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His frown of confusion deepened "Just…just now I sahen you left that shop--I followed you after that, and barely no one was in the cemetery, and…I just meant to scare you and disappear, that’s it, I swear it!"

"How long have you had the costume?"

He shook his head "I just slipped it out of the dra to do You can ask--they just finished their like once-a-year cleanup thing yesterday I wouldn’t have taken it before then I’da been caught"

She stared at hilad that he was afraid of her He ht be a couple of inches shorter, but she wondered how she’dto gain broad shoulders and a frame

"Are you on the football team?" she asked hi to impress the seniors, huh?" He squirmed

"Like David Yates and Joshua Abbott"

"Hey, that kid hurt David Yates He really hurt hi ent, huh?"

He lowered his head "Please don’t get me in trouble Please"

"You are in trouble Give me the costume Get out of it"

"Here? In the ceht It’s a cape and cowl, kid You’ve got to have so on beneath it"

"Boxers and a T-shirt"

"Then you’re going ho to do?" he asked, his voice alto have this costume inspected"

"For what?"

"For blood, Marty, for blood," she said

"But--"

"If it’s clean, I’ll see that it gets back where it’s supposed to be without anyone knowing And if I find out that you’ve told me the truth, then this whole event will be our little secret

"But, Marty, if this was ever used to hurt anyone, there won’t be anything I can do about telling the truth"

"I didn’t hurt anyone!" he protested, sliding out of the cape and handing it to her At least, he earing decent boxers On a beach, he ht have looked ready for a swim

"Jenna!"

She whirled around at the sound of her name Sam’s voice And there was a hint of panic in it, of relief--and of anger

Marty was going to use it as a chance to bolt With her free hand, she caught his wrist again

Sam leaped the little fence fro in

"What the hell…?"

He looked as if he wanted to pull her into his arms

And shake her

He eyed her hold on Marty, the costume in her hands

"Marty wanted to scare me," she said

Sam seemed to tower over the boy His shoulders were far broader, and he just had that look of Sarooht that Marty would cry anyfor his phone

"No," Jenna said softly "We’ve already been through this Marty and I have an agreeet this costu on it Marty has apologized to me He just borrowed the costume from the drama department today because he’s heard how , Sauilty, and they want us to stop doing e’re doing"

Sam stared at Marty "Why this costume?"

"Because," Marty said, his voice filled with exasperation and fear "It was there Every kid in town knows it It’s just a creepy costume andJenna was certain that he was repeating what he had heard the adults around him say over and over

She almost felt sorry for him And she was surprised when Sam spoke sternly but evenly

"Marty, think about it What if Malachi is just different? If he’s just a skinny kid who is super religious because that’s the way he was raised What if he didn’t do it?"

"But--but he did do it," Marty said

"How do you kno do you know that for a fact?"

"I’ve seen the TV Hey, I know they all thought that he killed old uy, too," Marty said "And then his crazy dad--hey, we don’t even bla his crazy dad, but he could kill us!"

"We know that he didn’t kill Mr Covington," Sam said flatly

Marty shook his head "No, no--David and Josh, they said that he killed Covington"