Part 2 (1/2)
Jerichogirl: HF RU SIC?
About ten seconds later, a message appeared.
TexMex: HF NOT NOW Jerichogirl: NIKKI 2 INFIRMARY. HOME NOW & CRABBY TexMex: Y Jerichogirl: NO -1 2 EXERCISE SHOW STOPPER ON JUMPS TexMex: FYI I KNOW HORSES. I CAN DO IT Jerichogirl: TOM? TexMex: 2DAY IF I CAN GET RIDE W/JAMES. GF GOES 2UR SCHOOL Jerichogirl: K Nearly a minute pa.s.sed while Jeri watched her blinking cursor. Then words popped up again.
TexMex: SORRY NOT GOING 2DAY. WHAT NOW Jerichogirl: IDK I CAN RIDE NOT JUMP TexMex: IBRB Jeri waited, but he wasn't right back. It was blank so long she wondered if her Internet connection was broken. Too bad his friend James wasn't coming to see his girl-friend today. Jeri was ready to close down when another message popped up.
TexMex: U THERE.
Jerichogirl: AAK.
TexMex: JAMES CHANGED MIND. I CAN B THERE @ 4 2 RIDE.
Jerichogirl: THX NIKKI WILL B GLAD!!!!! ME2 BFN TexMex: 4. EOM CU L8R Jerichogirl: TTFN HAGD HAGD. Have a great day. Jeri smiled. She planned to have a great day now too.
After a roast-and-potatoes Sunday dinner in the dining hall, Jeri changed into old clothes to wear to the barn later. They were last year's jeans, which she'd outgrown, mak-ing them fas.h.i.+onably tight hip huggers now. Except they didn't stay up as well as they used to, she thought, giving them an extra tug. She wasn't wearing tight jeans because Dallas was coming, she a.s.sured herself. They were just old, and it wouldn't matter if they got dirty. Her T-s.h.i.+rt covered everything as long as she kept her arms down.
Abby joined Jeri and Rosa in their room later. ”Nikki's having a little kip. I'm awfully glad Dallas can help,” she said. ”This is all my fault.”
”I'd feel rotten if I were you too,” Rosa agreed.
Jeri frowned. Couldn't Rosa sound more sympathetic? Jeri tipped her desk chair back against the wall. ”I bet the food from the store was bad. It was delivered, right?”
Abby nodded. ”That redhead - Scottie? - brought the food.”
”He's a cutie,” Rosa said, smacking her lips loudly.
Jeri ignored her. ”What time did he come?”
”Around three. Maybe later.”
”Did you save the receipt? Something you signed?”
Abby nodded. ”I had to keep records of the costs for my project.”
”Can I see it?” An idea was forming in Jeri's mind. ”What if-” She cut herself off. No use getting Abby's hopes up yet.
Abby retrieved the receipt, and Jeri studied it in silence. The time stamped on the signed ticket was 3:09 p.m. the day before. The store's phone number was printed at the bottom. She wondered when Scottie actually left the store with Abby's delivery. She reached for her phone. Five min-utes later, she hung up and turned to Abby with a smile.
”I think I know what happened, and it wasn't your fault.” She waved the receipt. ”It says here that Scottie de-livered your food at 3:09. According to Mr. Howard, he left the store before 2:00 with only one delivery -yours. The grocery store's only a ten-minute drive away, so he was probably at Landmark School by 2:10. Apparently Scottie got in trouble for taking a detour to visit his girlfriend. He must have done it before coming here.” She paused and leaned forward. ”Get it?”
Abby's eyes widened. ”Scottie left my groceries in a hot car for an hour!”
Jeri nodded. ”That's how the cold stuff spoiled.”
Rosa snapped her .ngers. ”And why those biscuits exploded so easily. They were already hot.”
”Smas.h.i.+ng!” Abby cried, sinking back in her chair. ”Brilliant.”
”Let's go tell Ms. Carter,” Jeri said.
”I agree with your deductions, girls,” Ms. Carter said a few minutes later in her of.ce. She hugged Abby. ”Now you can stop feeling so bad. There's no way we could have known Scottie left the food in a hot car.” A small frown puckered her forehead. ”I do need to call Headmistress Long about this though. The school buys fresh produce and milk from the store. We can't have this happening again.”
Jeri tapped the list. ”Abby, it says you ordered fresh mushrooms.”
