Down the Rabbit Hole Read Online Free PDF Page A

innocent,” Ingrid said.
    â€œA sap,” said Stacy. “In the cartoon, anyway.”
    â€œI could play an innocent.”
    â€œWeren’t you a pig in that musical last year?” Stacy said. “You can play anything.”
    â€œA pig?” said Brucie Berman, somewhere behind them.
    The girls turned slowly to face him. Stacy was big and sturdy, could break Brucie in half no problem. Ingrid saw that Brucie had some joke all ready to go, something about pigs, but he swallowed it, his Adam’s apple actually bobbing. The girls turned away. Brucie kept quiet the rest of ride, except for a little barnyard snort he made as he got off the bus.
    No one was home at 99 Maple Lane: Mom and Dad still at work, Ty with the football team going through their pregame rituals. Ingrid picked up the Friday edition of The Echo from the driveway and went inside. Week over. Ah. She took a deep breath, felt a lovely relaxation spread through her. How didhot chocolate sound? Perfect. She dropped The Echo on the kitchen table, made herself hot chocolate with milk, not water, nice and creamy. How about a little treat to go with it? Ingrid stood on a chair so she could reach the cupboard and found a bag of oatmeal cookies. Oats were good for you. She took two.
    Ingrid sat at the table, dipped one of the cookies in her mug of hot chocolate, glanced at The Echo. Boring things appeared on the front page, like coverage of the garden club and Senior Center bingo, and it got more boring inside, except for the sports, where Ty was mentioned almost every week during football and baseball seasons, and even Ingrid had gotten in once or twice.
    But not today. Today the front page had a big photograph of a woman. Ingrid almost didn’t recognize her at first, probably because her hair was cut short and neat and her skin seemed smooth and young. It was Cracked-Up Katie. The headline read: LOCAL RESIDENT FOUND MURDERED . The subhead: ASSAILANT UNKNOWN .

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    Longtime Echo Falls resident Katherine Eve Kovac was murdered Thursday, according to Echo Falls police chief Gilbert L. Strade. The body of Ms. Kovac was found by a neighbor shortly after 8 P.M . The neighbor, whose name had not been released by the police at press time, went to Ms. Kovac’s house at 341 Packer Street to complain about the activities of Ms. Kovac’s cat. Allegedly finding the front door open, the neighbor went inside and found the body. The neighbor immediately called 911. Sergeant Ronald Pina arrived shortly thereafter and found signs of a struggle and evidence of strangulation. According to Chief Strade…
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    The kitchen door opened, and Ingrid looked up in alarm, as though she’d been caught at something. It was Mom.
    â€œHi, Ingrid,” she said. “That sure looks good.”
    Ingrid slid her hand over the paper. Her heart was beating fast and light, like a tom-tom. “What does?”
    â€œYour snack.”
    â€œOh,” Ingrid said. “Want some?”
    â€œJust a bite,” said Mom. She broke off a tiny bit of oatmeal cookie—Mom watched her weight constantly, gave up something like bread or pasta almost every month—dipped it in the hot chocolate, and popped it in her mouth.
    â€œMmmm.” She kicked off her heels and slipped into her sheepskin slippers, always her first move coming home from work. “How was your day?”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œAnything interesting happen?”
    â€œNot really.”
    â€œNot even in English or history?”
    â€œWe didn’t have English today,” Ingrid said.
    â€œWhat about history?”
    Ingrid couldn’t remember anything specific, but she knew history was on the schedule Fridays. “We had history.”
    â€œWhat are you taking right now?”
    â€œShays’ Rebellion.”
    â€œGod,” said Mom. “I’ve completely forgotten what that was about.”
    Ingrid, unable to enlighten her, said nothing. Mom was