Pretty Please (Nightmare Hall) (5 page)

“A package? For me?”

“Um-hmm.” Bev reached down beneath the desk and pulled out a large, octagonal-shaped box. Yellow stripes. Big yellow bow on top. But strangely, there was no card.

“Who’s it from?”

Bev shrugged. “Some delivery guy dropped it off.” She glanced up at Jo. “Your birthday?”

“My birthday’s in July.” But Jo took the box and looped the yellow ribbon over her wrist. Her mother wouldn’t send a care package in this kind of box. It looked like a hatbox. Her mother never wore hats.

Besides, the box was from a local department store. Ogilvie’s. Very expensive. Nan shopped there all the time.

Jo smiled. Had her friends gotten a get-well gift for her? Had Nan and Kelly hunted all over Ogilvie’s for just the perfect thing to cheer her up?

What a sweet thing to do!

“Sorry about your accident,” Bev said. “You okay?”

Jo nodded and headed for the elevator. The fourth floor hall was quiet. Good. Maybe she could take a quick nap before Kelly got home.

But first, she wanted to see what Nan and Kelly had selected for her.

She dropped the box on her bed, along with her books and jacket. After taking an aspirin for her headache, she returned to the bed and lifted the lid on the yellow-striped box.

Tissue paper…mounds of pale yellow tissue paper.

Jo unfolded the sheets of yellow to reveal what was hidden inside.

Black…a pile of black, lying there in the depths of the box.

And suddenly Jo knew—this was
not
a get-well gift from her friends.

Jo’s hands began to shake. As if hypnotized, she reached down and withdrew the black object lying in the yellow-striped box.

It
was
a hat.

She held in her hands a wide-brimmed black hat. A thickly layered black veil hung from the brim all the way around its edges.

If I put this hat on, Jo thought numbly, holding it out in front of her, my face will disappear from sight. If I put this hat on and drop this veil over my face, I’ll be just like the draped mirrors. Hidden. Not one part of my face will show.

That’s what someone wants. Someone wants my face hidden. Someone wants me to put on this hat and hide my face from view.

J
O WAS STILL SITTING
on her bed, staring down at the black hat, slowly turning it around and around in her hands, when Kelly and Nan walked in. They dropped their books on Kelly’s bed and turned to face Jo.

“Where did you get
that
?” Kelly asked, coming over to take a closer look at the hat. “Is that what you’re wearing to Cath’s party? What are you going as, a grieving widow?”

Nan reached out playfully, grabbed the hat and plopped it on her head, letting the thick veil fall across her features. Hidden behind the layers of sheer black, she whispered loudly, “I’m a famous movie star and I vant to be alone!”

Kelly laughed, but Jo thought dispiritedly, I was right. With that veil on, Nan’s face is completely hidden. Only the hat wasn’t sent to Nan. It was sent to
me
.

“Jo?” Kelly asked then. “What’s wrong? You look kind of…weird.”

Exactly. Which was why she’d been given the hat.

Realizing her mistake, Kelly added quickly, “I mean, you look kind of upset. Where did you get that monstrosity?”

Jo didn’t want to talk about it. But she knew Kelly wouldn’t let up until she had an answer. “Someone sent it to me.” She had already dug around in the box, looking for some kind of card or note that might give her a clue to the sender. But there was nothing.

Nan removed the hat, let it sail onto Jo’s bed. It lay there accusingly, its veils draped over the edge of the quilt. “Someone sent you this hat? What for?”

Even more painful than receiving the hat was having to explain its presence. “Do I have to spell it out?” Jo asked heatedly. “You had it on. And while you had it on, we couldn’t see your face. The hat was sent to
me
.
Now
do you get it?”

Nan got it. Her cheeks turned pink. “Oh, Jo, I’m sorry. What a stupid, mean thing to do! That’s not funny at all.”

“I don’t think it was supposed to be funny. It wasn’t intended as a joke, I’m positive. I think someone on campus is really freaked about my face.” She told them about her compact mirror. “That’s just not the kind of thing someone does to be funny.”

Kelly nodded. “You’re right. It’s not. But someone with a sick sense of humor might think it was funny.” She walked over to the bed and picked up the hat. Then she went to the window, yanked it open, and tossed the hat out.

