“I’m having a hard time tuning in to people’s thoughts,” Daisy admitted. “Everyone in town is missing out on their sleep, which means they’re not guarding their thoughts as much as usual.”
“So you’re getting too much information instead of not enough.”
“Yep, it’s like everyone is talking at once.”
“I have suspicions about Jensen Kenton’s paintings being behind it,” I piped up.
“Did you see any paintings that might frighten a vampire?” Flo asked.
“You mean with garlic or wooden stakes or anything? No.”
“Maybe it was the Mara,” she said.
“I thought Maras only came out at night,” I replied. “And wouldn’t a vampire sleep during the day?”
“That’s true,” Flo said, looking troubled.
I brought up my other theory. “What if someone has found a way to use a painting to haunt people’s dreams?”
“Jessica, you may be on to something,” Flo said. “I’ll ask Raven to research it.”
Raven was the pacifist in our little group, which was weird for a warrior. But Flo seemed to understand that Raven was more comfortable looking things up than kicking butt.
“We should try to find out who bought paintings from the exhibit,” I suggested.
When the rest of Side Effects May Vary arrived, we focused on music instead of murder for a few hours.
Dominic’s mom was sitting next to Tashya on a long couch against one wall of the control room. I walked to the other end of the room and pretended to study the framed concert posters on the wall.
At one point while Dominic was recording vocals, there seemed to be a problem. Josh said, “Try it again” into the microphone before he handed Teddie a headset.
Dominic tried again, but I could tell something was wrong. Then his eyes rolled back and I knew what was going on.
I tapped Teddie on the shoulder. “Can you tell what he’s singing?”
She listened for a moment. “It’s a song called ‘Black Heart,’” she replied. “Does that mean anything to you?”
It meant something. I just didn’t know what. The rest of the recording session went smoothly, but on the way home, I turned the clue over and over in my mind.
Chapter Thirteen
After the visit to the studio, we went to Dominic’s house to watch a movie and finally enjoy the brownies I had made. We had the house to ourselves, since Raven, his mom, and his aunt were at dinner in San Carlos.
“Jensen Kenton is helping with the decorations at the Wilder estate for the Day of the Dead party,” Dominic said after polishing off his third brownie. I guessed I was a better baker than I had thought.
“He doesn’t really seem like the community service type,” I observed.
“I did hear something interesting the other day,” Dominic said. “About Mr. Martin. Did you know he was related to Mrs. Lincoln?”
“He was?”
He nodded. “He was her nephew. I heard it from Mrs. Wilder.”
“Where did you see Mrs. Wilder?” The elderly matriarch of the shape-shifting Wilder family rarely left her estate these days.
“My mom and I went to dinner there,” he said. There was something in his voice that made me uncomfortable.
“Special occasion?” I asked. Wilder’s was a fancy eatery on the estate. I tried not to let it bother me that I hadn’t been invited.
He took a deep breath. “It was for Tashya’s birthday.”
“Take me home,” I said. “Now.”
“Jess, it didn’t mean anything.”
I was furious. “I’m glad that something like going to dinner with your ex-girlfriend was so meaningless that you didn’t even tell me about it.”
“I’m telling you about it now,” he said.
“Too late.”
“Jessica, it was my mom’s idea,” he said. “I didn’t even want to go.”
“But you did. And I know your mom doesn’t like us together,” I snapped.
I thought he’d try to deny it, but he didn’t.
“My mom doesn’t run my life,” he said.
“If that’s true, then why did you go out with Tashya?”
“I didn’t go out with Tashya.”
“Close enough,” I retorted.
“Why do you let her get to you?” he asked.
I crossed my arms. “Why do you?”
“Look, I didn’t ask Tashya to come here,” he said. “And she was my girlfriend when I was a sophomore. That was ages ago.”
“How would you feel if my ex-boyfriend followed me around all day?” I asked.
“You mean like Connor does?”
“Connor? What are you talking about? He’s dating Selena.”
“He still has a thing for you,” Dominic insisted. “And he’s in half of your classes.”
“You sound jealous,” I said, but he had a point.
“Maybe I am.”
“It never occurred to me that you might get jealous,” I said. “You have girls hanging all over you all the time. Half of them would like to push me down the stairs just to get next to you. Including Tashya.”
He pulled me into his arms. “What else can I do to prove to you that you’re the only one for me?”
“Kiss me,” I replied.
He leaned in seductively. “Have I convinced you?” His breath warmed my lips, but he was still too far away.
“Yes.” I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him closer.
We sprang apart when the front door opened. His family had returned home.
“Jessica, nice to see you,” Mrs. Gray said. And she actually sounded like she meant it. “We brought dessert. Would you like to join us?”
I glanced at the clock. “I’d love to, but it’s almost my curfew. I’d better get home.”
I smiled all the way back to my house. Mrs. Gray was finally warming up to me, which meant it wouldn’t be long before Tashya figured out it was time to leave Nightshade.
But Tashya show no signs of departing when I got to school the next day. She and Harmony were standing about a foot from my locker. I was sure it was deliberate, and their loud conversation only confirmed my suspicions.
