Trucker.”
Reluctantly, Ian took one end of the drawer while Trucker moved to the other end.
When they had taken the drawer out, Jess sank back against the pillows. Her body felt leaden, and her head ached from restraining tears she had refused to shed.
Was she overreacting? Could the worms have been someone’s idea of a practical joke? Who would think something that disgusting was funny?
Milo, Trucker, and Ian all fished. They were used to handling worms. Would one of them think dumping a bunch of worms in someone’s drawer was a great gag?
She couldn’t believe that anyone in the house would find any humor in something so revolting.
But if it wasn’t a joke … then what was it?
A scare tactic? She had certainly been scared.
Why would someone want to frighten her?
Joke or scare tactic, someone had been in her room. Someone had touched her things. Someone had come in and out, leaving a repulsive message behind.
Trucker had to find those keys. Or put new locks on their doors. This couldn’t keep happening. How could any of them feel safe?
She got up when Trucker and Ian returned with the empty drawer. “We hosed it down and dried it,” Trucker told Jess in a comforting voice. Ian removed a handful of papers that had slid underneath the chest and then they pushed the drawer back into place.
It looks like nothing happened in here, Jess thought. Anyone who walked in now would never guess I was totally freaked-out fifteen minutes ago.
“Thanks, guys,” Jess said weakly. “I couldn’t have lifted that drawer by myself.” After a moment, she added, “Look, how about if we keep this to ourselves, okay? I don’t want people giving me weird looks at dinner. It was probably just a joke, anyway.”
And even though no one in the room believed that for a second, Trucker and Ian nodded. But their faces were glum.
“Listen, let’s not cook tonight,” she said, desperately needing to get out of her room and out of Nightingale Hall. “We deserve a treat, after what we just went through. There’s Hunan Manor, the Chinese place in town. How about it, guys?” She knew she was talking too fast and too loud, but she couldn’t help it. She was in a hurry to escape.
“Sure,” Ian said, putting his arm around Jess, “great idea!” He hesitated, then added, “Trucker, you up for Chinese?”
“Sounds great.” Then Trucker looked from Jess to Ian and back to Jess again. He shrugged. “But … too much to do.”
Jess smiled at him. Very perceptive guy.
Ian tried, and failed, to look disappointed. “Oh, well, sure. Next time, right?” Turning to Jess, he said, “Well, looks like it’s just you and me, kid. You ready?”
“What about everyone else?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we see if the others are home and want to go?”
“No, we shouldn’t.” Ian’s voice was firm. “They’re on their own tonight!”
Jess was amazed to find that she was laughing as they left Nightingale Hall.
To Jess’s disappointment, they weren’t alone at the restaurant very long. Ian had made many friends on campus and Jess, too, was collecting new friends rapidly. In a short time, their table was crowded, with people pulling up chairs and squeezing in. The table filled up with food, which rapidly disappeared and was just as rapidly replaced with more dishes and platters.
It was crowded, noisy, and hot, but Jess found all of it comforting after the afternoon’s horror.
And she still had the walk home with Ian to look forward to.
Home … the walk there was the only part she was looking forward to. The thought of actually being back inside Nightingale Hall, in that room, with that chest of drawers, made her stomach churn.
Had Trucker collected every single one of the worms she’d slapped from her arm? What if one or two of them had slipped under her chest of drawers and hidden there?
Telling herself that she or Trucker or Ian would have spotted them, she returned her attention to the table.
“So, how’s life
Reluctantly, Ian took one end of the drawer while Trucker moved to the other end.
When they had taken the drawer out, Jess sank back against the pillows. Her body felt leaden, and her head ached from restraining tears she had refused to shed.
Was she overreacting? Could the worms have been someone’s idea of a practical joke? Who would think something that disgusting was funny?
Milo, Trucker, and Ian all fished. They were used to handling worms. Would one of them think dumping a bunch of worms in someone’s drawer was a great gag?
She couldn’t believe that anyone in the house would find any humor in something so revolting.
But if it wasn’t a joke … then what was it?
A scare tactic? She had certainly been scared.
Why would someone want to frighten her?
Joke or scare tactic, someone had been in her room. Someone had touched her things. Someone had come in and out, leaving a repulsive message behind.
Trucker had to find those keys. Or put new locks on their doors. This couldn’t keep happening. How could any of them feel safe?
She got up when Trucker and Ian returned with the empty drawer. “We hosed it down and dried it,” Trucker told Jess in a comforting voice. Ian removed a handful of papers that had slid underneath the chest and then they pushed the drawer back into place.
It looks like nothing happened in here, Jess thought. Anyone who walked in now would never guess I was totally freaked-out fifteen minutes ago.
“Thanks, guys,” Jess said weakly. “I couldn’t have lifted that drawer by myself.” After a moment, she added, “Look, how about if we keep this to ourselves, okay? I don’t want people giving me weird looks at dinner. It was probably just a joke, anyway.”
And even though no one in the room believed that for a second, Trucker and Ian nodded. But their faces were glum.
“Listen, let’s not cook tonight,” she said, desperately needing to get out of her room and out of Nightingale Hall. “We deserve a treat, after what we just went through. There’s Hunan Manor, the Chinese place in town. How about it, guys?” She knew she was talking too fast and too loud, but she couldn’t help it. She was in a hurry to escape.
“Sure,” Ian said, putting his arm around Jess, “great idea!” He hesitated, then added, “Trucker, you up for Chinese?”
“Sounds great.” Then Trucker looked from Jess to Ian and back to Jess again. He shrugged. “But … too much to do.”
Jess smiled at him. Very perceptive guy.
Ian tried, and failed, to look disappointed. “Oh, well, sure. Next time, right?” Turning to Jess, he said, “Well, looks like it’s just you and me, kid. You ready?”
“What about everyone else?” she asked. “Shouldn’t we see if the others are home and want to go?”
“No, we shouldn’t.” Ian’s voice was firm. “They’re on their own tonight!”
Jess was amazed to find that she was laughing as they left Nightingale Hall.
To Jess’s disappointment, they weren’t alone at the restaurant very long. Ian had made many friends on campus and Jess, too, was collecting new friends rapidly. In a short time, their table was crowded, with people pulling up chairs and squeezing in. The table filled up with food, which rapidly disappeared and was just as rapidly replaced with more dishes and platters.
It was crowded, noisy, and hot, but Jess found all of it comforting after the afternoon’s horror.
And she still had the walk home with Ian to look forward to.
Home … the walk there was the only part she was looking forward to. The thought of actually being back inside Nightingale Hall, in that room, with that chest of drawers, made her stomach churn.
Had Trucker collected every single one of the worms she’d slapped from her arm? What if one or two of them had slipped under her chest of drawers and hidden there?
Telling herself that she or Trucker or Ian would have spotted them, she returned her attention to the table.
“So, how’s life
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