“This is a little bigger than me hitting the garbage can,” I said.
“I don’t want you talking to the police anymore.”
“Why not?”
“You’re a Ramsey. I don’t need you spewing lies to cover up your mistakes. I have a reputation to uphold and you’re not going to ruin it.” Victor grabbed his briefcase and stormed out.
“I’m not lying,” I said, but Victor was already out of the room.
Emma sat silently at the counter, reading through the party papers.
Peter tugged me toward the staircase. “Forget him.”
Well, that went well. Typical Victor fashion, always worrying about himself. I was disappointed that I didn’t say more, but Victor always had a way of making me clam up. My wrist started throbbing and I just wanted to go to sleep.
I flipped my shoes off and crawled into bed. Peter arranged stuff on my bedside table so I wouldn’t need to get up.
“We’ll talk to that detective tomorrow. Screw Victor. Here, I forgot to give this to you. The nurse handed it to me on the way out.” Peter dumped the contents of an envelope into my palm.
It was my necklace with the silver ‘R’ charm.
“I’m glad I didn’t lose that.”
“I was thinking about it the other day,” Peter said.
“About the necklace?”
“Yeah. Do you think the ‘R’ is for Ramsey or Ross?”
Ross was my middle name and my mother’s family name. Grandma Claudia Ross. My fingers encircled the tiny charm. “I can’t see Grandma Claudia getting me a necklace for ‘Ramsey’—considering how much she hates Victor.”
The corners of Peter’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “She does really hate him.”
I yawned. “I guess it could be for Ramsey or Ross, depending on who’s asking.”
“You should get some rest. Do you need anything else?”
“No, thanks,” I said. “I’m going to take a nap.”
“I’ll come by after hockey practice and bring dinner,” Peter said. “Call me if you need anything.” He tousled my hair like I was a child. “Bye, speed racer.”
* * *
I could smell the fried rice before he walked into the room.
“All right, Lex, I have sesame chicken, pork fried rice and wanton soup.” Peter took the little square boxes out of the greasy bags. “Over here we have chocolate-covered raisins, sour apple sticks, licorice and marshmallows.”
He waved a few DVDs in the air. “And, to get you into the Halloween spirit, I have the original Halloween with everyone’s favorite boogeyman, Michael Myers, and the original Nightmare on Elm Street. Both are classics.”
“Oooh, is that the one with—”
“Johnny Depp? Sure is. I knew it was a winner. Girls will watch any movie with Johnny Depp in it.”
Peter put the movies into the DVD player, switched off the lights and settled in the bed next to me. He handed me a handful of marshmallows and grabbed the remote control to start the movie, but his finger lingered over the play button.
His face went suddenly serious. “Seeing you in the hospital like that… I honestly don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. I know it wasn’t your fault, but you have to be extra careful. I feel like things are getting a little strange in Hazel Cove.”
I nodded. I couldn’t respond—my mouth was stuffed full of marshmallows. I could only grunt and nod.
My marshmallow-puffed cheeks made Peter grin.
Once I was able to swallow, I voiced my agreement. “Definitely weird lately—murder, curfews, hit-and-run….”
He kissed the top of my head and clicked the play button on the remote control.
* * *
It took all my effort not to puke.
The lethal combination of large amounts of Chinese food and candy did a number on my stomach. Staying awake until three in the morning watching horror flicks didn’t help either. But it was worth every nauseating moment because everything seemed back to normal between Peter and me.
After successfully getting ready for school without vomiting, I cautiously went downstairs to find Bradley. With my car totaled, he was now my sole means of transportation. I found him in the kitchen reading the morning newspaper.
“I think I need a ride to school today.”
“Morning, Alex. Actually, I don’t think you need me this morning.” Bradley pointed outside.
I opened the front door. James was in the driveway leaning against his red Range Rover. He held up a hand to shield the sun from his eyes. “I thought you might need a ride to school.”
“Absolutely.” I dipped back inside to tell Bradley goodbye, but ran into Victor instead.
Great.
Victor glanced at Bradley reading the newspaper in the kitchen and then at me and my sprained wrist on the way out the front door. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“School.”
“Bradley’s not taking you?”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to get into it with Victor right now. James was waiting.
“Is Peter driving you?”
I shook my head again. Why wouldn’t he leave me alone?
Victor crossed his arms over his chest. “I hope you don’t plan on driving any of my cars. Because I think you already know the answer to that.”
“I have a ride.” A wave of nausea rolled through me. I wasn’t sure if it was from the candy or from having a conversation with Victor.
Victor peeked around me to the driveway. He muttered something, but it was too quiet for me to hear.
“What?” I said. “It’s a boy from school. He lives a few blocks away.”
Victor looked annoyed.
What the heck? Was Victor really trying to play the dad role?
“Do you want me to introduce you? Fine.” I jogged over to the Range Rover before Victor could say anything.
“You’re going to kill me,” I said to James. “But I think Victor wants to meet you.”
A smug smile spread across James’s face. “Meeting the parents.”
Oh, jeez.
