Who Framed Kara?
By Lisa Hall Deckert
Copyright 2011 Lisa Hall Deckert
Smashwords Edition
Cover image by FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Who Framed Kara?
“I can’t believe it! Don broke up with me this morning!” Kara wailed.
Denali and Kirsty looked up at their friend. As usual, Kara resembled a well groomed cocker spaniel, with her shiny golden brown hair waving almost to her shoulders and her bouncy step. Today, though, her usually gentle brown eyes were flashing angrily.
Denali’s first thought was that this was hardly a calamity, since Kara had a habit of breaking up with Don, briefly, about once a month. Then she realized the difference. “Don broke up with you? Oh Kara,” she said, “I’m sorry. What happened?”
“I don’t know. He just came up to me and said he was breaking up and when I asked why he mumbled something about Saturday and stomped off. He knows I had to babysit my nephew on Saturday, and that’s why I couldn’t go out with him. I don’t get mad when he has to do stuff with his family or the team or anything. I don’t know why he’s so upset all of the sudden.”
“I’m sure he’ll change his mind,” Kirsty said soothingly.
“Yeah, just let him cool down a little,” Denali advised. “Here, I got a slice of pizza for you. Sit down and eat it before it gets cold.”
“I especially don’t need this right now with the election and everything,” Kara continued to fume, but she did sit down. She was running for freshman class treasurer. “What is up with him?”
“Well as your campaign manager, I’d advise you concentrate on the election for the moment and talk to Don later,” Denali said. She glanced at Kirsty. “You’re both still coming after school to make more posters, right?”
“I’ll be there,” Kirsty said.
Kara nodded, chewing her pizza.
“Good,” Denali said. “Now for the next item of business. Should we wear costumes to school for Halloween on Thursday?”
“Do people wear costumes in high school?” Kirsty asked. “We don’t want to be freaks.”
“Oh yeah, a lot of them do. At least my brother used to mention all the different costumes he’d see at school,” Denali assured her. “I think it is important for Kara to dress up to show her school spirit and get people’s attention before the election. Don’t you, Kara?”
“Don and I are supposed to dress up in matching costumes for the Halloween party on Friday. Now . . . I’m sorry, Denali, what did you say?” Kara asked.
Denali sighed, “Never mind. Find Don after school and find out what is going on. You’ll be useless at making posters until you’ve talked to him.”
“So, do you think Kara and Don will get back together?” Kirsty asked Denali as they gathered the poster-making supplies.
“Definitely,” Denali answered. “They’re crazy about each other. Kara’s always breaking up with Don whenever she’s pouting over something but as soon as he apologizes they’re back together. He probably just wants to let her know how it feels.” Denali slammed her locker shut. “Oh I forgot to get the poster paint out. Can you grab it? My hands are full.”
“What’s your combination?” Kirsty asked.
“You don’t need it. My locker never latches right and so the lock never catches. Just rattle the handle and it will open. Half the lockers in the school are like that. This whole locker system is a joke; we might as well just have cubbies like in kindergarten,” Denali said.
Carrying poster board, brushes, and paint, the girls continued down the hall to the central area where they had room to spread out. They began making “Kara for Treasurer” signs.
“So what costume are you planning to wear on Halloween?” Kirsty asked.
“I’ve got a really good one. Last summer when I was visiting my grandparents, my grandmother gave me this dress that belonged to her mother. It’s like a flapper dress from the 20s with all these long rows of fringe and it has this little hat thing that goes with it. I just need to figure out what to do with my hair.”
“That sounds cool. I’m thinking of going as a prospector, you know, with overalls and a beard and a pick.”
“That sounds funny. And I have a little stuffed sled dog that you can carry around if you want,” Denali said. “Oh look who’s here.”
Kara and Don were walking hand in hand toward Denali and Kara. They were so busy looking at each other that Kara would have tripped over Kirsty’s paint pot if Denali hadn’t snatched it out of the way.
“Well, I have to get to the gym or Coach will be mad,” Don told Kara. “Bye Kara. See you later. Bye Kirsty, Denali,” he added as he drifted off.
“So it looks like you two worked everything out,” Kirsty said.
“Oh yeah. We’re fine,” Kara responded. “But I am so mad. Madison Wright told him that I was at the movies with some other guy on Saturday. Why would she do that?”
