Read Online Rattled by Lisa Harrington - Free Book Online Page A

you’re a comic genius. Now get out.”
    She flicked her hair and left my room.
    Thank God .
    I smiled to myself as I flapped my arms through the air, trying to get rid of Jilly’s strawberry shampoo smell. So…the date was off. I should have known better than to let myself get so worked up about it. Deep down I knew there was no way Mrs. Swicker would have ever let it happen. She wouldn’t let them do anything that took them out of her sight.
    Look at all the hassle over the trip to the waterfront. Talk about brutal. And then there was the scene in the gift shop. Still hadn’t come up with an explanation for that one. There seemed to be no end to this woman’s weirdness.
    I went to my desk, checking to see where I had scribbled it on my notepad. There it was, Reenie Barretto . That was the name the woman had called her. I had written it down as soon as I’d gotten home that day. I don’t know why, I just did.

Chapter 11
    â€œP eter! Here, Peter, Peter, Peter!” I shook the little bell on the key chain just like Megan had told me to. The cat immediately appeared from between the bushes and did a figure eight in and around my ankles. He meowed loudly while I fumbled with the keys.
    As I swung open the door, Peter leapt inside ahead of me. I reached for the light switch. Even though it was still daytime, the house was kind of dark. It was cold inside. I hugged my arms around myself. I sniffed. The house smelled…disinfected.
    I thought I’d take my time today. Last night when I’d fed Peter, I was in a rush. Mom had offered to take me to a movie at the last minute so I was in and out pretty quickly. Peter was probably lonely and wanting some company. I felt nervous being alone in the house and I wasn’t sure why. It sort of felt like I’d just broken in or something. I knew I should just feed the cat and leave, but I couldn’t do it. The opportunity to do a little light snooping was way too good to pass up.
    Standing in the middle of the family room, I turned slowly, taking in the details, looking for something…but what? There was not one thing out of place, no sofa cushion un-fluffed, not one speck of dust on the furniture.
    I moved into the kitchen. It was spotless just like I knew it would be. The house looked as though no one lived in it. I shivered and rubbed my arms again.
    My destination was Mrs. Swicker’s room. I used to babysit for the Henleys, so I knew the layout of the house. I tiptoed down the hall to the master bedroom. I felt it was necessary to tiptoe for some reason. The room was pretty much how I remembered, which was disappointing. I think I was expecting to see a coffin or something instead of a bed, though I suppose she could have slept hanging upside down in the closet. There were no personal items anywhere, not even a photo. Come to think of it, there didn’t seem to be anything like that anywhere in the house. Maybe that’s why it felt so cold and…creepy. I had an overwhelming urge to go through her dresser drawers, but I stopped myself and backed out of the room without touching a thing.
    I peeked in Sam’s room. It was neat as a pin. I sat on his bed, looked around to soak things up a bit, see if I could actually learn anything about him. The books he’d bought at the gift shop were on his nightstand. The paperback covers were curled upwards, so he must have been reading them. I stood up, smoothed the bedspread, and went over to scope out his desk. There was a huge stack of sheet music. I flicked through the papers hoping maybe I’d find “Sam + Lydia” doodled in the margins. No such luck. The music and the books were the only things that really told me this room was Sam’s. I did a final check to make sure everything was the way I had found it.
    It was the same in Megan’s room, the neatness. I smiled at the giant lobster on her bed. For some reason I’d thought her room would be