Sketchy Behavior Read online

I shrugged. I was in the middle of finding x and it was just better if I did it robotically instead of thinking too much about that sentence.

  “Finding X” had too many other meanings for me right now.

  “I just got off the phone with Officer DeWeise,” DJ said.

  I looked up at him. “Is he okay?”

  DJ nodded. “He’ll be fine. The doctors told him that everything is looking really good.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

  “Yep.” He pulled a pear from the fridge and started cutting it into slices.

  I looked back down at the page in my math book that I was working on.

  Find X in the following problems.

  I slammed the book shut.

  Tuesday and Wednesday passed by like they were on repeat from Monday. I went to school, everyone pointed and whispered about me in the hallway, I turned in homework, Miss Yeager and Detective Masterson blushed at each other but didn’t talk, and Justin said “hi” twice and that was it.

  Every night, I’d watched the news and every night, Ted Deffle at KCL would tell some new shocking story about John X’s life before prison. New people who knew him were coming forward and all of them couldn’t believe he was a serial killer.

  “Why, I would have left my kids with him while I ran to the grocery store for milk,” one lady from Franklin county said on Wednesday night’s news.

  Detective Masterson had said that the police there should just go ahead and write her info down because she was likely going to be calling in a missing child’s report sometime in the near future.

  Thursday didn’t start that much differently.

  The school again went painfully quiet when I walked in the doors. I hadn’t decided if it was because they were worried about being shot if they got into near proximity of me or if it was the two very obvious, despite their attempts at plain clothes, cops next to me.

  Maddy, though, was back on Thursday.

  She came hustling over, shoving her backpack onto one shoulder. “Kate, I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered.

  “What’s with all the whispering?” I asked. “How come no one is talking in a normal-toned voice anymore?”

  She gave me a duh look. “Because. No one wants to get shot.”

  I sighed.

  “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. I was talking to Tyler and he said that he heard that John X had a cousin named Bridget who goes to this school.”

  Detective Masterson and DJ exchanged a look, and I saw the detective pull his phone from his pocket and start texting someone.

  “Wait — Tyler?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “As in the same Tyler who broke your heart all of a week ago?”

  “We’re back together,” she announced, flashing a big smile. “He apologized. He said that he was totally in the wrong, and he never meant to hurt me.”

  Fabulous. I managed a smile. “Great, Maddy. That’s great.” I wished I could have been more excited, but now I simply got to watch the dramatic breakup again sometime in the future. Tyler really was a big jerk. I never could see what made Maddy so in love with him. He treated her like garbage.

  “Thanks!” she said all perkily. We passed by a group of football players who were gathered in the hall, and Tyler immediately came over.

  “Oh, hi, Kate,” he said, slinging his arm around Maddy. “And you guys must be the undercover cops.” His voice dropped a couple of decibel levels. “Do you really think someone will try to shoot Kate here?”

  A real winner, that Tyler. Always had the nicest thing to say and the most perfect time to say it.

  Detective Masterson frowned at Tyler — he didn’t even bother answering him. We stopped outside the art classroom.

  “Well. Anyway. See you later, Kate.”

  Tyler left and Maddy rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why he asked that.” She looked at the policemen. “He’s really not that callous most of the time.”

  Oh, he really was. But I didn’t say anything.

  “So, Kate, can I come study with you afterwards today?”

  I nodded. “Sure.” Honestly, I’d missed Maddy’s incessant chatting over the noise of Ryan Seacrest while I was trying to do my homework. “How are the tonsils?”

  She waved her hand. “Oh, they’re fine. The doctor said that I’d probably have to get them out sometime this year, but I’m going to wait until summer to do it so I don’t have to miss a bunch of school. He said that I probably should have had them out when I was a kid. Want to see them?”

  I winced. “No, thanks.” Looking in people’s mouths was not a favorite pastime of mine. Dentistry was out as far as a future career choice.