“Maybe she’s after Don?” Kirsty suggested.
“Or maybe she’s just mad that I decided to run for treasurer too,” Kara said. “She probably could have beaten Angela without any trouble if I hadn’t decided to run too. I mean, nothing against Angela, but hardly anybody even knows who she is. Now that I’m running, Madison has a chance of losing, and she hates to lose. Madison always wins, ever since elementary school. I think it’s time she got some competition.”
Kara grabbed a blank poster and a pot of paint. After a few minutes she held up the sign for the others to read.
Do You Want a Lier for Treasurer?
Don’t vote for Madison Wright!
“Kara, you can’t put up a sign calling Madison a liar!” Denali gasped.
“Why not? She is,” Kara said smugly.
“It’s still slander – or libel, whichever. It would backfire against you. And the school would never allow it – you’d get into trouble. And…”
“And you misspelled Liar”, Kirsty pointed out. “It’s with an A.”
The three girls stared at the sign for a moment. Then a small laugh escaped through Kara’s nose. Soon all three were giggling. Kara picked up the poster and ripped it into pieces.
“All right. I suppose it’s important for my image to be able to spell. But I’m going to get back at Madison one way or another,” Kara vowed.
When Kirsty and Denali gathered at their lockers and took off their coats on Halloween morning, they both burst out laughing. Kirsty was wearing sloppy overalls over a cotton thermal top. Her hair was tucked up under a fur-lined trapper’s hat, and she had a long, grizzled beard. She carried a foam pick axe.
Denali’s dress was knee-length with long rows of pink fringe over seamed stockings and high heels. Her hair was covered with a black bobbed wig, and a small hat with a curly plume perched on the side of her head.
Don and Kara arrived. “You guys look great,” Kara gushed.
“Yeah, great costumes,” Don said.
“Well look at you two. You look amazing! I don’t know if I’d have recognized you,” Denali said, “Especially you, Kara.”
Don was dressed in a white toga with a wide leather belt and high laced sandals. His blond hair was moussed into tousled curls. Kara was wearing a long white gown with a gold yoke, but the thick black eyeliner and heavy black wig gave her a decidedly Egyptian look.
“Antony and Cleopatra, right?” Kirsty asked.
“That’s right,” Kara smiled. “Have you seen Madison? She’s dressed in a stupid witch costume. And Angela’s some sort of Lord of the Rings elf or something geeky. I don’t know if costumes make any difference to voters, but I think I’ve got them beat.” The bell rang.
“See you at lunch, everybody,” Denali said.
“I’ve got a thing at lunch,” Don said, “and practice after school. But I’ll see you around.” They all grabbed their books and went their separate ways.
“Nice costume,” Angela commented when Denali walked into her first period class.
“Thanks, Angela. Yours is nice too,” Denali said politely. Angela did look good in her flowing white robe and long blond curls arranged around pointed ears.
By the end of the period the itchy wig was driving Denali crazy. As class ended she snatched it off. “I don’t know how people stand these things,” Denali said to Angela. She dropped it off at her locker between first and second periods. She tucked her own brown hair into a bun and pinned the little hat onto her head. Not quite as authentic, but much more comfortable.
At lunch, Kara/Cleopatra bounced over to the table where Denali and Kirsty were already sitting. “I’ve taken care of Madison,” she said, her eyes twinkling.
“You really did it?” Kirsty asked.
“What did you do?” Denali asked suspiciously.
“I just left her a little present in her locker,” Kara said. “Nothing terrible – don’t look at me like that, Denali. Just wait and see what she does when we’re all together in history this afternoon.”
History class was even more eventful than Kara had predicted. First Madison walked in with the front of her black dress dripping.
“What happened?” someone asked.
“Somebody put a water balloon in my locker. When I opened the door it fell out and exploded,” Madison said. Kara snickered. Madison glared.
An office aid came to the door. “I need Madison Wright at the principal’s office,” he told the teacher, Mr. Gallup. The class whispered quietly as Madison left. “What was going on? Was Madison in trouble?”
“Settle down class,” Mr. Gallup said. “Open your books to page 124.”
About fifteen minutes later, the office aid was back. “I need Kara Rivera.”
