Bad Moonlight Read Free Page B

blunt, chin-length cut. Fine and straight, it usually hung like a smooth helmet.
    But not now.
    Now every strand stuck straight up, as if a powerful fan were blowing from beneath her.
    It felt different, too. Not fine and silky, but thick. Rough and bristly.
    â€œIt—it must be the wind,” Caroline stammered,still staring. Her own hair, long and blond, lay motionless on her shoulders.
    â€œThere isn’t any wind!” Danielle cried. Frantically she tugged at her hair, trying to make it lie flat again. “It won’t come down! This is so weird!”
    â€œPlease, Danielle, calm down,” Caroline insisted. “It’s kind of funny. I mean. It isn’t a tragedy—you know. Come on, let’s go inside.”
    Funny? Danielle thought. No. It’s not too funny. I feel too strange for it to be funny.
    Danielle groaned. A low, guttural noise that didn’t even sound like her own voice.
    â€œCome on, let’s go into the hotel,” Caroline urged. She handed Danielle her duffel bag and guitar. “It’s been a long drive. You’ll feel better inside.”
    The Midland Hotel wasn’t exactly luxurious. A small lobby contained three chairs arranged around a low chipped table. Plastic plants. A worn rug.
    But it was clean. And warm, Danielle thought gratefully as she followed Caroline inside. A ceiling fan spun lazily overhead. The warm draft stirred her hair and blew a strand across her cheek.
    She tucked the strand behind her ear and realized that her hair had fallen back to normal.
    The strange feeling of cold seemed to seep out of her skin. She wasn’t shivering anymore.
    She took a deep breath and felt her muscles relax.
    â€œIt feels like a sauna in here!” Dee complained, setting her bag down with a thump. “I sure hope the rooms are air-conditioned or I’ll never get any sleep.”
    A drowsy, bald-headed clerk eyed her from behind the check-in desk. “You want air-conditioning, go to the Hilton,” he informed her dryly. “You want cheap, you’re in the right place.”
    Dee frowned, but Caroline laughed. “We’re definitely in the right place,” she told the clerk. “Until we’re famous, that is.”
    â€œYou must be the band.” The clerk frowned. “Going to be famous, huh?”
    â€œYes, we are,” Mary Beth assured him seriously. “Just keep reading the newspapers.”
    â€œHow can he?” Dee muttered. “We don’t have a name for him to watch for.”
    â€œOkay, everybody, listen up!” Billy strode into the lobby, rubbing his hands together energetically. “Kit and Joey went over to the club. Why don’t you unpack, then come on over and check the place out?”
    â€œGood idea,” Dee said. “Maybe the club has air-conditioning.”
    Caroline exchanged a glance with Danielle. “That’s Dee. Gripe, gripe, gripe,” she whispered.
    Danielle grinned. At least she wasn’t sharing a room with Dee, she thought. The way Dee feels about me, she’d probably be at my throat before the night’s over.
    The room resembled the lobby. Small, faded, and cheap. But clean and warm.
    â€œHey, the mattress isn’t lumpy!” Caroline announced, flinging herself onto one of the twin beds. “Remember the last place we stayed at?”
    Danielle groaned as she set her guitar down. “I felt as if I were lying on a bunch of golf balls.”
    â€œMaybe our luck’s changing.” Caroline scooted off the bed and tossed her bag onto it. “Let’s hurry and go check out the Rocket Club.”
    The two girls quickly unpacked their bags, then took the slow-motion elevator down to the lobby.
    Mary Beth and Dee waited for them impatiently. Caroline and Mary Beth hurried toward the door. But Dee hung back a second, grabbing Danielle by the arm.
    â€œI have to talk to you,” Dee whispered urgently.
    Danielle flinched as