I pulled James to the porch. “Um, dad, I want you to meet my friend, James Van Curen.”
James extended his hand. “Hi, Mr. Ramsey. Nice to meet you.”
Victor scanned James from head to toe before he shook his hand. Why was he trying to play the protective father role? I could get abducted by aliens and Victor wouldn’t notice my absence.
“You kids should go,” Victor said. “You’re going to be late.”
Okay, weird.
Once we pulled out of the driveway, I glanced back at the house. Victor was gone. “Sorry, that was awkward.”
“No worries.” James pointed to my wrist. “Does it hurt?”
I lifted my injured hand to inspect it. “It’s wrapped tight, so I can’t really feel it.” I could, however, feel every bump on the road. I silently prayed I wouldn’t get sick in his car.
James peered at my face. “You don’t look so good.”
“I’m okay,” I whispered with my eyes closed. “Thanks for picking me up. You’re a lifesaver.”
“I know. Riding to school in a Rolls Royce would’ve been horrible.”
“And thank you for staying at the hospital. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” James said. “So, the big party is Saturday?”
“Yes, it is.”
James turned onto Pennington Drive. “Do we have to wear costumes?”
“It’s not mandatory, but most of the guests will be wearing them. Some people even change into a second costume by the end of the night.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Peter usually does it to scare me. Last year he had this horrible mask he put on at the end of the party. It freaked me out. The year before that, he changed into a clown suit. I didn’t know it until that night, but I hate clowns.”
“Clowns are pretty disturbing,” James admitted.
“You should wear a costume. It’s fun and i
t adds mystery to the night, you know?”
We turned the curve that brought us by the Hazel Cove Cemetery. I silently said a prayer as we drove by the iron gates. I thought about what Peter said about the recent strangeness going on in Hazel Cove. It all made me feel uneasy. And now Halloween and the costume party were only two days away.
Chapter Twelve
The lights were off, but the moonlight streaming in from my balcony created unnatural shadows on the ceiling. I shut my eyes so I wouldn’t have to watch them scurry about.
It was 11:58 P.M. on Friday, October 30th and I was waiting for Peter to call. He always called me at 12:00 A.M., the first minute of October 31st. Two minutes later, like clockwork, my cell phone vibrated on the bedside table.
“Happy seventeenth Birthday! I’m coming up,” Peter said.
A faint rustle came from the backyard. My balcony was accessible by a large oak tree’s branches. I tiptoed out of bed and quietly unlocked the sliding glass door. A burst of cold air rushed in. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. I was only wearing a tank top and pajama bottoms.
“Peter?” I whispered into the darkness. My breath was visible in the frosty air.
The tree next to the balcony shook. Peter hopped over the railing and landed gracefully on his feet. “Get in, you’re going to freeze!” He ushered me back into my bedroom.
“What are you doing here?” I’d just talked to him a few hours ago and he hadn’t mentioned he was coming over.
“I want to give you your birthday present.”
“You didn’t have to—”
Peter froze. His index finger went to his lips. “Shhhh.”
We stood perfectly still, our ears straining to hear.
Peter nudged me in the opposite direction. “Quick, get back in bed. Someone’s coming!”
I ran on my tiptoes to the bed and slipped under the sheets without making a sound. I tried to see where Peter went, but he was already hidden somewhere in the room. The footsteps were outside my bedroom now. I rolled onto my stomach, with my head facing away from the door.
The doorknob rattled.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Someone was coming in. It couldn’t be Emma. She was in rare form at dinner and she’d passed out hours ago. Mya and Bradley were gone for the night, which only left Victor.
I was nervous for several reasons.
First, if Victor knew Peter snuck into my bedroom in the middle of the night—via climbing a tree and hopping onto the balcony—he would be pissed.
Second, if it was Victor, then what was he doing coming into my bedroom in the middle of the night?
Third, and more importantly, what if it wasn’t Victor? Could somebody be in the house?
Another horrible thought occurred. I was full of them tonight. Megan Lackey’s killers hadn’t been caught. My nightmare about Megan’s death replayed in my mind. She heard footsteps outside of her bedroom door….
Whoa. I had to calm down. I was being completely irrational. Peter was only a few steps away and he’d never let anything happen to me. Everything would be okay. I hoped.
Light from the hallway flooded into my bedroom. A shadow of a man formed against the opposite wall. Heavy footsteps, walking very deliberately, entered the room. My body stiffened at the sound of the intruder. I willed myself to relax. I had to pretend to be asleep.
“Alexandria?” A deep voice whispered. It was barely audible.
Victor.
I kept my eyes shut and laid motionless. I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Would he hurt me? A few more footsteps. I could feel him standing over the bed.
He peeled back my blanket.
His hand brushed my hair off my neck and onto my pillow. Fingertips grazed my skin. It felt like a million tiny spiders crawling up my spine. I wanted to jump up and push him away, but I couldn’t. I had to stay still.
Victor leaned over me. I could feel him hovering, only inches away.
He cursed under his breath and released a long dramatic sigh. The blanket fell back over my shoulders. The footsteps left the room and the door clicked shut behind him.
