?
She studied Brooke closely. Her expression was grim, and her arms were folded tightly across her chest. Those tiny tops and tight jeans … Was she wearing them because they were fashionable … or because she’d outgrown them and couldn’t afford new
“Stay put, please.” Ms. Carter’s voice had a steely edge. “Let’s get to the bottom of this. Jeri, what in the world are you talking about?”
“Check Brooke’s palms, Ms. Carter.”
Brooke frowned at her hands. “It’s a rash. You already know I have allergies.”
“I know you
told
me Monday night that you had allergies. That’s when you heard me go into the bathroom and rushed in after me, pretending to be sick.”
“I wasn’t pretending to be sick!”
“Well, you made a lot of gagging noises anyway, to throw suspicion off yourself. You sure didn’t want me to get Ms. Carter that night.”
“I told you why!” Brooke spluttered.
“You told me lots of things,” Jeri said. “Today at the greenhouse I saw a garden plot with your name by it. It reminded me that you use daffodils in your science display.”
“So?”
“So if we look in your room, would you have any daffodil bulbs up there?”
“No.”
Emily’s voice was soft—and confused. “But you got some today.”
Brooke turned on her in fury. “So what! I used them for my science fair project. You know that.”
Ms. Carter stepped forward then. “Jeri, I’m not following you. What does Brooke’s science fair project have to do with this salsa?”
“Nothing,” Jeri said, “except I saw Brooke earlier. I thought she was on the way home from setting up at the gym, but she was actually coming back from the greenhouse. She had a lump in her pants pocket then, like a rock.” She pointed at Brooke’s front pocket. “It’s not there now. I’m betting that the ‘rock’ was a daffodil bulb from the greenhouse.”
Ms. Carter shook her head slowly. “I still don’t understand.”
Jeri could see that the house mother thought she’d lost her senses. “I just found a crushed daffodil bulb under Brooke’s bed. In their garbage can I found a spoon with salsa and bits of the crushed bulb on it. Daffodil bulbs are poisonous,” she explained. “People can get accidentally poisoned when they think a daffodil bulb is a small onion or piece of garlic.” She held up her hand. “And when you handle daffodil bulbs without gloves, you get a rash—just like the rash on Brooke’s hands.”
Emily shrank back from her roommate, pushing herself into the corner of the couch. “Is this true? Did you try to poison me?” Her pale face lost even more of its color. “But why? What did I ever do to you?”
It felt to Jeri as if everyone had frozen. Someone had even paused the movie, capturing a swimmer in the middle of a high dive.
Emily’s anguished questions hung in the air. When Brooke just stared at her lap, Jeri said, “I think I can guess. Ms. Todd believes you’ll win the science fair with your brain functions display. Brooke tried at Abby’s party to make you too sick to work on your project. When that didn’t work, she added something during the week to your trail mix. But you recovered again and got back to work. Today’s salsa would have made you too sick to answer questions for the judges tonight. That would finally give Brooke a chance to win.”
Emily frowned. “But Brooke doesn’t care about winning. Just ask her.”
“That’s right,” Brooke said. “I’ve already got an A in science, and I don’t need a scholarship.”
Jeri glanced at Ms. Carter, who was watching her as if she’d gone crazy.
Have I?
Jeri wondered. Was her conclusion all wrong? No, it couldn’t be! But if Brooke didn’t need the grade or the scholarship, why
would
she do it?
“Well?” Ms. Carter finally said.
Jeri shook her head, as if clearing away mental cobwebs. Something didn’t add up, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
God, what is it?
She studied Brooke closely. Her expression was grim, and her arms were folded tightly across her chest. Those tiny tops and tight jeans … Was she wearing them because they were fashionable … or because she’d outgrown them and couldn’t afford new
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