Kara and Denali exchanged looks. Kara shrugged and left with the aid.
Denali didn’t find out what happened until after school. She was digging through her locker, looking for the black wig when Kara appeared.
“They’re accusing me of stealing a teacher’s purse. They found it in Madison’s locker and they say I put it there. I can’t believe this,” Kara steamed.
“Why do they think you put it there?” Denali asked.
“Somebody saw me at Madison’s locker. And I was there, of course, but just to plant the water balloon. I wouldn’t steal anything. Madison’s the one whose locker it is. She probably stole the purse herself and is just trying to blame me.”
“Where is that stupid wig? Oh well,” Denali muttered as she slammed her locker and turned to face Kara. “You know, Kara, Madison’s not a great friend of mine, but I’ve known her a long time and I’ve never heard any rumors about her stealing anything.”
“Maybe she’s trying to frame me,” Kara said, stubbornly.
“Come on, Kara. How would she know you would be spotted getting into her locker?” Denali pointed out, as Kirsty hurried up.
“So you heard that Mia Carson ratted on you?” Kirsty asked.
“What did she say?” Kara demanded.
“I heard that she told the principal that she had seen somebody in a white dress and a black wig put a red purse into Madison’s locker.
“Why would she say that?” Kara demanded. “She’s not even friends with Madison. Why would she lie about seeing me at Madison’s locker?”
“Well you were at Madison’s locker,” Kirsty pointed out.
“Yeah, but I didn’t have any red purse. I was propping in a blue water balloon so that it would lean against the door. There is no way that somebody could see a blue water balloon and mistake it for a red purse. Why would she say that?”
“Now just a minute, Kara,” Denali said. “She didn’t say she saw you. She said she saw someone with a white dress and a black wig. Wait - I think I know who did it!”
“Who?” Kara and Kirsty shouted in unison.
“Who would want to get both you and Madison in trouble?” Denali asked.
“Who?” Kara repeated.
“Who knew I left a wig in my locker?”
“Who?” Kirsty demanded.
“Who else is wearing a white dress?”
Kara reached up and grabbed both of Denali’s shoulders. “If you don’t tell me right now I may kill you where you stand.”
“Angela,” Denali said.
“Angela?” Kara’s eyes widened and her hands dropped from Denali’s shoulders.
“Yes Angela. Let’s find her. She’s probably around here somewhere.”
They found Angela in the hall near the main entrance. “Angela, we want to talk to you.” Kara’s voice was menacing.
“Kara, I know why you’re here. I don’t know how you found out, but I’m glad you did. I am so sorry. I don’t know what come over me. I was just kind of mad at you because of what you said about my costume this morning, and when I saw Denali put her wig in her locker and I realized that it looked almost like your wig, and then when I heard you tell Kirsty that you were going to leave something in Madison’s locker . . . well . . . I just did it,” Angela said.
“You heard what I said about your costume? But I didn’t see you there,” Kara said.
“I know. Nobody ever does,” Angela said. “Don’t worry; I’ll go talk to the principal. And I’ll withdraw from the treasurer’s race.”
Kara sighed. “Now I feel bad. I shouldn’t have said that about your costume even if I didn’t know you were there. It’s a very nice costume – better than mine. I was just being mean. I’ll go with you to see the principal. Maybe I can help explain.”
After the votes were totaled, Kara made a decent showing, but Madison was the winner of the treasurer’s race. “Madison always wins everything.” Denali shook her head. “I’m sorry Kara.”
“Yeah, about that,” Kara said, “Why, exactly did I want to spend my lunch period meeting with committees and adding up numbers?”
“I thought you wanted to win,” Denali said.
“I thought I did,” Kara said, “but I guess I wanted to beat Madison more than I wanted to be treasurer. Let Madison have the glory; I’ll take the pizza.”
Books in the Denali Hawthorne Series
By Lisa Hall Deckert
They Called it Moosicide: A Denali Hawthorne Christmas Mystery
Trouble on the Hawaiian Paradise: A Denali Hawthorne Cruise Mystery
Kidnapped at the Midnight Sun: A Denali Hawthorne Soccer Mystery
The Denali Hawthorne Mystery Collection
Denali’s Dozen: Twelve Little Mysteries You Can Solve
All available on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, Barnes and Noble, or i-Tunes.