Part 8 (1/2)
”Um, let me see.” Rosa's .nger slid down the paper. ”It was Nikki! Come here. She said he yelled and swore at her when her horse got into his garden.” She whistled softly. ”And down here at the bottom . . . look!”
Jeri hurried across the little of. ce. ”What?”
”See who signed the complaint?” She pointed at the signature.
”Ms. Carter?” Confused, Jeri leaned close to read. It said the house mother had reported the incident on behalf of one of her girls, Nikki Brown. It was a formal complaint lodged against Mr. Petrie, and it said Mr. Petrie was on probation for it. Jeri glanced over her shoulder again. ”Put that back before he comes in and catches us.”
”Okay, okay.”
”Let's get outta here.” As they hurried to the gla.s.sed-in area full of plants, Jeri .lled her in on what she knew. They stopped in the shade of some hanging ferns.
Rosa's voice dropped to a whisper. ”Maybe he wants revenge on both Nikki and Ms. Carter.”
Jeri nodded. ”Plus, adding something poisonous to Scottie's groceries makes the grocery store look bad.”
”Why would he care about that?”
Jeri's heart felt heavy, like something was sitting on her chest. ”A few days ago Mr. Petrie said The Head should be serving more of the food he grew because his was better than the store's.”
”Is that a big deal?”
”I don't know.” Jeri shrugged. ”Maybe he gets paid extra for growing the food for the dining hall. Using Howard's would cut into his income then.”
Rosa touched a delicate-looking ivory orchid. ”What should we do?”
”Nothing right now.” Jeri peered through the smudged gla.s.s walls of the greenhouse looking for Mr. Petrie. ”I think I see him watering out there. I need to tell him about borrowing his book. Be right back.”
Outside she walked alongside some miniature garden plots. Then she cut across and made her way between rows of huge white waxy .owers, reminding herself to act natu-ral. ”Hi, Mr. Petrie,” she called.
He glanced toward her and waved. ”What's up?”
”Can I borrow this book next for my report?” Jeri's lips felt stiff, and she hoped her smile looked halfway normal.
”Sure. Just bring it back soon.” When Jeri didn't move, he said, ”Anything else?”
Tongue-tied and mouth dry, Jeri was vaguely aware of bees buzzing in the blooms. Yes, there was something else, but she could hardly ask, Have you poisoned any girls this week?
”No. Nothing. Thanks.”
She pivoted, sliding in the newly watered dirt, and went down. Hard. She felt a crunch in her ankle when she landed. Large blossoms lay under her in the mud, and a mad b.u.mblebee zipped around her head. Jeri swatted at it and missed. The sting on her neck made her howl with pain.
”Ow!” she cried. Her neck suddenly felt as if it were on . re.
Mr. Petrie helped her to her feet and then picked up his book. ”You all right?” he asked, handing her the paperback.
”My neck!” Jeri said, touching it tenderly. A b.u.mp was already swelling.
”Come with me. I've got a .rst-aid kit in my of. ce.”
The painful burning was worsening, but Jeri wasn't going inside with Mr. Petrie. Not after the warning she'd read. ”I'll just go back to my dorm,” Jeri said. ”It's not so bad now. Really.”
But Jeri needed to get Rosa .rst. She turned down a mowed path between the tiny garden plots. A few empty ones were tilled and raked smooth. The others held plants more than half grown. Labeled stakes marked rows of radishes, zinnias, and peas. Name plates were stuck in the ground at each plot.
Glancing at them as she hurried by, Jeri spotted one that said Brooke. She wondered who it was. There were lots of Brookes at Landmark. When Jeri poked her head in-side the greenhouse, Rosa was reclining on a bag of cedar chips.
”There you are,” Rosa said. ”Wanna come with me to the library?” Rosa stood and brushed off the seat of her pants. ”I'm checking out some horsey DVD for Nikki.” She pointed at Jeri's muddy legs. ”What happened to you?”
”I fell, and then I got stung.” She pointed to her neck. ”I'm going back to the dorm to get something for it. I'll meet you back there, okay?”
Ten minutes later when Jeri entered Hampton House, the grandfather clock in the living room was chiming. She hoped Ms. Carter was in her of.ce. Then she heard the house mother's deep laugh coming from the kitchen, and she headed down the hall.
She was almost to the kitchen when she also heard Emily's voice, then Brooke's. Jeri pulled back from the kitchen doorway. She wanted to ask Ms. Carter to check her bee sting-it was really throbbing-but not with Brooke and Emily there.
Jeri waited in the hallway, hoping they'd leave soon. She listened as the girls described some of the science fair displays.
”I'm petri.ed about tonight,” Emily said. ”If only I knew what the judges were going to ask! Then I could practice my answers.”
”You'll do .ne,” Ms. Carter said. ”Remember, everyone else will be in the same boat, having to answer off the top of their heads.”
”Yup,” Brooke agreed. ”I'm nervous too. At least you know Ms. Todd thinks your project has a great chance of winning.”
”She was just being nice,” Emily protested.
”Whatever!” Brooke said. ”She didn't say that to me!”
”I guess we'll .nd out tonight,” Emily said. ”For now, I just want to take a break and veg out. We're allowing ourselves twenty minutes.”
”What are you girls eating?” Ms. Carter said.
”Salsa and chips,” Brooke said.
”I love salsa-but not the spicy stuff,” Emily added. ”I got four jars at the store.” She laughed. ”I'm eating this whole little jar myself!”
”Mine's got hot peppers.” It sounded to Jeri like Brooke smacked her lips. ”We kept all the food in our room this week though, just in case.”
”For now, girls, that's probably wise,” Ms. Carter said. Footsteps crossed the tile .oor. ”I need to get something from my car. I'll be right back.” The kitchen door opened and closed.
Emily said, ”Grab a tray, okay? I'll start the movie. At least we can watch the beginning.”
Oh no, Jeri thought. Please no. They weren't going to eat their snack in the kitchen. And now they'd catch her lurking on their way to the TV room. She scanned the area for a place to hide. Where? The hall closet. Or maybe- Too late.
Emily came around the corner, carrying a jar of salsa and a can of soda, and nearly collided with Jeri before skidding to a stop. Brooke plowed into Emily's back and dropped the bag of chips.
”What are you doing?” Brooke demanded when she spotted Jeri. ”Let me guess. Spying!”
10.