We Know It Was You (32 page)

“He was in my room. I thought I was dreaming. It was last Saturday after Gottfried kissed me.”

“Wait, Gottfried kissed you? Winn was in your room?” His voice raised. Christ, who
hadn't
been in Virginia's room? It was like a freaking train station in there, with every creep in town coming and going as they pleased.

“Just on the cheek,” she whispered quickly. “Anyway, that night there was someone in my room. Only I thought I was dreaming. Then on Wednesday, after Gottfried and
I came home together, and I guess I was really drunk? There was a guy standing outside my window, which I had totally forgotten about until just now. And then last night someone threw a football at Gottfried's head. It was Winn! What a freak!”

“Well, in his defense he barely knows what he's doing. Zaire did a really crappy job on him, and he's totally confused.”

“And last night at the party, he clobbered Min-Jun. I mean, he nearly killed him with his fists. He was like a caveman! And he ripped my hair out, see?” She lifted a lock of curls to reveal a small patch of exposed, bloody scalp. “He was actually, like, ten times scarier than Min-Jun.”

Benny felt his jaw clench. She'd told him about the party on the phone, and alluded to some insane thing with the police, but she hadn't told him she'd been physically
hurt
.

“I told you to stay in your room,” Benny said, knowing he sounded like a dweeby babysitter.

“Well it's a good thing I didn't, or I would have missed everything.”

“You could have gotten in real trouble,” Benny said. Except if he were honest with himself, that wasn't what was really upsetting him. It was that he'd missed all the action because it happened at some party that no one had bothered to invite him to. Not even Virginia.

“I would have called you,” Virginia said quickly, seeming to read his mind. “I thought it was just going to be
a dumb party. I wasn't, like, trying to Be There without you.”

“I believe you. . . .”

“God, Zaire is out of control,” Virginia said. “She's crazy about Gottfried.
Crazy
about him. She'd, like, hypnotize the world to turn backward on its axis if it meant he would like her again.”

Neither of them said anything for a moment. They sat side by side with Benny's bag from Home Depot between them. Benny reached inside and held up the power drill. “Is it too early to use this? Will I wake everyone up?”

“Everyone's up already packing for break. . . . You going anywhere?”

“Nah. It's Yom Kippur, so . . . I'll just be reflecting on my sins.”

“That doesn't seem fair. You're like the one guy in school who actually deserves a vacation.”

Benny looked down, feeling a small jab of shame. Maybe Virginia wouldn't think that if she knew he'd snooped in her file behind her back. He wasn't going to say anything, though.

“It's kind of sad. . . . Actually, it's really sad,” Virginia said tiredly, not making a move to get up.

“What is?”

“Zaire . . . Why can't she get over him? Why does she love him so much? He's not that great. But it's like he's the only guy in the world to her. It's like every other person is
just a windup toy, and he's the only one who's real.”

Benny looked at her, uncertain how to respond. She seemed more interested in the fact that Zaire was still in love with Gottfried than the fact that she'd tried to murder someone. But he didn't want to be insensitive, so he waited a beat before saying, “What I can't understand is what the mascot has to do with anything.”

“Hm?” Virginia was resting her chin on her hand, apparently deep in thought.

“The mascot. I mean, that's where everything started. Did she know Choi was inside it? How would killing Choi help her get Gottfried back?”

“Oh. I don't know. . . .”

Another minute passed, the colors around them growing brighter as the sun rose. Everything was still. Then, at the edge of the woods, a flash of yellow and blue and brown caught Benny's eye.

“Wait,” he said suddenly. “Where did you say you put the mascot?”

“In my room. I could barely sleep with it staring at me. I threw a blanket over its head, but it didn't really help.”

Benny pointed to the trees.

“What the hell?” Virginia said. “Jesus Christ. You know what? I think that mascot is possessed.”

“Quiet,” Benny said. He dropped the Home Depot bag and the power drill on the porch. He started walking. Virginia followed.

The temperature had dropped even more since yesterday. It was like the weather had realized it was fall break already, and that it better get with the program. It even smelled like fall all of a sudden. The wind was sweeping thick clouds across the sun, making everything look sunny one second, and somber the next.

