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But Mrs. Lippman couldn't let it go with a simple good-bye. No, she had to
come over and give me a big hug and call me her little girl's savior and tell
me that if there was anything anything at all she or her husband could do for
me, I needed only to ask. The Lippmans along with, surprise, surprise,
Heather's parents were starting a Restore Mastriani's Fund. I wished that
instead they were starting a Pay Off Karen Sue Hankey's Medical Bills Fund, so
that Mrs. Hankey would drop her suit against me.
But beggars can't be choosers, I guess, so all I said, as Mrs. Lippman
attempted to squeeze the life out of me, was, "Uh, you're welcome."
Barely escaping with my ribs intact, I followed Ruth and Skip out into the
hall.
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"Whew," Ruth said. "Now I know where Claire gets her sense of the dramatic."
"Tell me about it," I said, scrubbing Mrs. Lippman's lipstick off my cheek,
where she'd kissed me.
"Should we stop by and see Heather?" Skip asked as we made our way to the
elevators.
"They released her already," I said. "Broken arm, couple of busted ribs, and
a concussion, but otherwise, she's going to be all right."
"Physically," Ruth said, punching the button markedDOWN . "Mentally, though?
After having been through what she went through?"
"Heather's pretty tough," I said. The elevator came, and we all got on it.
"She'll be back out there, shaking her pompons, in no time."
"Yeah, but what is she going to shake those pompons for?" Ruth wanted to
know. "I mean, without Mark and Jeff, the Cougars don't have much of a chance
of making it to State. Or anywhere, for that matter."
"Well," I said. "There's always the basketball team. None of them, as far as
I know, have murdered anyone lately."
"So, Jess," Skip said, as the doors opened to the hospital lobby. "How does
it feel to be a hero? Again?"
"I don't know," I said. "Not so great, really. I mean, if I'd have been able
to figure it out sooner, I might have saved Amber. Not to mention
Mastriani's."
"Howdid you figure it out?" Ruth asked. "I mean, how'd you know Claire was
locked inside Mark's trunk?"
It was a question I knew I'd get asked eventually, though I'd been hoping
against hope to avoid it. How was I going to explain that for a moment,
I'dbeen Claire, inside that trunk? And all because she'd dropped her sweater &
a sweater I'd just returned to her, by the way.
"I don't know," I lied. "I just & I just knew is all."
Ruth looked at me sarcastically. "Yeah," she said. "Right. Just like this
summer, with Shane and the pillow. I get it."
Ruth got it, all right. I just hoped nobody else did.
"What pillow?" Skip wanted to know.
"Never mind," I said. "Listen, you guys, I better get home. My mom's having a
big enough cow as it is, what with the restaurant, and now Douglas and this
job thing. Not to mention Karen Sue's lawsuit "
"I can't believe she's really suing," Skip said, looking indignant. "I mean,
after Jess pretty much single-handedly caught a murderer and all, in her own
school."
"Well," I said, a little sheepishly. "I did almost break Karen Sue's nose.
Not that she didn't deserve it."
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Ruth tactfully changed the subject.
"So what's with that, anyway?" Ruth asked. "Douglas, I mean. Comix
Underground is totally skeevy. Why would anyone want to work there? It's
always packed with members of the turtle patrol."
"Hey," Skip said, sounding offended. Skip, I knew, often shopped at Comix
Underground.
"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "He's Douglas. He's always marched to a
different drummer."
"I'll say." Ruth shook her head. "God, I'm sure glad I'm not living in your
house. It's going to be like World War " She broke off, and, looking toward
the sliding doors by the ambulance bay, said, "Well, I was going to say World
War Three, but I think I'm going to have to amend that to World War Four."
I followed her gaze. "What? What are you talking about?"
Skip saw him before I did. "Whoa," he said. "Alert the Pentagon. The
Mastriani household has just gone to Def Con One."
And then I saw him. And froze in my tracks.
"Mike!" I couldn't believe it. "What are you doing here?"
Mike had obviously just come from the airport. He had an overnight bag with
him and looked, to put it mildly, like crap. He hurried up to us and said,
"How is she? Is she all right?"
"Why are you here?" I demanded. "Didn't Mom and Dad just drop you off at
Harvard lastweek ? What are you doing back?"
Michael glared down at me. "You think I could stay there, knowing what
happened?"
"Mike," I said. "For God's sake. The insurance is going to pay to rebuild the
place. It is not that big a deal. I mean, yeah, it's sad and all, but when I
talked to Dad a little while ago, he was totally into the idea of redesigning,
He is going to kill you when he finds out you "
"I don't care about the stupid restaurant," Mike said, his voice filled with
scorn. "I didn't come back for that. It's Claire I care about."
I blinked at him. "Claire?"
"Yes, Claire." Mike looked down at me worriedly. "Claire Lippman. How is she?
Is she going to be all right?"
I could only stare up at him with, I am sorry to say, my mouth hanging
open.Claire ? He'd come all the way back from college probably blown an entire
semester's allowance buying an airline ticket at the last minute because
ofClaire , a girl who'd never spoken to him before in her life? Wereboth my
brothers insane?
It was Ruth who said, "Claire's going to be fine, Michael." I was proud of
her for being so calm. Ruth had had her own little crush on Mike awhile back.
Her summer romance with Scott had apparently cured her of it, however. "She's
just, you know, being held overnight for observation."
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"I want to see her," Mike said. "What room is she in?"
"Four-seventeen," Skip said, at the same time that I finally burst out with,
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