“Isn’t it gorgeous?” Tashya held out her hand in a flamboyant way.
“He gave you a ring?” Harmony asked. “And such an expensive one.”
“Yes, for my birthday,” she boasted. “And he took me to Wilder’s.”
I gritted my teeth as Tashya and Harmony swanned away. I knew she was baiting me, but I couldn’t help the jealousy I was feeling.
Raven overheard them and walked over to me. “Ignore them,” she said. “Dom didn’t give Tashya that ring.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Raven replied. “It came from her parents.”
“Why is she trying to make it seem like it’s from Dominic, then?”
“C’mon, Jessica,” she said. “You know why. She wants Dominic back. But he’s not buying it.”
“I wish I were as sure of that as you are.”
“Sure of what?” Dominic asked. I’d been so caught up watching Tashya that I hadn’t noticed him approaching.
Raven opened her mouth to explain, but I shook my head at her.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “Tashya’s just trying to make everyone think that you gave her a ring for her birthday.”
“A ring?” Dominic repeated. “Why would I give her a ring?”
“And more importantly, why would she think I’d be stupid enough to believe it?” I scoffed. I didn’t add that she was a good enough actor that she’d almost had me fooled.
He gave me a quick kiss. “Her dad gave her that ring. He was in town.”
“I’m surprised her parents are letting her stay in Nightshade this long. Don’t they miss her?”
He shrugged. “They travel a lot.”
“Why is that?”
He hesitated. “Don’t tell anyone, because Tashya is really sensitive about it, but
her parents work for a traveling circus. The one that just rolled into town.”
“A circus? She doesn’t seem like the circus type at all.”
I didn’t want to say that Tashya seemed like she should be starring in Mean Girls or something. Still, learning that her family was in the circus made me wonder if she was somehow involved with the creepy clown I had seen outside Eva’s house.
Harmony coincidentally brought Tashya to chorus practice that same day, when Dominic and I had our audition.
Or, judging from Tashya’s smirk, maybe it wasn’t a coincidence.
“Just ignore her,” Dominic said. “You’ll do great.”
We were third in line. Connor and Selena did a skillful cover of Frank Sinatra’s “Witchcraft,” which I thought was pretty funny, considering that Selena is a sorceress. Connor’s voice was strong, but had a little Tom Waits thing going for it. Raven and Eva sang a song from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Then it was our turn.
Dominic grabbed my hand as we headed to the microphones. I felt Tashya’s eyes on me the whole time, and my voice started out shaky. But I finally hit my stride and the notes came out clear and strong. The song ended without any major goofs on my part. “Sally’s Song” from A Nightmare Before Christmas seemed to be a hit, judging from the applause from the choir. Even Ms. Clare had a smile on her face.
Chapter Fourteen
On Wednesday it was back to Phantasm Farms. When Poppy honked the horn, I grabbed the gift bag containing Sanja’s present and herded my sisters into the car.
It turned out that Mr. Platsky had rented out part of the farm to the circus, because when we arrived for our lesson, they were setting up the big top in the pasture near the main road.
“A circus!” Katie said. “Can we go?”
“Not today,” I replied. “But once they’re open, we’ll go, I promise.”
When we reached the stables, Poppy said, “I’ll be a little late picking you up. I have to take Sydney and Sarah to the art supply store.”
“How did we ever survive without you?” I asked her.
“I’m glad to do it,” Poppy said. “College is expensive and your parents pay me well.”
I had a good idea of what would be in store for me once I got my driver’s license, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be paid for it. Kind of made me rethink my eagerness to drive.
I waved goodbye to Poppy as Katie and Kellie raced ahead to the stable.
I stashed the gift bag under my jacket and purse and left them in the beat-up old locker Mr. Platsky had told us we could use for any valuables.
He had already saddled up our horses. I noticed that this time, I got a mild-mannered older mare instead of the horse who wanted to chomp me.
Mr. Platsky spent most of the time correcting the way I held the reins, but my two sisters seemed to be naturals. I didn’t see any sign of Sanja during the ride.
Back at the barn we helped groom the horses, and then Mr. Platsky led them away for some oats and water. When I grabbed my stuff from the locker, Katie noticed the gift bag. “Who is that for?”
“A friend,” I told her. “Let’s wait by the picnic table.”
“I’m hungry,” Katie complained, so I fished a couple of graham crackers out of my backpack.
I caught a flash of white out of the corner of my eye and then Sanja appeared.
She looked as bedraggled as ever. I didn’t understand it. There were plenty of dads, single or otherwise, who knew how to take care of their kids. My own dad braided hair like a pro and did most of the cooking. Mr. Platsky seemed to have no problem grooming horses, so surely he could manage to drag a comb through his daughter’s hair once in a while.
“Hi, Sanja. These are my sisters Katie and Kellie,” I said. “And this is for you.” I held out the bag but she didn’t take it.
“What is that?”
“It’s a present,” I said. “Just something little. Open it!”
She took it like it was a sack of poisonous snakes and looked at the brush and de-tangler inside with wonder.
“Sit down and I’ll show you how to use it.”