  She nodded. “All right then. I’ll see you after school. Bye!” She waved and left, running down the hall to make her first class on time.

  “Charming friend,” Detective Masterson said under his breath.

  “Equally charming boyfriend.” DJ nodded.

  “Hey,” I said. “Maddy is my best friend, so please be nice to her.”

  Detective Masterson shrugged. “I’ll be nice.”

  We pushed through the door to art class, and there were only six other people in there as the bell rang. I frowned and looked back into the hallway. Usually, there are around fifteen more kids in my class.

  Miss Yeager turned from the board and looked at all of us. “Good morning, everyone,” she said.

  I sat down next to Justin and Allison and looked around. I raised my hand.

  “Yes, Kate?”

  “Where is everyone today?”

  Miss Yeager tried to hide a wince in my direction, but then I understood.

  “Oh,” I said, shaking my head slightly. “I get it. Never mind.”

  Allison elbowed me in the ribcage. “I heard that all these moms had this meeting last night because they think that it puts all their kids in danger for you to be here, and so they pulled all their kids out of school,” she whispered.

  “Allison!” Miss Yeager said sharply. “Now is not the time.”

  She shrugged at Miss Yeager and then pulled her pencils out of her backpack, looking at me. “I’m just saying what I heard.”

  I sat there quietly in my chair, facing the whiteboard and trying not to look around at all the empty seats. The moms panicked? They had a meeting? I was preventing fourteen kids from coming to school today?

  This was getting to be too much. Didn’t they realize that’s why Detective Masterson and DJ were here?

  Miss Yeager sent an apologetic look my direction and started the lesson. It was just a review, so I started to drift off in the midst of it.

  My stomach was cramping. I’d always been the girl that no one even noticed, and now, everyone noticed me. Everyone was scared to stand close to me.

  I felt like a walking time bomb.

  Miss Yeager finished class right as the bell rang. “Kate, hold on a minute please,” she said over the clanging. The rest of the class gathered their stuff and left.

  Justin sent me a half-smile as he packed his backpack. “Chin up,” he whispered, and then left.

  Miss Yeager came over and sat down in Allison’s vacated chair. “You are not the cause of this,” she said.

  “Come on, Miss Yeager,” I said. I was so tired of people telling me this was not my fault. It was my fault. If I hadn’t drawn John X, then I never would have caused Officer DeWeise to get shot or have part of the school staying home out of fear.

  “Kate, people get scared over situations that they don’t need to be scared about,” Miss Yeager said.

  I just sighed at her and the two policemen standing next to us. “They don’t need to be scared about this? I’ve got two cops following me around like I’m the President’s daughter, I’ve gotten a cop with a wife and two kids shot and put in the hospital, I can’t sleep at night because of the nightmares, and my mother has stopped buying me Crispix because she saw me tracing the x in the title yesterday.” I let my breath out.

  Miss
Yeager reached over and rubbed my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Kate. This is all because of me and a stupid idea I had. I’m so sorry.”

  “If it’s any consolation,” Detective Masterson said, “people still think you’re a hero, Kate. Those people who were waiting for vindication for the women who died have gotten it. And John X will never be released from prison.”

  “Apparently, he doesn’t need to be, and people still get shot,” I said bitterly. I slammed my hands down on the table. “You know what? I think I’m going to go home for the rest of today.”

  I stood, grabbed my backpack, and left. Detective Masterson and DJ hurried to keep up with me as I marched out of the school and to the black Tahoe.

  “Kate. Kate, slow down,” DJ said, grabbing my forearm. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay for the rest of the day?”

  “What’s the point? So I can see all the rest of the empty tables at school? No thanks. Everyone wishes I would just stay home anyway.”

  Detective Masterson unlocked the Tahoe, and I climbed in. It was a quiet drive home.

  DJ parked in the driveway, and we walked to the front porch. There sat three more bouquets on the front porch. I was willing to bet that at least one was from the news crew at KCL who was still begging for an interview. We each grabbed one and went inside.