“Kelly!” Nan cried, running to the window to look out, “what did you do that for? Maybe we could have used it to find out who’s playing these disgusting jokes on Jo.”

“Too late,” Kelly said, closing the window and turning away from it. “Good riddance, I say. Jo doesn’t need that awful thing lying around the room, reminding her. Look, are we going downtown or not?”

Nan’s fingers had walked through the small yellow pages section of the local telephone book and found a listing for a costume shop in Twin Falls. “I’ve got my heart set on going as Marie Antoinette,” she said, focusing her thickly lashed, turquoise eyes on Jo. Nan was a French major so Jo wasn’t surprised. “If you don’t feel like coming with us now, we could pick out a costume for you.” She smiled. “You know we both have exquisite taste.”

Jo thought for a minute. Thanks to Kelly, the hat was gone. Why not forget about it? Brooding about it wasn’t going to erase what had happened in the last couple of days. Evan was going to Cath’s party, so she wanted to look as good as humanly possible.

Jo stood up. “I’m up for it. Let’s go.” She laughed, a sharp edge to the sound. “Maybe I can find a mask that covers me from the top of my head to my toes. Then no one could possibly be offended.”

They both scolded her for her remark, insisting that she looked “fine.”

Jo fought a small wave of envy, looking at her two friends. Neither of them needed a veil! They couldn’t possibly understand how she felt. No one could.

Except maybe that girl who had left campus so suddenly. Someone had said her face had been badly mangled in a car wreck in the fall, that she’d returned to campus with severe scarring.

At least mine is temporary, Jo told herself. If the doctor’s telling me the truth. If she isn’t, I’ll go out and buy my
own
hat, complete with a veil.

Nothing at the costume shop appealed to Jo. The small store was crowded, and much too hot. People were jostling each other to get to the costume they wanted, and then they had to wait in line for the dressing room.

The manager, an elderly woman with bright blonde hair, seemed surprised but pleased to be so busy. “Haven’t had this big a crowd since Halloween,” she said as she brought more costumes out from the back of the store. “Somebody having a party?” Then, in a loud, brassy voice, she said to Jo, “My goodness, child, what on earth happened to your face?”

Jo ignored the woman’s question. But she thought to herself, if Cath Devon were in the store right now I’d strangle her for doing something as dumb as planning a costume party. Cath’s excuse had been that she’d been sick at Halloween and hadn’t made it to any parties. Why couldn’t she just wait until next October, like everybody else?

To Nan’s delight, there was a Marie Antoinette costume, complete with curly white wig. Kelly settled on dressing like Morticia from the Addams Family. Jo halfheartedly tried on half a dozen costumes, but nothing seemed right, especially with her bandages.

Then the store manager came over to say, “I think I have something that would be perfect on you. Wait here.” When she returned, she was carrying an armload of black.

Jo’s heart sank. “I’m
not
going as a widow,” she said defensively.

“No, no, this is a Catwoman costume,” the heavyset woman said. “From the Batman movie? It’s brand-new. A black unitard, black high-heeled boots and,” she held up a satiny black object, “a mask.”

Perfect! Jo flashed her a brilliant smile. “I’ll try it on. Thanks.”

The outfit was better than perfect. Jo didn’t have an ounce of fat on her anywhere, so she looked great in the long, lean, one-piece leotard. And the mask did exactly what she needed it to do. It slipped on over her hair like a helmet, leaving only her eyes, mouth and chin visible. Great!

When she emerged from the dressing room, Nan and Kelly, their costumes already plastic-bagged, were standing by the counter at the front of the store.

“Me-oww!” Jo whispered loudly.

The two girls turned. “Jo?” Kelly’s big brown eyes got bigger. “Is that you? You look fantastic!”

“
Where
did you get that?” Nan wanted to know, a touch of envy in her voice.

“Batman mailed it to me,” Jo replied, twirling in front of the full-length mirror. “Isn’t it great! Now, I actually feel like going to this party. All right!”

“All you need is a whip,” Kelly suggested. “I’ll bet that sporting-goods store across the street has one.”

As usual, Kelly knew exactly what finishing touch was needed.

“Oscar’s? Would they have a whip?”

Kelly shrugged. “Why not? They have everything over there. You should at least try it.”

The costume
would
be much better with a whip.

