Pick Your Poison Part 7

Throughout the day, Jeri brainstormed ways to spice up her accidental food poisoning report, but nothing worthwhile came to her. Time was critical, or that slick chick Sierra Sedgewick would win the media fair competi-tion with her dad's photos. Talk about unfair!

It wasn't until Friday's last cla.s.s that an idea occurred to Jeri that just might trap the culprit. Suddenly alert and focused, she considered her plan from all angles.

Yes. It ought to work. But to be effective, she couldn't tell anyone her plan.

On Friday nights, Hampton House ordered food from the pizzeria to be delivered at six. The girls ate pizza and then played cards or board games. Winners of the friendly compet.i.tions received coupons from the house mothers for things like "one hour of video games" or "one-hour exten-sion of lights out." It'd be a perfect night to try her plan.

That evening Jeri waited at the front door until the pizza was delivered and paid for by Ms. Carter. She guarded it till supper, then was careful to eat from all three pizza boxes: pepperoni, Hawaiian, and beef. Half an hour into the UNO compet.i.tion, she pressed on her stomach and tried to look ill.

No one noticed.

A few minutes later, she grabbed her stomach and groaned. Jumping up, she dashed to the . rst-. oor bath-room. She slammed the door, made some bar. ng noises, and .ushed the toilet twice. Ms. Carter was outside the bathroom when she opened the door, with Abby and Rosa behind her.

"Oh dear," Ms. Carter said, putting her arm around Jeri's waist. "Looks like you've caught the bug too." She felt Jeri's forehead, and Jeri tried to look weak. "No fever. That's a good sign. We'd better get you to bed."

"But I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" Ms. Carter said. "Miss Barbara could sit with you upstairs."

"No. Really. I'd rather .nish the game. I was winning." Going upstairs would wreck her plan. Jeri padded back into the living room, where the girls looked at her. Trying not to be obvious, Jeri glanced at each girl. Did anyone look shocked that she was sick? The poisoner would know the pizza hadn't been tampered with, so she'd guess that Jeri was pretending. Would she give herself away?

"Does anyone else feel sick?" Jeri asked. "I think there's something wrong with the pizza."

The girls looked at each other and Ms. Carter, shaking their heads. The house mother told them to let her know if any of them felt nauseated.

Brooke fanned out her handful of cards. "Is this your .rst time getting sick?"

Jeri nodded. "I guess I'm pretty healthy."

Brooke tapped her cards in her palm. "You should get more sleep. You pick up germs and viruses quicker when you're tired."

Should get more sleep? What was she hinting at? Jeri glanced at Emily, who looked alarmed and then stared at the .oor. Emily had obviously reported that Jeri was in the kitchen during the night.

"Actually I don't believe it's a virus." Jeri took a deep breath. "I think someone in this dorm is poisoning our food." Two girls who were tallying the score sheets jerked around. "On purpose."

Brooke pointed at Jeri. "And maybe it's you, faking sick tonight so no one will think you're behind it all." She glanced at Emily, then back at Jeri. "We know what you do when everyone else is asleep."

Nervous questions .ew back and forth, and the card tournament was forgotten. Ms. Carter and Miss Barbara shushed everyone, but it didn't help. Finally the house mother stood. "Go back to the game, girls," Ms. Carter said. "Jeri, you and Brooke come with me. Emily, you too."

"I'm coming too," Rosa whispered.

"Thanks." Jeri shuddered, now feeling sick for real. This wasn't how she'd planned it! She thought her little trick would shock the real poisoner into giving herself away. Instead, she looked guiltier than ever!

"Let's go to Jeri and Rosa's room," Ms. Carter said, leading the way.

When in the room, she motioned for them all to sit on the .oor. She sat on Rosa's desk chair. "Everyone, take a few deep breaths." She waited a moment. "We evidently have a misunderstanding. It's been a stressful week for everyone, with so many being ill and the pressures of . nal projects." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Let's start with you, Brooke. What did you mean about unusual activities during the night?"

"Well, I didn't actually see her, but Emily did." Brooke poked Emily in the arm. "You tell them."

Emily stared at the .oor. "I didn't really see Jeri doing anything."

"Yes, you did!" Brooke said.

Emily looked at Jeri, both fear and regret on her face. "I went down to the kitchen in the middle of the night last night," she whispered. "I was on the way to the bathroom when I saw Jeri going downstairs. I followed her."

"And . . . ?" Ms. Carter asked.

