Read Online What Holly Heard by R.L. Stine, Bill Schmidt - Free Book Online

into her hands.
    Jed jumped to his feet and paced back and forth. “Where are the cops?” he growled. “Why is it taking so long?”
    Miriam glanced up at her boyfriend. His eyes were cold. He seemed to have forgotten she was there.
    Jed threw himself at Holly’s Camaro.
    Miriam stared in astonishment as Jed smashed his fists against the hood of the car. He kicked the tires, the door. But not a sound escaped his lips.
    Oh, no, Miriam thought. He’s really lost it this time.
    She choked back a sob. “Jed?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWill you stop that? Please?” Miriam gazed at him with desperate eyes. “Will you hold me?”
    He stared at her for a moment. Then he took a deep breath, nodded, and returned to his seat. He slipped his arms around Miriam, and she buried her face in his shoulder. “I’m so glad you were here,” she whispered.
    Surprised by her own words, Miriam glanced up at Jed’s face. He had been there all along. In a dark, deserted school by himself.
    Miriam sat up straight. She felt a chill of fear.
    Jed. All alone in the gym. So late.
    â€œWhy were you here?” she asked in a trembling voice.
    She suddenly didn’t want to know the answer. But she had to ask.
    â€œJed—why were you here?”

chapter 14

    â€œI was working out,” he mumbled absently. “I was putting in a late set in the weight room. Gary left about ten minutes ago.” Jed stiffened. “Oh, man.
Gary.
When he hears about Holly …”
    â€œOh, Jed,” Miriam moaned. “He’ll be devastated.”
    Jed nodded.
    Miriam could feel her breathing grow slower. Her thinking cleared. “You guys were here,” she said. “Did you hear anything?”
    Jed shook his head. “Not a thing. We had Gary’s tape player really loud.”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    Jed’s face darkened. “I’m sure, Miriam. We didn’t hear a thing.”
    Miriam spotted it immediately—Jed’s violent personalitysurfacing to meet her challenge. Then it sank back into its dark hole.
    She shivered.
    â€œWho would do something like this?” Jed wondered aloud.
    Miriam’s eyes narrowed. Who
would
do this? Who would commit such a horrible crime?
    Someone bad, Miriam thought. Someone evil.
    Someone capable of killing her own mother.
    Mei.
    â€œAre you all right, Miriam?” Ruth asked. “Can I get you anything?”
    Miriam shook her head. It felt so heavy she thought it might fall off. “I wish everyone would stop asking me if I’m all right, as if I just got over the flu or something.”
    â€œSorry,” Ruth replied.
    They were in Miriam’s house on Fear Street. It was late the following afternoon. Ruth had stopped by to deliver Miriam’s homework assignments.
    Miriam was glad her mother had let her stay home. She would have been totally useless at school.
    But even being at home was torture.
    The day had passed slowly. Miriam spent the whole time huddled under her quilt, dozing fitfully. The only time she could forget about Holly was when she was asleep.
    Even then she had dreams of those rolled-back eyes and Holly’s purple neck.
    Too much to bear.
    â€œGary is really torn up,” Ruth said. “I guess he cared about Holly even more than I thought.”
    Miriam wondered why her friend sounded so numb.
    Maybe because she is numb,
Miriam thought.
I know I am.
    â€œHe wasn’t in school today, either,” Ruth continued. “I dropped by his house this morning before I left for school. But his father wouldn’t let me in.”
    Miriam kept silent, listening to Ruth’s quiet voice, half of her eager to hear what was going on in the twisted world of Shadyside High.
Old gossip habits die hard,
she thought with some guilt.
    â€œAnd Mei wasn’t there,” Ruth continued. “I checked.”
    Miriam didn’t reply. She knew what Ruth was thinking.
    â€œNoah