Trevor's interview sheet was blank. I quickly jotted down some answers to the questions and handed it to him.
"You won't get an A for handwriting," he said.
Trevor and I rose and dusted the dirt off our jeans. "Our next date will be in front of class," he said.
I couldn't help but feel a twinge of kindness toward him, as he had inadvertently helped Alexander remain in the Mansion.
"I'm off to meet my father," he said as he got into hisCamaro . "Did you hear? My dad might buy the Mansion."
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"What did you say?"
Hegrinned a wicked grin. "I was waiting to tell you until after I got my interview portion completed... We were talking about the Mansion at dinner last night and how word around town is no one will buy it because it's a hideous money pit. My dad said that the land upon which it sits is valuable property in its own right. It will be cheaper to hire a wrecking ball and bulldozer. Just thought you'd want to know. It'll make a great strip mall."
I was floored. I had no idea my own plan would turn against me. And of course, Trevor was just the person to do it.
"No- you can't buy it!" I said,my body filled with rage. "You can't buy it-and you can't tear it down."
"I know I can't, Monster Girl. But my dad can."
Trevor's father owned half the town ofDullsville . I wouldn't ever want Benson Hill to fall into that half.
"I'll tell my dad to save a few bricks when he tears it down. You can have them as a souvenir. I won't charge you very much, since they're worthless," he said, and rolled up his window and sped off.
Chapter 26 Plan B
I waited impatiently outside the Mansion's gate. "I need to speak with Alexander," I told Jameson as soon as he opened the front door.
"He's still sleeping, Miss Raven."
I guess Alexander, like me, was finally having a good night's-or in his case, day's-slumber.
"This can't wait." I spoke with authority and urgency.
"I'll see what I can do. Wait in the study."
I paced in the old, dusty, book-filled room. It was several minutes later when Alexander appeared in jeans and a T- shirt.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Everything!"I rushed over to him. "But we have to talk privately."
"The gazebo?" he suggested.a place where no one on earth can hear us."
***
Alexander parked the Mercedes in front of the cemetery's entrance. We hurried toward his grandmother's monument. The only sound we heard were a few crickets chirping.
"There is a buyer for the Mansion," I blurted out when we reached the monument.
"You are kidding!"
"No, and it gets worse. It's Trevor Mitchell's father." "This is awful. I thought our plan was working." "I did, too. He plans to tear down the house and built I a strip mall,"
"Tear it down?" Alexander's warm brown eves turned fiery red.
"I know. It's horrible. We did such a great job of convincing people that the Mansion was a money pit that no one wanted to buy it. Now they just want to tear it down.messed everything up, Alexander. I ruinedeverything "