Emily picked at a loose thread on her sweatshirt cuff. "And I found Jeri in the kitchen."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Tell Ms. Carter exactly where you found Jeri while everyone in the dorm was sleeping."

Emily looked miserable, and Jeri felt sorry for her. She was caught between telling the truth and not wanting to get a friend in trouble.

Jeri cleared her throat. "That's okay. I'll tell her." She sighed. "I was in Emily and Brooke's cupboard."

9.

backfired.

Ms. Carter frowned and covered her mouth for a moment. Finally she asked Jeri, "What were you doing in someone else's cupboard?"

"And in the middle of the night!" Brooke said.

"Brooke, please. You've had your turn. Let Jeri answer."

Jeri cleared her throat. "I checked out everyone's cupboard, not just theirs, looking for things someone might use to put in our food. Abby felt rotten about her birthday supper making some girls sick, but I knew it wasn't her fault. I wanted to discover who was behind it - or if anyone was."

"That's not the real reason." Brooke shook her head in disgust. "You're writing about food poisoning for the media fair. So you frame someone by planting a poison in their cupboard, then you 'discover' it and write about it. All this just to win a prize!"

"You take that back!" Rosa said. "Jeri's the most honest person I know."

Jeri's heart pounded. "I didn't put anything in any-one's cupboard. Honest."

"That's enough, girls. Flinging accusations around isn't helpful. The thing is . . ." Ms. Carter paused. "The thing is, Jeri, if you had found something suspicious, you could be accused of planting the evidence yourself in order to make someone else look guilty."

"I never thought of that," Jeri mumbled. She should have taken Rosa and Abby with her as witnesses.

The house mother reached down and patted Jeri's shoulder. "If it helps you to know, I've checked the cup-boards and fridge myself every day. I've also kept in touch with the local police and a doctor. We are taking these in-cidents seriously." Ms. Carter paused. "The doctor feels it's a virus, and we need to wash our hands better so we don't spread it around. I tend to agree."

Jeri didn't respond, but she felt strongly that it was more than that. "I'm sorry I faked being sick tonight," she said. "I was hoping to shock the guilty person into saying something, but I guess it back. red."

"I know," the house mother said, "but it's over now."

A few minutes later, after the others left, Jeri . opped back on her bed and rubbed her abdomen. "My stomach really does hurt now," she said. "Did you see how Brooke and Emily looked at me when they left? They think I'm poisoning people!"

Rosa shook her head. "Then they don't have the brains of a toad."

Jeri laughed. "Thanks for sticking up for me."

Rosa dug in her closet, found her heating pad, and plugged it in. After turning it on, she placed it on Jeri's stomach. "I know we don't agree on everything, but you wouldn't hurt anyone. That much I know after living with you all year."

"I'm sorry for bugging you about your clothes lately," Jeri said.

"It's okay." Rosa sat cross-legged on her own bed and faced her. "I've been thinking about the clothes I've been wearing lately. You know those boys at the pizza place? I didn't make them act like jerks, but I can see why they might think I wanted attention." She sighed. "I think I'm going to return some of the out.ts I bought online."

"Really?" Jeri pressed the heating pad against her stomach, relaxing in its warmth.

"Yeah. I think . . . maybe . . . I've worried too much about clothes lately. I read a magazine today in the li-brary, and it had this huge survey somebody did."

"What kind?"

"About friendship. They gave the survey to a thousand girls, asking them what they valued in a friend." She wrapped her arms around her bent knees. " 'Somebody who wears cool clothes wasn't even on the list."

Jeri grinned. She wasn't surprised. "Do you remember what ranked the highest?"

"Um, loyalty and kindness and a good smile. Being fun with a good sense of humor ranked real high too."

"That's you exactly! Hampton House would vote you as the girl with the best smile who's the most fun," Jeri said. "Where did a girl's looks rank on the list?"

"Appearance was close to the bottom, but it was about being clean and neat, not about wearing hot clothes."

Jeri cupped her hands under her head and stared at the ceiling. "That survey's right," she said. "I needed a friend when Brooke was accusing me. And I cared a lot more that you were loyal than what kind of jeans you had on."

Rosa grinned. "Okay, so remember that the next time you get ants in your pants."

On Sat.u.r.day morning, Jeri woke up before six a.m. Rosa was still asleep, and from the stillness of the dorm, so were most other girls. Between the mockingbird outside their window and her worries over the poisoning, there was no chance of going back to sleep. Jeri gave up and crawled out of bed. She went downstairs for a while, but she felt antsy and cooped up. Maybe getting out and walking would help her think.

