Page 76 of The Executioners Three
She tipped backward until she could see the belfry atop the crypt. The bell that Original Fabre had made had gone missing in 1975—and according to the prank book, that act of vandalism had not been Berm High’s doing. Inexplicably, that bell had wound up in the schoolhouse at the Village Historique, and now here it was again, restored to its original home by Freddie’s mother, and with a replica clapper hanging inside.
Thisbell could ring.
Butthisbell hadn’t been what Freddie had heard on Wednesday or Friday—or at least, she didn’t think it could have been. For one, it was too far for its tolling to have reached her in the forest through all that fog on Wednesday. For two, on Friday night, the sound had come from the west, not the north.
What am I missing?she thought as she inhaled deep and full. (And as her too-small shirt strained against the safety pin.) Something fully logical had to explain a ringing bell in the county park.
Doodle-loo doo, doodle-loo doo,sang Sabrina.Doodle-loo doo doo!
Freddie flinched. Dropped her red cap again as she wedged the phone to her ear. “Yeah, yeah, hey, Cat. Sorry. I promise I’m on my way. I just fell and busted my wrist—no, I’m fine. I’m just slow. But I’ll be there, okay? Just wait another two minutes, please.”
Freddie hung up. Her eyes lingered one last time on the three candles. Then on the original bell with its replica clapper. Her Answer Finder instincts were going to have to wait; now was the time for escape.
And this time as Freddie jogged away, she made sure to avoid the loose paver.
17
When Freddie finally scrambled into Kyle’s back seat, Blur’s “Song 2” blasted over her at maximum volume. It was a good song, and Freddie of ten minutes ago would have screamed along with it and head-banged just as hard as Kyle was.
Instead, she stared out the window and hugged her aching wrist against her chest. She wondered distantly if Mrs. Iglesias, the school nurse, would let her have some ice.
Right as the song’s third playthrough came to an end (because apparently Kyle didn’t know how to turn off the CD repeat function), Kyle revved his Jeep into the Berm High parking lot. Cat fluttered a wave for the security guard, who didn’t look up from his bodice ripper.
Seconds later, Kyle zoomed into a spot at the back of the lot. It was right as he cut the engine that a cop car pulled in too.
“Balls.” Kyle dropped low in his seat. “It’s the sheriff.”
“Oh, fartknockers,” Cat agreed, dropping down with him.
Freddie also ducked low, although she wasn’t sure there was much point. Either Bowman was there to deal with skipping students or she wasn’t. And judging by the way she was pulling her car to a stop infrontof the school, Freddie had to guess her business was unrelated to their Ferris Bueller-ing.
Still, just to play it safe, Freddie said: “If we sneak behind the cars, we can get to those dumpsters. Then it’s not far to the loading dock that goes into the auditorium. We should be able to get into the school unseen.”
“Good call,” Cat agreed, and in a flurry of stealthy speed, everyone scuttled out of the car. They convened beside the still-warm engine—and Freddie hunkered close to its clicking, steaming heat.
Which was when Cat seemed to remember Freddie had fallen. “Oh no! Your hand. It’s bleeding!”
“It’s fine.” Freddie shook her head. “I just tripped and landed badly. That’s all.”
Kyle’s puppy eyes drooped. “You shoulda said something. We could have gone by the drugstore and gotten you a wrap.”
Freddie smiled—a real smile because Kyle looked genuinely distraught by her pain. “Perhaps you could toss me a Band-Aid?” she quoted. “Or some antibacterial cream!”
This earned her some laughs, and both Cat and Kyle relaxed.
“Also,” Freddie went on, “can we please celebrate how we got the crickets deliveredandretrieved the prank book?”
“That we did!” Kyle cheered, scooting in close to Freddie. He whipped his arm around her and gave her an awkward half-squatting embrace. “All thanks to you, Prank Wizard.”
Freddie’s smile spread. She reallydidlike being called that, and although she wasn’t entirely sure she liked having Kyle’s arm around her—especially when her left wrist was swelling up—she did appreciate the look of admiration in his eyes.
“Come on,” she said. “Follow me.” She abandoned the warmth of the exhaust and hurried toward the dumpsters. Cat and Kyle raced behind. Halfway to the dumpsters, though, Freddie made the mistake of glancing toward the front of the school. Just to check where Sheriff Bowman had gone…
Bowman was standing at the school’s corner and lookingrightat Freddie. As soon as their eyes met, Bowman brought a walkie-talkie to her mouth. Her lips moved. Her legs started stalking Freddie’s way.
Oh, crap. It would seem Bowmanwasthere for the Ferris Bueller-ing.
“Go,” Freddie hissed with a frantic wave at the dumpsters. “Get behind and go to the loading dock. I’ll hold off Bowman.”
