It’s only a week before the end of October when Cassie is sitting at the front desk in Bookland and receives an email from Lydia:
We’re having a party at our apartment next weekend. Costumes are mandatory.
Cassie frowns at the email. She’s gotten many party invitations over the years, but this doesn’t feel like a party invitation. It feels more like when her parents threw a party when she was a kid and she was expected to be there. Like costumes, the party seems to be mandatory.
“What’s wrong?” Zoe asks her, looking up from her latest novel. This one has a picture of a shirtless man on it. Why do so many covers have shirtless men on them? Sometimes Cassie wants to scream at Zoe’s book: Put some clothes on, for God’s sake!
“I got invited to a Halloween party,” Cassie says. “Wow, how horrible. Sucks to be you.”
Cassie rolls her eyes. “It’s being thrown by that obnoxious wife of Joel’s friend—the one I told you about. And I think I’m required to go.”
She holds up her phone so Zoe can read the email. Zoe throws her head back and laughs so hard, Cassie can see a silver filling in the back of her mouth. Zoe always says she wants to get a gold or silver tooth someday.
“She sounds lovely,” Zoe says. “What does Joel say about the party?”
Cassie winces. “They’re his closest friends. I’m assuming he wants to go…”
Zoe folds a page in her book and puts it down on the counter. “Well, it’s not so bad. At least you get to dress up. That’s fun.”
“I can’t afford a costume right now.”
“Don’t be silly. Just go as a sexy cat. I’ve got a leotard you can borrow.”
“I can’t go as a sexy cat!” “Why not?”
Cassie doesn’t have the energy to explain that when you go to a party with people ten years older than you, it doesn’t look good to put on your sexiest, sluttiest outfit. “I just can’t.”
“So what do you want to dress as?”
Cassie chews on her lip as she mentally reviews some of the costumes she’s worn over years. A sexy pumpkin. A sexy policewoman. Sexy Wonder Woman. She’s been a sexy cat twice.
None of these costumes would be appropriate for Lydia’s party. She needs to dress much classier than that. But what?
After agonizing about it for several minutes, she finally types a reply:
Any costume suggestions for me?
Cassie waits for a couple of minutes before Lydia’s reply pops up on the screen:
What about Cleopatra?
“Lydia says I should go as Cleopatra,” Cassie announces.
Zoe purses her lips as she considers it. “Yes, I like it. And you won’t have to spend much money. I’ve got a white dress that would be perfect. And this great gold belt. Ooh, and I can do your makeup!”
“All right.” Cassie is warming to the idea. “I guess I’ll go as Cleopatra.”
The door jingles as a customer enters the store. Cassie smiles, putting on her game face. But then her game face falls when she sees a policeman wander into the store. For a moment, it feels like a fist is gripping her throat.
Maybe he’s here to follow-up on the vandalism.
The officer is in his thirties, with tight black curls clinging to his skull. He walks right up to the counter and Cassie instinctively takes a step back. She glances at Zoe, who is still holding her book but has lifted her eyes. But unlike Cassie, there’s no fear on Zoe’s face. There’s nothing for her to be afraid of.
Cassandra Donovan? You’re under arrest. “Hello there, ladies,” the officer says. “Hello,” Cassie croaks.
“I was just wondering,” he says. “You got any of those Junie B. Jones books? My daughter loves them.”
Her shoulders sag in relief. He’s not here to take her away. He just wants to buy some reading material for his kid. But she can’t shake the feeling that one of these days, the policeman will be coming here with a warrant for her arrest.