“I’m going to run over there,” Jo said. “Here’s some money for the rental fee. You pay for me, okay? I’ll be right back.” She ran back into the dressing room, changed, and hurried out of the store.

The fresh air, even though it was cold, felt wonderful. Jo waited at the corner to cross with the light. What a great costume! She wouldn’t have to give a second thought to the tape on her face. No one would be able to see it, and she’d still look good.
Really
good. Too bad Evan wasn’t going as Batman, but the store owner had shaken her head regretfully when Jo asked. No Batman costume.

Too bad. But then, life couldn’t be
too
perfect, could it?

The light turned yellow. She was just about to cross when she spotted a tall, dark-haired figure across the street, about to enter the sporting-goods store. Evan? That looked like his leather jacket. Great! She could find out what he was wearing to Cath’s party. Would he even wear a costume? Probably not.

There was no sign of Evan inside the store, or anyone else in a leather jacket. It was a big store, and Jo realized she might just be missing him. But he was tall…shouldn’t his head show over the tops of the counters?

Maybe it hadn’t been him after all. Leather jackets weren’t exactly rare at Salem.

She didn’t find a whip in the store. She was about to give up when she spotted, on a physical-fitness equipment rack, a shiny black jump rope with black handles. She could cut it to make it shorter. And it cost less than five dollars. Perfect!

She paid for the jump rope and, plastic bag in hand, returned to the costume shop.

Carl and Reed were there, trying to talk Evan into joining them in costume as the Marx Brothers.

So she
had
seen Evan, after all. He must have gone into one of the stores flanking the sporting goods shop. She couldn’t remember what kind of stores they were.

“C’mon, Evan, we need a third,” Carl argued as Evan remained staunch in his refusal to wear a costume. “We’ll even let you be Groucho. Jo,
talk
to him! Use your ample charms to change his mind.”

If he were talking to Nan or Kelly, he would have said
beauty
, not
charm
, Jo thought resentfully. And immediately felt ashamed. She was
not
going to let the creep who had covered her mirrors and mailed her that awful hat get to her. No way.

“If Evan chooses not to wear a costume,” she said loftily, “and be totally out of it at a party where everyone else is wearing one, who am I to persuade him otherwise?”

Evan laughed. “Well, if Jo’s wearing one, I suppose I could, too. We might as well both look silly.”

Jo liked the way that sounded. Evan had linked them together. Nice.

Costumes in hand, they left the shop, heading for Vinnie’s, a popular pizza hangout in town.

While the guys went to play a quick game of pool, Jo, Kelly, and Nan grabbed a booth. They were studying the menus when a voice said, “Well, hello there, Jo. I’m glad to see you’ve recovered nicely.”

Jo looked up to see the doctor from the infirmary smiling down at her. “Not having any trouble, are you?” the woman, carrying a large white pizza box, asked.

“No, Doctor Trent, I’m fine.” Except for some really strange things that have been happening, Jo wanted to add. “I’ll be in on Friday to have the dressings checked.”

“Good. See you then. Have fun.” Waving, the doctor moved away.

Reed arrived back at the booth as she was leaving. “I’m no match for the pool wizards,” he said, sliding in beside Kelly. He glanced toward the doorway. “Man,” he said, shaking his head, “I think I feel a case of the flu coming on. If I was sure I’d get Doctor Gorgeous there, I’d concentrate on giving myself a fever.”

“She
is
pretty,” Kelly said grudgingly. “In a sort of brisk, efficient way.”

“She’s beautiful,” Jo amended. “And she’s really very nice. Great bedside manner.”

Reed leered. “Bedside manner?”

Kelly jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.

Seeing the doctor reminded Jo again of her wounds. She found herself glancing around the pizza parlor just as she had in the costume shop. But other than a few mildly curious glances sent her way, no one seemed to be staring at her in a way designed to make the little hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention.

Maybe the hat had been the last of the nasty pranks. Even a weirdo had to realize that certain jokes got stale pretty quick.

The others were talking about the upcoming party, about classes, and about the weather forecast, which included a warming trend. The only sour note came when Carl mentioned the ongoing search for the missing student, Sharon Westover. “It turns out she didn’t go home, after all,” he announced, scooping a glob of mozzarella from the last piece of pizza and depositing it in his mouth. “I heard this morning. I guess her parents are going nuts, wondering where she is.”