Res Judicata by Vicki Grant

Author:Vicki Grant [Grant, Vicki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV000000, Mystery
ISBN: 9781551439402
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2008-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

chapter 17

Larceny

The unauthorized taking of someone’s

personal property. Theft.

I couldn’t face breakfast the next day, but otherwise I felt okay. I made myself feel okay. I had to get that project done. I couldn’t think about my empty stomach or my sore throat or why, no matter what you eat, it always smells like cheese when you barf it up. I couldn’t think about Chuck’s teeth or the orange envelope from the power company marked Urgent! Payment Required or whether Biff had actually meant to poison me.

I had to make myself believe that the only thing that mattered right then was getting an A (or at least a B or even a C) in media arts.

I just needed to get one last interview with Andy and Chuck for my Gleamoccino video. A few hours to edit, a couple more for voice-over and I’d be done. I could reward myself. Go to the bowl. Watch crappy TV. Waste time.

I snapped into gear. I was all ready to go. I had my questions written out. Andy finally had her makeup on the way she liked it—i.e., too much and messy. Chuck had even agreed to be on camera again. (Since “it’th only a little thchool project.” Like he was doing me a favor or something! Right. Mr. Get-Me-a-Thoda. He so owed me.)

I looked through the viewfinder and saw a little white message flashing on the screen.

No Disc.

I immediately forgot about how lucky I was to have Andy and how much I loved her and all the other garbage I thought the night before. Now I was ready to kill her.

I was like, “Okay. Where is it? What did you do with the CD? I told you not to touch the camera!”

She went, “What? What are you talking about? I didn’t touch the camera, Cyril! Why would I touch your camera?”

Just to bug me. Because I told you not to. Because you couldn’t keep out of trouble even if you wanted to. There were a thousand different reasons.

I just glared at her.

She put her hands up like she was a hostage negotiator and I was some deranged maniac she had to talk down. She went, “Seriously. Honestly. We looked at it with you. Then you went to the bowl. Then we went to the law library. Then I came home and went to bed. That’s it! I never touched it, Cyril. I wouldn’t touch it. Really. Seriously. Honestly.”

I could feel my brain cells exploding like popcorn in the microwave. All I could think about was how much trouble I was in. I threw my head back and did this silent scream. I started tearing the place apart.

Either Andy actually understood how important this was or she was trying to cover something up, because she didn’t fight back. She always fights back, no matter how wrong she is. In fact, the wronger she is, the harder she fights. It’s one of her most effective defenses.

She started tearing the place apart too.

Chuck, meanwhile, was sort of doing this half-hearted attempt to look.

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