One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. I counted all the way to ten. When I thought it was finally safe to move, I sat up. I didn’t get out of bed, because I didn’t trust my legs enough to walk yet. My hands trembled uncontrollably.
“What the hell was that about?” Peter said in a loud whisper.
The moonlight streaming in from the balcony outlined his body. My eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness. I couldn’t see his face, but it didn’t take a creative mind to imagine what it looked like.
I hopped out of bed and ran toward Peter. The dark was the last place I wanted to be.
Peter turned on the lamp and light flooded the room. I snapped my head to the door. Could Victor see the light? Was he gone? Would he come back?
Peter wrapped his arms around me. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. Just a little….” I couldn’t find the right word.
“Creeped out?”
I nodded.
“Let me see something.” Peter gathered my hair and lifted it off my neck. He stroked my skin in the same spot that Victor had touched. Peter’s caress, however, didn’t make my skin crawl.
“What is it?”
“It’s the birthmark,” Peter said. “The one Grandma Claudia pointed out.”
Why would Victor come into my room, in the middle of the night, to look at my birthmark? Nothing made sense anymore.
Peter snapped off the lamp, casting us back into the darkness. “It took everything in my power to stop myself from jumping out of the closet. I was waiting for his next move. If he would have—”
“I’m okay.”
“I thought he was going to hurt you.”
I grabbed his hand. “I’m okay,” I repeated.
What happened with Victor was disturbing, but I didn’t think he’d harm me. He was a horrible father, but he’d never hurt his own daughter. Would he?
Peter closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He shook his head back and forth like a wet dog. When he opened his eyes, he was calm again. “Victor’s not going to ruin our night.” He reached into his pocket and placed a small black box with a red ribbon into my hands. “Happy birthday.”
I lifted the lid. A thin band of tiny emeralds sparkled in the moonlight. “It’s gorgeous!”
“Do you like it? The stones match your eyes.”
“Like it? I love it!” The ring was amazing, but way too expensive. I didn’t want to think about how many shifts at the docks this had cost him. I instantly felt guilty. “You really shouldn’t have—”
“No. I don’t want to hear it. It’s perfect for you.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Whenever I look at it, I’ll think of you.”
“If I knew that, I would’ve bought you one for each finger years ago.” He slid the emerald ring onto my right hand.
“Perfect.”
“It goes great with your brace,” Peter said, laughing.
I rose onto my toes to reach him better and wrapped my arms around Peter’s neck. He lifted me off the ground.
“Best birthday present ever, hands down,” I whispered into his ear.
Peter placed me back on the ground, but he didn’t let go of me. His arms encircled my waist. I’m not sure if I leaned into him, or if he pulled me against him, but we melted against each other.
I didn’t know what was happening or what was about to happen. All I knew for sure was there was nowhere else I wanted to be.
“I guess I should go,” Peter whispered. He didn’t move.
“Okay.” I didn’t move.
Peter slowly bent down and kissed my forehead. His lips lingered. He pecked the tip of my nose. Then moving further down, he kissed my cheek, dangerously close to my mouth.
A warm sensation spread throughout my body. My knees felt like liquid. I wanted this. I wanted Peter. I loved him, I always had.
Peter’s hand cupped the back of my neck. His
fingers curled around my hair. He inched closer, hovering at my lips. I closed my eyes. The anticipation of his kiss was almost too much to bear. And then the handle on the sliding glass door jiggled.
Someone was breaking into my bedroom.
Chapter Thirteen
Peter sprinted to the balcony.
I switched on the lamp. The sheer curtain covered the glass, but there was no mistaking the outline of a man on the balcony.
“Peter, don’t!”
He yanked the sliding glass door open with so much force that it almost bounced back and closed on him.
I ran after Peter. The bitter cold slapped me back into reality. Someone had tried to break into my bedroom.
Peter leaned over the railing and peered between the trees. My house was shaped in a giant two-story ‘U.’ Most of the backyard was nestled inside of the ‘U.’ My bedroom was located on the outer-back left wing. We couldn’t see the patio or most of the yard because of the rest of the house and the large oak tree overhanging the balcony.
“He ran off,” Peter said.
“Who was it?” I was on my knees trying to see under the tree. Why would someone want to break into my bedroom?
“I don’t know.” Peter’s forehead creased. “What are we going to—?”
A noise from inside my bedroom stopped Peter mid-sentence. He shifted his body so he stood in front of me. “Listen,” he whispered. “Back up quietly and climb down the tree to make a run for it.”
I grabbed the back of his jacket. “Are you kidding? I’m not leaving you.” Goose bumps rippled over my skin. I wasn’t sure if it was from fright or because it was freezing outside.
Soft thuds came from the bedroom. Footsteps.
Peter unclenched my fingers from his jacket. “Lex, get ready to run when I tell you.”
I gripped Peter’s jacket again. Either we were facing what was coming together or I was dragging him down the tree with me.
Victor’s large frame appeared in the doorway. He was barefoot and in pajamas. Small brown eyes narrowed at the two of us. “Peter, what are you doing here?”