  I set my bouquet on the kitchen counter next to the other two. They were pretty. Daisies, roses, tulips … it looked like a funeral had happened in our house, because these were everywhere.

  I was beginning to hate the smell of flowers.

  I yanked the notes from the bouquets.

  Dear Kate, thank you for your selfless contribution to society …

  Kate, we are so grateful for such patriots in America …

  Dear Kate, if you could please call our newsroom at 555–3422, we’d love to have you on our show …

  The last one was from KCL. The first two were signed from Phyllis in St. Louis and the Kleins in Springfield, Missouri.

  I put all the notes in the teetering stack of notecards on the kitchen counter and left the flowers where they were. One thing was sure — South Woodhaven Falls florists had been reaping the benefit from my actions.

  They were about the only ones who were.

  It was only ten o’clock in the morning, and I had no idea what to do with the rest of the day. I didn’t have any homework, since I’d skipped out on classes. Mom and Dad were both at work for the remainder of the day.

  It was just me and the cops.

  Two men and a high school dropout.

  Wasn’t that the name of a movie?

  I wondered if skipping school today classified me as a juvenile delinquent. I’d have to ask Dad later tonight.

  “So,” DJ said, joining me in the kitchen. “What do you want to do for the rest of today?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know.” Usually, when I was completely bored, I would go to my room and draw for hours.

  I was starting to hate drawing. Anytime I sat down to sketch, the only face I saw was John X’s.

  Detective Masterson came into the kitchen, holding his cell phone. “Guess what?” he said, though I wasn’t sure if it was directed to me or DJ.

  Judging by DJ’s lack of a response, he didn’t know whom the question was for either.

  Detective Masterson didn’t bother to wait for one of us to answer. “There was a witness at the parade.”

  DJ immediately straightened. “Witness? Someone saw the shooter?”

  “Apparently, they saw them clear as day. They’ve just been too scared to come forward with that information.”

  They both exchanged a look for a minute and then both turned to me. I was fishing in the pantry for the stash of M&M’s Dad and I had hid weeks ago. I could feel their stares on my back.

  I winced. “No,” I said, knowing what was coming.

  “Kate,” Detective Masterson started.

  I found the bag of M&M’s and tore into it. “I don’t want to. Have the real artist guy do it.”

  Detective Masterson let out a single, staccato laugh. “Ha! Like that would help us at all. Larry’s sketches have only gotten us leads for nice old ladies buying their grandbabies teething rings. We’ve never caught the person we were looking for off of Larry’s sketches.”

  “Seems like it’s time to hire a new sketch artist then,” I said, popping a handful of M&M’s into my mouth. “And one who’s legal to vote,” I said around the colored globs of chocolate, since both of them opened their mouths at the same time.

  “Kate,” DJ said again. “If we find this guy, maybe we can get him to talk. We can find out if there are more people after you. We can find out how many more friends John X has.”

  I chewed in silence, looking at them and then at the floral shop in my house. Then I thought about Officer DeWeise and his two kids waiting at home for their daddy. And how my dad’s voice cracked when he was talking about me staying protected.

  It made sense. If we caught the guy who shot at me during the parade, maybe he was the last of my worries. Maybe he was John X’s only friend, and maybe if they were stuck in prison together they’d only get to reminisce about the good old days of killing innocent women instead of continuing to do it.

  Maybe.

  I looked again at the flowers decorating our entire house. From the kitchen, I could count at least twenty-two bouquets scattered around our house. That didn’t count the handful that were upstairs. Mom said we were going to need to start giving them out to the neighbors.

  About half of them were from KCL, but the other half were all families and couples and women who had written some really sweet thank-you cards.

  I was scared to leave my house for fear of John X, one woman had written. Thank you for giving me my freedom back.

  Now if only I could find a bit of that freedom as well.

  I sighed and swallowed and looked at the two policemen in front of me.

