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"You-?" Frances stared She looked at Meredith, then at Bonnie "You guys are joking, right?"

"Not at all" Meredith speared a green bean and eyed it thoughtfully "We have other things on our minds today"

"Exactly," said Bonnie after a sudden start "Stefan’s old news, you know Passe" She bent down and rubbed her ankle

Frances looked at Elena appealingly "But I thought you wanted to know all about him"

"Curiosity," Elena said "After all, he is a visitor, and I wanted to welcome him to Fell’s Church But of course I have to be loyal to Jean-Claude"

"Jean-Claude?"

"Jean-Claude," said Meredith, raising her eyebrows and sighing

"Jean-Claude," echoed Bonnie gaer, Elena drew a photo out of her backpack "Here he is standing in front of the cottage where we stayed Right afterward he picked me a flower and said"Well,"-she smiled mysteriously-"I shouldn’t repeat it"

Frances was gazing at the photo It showed a bronzed youngin front of a hibiscus bush and s shyly "He’s older, isn’t he?" she said with respect

"Twenty-one Of course,"-Elena glanced over Tier shoulder-" it froraduate We have to write to each other secretly"

"How romantic," Frances breathed "I’ll never tell a soul, I proave her a superior s to eat Continental, I prefer French to Italian every tiht?"

"Mly at each other, then turned to Frances "Don’t you agree?"

"Oh, yes," said Frances hastily "Me, too Every tily herself and nodded several tione, Bonnie said piteously, "This is going to kill ossip"

"Oh, that? I can tell you," Elena replied cal around that Stefan Salvatore is a narc"

"A what !" Bonnie stared, and then burst into laughter "But that’s ridiculous What narc in the world would dress like that and wear dark glasses? Ihe can to draw attention to himself" Her voice trailed off, and her brown eyes widened "But then, that may bewhy he does it Who would ever suspect anybody so obvious? And he does live alone, and he’s awfully secretive Elena! What if it’s true?"

"It isn’t," said Meredith

"How do you know?"

"Because I’rinned and added: "Elena told ly at Elena "You’re wicked Can I tell people he’s got a terminal disease?"

"No, you cannot I don’t want any Florence Nightingale types lining up to hold his hand But you can tell people whatever you want about Jean-Claude"

Bonnie picked up the photograph "Who was he really?"

"The gardener He was crazy about those hibiscus bushes He was also married, with two kids"

"Pity," said Bonnie seriously "And you told Frances not to tell anyone about hiht" Elena checked her watch "Which ht to be all over the school"

After school, the girls went to Bonnie’s house They were greeted at the front door by a shrill yapping, and when Bonnie opened the door, a very old, very fat Pekingese tried to escape His natze, and he was so spoiled that no one except Bonnie’s mother could stand hi room was dim and crowded, with lots of rather fussy furniture and heavy curtains at the s Bonnie’s sister Mary was there, unpinning a cap from her wavy red hair She was just two years older than Bonnie, and she worked at the Fell’s Church clinic

"Oh, Bonnie," she said, "I’lad you’re back Hello, Elena, Meredith"

Elena and Meredith said "hello" "What’s the matter? You look tired," said Bonnie

Mary dropped her cap on the coffee table Instead of answering, she asked a question in return "Last night when you cairls had been?"

"Down in the-Just down by Wickery Bridge"

"That’s what I thought" Mary took a deep breath "Now, you listen to ain, and especially not alone and at night Do you understand?"

"But why not?" Bonnie asked, bewildered

"Because last night somebody was attacked out there, that’s why not And do you knohere they found hie "

Elena and Meredith stared at her in disbelief, and Bonnie clutched at Elena’s are? But as it? What happened?"

"I don’t know Thisthere He was souess, and he’d probably been sleeping under the bridge when he was attacked But he was half dead when they brought hiained consciousness yet He may die"

Elena sed "What do you mean, attacked?" "I mean," said Mary distinctly, "that his throat was nearly ripped out He lost an incredible aht have been an animal at first, but now Dr Lowen says it was a person And the police think whoever did itin the cemetery" Mary looked at each of theht line "So if youwere there by the bridge-or in the cemetery, Elena Gilbert-then this person may have been there with youGet it ?"

"You don’t have to scare us anyet the point, Mary"

"All right Good" Mary’s shoulders slumped, and she rubbed at the back of her neck wearily "I’ve got to lie down for a while I didn’trooirls looked at one another

"It could have been one of us," said Meredith quietly "Especially you, Elena; you went there alone"

Elena’s skin was prickling, that saraveyard She could feel the chill of the wind and see the rows of tall tombstones all around her Sunshine and Robert E Lee had never seemed so far away

"Bonnie," she said slowly, "did you see somebody out there? Is that what youfor me?"

In the di about? I didn’t say that"

"Yes, you did"

"No, I didn’t I never said that"

"Bonnie," said Meredith, "we both heard you You stared out at the old gravestones, and then you told Elena-"

"I don’t knohat you’re talking about, and I didn’t sayanything " Bonnie’s face was pinched with anger, but there were tears in her eyes "I don’t want to talk about it anymore"

Elena and Meredith looked at one another helplessly Outside, the sun went behind a cloud