Free Baby-Sitters Beware by Ann M. Martin Page B

somber.
    "He called you, too?" asked Claudia.
    "No. But I found another note today. It was in my locker after school. And it doesn't make any sense either. Listen: 'Why Do You Do the Things You Do?' What things? What is it I'm doing? Why doesn't Logan just tell me? If it is Logan, I mean."
    "Oh. The notes that Logan is sending you. I thought it was something, ah, worse."
    "Worse? What could be worse than your boyfriend sending you weird notes? And you know what? I think he's starting to act weird, too. I mean, if he has a problem with what I'm doing . . ." Mary Anne stopped. "Of course, it just looks like his handwriting. I mean, it probably isn't Logan. It’s probably a bad joke. An extremely bad joke."
    "Mary Anne?" Claudia said gently. "Uh, Stacey and I have had more phone calls. We wanted to warn you. Stacey is calling Kristy. And the guy talked again."
    Mary Anne's voice changed. "The anonymous phone caller? He talked? What did he say?"
    "The same thing he said before: 'You're next.' "
    Mary Anne said, "That’s it. I'm not answering the phone anymore tonight. Not till Dad and Sharon come home."
    Mary Anne told me later that after we hung up the phone, she looked at her watch. Her father and stepmother weren't due home for another hour. The house suddenly seemed very quiet.
    In spite of herself, Mary Anne was drawn to the window. She stood to one side of it, pushed the edge of the curtain aside and peered out.
    Nobody was out there. All was quiet and still. With a sigh of relief, Mary Anne turned around. She decided to go down to the kitchen and make some hot chocolate — and to check on the doors to make sure they were locked.
    A few minutes later she was sitting at the kitchen table drinking hot chocolate when the cat door flipped open and Tigger slid through.
    "Tigger," said Mary Anne. "It’s cold outside! Aren't you freezing?"
    Tigger wove himself in and out among the table legs, purring a giant purr.
    "How about some warm milk?" Mary Anne suggested.
    Her kitten purred even louder.
    Mary Anne tilted the last bit of milk from the saucepan on the stove into a saucer. She put the saucer down for Tigger.
    That was when she saw it.
    Something white was attached to Tigger's collar. It had been taped to the tag with his name and address and phone number on it.
    Surprised, Mary Anne picked Tigger up. He meowed protestingly and struggled to get back to his milk. She unfastened the piece of paper and put him back down.
    It was a tightly folded square, like the notes kids pass at school. She unfolded it.
    And gave a little scream.
    It was a note, written with letters cut from the newspaper.
    It said, "YOU'RE NEXT."
    That freaked us all out. But it was, as Kristy pointed out, "hard evidence." She convinced Mary Anne to put the note in an envelope,
    "in case there were any fingerprints left," and to bring it to the BSC meeting the next day.
    I was thinking about the note as I walked to Claudia's that Friday afternoon. I was also thinking about the crank calls, and yes, Shadow Lake.
    It was late afternoon, one of those gloomy, shadowy, cold days that are completely depressing unless you're thinking, as I was, Hmmm, looks like it might snow.
    I peered up at the sky. I stepped off the curb.
    The car came out of nowhere.
    I turned. It was heading toward me, picking up speed as it approached. It was a huge car, shiny and red and powerful-looking. The motor sounded like the roar of the subway, bearing down on me.
    I froze.
    I put my hands out as if that would stop the car, as if that would keep it from running right over me, from killing me.
    This is it, I thought. I'm going to die.
    I screamed and closed my eyes, and waited for the car to hit me. I had time to wonder if it would hurt.
    The driver must have braked at the last minute. I heard the screech of tires as it swerved,
    and I opened my eyes as it hurtled past, inches away. I felt the wind brush my hands as the car sped by me.
    I turned to watch it go. It careened crazily down