Dead Is Not an Option

by Marlene Perez

  "I owe you," I said. "All those cases you helped me with. All those mysteries we solved together."

  Part of me was sad that I didn't have my prophetic jukebox to turn to in times of crisis. Nightshade had changed irrevocably in the last few weeks.

  "I'll still be there for you," she said softly. "Anytime you need anything, you can stop by Merriweather House and talk to me."

  "I will," I said.

  "And you're all invited to the wedding," Bam said. He gave Lily a fond smile. "I'm not willing to wait much longer, darling."

  She nodded. "Let's get married as soon as possible. I think we have set the record for the world's longest engagement."

  Everyone laughed at that, even Mrs. Wilder, who still seemed slightly dazed by the recent turn of events.

  "This calls for a celebration," Slim said. He came out carrying a tray full of drinks. Lily and Bam didn't even bat an eye at his appearance, or lack thereof. I guess it was to be expected, since they'd spent years as a jukebox and a pig, respectively.

  We toasted to Balthazar and Lily, to Natalie and Slim, and, finally, to true love.

  "We have so much to do," Mrs. Wilder said. "A wedding to plan."

  Samantha and Sean came in the door of the diner a few minutes later. She had a stack of papers clutched in her hand.

  "You're not going to believe this," she said. She gulped. "We were going through my dad's things in his office. Look what I found!" She waved a stack of envelopes frantically in my face.

  I tried to read the lettering on the envelopes, but she was still waving them. "Sam, what are they?"

  "Acceptance letters," she said. "Your acceptance letters."

  "Why would your dad have my mail?" I said. Then I recalled Trinity masquerading as my mail carrier.

  She hesitated. "I know he was trying to stop your dad from publishing his book," she said.

  "Yes, we figured that after—"

  "After his arrest." She met my eyes. "It's okay, Daisy. You can say it."

  "But what does that have to do with our mail?"

  "A lot," Rose said. "Dad sent his manuscript out via the post office. So Mr. Devereaux probably hoped to intercept his correspondence or his manuscript and see exactly what Dad remembered about his abduction."

  "This one is from UC Nightshade," Sam said.

  "Open it!" Poppy said.

  I took a deep breath and ran my finger along the edge. "Wish me luck," I said to the waiting crowd of friends and family.

  I opened the crisp stationery and read, "We are pleased to inform you..."

  Poppy's screeching drowned out the rest of my words, but everyone got the general idea.

  "I've been accepted," I said. "But this letter is over two months old. What if they didn't hold a place for me?"

  "I'm sure they did," Rose said reassuringly. "If not, maybe you can attend part-time this fall."

  I tried to swallow my worry. I smiled at Slim and Flo. "A certain boss of mine did give me a wonderful opportunity to take more cooking lessons."

  "It'll work out," Poppy said.

  College was no longer my big looming fear, nor was being apart from Ryan. We were all lucky to be alive, even though Ryan's father hadn't been so lucky.

  I looked over at the jukebox and decided to put in a few quarters for old times' sake. I held my breath when I punched in the numbers, but my selections came on. No random song choices, no hidden messages, no Lil.

  "It's just a jukebox now," I told Ryan.

  After closing, everyone eventually drifted off, but Ryan and I stayed at Slim's, not talking.

  Finally, he stirred. "Want to go for a drive?"

  I wondered if this was when he was going to tell me goodbye. Nightshade would hold only painful memories for him now.

  "Won't your grandma worry?" I asked.

  "She went home yesterday," Ryan said. "I'll see her soon though."

  I was convinced that he was going to leave Nightshade and live with his grandma until college started in the fall.

  He parked his car near the highest point in Nightshade, and we walked hand in hand to the top of the outlook. There was a sliver of a moon in the sky. I looked down on the town.

  "I wanted to tell you first," he said.

  My heart ended up somewhere on the ground at his words.

  "Tell me what?"

  "I'm not going to go to school in Orange County," he said. "I'm staying right here in Nightshade. I know what I want to do now. I want to be a police officer. Like my dad."

  "Are you sure?" I said.

  He nodded and gulped back tears.

  "Your dad would have been so proud of you," I said. I brushed a tear of my own away.

  Ryan put his arm around me. "We'll be all right," he said. "No matter what."

  Our senior year had been nothing like I had hoped or expected, but Ryan and I had made it through.

  I put my head on his shoulder and we stared down at the lights of Nightshade. I didn't know everything that was ahead of me, but I knew I could face it with Ryan beside me.

  Acknowledgments

  A great many people worked to get the Dead Is series out into the world. So thanks to the bloggers, reviewers, librarians, fans, and friends who told one person to read this series! Thanks to all the hard-working people at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, especially my wonderful editor Julie Tibbott, who managed to keep her sense of humor even when I went way off outline. My agent, Stephen Barbara, is sheer awesomeness, but everyone already knows that.

  Thanks to my writer friends who keep me sane, read manuscripts at the drop of a hat, and are always up for coffee! And to my husband and children, who give me the gift of time to write.

  Marlene Perez is the author of The Comeback, Love in the Corner Pocket, and the five books in the Dead Is series, including Dead Is the New Black, which was named an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. She lives in Orange County, California, with her family. She survived her Grad Night party, but just barely.

  www.marleneperez.com