Page 70 of The Lookback

“Oh, on the contrary, the deceased can guess,” Principal Lyons says.

I want to ask him what part of that is contrary to what I said. I asked a question.

“But,” he continues, “they can only talk about the circumstances surrounding their own death and any guesses they have. Then once this vote is finished, they’re out of play.”

“Let’s hope the witch was surreptitious with their murder, or Janet will be able to name him or her,” Principal Lyons says. “Janet, tell us what you think.”

“It was Jed,” she says. “I think he stuck it on me when he traded for those Lemonheads.”

“She’s just mad that I beat her,” Jed says. “She should’ve built a bigger house.”

“I traded you for Lemonheads too,” Tommy says. “And Jerry did, and Denise.”

Tommy’s defending Jed, which makes me suspicious of Jed, to be honest. Janet rolls her eyes, but I find it interesting she doesn’t actually know, which means whoever did stick something on her was sly about it.

“It doesn’t really matter who the witch is yet,” I say. “We can’t kill her anyway.”

“Or him,” Jerry says.

“I vote for Tommy as the stepmother,” I say, figuring I may as well accuse him.

“No, it’s definitely Jed who’s the stepmother,” Janet says.

“You just said he was the witch,” I say.

“Fine, then I think it was Greg,” Tommy says.

For the love.

Thanks to Janet’s inability to keep anything straight—not impressive, even if she prides herself on athleticism—and Tommy’s intentional tomfoolery, we bicker back and forth for another few moments, and then everyone votes for Greg. He was sitting right next to Janet, and he’s so innocuous that no one was really paying attention to anything he did.

“Greg is not the stepmother.” Principal Lyons sounds gleeful. “He was the bystander, so unfortunately, he’s now dead as well.”

“Wait,” I say. “Janet’s dead, and so is the bystander?”

“Just five of you left,” Mrs. Lyons says. “One of you is Gretel, and the stepmother and witch are both still in play.”

Fabulous.

“Our next task will be an obstacle course you must complete in the shortest time,” Principal Lyons says.

“But you said,” I say, “that not everything would be athletic.”

“You’ll be placed on teams,” Principal Lyons says, ignoring me. “The winning team will receive the broom.”

“The what?” I ask. “Why do we even want a broom?”

“The broom is the one thing that will slay the witch, and Gretel needs to obtain it or she loses.” Principal Lyons is smiling right at me. I’m worried he’s so obvious that everyone knows I’m Gretel, but no one seems to be picking up on that.

“But there are five of us,” Denise says. “How will we make teams?”

“Jed and Tommy have placed first and second in each event,” Principal Lyons says. “Jed can choose first, meaning he’ll have two people on his team, and Tommy will have just one.”

I’m almost surely going to be picked dead last. I think Tommy saw me glance at him, knowingly, and I wonder whether he’s figured out that I’m Gretel. He knows I accused him, at the very least.

I sigh.

Jed picks Jerry, which is probably smart, since we have no idea what the obstacle course will involve yet, and then I wait for Tommy to pick Denise. She’s the smart one, and if he knows I’m Gretel. . .

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