  “Fine.” I said it quietly, but both of them reacted like a firework had exploded.

  “Great!” Detective Masterson said, doing a fabulous impression of Tony the Tiger. “I’ll call Deputy Slalom right now.” He immediately left, dialing as he went.

  “Awesome,” DJ said, patting my shoulder. “I knew we could count on you, Kate.”

  Detective Masterson appeared back in the kitchen seconds later. “We’re going to the station right now,” he said. “Think you should call your parents? Don’t forget the code we talked about.”

  I nodded. I picked up our house phone and dialed my mom’s work first.

  “Hello, Claire Carter’s office.” Madge, Mom’s ancient secretary, answered the phone.

  “Hi, it’s Kate.”

  “One moment.”

  A second later, my mom answered. “Kate? Honey, is everything okay?”

  “Just wanted to be sure you remembered my dentist appointment was today,” I told her, nodding at the policemen. We weren’t supposed to say exactly where we were going, just in case.

  I felt like I was in one of those spy movies.

  Only I felt like I should be cooler. I felt a little like Steve Carell’s character in Get Smart. Kind of goofy.

  Mom cleared her throat. “Okay, honey. Thanks for reminding me.”

  So now Mom knew that I was not at school, I was going to the police station, and everything was fine.

  “Okay. Bye, Mom.”

  “Love you, Katie-Kin.”

  I paused, holding the phone with both hands. “I love you too, Mom.”

  Dad didn’t take it quite as easily. “The dentist?” he repeated. “Why in the world are you going to the dentist right now? Shouldn’t you be in school?”

  He either didn’t remember the code or was trying to find out why I was going to the police station, but we hadn’t discussed the code past the dentist part.

  “Well, I, uh, have a cavity, I think,” I said, around a mouthful of M&M’s. “It’s kind of painful, so I called the dentist. They said to come on over, and they’d take
a look at it. It’s pretty urgent, Dad.”

  Then it clicked.

  “Oh,” Dad said, suddenly. “Right. Well, then you should probably go in.”

  “Yep. I’m on my way there.”

  “Okay. Well. Buckle your seatbelt.” Bring the cops.

  “Always, Dad. Love you.”

  “Love you back.”

  I nodded to DJ and Detective Masterson. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I FOUND IT KIND OF SAD THAT THE POLICE STATION LOOKED so familiar. Same desks, same cubicles. Same feeling of being in an office hawking paper supplies instead of a place dedicated to upholding the law.

  Deputy Slalom was waiting for us when we got there. He was wearing his typical outfit of a button-down, long-sleeve shirt and a tie. This time, he was still wearing his jacket.

  Must have been a slow day.

  “Hi, Kate,” Deputy Slalom said, holding open the door to one of the conference rooms. “Glad you were able to come.”

  I’d never heard a policeman excited about a high school student skipping classes, but things have been a little weird lately.

  I nodded. “I brought my pencils,” I said, holding up a handful of pencils rubber-banded together. I didn’t bring my sketchpad. I figured surely the police station had paper.

  Then again, with all the city and county budget cuts that have been happening constantly, maybe that wasn’t a good assumption.

  Deputy Slalom showed me into the conference room and DJ followed me. Detective Masterson went to go check his office.

  There was a huge sketchpad set up on an easel in the room, as well as a couple of chairs, two tables, a box of facial tissues, a huge binder, and a water dispenser.

  I’d never drawn on an easel before. Miss Yeager didn’t have the money to buy easels for everyone in art class, so we got to draw on the table. And at home, I always drew on my desk.

  I’ve heard it’s better for your wrist if you use an easel, but since I’ve never practiced on one, I’m not sure if I could draw as well.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” Deputy Slalom said to me. He patted DJ on the shoulder. “And feel free to take a break, if you want. I’m going to hang out in here for a few minutes.”

  DJ nodded and looked at me. “You okay?” he asked.