The mascot was shuffling through the trees, kicking up patches of leaves. It seemed to be leading by its heavy, plastic head. Occasionally it looked like it might fall over. Benny and Virginia followed at a distance.

“Who's inside it?” Virginia whispered. “Is it Trevor?” But she already knew it wasn't. Trevor's moves were campy and over the top—he was trying to scare people. Whoever was in there now was just bumbling along, almost toppling over with each step.

The mascot lurched to the left, and Benny grabbed Virginia and ducked behind a tree. But the mascot didn't see them, or at least didn't care. Benny kept walking. He held her wrist and kept her half a step behind him. An enormous gust of wind blew in their faces, as if trying to push them back.

It was obvious where the mascot was going.

The bridge.

They followed slowly as the huge furry beast stumbled between the trees. Its yellow shirt popped brightly in the light one moment, then turned dull as the sun disappeared behind a cloud. The wind blew so hard it actually whistled.

Virginia whispered, “It sounds like Zaire with her Coke bottle.”

The sound of the rushing river grew louder as they approached the bridge. The mascot stopped at the edge. Benny and Virginia crept closer. They were about ten feet away. Then, slowly, the mascot turned. Its bulging eyes stared at them. Its white plastic teeth were frozen in a smile.

Virginia's arm was going numb, Benny was holding it so tight. But she didn't want him to let go. The mascot looked at them. They looked back. Virginia wanted to look at Benny, but couldn't tear herself away from the mascot's huge, unblinking eyes.

Then she heard a voice calling.

“Jump.”

The mascot turned again. As soon as it moved, Virginia could see Zaire across the bridge. Even from a distance, she could tell it wasn't the same Zaire who had been drowning herself in martinis last night. This Zaire was perfect—perfect hair, perfect poise, her face stony and clear. Then her expression changed when she noticed Benny and Virginia.

“Hey! Get out of here!” she shouted over the sound of the river gushing below.

Benny let go of Virginia's arm. She looked down; her skin was bright white from his grip. Before she knew it, Benny was walking toward the mascot and lifting the enormous head from its shoulders.

“Don't!” Zaire shouted. “Benny, don't. I'll stop. I'll stop! Just don't take the head off. Please. Please!”

Benny looked at Virginia. Virginia shrugged. Benny dropped his hands and backed away.

Zaire started stomping across the bridge. Her four-inch-high heels hammered on the old wood. “Lie down,” she ordered the mascot. “Relax and lie down.” The mascot immediately plopped down on the ground and stretched itself out.

“Nod if you feel relaxed,” Zaire said, looking at Benny.

“Um . . . ,” Benny said.

“Not you,
him
.” Zaire nodded to the mascot. Its enormous grinning head lolled to the side, apparently nodding.

Benny looked down at it. “I know who's in there. You can't hide him.”

The wind whistled and blew Zaire's shiny black hair across her face. She brushed it away.

“I know you know,” she said. “I'm not trying to hide him. I just don't want to see him.” Her voice wavered slightly, barely noticeably.

She loves him,
Virginia thought. She wondered what that must feel like, loving someone so much that you want to kill them and can't stand to see their face. Was it even love anymore at that point?

The three of them stood there on the steep bank, the river rushing past, the breeze swishing the leaves, the mascot lying at their feet. Their eyes flickered between one
another: Benny to Virginia, Virginia to Zaire, Zaire to Benny. It was like they were all trying to decide which of them was in charge.
Obviously not me,
Virginia thought. She looked at Zaire's face. Up close, she could tell she hadn't slept. Even with her mask of makeup on, she looked ragged and hungover.

“Aha!” Benny exclaimed suddenly. The girls both looked at him.

Zaire snorted. “Did you actually just say ‘aha'?”

“I just figured it out! Gottfried is
German
.” He smiled widely, like this was incredible news.

“Uh-huh,” Zaire said, and gave Virginia a look, like,
Since when is Benny stupid?
Virginia was thinking the same thing, but it felt disloyal to gang up on Benny, especially with Zaire.

