Halloween Party (Fear Street Book 8)

“Niki,” Terry said, “we’ve got to get back upstairs quick! David went to get help. So if Justine’s planning anything else, she’ll do it soon, before the police get here!”

Without another word, Terry and Niki raced up the basement stairs and back into the living room. Everyone was sitting as Terry had left them, huddled close to the fireplace, looking scared and miserable.

Everyone but Justine. She was sitting on the edge of one of the chairs, a strange look of excitement on her face. When she saw Terry and Niki she smiled her most open, friendly smile.

“Oh, good!” she said as if nothing had happened. “You found Niki. Now we can get on with the rest of the party.”

“Get on with the party!” Terry said, flabbergasted. “How can you even think of such a thing! Justine, we know the truth! We know you murdered Les!”

For the next few seconds no one could hear anything, because everyone was talking at once.

“Have you guys been drinking?” Murphy demanded.

“I know what this is,” said Alex. “It’s the last try of the wimps to scare the rest of us away. But it won’t work, Terry. Forget it.”

“Listen to me!” Niki shouted. “I have a newspaper clipping! It proves—”

But before she could reach for the clipping, Justine suddenly started laughing and clapping her hands. Everyone turned and stared at her.

“Perfect!” she said. “Niki, Terry, you both are perfect! You’re even better than when we rehearsed it. If I weren’t in on it, I’d even believe you thought I was a murderer.”

“You mean,” gasped Trisha, “that this really is just another—”

“It’s another surprise,” said Justine. “The next to last one of the evening. And I’m sorry if it frightened some of you, but what’s Halloween without a good scare?”

“She’s lying!” Niki shouted. “Don’t listen to her!”

“This isn’t a trick!” Terry added. “Trisha, Alex, all of you, listen to us! Think about what’s happened!”

“What about Les?” Trisha suddenly asked suspiciously.

“What about him?” said Justine. “He was in on it too.”

“Come off it, Justine,” Terry said. “Les is dead. I saw his body. And you killed him.”

Justine laughed again, as if this were the best joke she had ever heard. “You can stop now, Terry,” she said. “I think everyone has gotten the point.”

“You’re denying you killed him?” said Terry.

“If I killed Les,” Justine said, wiping tears of laughter from her face, “how come he and I were just having a good laugh upstairs?”

“But—” said Terry.

“Justine,” said Niki at the same time, “I saw your—”

Justine cut them both off. “Come on, guys, lighten up! Forget about Les, and let’s move on—to the last surprise of the night.”