Framed & Dangerous (9780545443128) by Kim Harrington

know,” I said. Thoughts churned in my head as I studied the crowd in the cafeteria. The e-mail had been sent from the computer lab. It must have been one of our classmates. But who?
    My eyes went from table to table, watching people eat and chat with their friends. I scanned each face and stopped when I got to Violet. She was scowling at me from across the room.
    Sheesh! What was her problem? She really had to get over this Dance Committee thing.
    â€œWell, the good news,” Maya piped up, “is that Mr. Gray is awake and he’s going to be fine.”
    I turned back to Maya and sighed in relief. The school janitor was such a nice man. I was glad he was going to be okay.
    â€œHow do you know that?” Darcy asked, one eyebrow raised.
    Maya spun long strands of spaghetti around her fork. “My aunt works at the hospital.”
    â€œHas he been released?” I asked. For the first time today, my voice had a hint of hope instead of gloom. Darcy and I exchanged a look, totally thinking the same thing. Mr. Gray might have seen something that could help us prove Zane’s innocence.
    Maya dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “No, he’s still in the hospital, but he’s going to be all right. He’s just recovering from smoke inhalation and a sprained ankle.”
    â€œDo you think your aunt could get us in to see him?” Darcy asked with a gleam in her eye.
    Maya looked at the both of us, catching on. “I’ll ask.”
    The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and I’d only eaten two bites. But now that we had a lead I was hungry again. I shoveled two giant forkfuls of pasta into my mouth.
    â€œI’ll catch up with you later,” Darcy said. “Remember — the library after school.” She didn’t say it in her regular breezy tone. It was more businesslike. Yet another reminder that we were just working together.
    After Darcy left, I scarfed down one more big bite of pasta. Maya was staring at me.
    I wiped my mouth and stood. “I know, I’m acting like a pig. But I hadn’t eaten at all and then —”
    â€œIt’s not that,” Maya said. She stood up and carried her tray to my side of the table. She looked around suspiciously, then back at me. I saw her swallow. She was clearly nervous and trying to decide whether to tell me something.
    â€œWhat, Maya? If you know something, please tell me,” I pleaded.
    â€œIt’s not something I know. It’s just something I thought of. But it’s probably not true.” She shook her head. “No, it can’t be.”
    â€œWhat?” I said loudly.
    â€œAre you and Darcy not in a fight anymore?” she asked, her eyes anxious.
    It pained me to answer. I sighed. “Well, no … we’re still technically in a fight, I guess. We wereonly sitting together because we’re working on Zane’s case.”
    â€œAnd you weren’t speaking Monday morning, when the fire happened.”
    I frowned and gripped the tray tighter in my hands. “No, we weren’t. Why?”
    â€œYou don’t think …” She hesitated, not meeting my gaze.
    My mouth dropped open. “You think Darcy framed Zane?”
    Maya’s eyes widened and she whispered, “Shh. No. I’m just saying, maybe it’s a possibility. You guys had your big blowup on Sunday, and then Monday morning this happens. The timing is weird, is all I’m saying. Maybe she was really mad and did something stupid and now she regrets it.”
    I stood, speechless, and watched Maya return her tray. I thought back to the day I had argued with Darcy. She had been mad at me because she felt like I was forgetting about her and spending too much time with new friends. I’d happily gone to her house to tell her the good news — that Zane liked me. But that made her even angrier. She’d snapped back something sarcastic, like, “Great, now you can go offand be