Outside ten minutes later, she strolled toward the bell tower, her mind skipping from one problem to another.

G.o.d, I can't make sense out of anything. What am I missing?

She went around the corner of the bell tower and almost b.u.mped into Sierra Sedgwick.

"Hey, Jeri!" Dressed in pink and white jogging shorts and a tank, Sierra had her long hair up tight in a ponytail. She stopped in front of Jeri and jogged in place.

"Hi, Sierra." Sierra looked perfect, as always. And there wasn't any sweat on Sierra's face, neck, or shirt. "So, I heard you're entering a photo book for the media fair."

"You heard right." Sierra's smile was bright, her teeth perfect. Rosa claimed she wore whitening strips to bed ev-ery night. Then Sierra's face clouded over. "At least, I hope I am. I'm still waiting for something to come in the mail for it." She caught her lower lip between her teeth. "It just has to get here today."

"What is it?"

"Um, some material for the book cover."

Jeri c.o.c.ked her head to one side. That sounded odd. Why would material come in the mail? Jeri wondered. Was it possible that Rosa was right, and Sierra's dad was send-ing his photos for her project? Maybe they were late. Hope surged in Jeri. If the package of pictures didn't arrive by Monday, Sierra would be out of the compet.i.tion!

"Don't jog too hard," Jeri said. "See you Monday night."

When Jeri got back to the dorm, the hallway just inside the front door was jammed with bags and boxes and posters. Abby, Emily, and Brooke were getting their displays for the science fair ready to set up at the Sports Center gym today. That evening from seven to ten, each student would give a ten-minute presentation for the judges.

Upstairs, Rosa was still in bed, reading a magazine and eating a package of cheesy crackers. "Boy, you were up early."

"Went for a walk." Jeri dropped onto her desk chair and straddled it backwards to look at Rosa. "I have to . n-ish my article today. Want to walk over to the greenhouse with me? I want to borrow another book."

"Sure." Rosa hopped off her bed, tossed aside her magazine, and slipped on her . ip-.ops. Jeri didn't comment on it, but she noticed that today Rosa was dressed in a looser T-shirt and denim capris. She still looked totally cool.

It was warming up already, and Jeri and Rosa strolled along, talking about summer plans. It was a relief to Jeri to think about something besides poison for a while. Circling around the statue in front of Herald Hall, they b.u.mped into Sierra.

"Wow! Two times in one morning," Sierra drawled. "Are you following me?" Her smile was blinding now.

What's with her? Jeri wondered. Earlier she'd seemed anxious.

"What's that?" Rosa asked, poking a large envelope sticking out of Sierra's backpack. It was an express mailer - the kind rush-rush mail came in.

"Something I needed for my media fair project," Sierra said, dimpling. "It just came."

Jeri's hope de.ated like a leaky balloon. That size mailer could de.nitely hold a dozen 8" x 10" photos.

"Well, good luck on Monday," Jeri forced herself to say.

"May the best girl win," Rosa added brightly. When they were out of earshot, she whispered to Jeri, "And that's you. I bet that package was photos from her dad. There's no point in working so hard when there're girls like Sierra in the world."

Jeri didn't reply. She could only hope Rosa was wrong.

At the next fork in the sidewalk, they turned left toward the Sports Center. People were still carrying in posters and displays for the science fair. Coming toward them, head down, was Brooke. She was dressed in jeans so tight Jeri could see a rock or something in her front pocket. Deep in thought, Brooke barely noticed them.

They continued down the rock path to the greenhouse and stepped inside the dim front building. Jeri called to Mr. Petrie, but there was no answer. "His bookshelf is in an of.ce at the back. I think it'd be okay to get another book and leave him a note."

In the of.ce Jeri studied the t.i.tles on the shelves. Rosa strolled around the little room, reading the notes tacked to the various bulletin boards. Framed certi. cates, awards, and newspaper articles lined one whole wall. Jeri had just found two books when Rosa whistled shrilly.

"Look what I found." She was standing by Mr. Petrie's open desk drawer, waving a paper.

"What is it?"

"A warning. Look!"

"You shouldn't be in his desk!" Jeri glanced over her shoulder to make sure Mr. Petrie wasn't coming. Then curi-osity got the best of her. "Warning for what?"

"It's a report from The Head," Rosa said. "It says here that 'Yelling at a student is conduct unbecoming to a staff member of Landmark School for Girls.'"

"I wonder who he yelled at."