“He has a
German
mind,” Benny went on excitedly. “In Germany they use the twenty-four-hour clock. Even if he's adapted to our twelve-hour system, deep in his subconscious mind, he's still hardwired to German time.”

“Oh my God,” Zaire said, slapping her forehead.

“Wait, what?” Virginia asked. “I don't get it.”

Benny ignored her. “You hypnotized Gottfried to jump off the bridge at nine o'clock p.m. But to Gottfried, nine o'clock p.m. is
twenty-one hundred
.”

Zaire's mouth fell open. “Oh my God, you are so right.”

“You must have hypnotized Gottfried earlier, right? Maybe Friday morning?”

Zaire nodded.

“Because it worked. We saw Gottfried the next day on the football field around nine o'clock.
A.M
.”

“Shit, really?” Zaire said. “Bloody hell . . .”

“You never meant to kill Choi at all. He had nothing to do with this. He was just in the mascot suit at the wrong time, spying on the girls. You never wanted to kill Brittany either. It was Gottfried the whole time. He's the only person you wanted dead.”

He's the only person she loves,
Virginia thought, and it gave her chills. She couldn't wrap her mind around love like that. She looked at Zaire's face. It seemed like she was about to cry. Her eyes were glassy, and her lip was trembling. But then she took a deep breath through her nose and wiped her eyes aggressively.

“I don't care what you think you know or don't know,” she said.

Benny raised a finger. “Here's what I'm wondering though. How did Choi end up hypnotized at all? You must have hypnotized Gottfried long before the game. Why did you go back to the locker room? Why did you mess with him again? Or the person you thought was him?”

Zaire didn't answer.

“She just wanted to see him one more time,” Virginia said. “To say good-bye.”

Benny waited for Zaire to confirm. She didn't. “Okay . . .” he said. “I'm also wondering, did Choi lock Brittany in the pom-pom closet, or did you?”

“You think I'll just tell you?” Zaire snapped. “Because I'm overwhelmed by your detective genius?”

“I think it was you. I think you hypnotized her so she'd forget that she'd seen you, which is why she didn't scream or bang on the door for the other cheerleaders to get her out. It's also why she was so spacey on Monday when Corny finally rescued her. The hypnosis hadn't worn off. She was wandering in a half daze all over school, people thinking she was a grief-stricken Angie. . . .”

Zaire didn't confirm or deny. She stared glumly at the mascot, watching its soft stomach rise and fall as it breathed.

“Or maybe you locked her in the closet, then Choi locked her in the closet again?”

“I put her in a shower stall,” Zaire declared, suddenly exasperated by Benny's guesses. “Choi must have found her and moved her to the closet.”

“The shower!” Benny exclaimed. “I knew the shower was significant!”

“Well there you go.”

Benny was making his thinking face. “You must have thought you'd accidentally killed Brittany at some point. Didn't that bother you?”

Zaire shrugged. She didn't look particularly bothered. She just looked numb.

“You don't care that your plan was so sloppy you could have killed an innocent girl?” Again, Zaire said nothing.
Benny exhaled. “Well what do you propose that I do with you? Obviously I can't let you kill Gottfried. Or do anything else to him. You need to leave him alone.”

Zaire rubbed her temples. “I can't leave him alone if he won't
leave
. Every semester I pray to God that he won't come back, that I won't have to see his face again. . . .”

“Aha!” Virginia exclaimed. It didn't sound as natural as when Benny did it. Benny and Zaire looked at her like they'd forgotten she was there.

“I mean . . . that's why you wanted him in the mascot suit. You couldn't do it if you had to look at him. That makes sense to me. It would be hard to murder someone you love. So you disguised him as something you hate. Which is this school.”

On the ground, the mascot lay motionless. A leaf had fallen between its plastic teeth.

“Huh, wow. Is that correct?” Benny asked Zaire.

“Yes.”

“Nicely deduced, Virginia!”

The level of surprise in his voice annoyed her.

“This is so stupid,” Zaire sighed. “I'm so tired.”

“Do you think you deserve to be punished for what you've done?” Benny asked her. “I'm genuinely curious what you think of yourself right now.”