”For the salad.”
”Aren't some kinds of mushrooms poisonous?”
Ms. Carter nodded. ”Yes, but not the kind you buy in the store. This time of year people get sick from eating mushrooms they .nd growing in the wild. Morel mush-room hunting is very popular in the spring, but people accidentally pick poisonous mushrooms as well.”
An idea was forming in Jeri's mind about doing an ar-ticle on accidental food poisoning for her media fair entry. She'd start her article with Nikki going to the in. rmary and tell about tracking down the source of the food poisoning. Could she mention Scottie or Howard's Grocery without getting sued? Surely she'd be safe if she stuck to the truth about him leaving the food in a hot car. After all, truth was what investigative reporters uncovered and exposed.
She could also discuss other kinds of food poisoning. There must be photos online comparing poisonous and safe mushrooms. The school also had a greenhouse near the Sports Center, and she knew Mr. Petrie, the gardener. She'd liked him ever since he gave her some . owers for Abby when she was sick a few months ago. Jeri bet she could get an interview with him and also with Nikki. Noth-ing like quotes from an expert plus the victim to give her article a boost.
The doorbell rang, interrupting her planning. Jeri glanced up. Four o'clock already! This time she beat Rosa to the door-but barely-tugging her tight jeans higher as she walked.
Together they led Dallas back to Ms. Carter's of. ce, and Jeri explained why he was there. ”Can Nikki show Dallas what exercises to do with Show Stopper?”
”She can't go to the barn -not today. Doctor's orders.” Ms. Carter tapped a pencil on the desk. ”The horse show means so much to her, though. How about if she comes downstairs and gives you some instructions? Would that be enough, Dallas?”
”Yes, ma'am.” He twisted his Stetson around in his hands. ”I only need a list of the exercises to put him through. Jeri can show me his stall then. My ride doesn't go back to Patterson till six o'clock.”
”You're kind to help her out,” Ms. Carter said. ”She'll be very grateful.” She grinned suddenly. ”Even if she doesn't show it much.”
Jeri laughed and then went to get Nikki. Nikki hurried downstairs, still wearing her sweats and a wrinkled T-s.h.i.+rt that declared ”Treat a woman like a racehorse, and she'll never be a nag.” She hadn't combed her hair in two days, Jeri bet. She envied Nikki for not caring how she looked-her rumpled appearance, her bedhead, her dark sunken eyes, the sleep crease across her cheek. Show Stopper was her only concern.
Nikki wrote out a detailed list of exercises, giving Dallas all kinds of pointers that Jeri knew he didn't need. But Dallas just nodded. Then she produced a digital camera for Jeri. ”Photograph each exercise from every angle. Also try to snap the exact moment they go over fences.”
Jeri nodded and slipped the camera case strap over her shoulder. ”Let's go,” she said, smiling at Dallas.
”Wait up!”
Jeri turned as Rosa grabbed her pink ball cap from the hall tree. Jeri fumed silently. Why did Rosa have to come? She'd do all the talking now.
Nikki disappeared into the study while Jeri waited for Rosa to make a ponytail. From inside the study, Jeri heard Brooke ask Nikki for a small loan. ”Just for a couple days till Dad puts my allowance in my account.”
”Okay,” Nikki said, ”but no more till you pay me back.”
Jeri shook her head. She couldn't imagine being Nikki or Brooke, whose parents .lled their checking accounts. Oh, well! ”Come on, Rosa. Your hair looks . ne.”
Rosa followed them out the door and pulled it closed after her. ”Thanks for helping Nikki,” Rosa said, falling into step on the other side of Dallas.
Jeri moved over to make room for her on the narrow sidewalk and slipped off the edge, turning her ankle. She could walk in the gra.s.s beside Dallas, but that felt stupid. Jeri dropped behind them. Dallas glanced over his shoul-der, moved to the gra.s.s himself, and motioned Jeri forward to walk in the middle. Her heart warmed as she moved between them. Rosa didn't seem to care, though, as she chattered nonstop all the way to the barn.
The next two hours was the most fun Jeri'd had in weeks. She could have watched Dallas trot and canter around the outdoor ring all night. He barely touched the saddle, not thwumping it repeatedly like some of the r iders. Jeri noticed several girls studying Dallas on Nikki's thoroughbred.