I made it through the worst of the tangles before Poppy pulled up. As soon as Sanja saw the car, she ran off. I was happy to see that she took the gifts with her.
My chance to snoop around Phantasm Farms came on Sunday when Mom casually mentioned that we wouldn’t be having riding lessons after school that week.
“Mr. Platsky canceled,” she said.
“Did he say why?”
“Something about needing to go out of town,” Mom said. “Makeup session is Saturday.”
I groaned inwardly. “I was going to go for a run on Saturday.”
“Why don’t you go after your lesson?” Mom suggested, but it was more of an order.
I couldn’t get ahold of any of the other viragoes, so I called Dominic. “I need a favor,” I said. “Want to go for a ride?”
“Alone with you? I’ll pick you up in ten minutes.”
I waited for him outside and opened the car door practically before he made it to a full stop.
“What’s your hurry?” he asked. “You almost injured yourself getting into the car.”
“Thanks for getting here so quickly,” I said. “I wanted to get there before dark.”
Dominic put the car into drive.
“Don’t you want to know where we’re going? You didn’t even ask.”
He smiled at me. “I don’t care. I’m with you and that’s all that matters.”
“Even if we’re going on a life-endangering recon mission?” I teased.
“Even then,” he said. “Where to?”
I gave him directions to the horse farm. “Samantha went there for a plant-collecting trip before she went into a coma,” I said. “Maybe the two events are connected somehow.”
Dominic and I parked by the side of the road and hiked in. “Katie said she saw someone in the abandoned house,” I told him as we walked along.
“What do you think the owner will do if we get caught?” he asked.
“Probably have us arrested for trespassing,” I said. “But he’s supposedly out of town. I wonder if he took his daughter, Sanja. She’s like a feral child.”
“You think you can help her?” Dominic asked.
I sighed. “I hope so.”
As we approached the house, we heard raised voices. A young girl and a man were arguing.
“I think that’s Sanja,” I told Dominic.
“I didn’t kill them!” Sanja cried. “I can’t help it if I give them nightmares.”
I couldn’t hear the man’s reply, but the slamming of the door was clear enough.
“Hide,” I whispered. “Someone is coming.”
Dominic and I crouched behind an overgrown shrub. Mr. Platsky stomped by us without a glance.
“He seems intense,” Dominic said, once Mr. Platsky was out of earshot.
I nodded. “You’re not kidding.”
“Do you think we should look for Sanja?” Dominic asked. “Mr. Platsky was pretty angry.”
I nodded. “Why would her own father leave her alone in that scary old house?”
We crept into the house, and several dark hallways later, we found Sanja by following the sound of her sobbing. She was in a room upstairs with the door closed.
“Sanja, it’s me, Jessica Walsh,” I said. I turned the knob but the door was locked.
“Don’t open it!” she yelled. The fear in her voice startled me.
“Your dad isn’t here,” I said.
“I know,” she replied softly. “Don’t open the door. It’s the only way.”
“Why would your father lock you in here?” Dominic asked.
“It’s the only way,” Sanja said again.
“The only way for what?” I asked.
“The only way to make sure I don’t kill anyone.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “Why would you think you would kill anyone?”
The sound of sobbing came through the d
oor again.
“Sanja, let us in, please?” I begged.
We waited a long time, but finally Sanja said, “There’s a key hanging by the door.”
I sighed with relief. There was indeed an old skeleton key on a hook by the door. I put it in the keyhole with shaky hands and turned the doorknob.
The rest of the house had been a living nightmare, but Sanja’s room was warm and inviting. The walls were painted pale lavender, and a cheery quilt covered the bed.
“Tell us what’s going on,” Dominic said.
Sanja was trembling so hard she could hardly talk. “I’m a Mara,” she finally said. I draped a blanket over her.
“What does that mean?” I asked. I knew that a Mara was a night mare who haunts sleeping victims, but I wanted her to keep talking.
“We transform into horses and scare people in their sleep. Sometimes the sound of our hooves is enough to terrify someone to death.”
“You were the ghostly white horse we saw on the beach,” I guessed.
“Yes,” she confessed. “That was me.”
“That must be why I sang ‘Wild Horses’ that night,” Dom said.
Sanja hung her head, ashamed. “Father says that Maras are killers, that he locks me up for my own good,” she said. “He left me a cell phone, just in case.”
“Look, Sanja,” I said. “I’ve been doing some research. We don’t know for sure that a Mara is to blame for the deaths in Nightshade.”
Dominic gave me a warning look, but I ignored it. I refused to believe that a little girl could be responsible for murder.
“Maybe not,” she said. “But I killed my mother. Father tells me all the time.”
“Maybe you misunderstood,” Dominic said gently.
She shook her head. “My mother died when I was born. It’s my fault she’s gone. I’m a monster.”
I gasped. What a horrible thing to tell a child. “Your father is the monster,” I replied.
“Jessica, can I talk to you for a minute?” Dominic asked.
I followed him out into the dark hallway. “We should be careful,” he warned. “We don’t know what the truth is. Maybe her dad has a reason for what he’s doing.”