The Babysitter Murders - By Janet Ruth Young

P A R T 1

T H E

L I N E

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MyFace Profile

Name: Dani

Sex: Female

Age: 17 years old

Location: Hawthorne, Massachusetts, United States Last log-in: April 23

Mood: romantic

My hobbies: tennis, running, singing

Interested in: friendship male and female, dating male, relationship male

My favorite quote:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character.

Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny”—Charles Reade About me:

Hello, world!!! I’m a jr. at Hawthorne High and sing alto in our a cappella group the Hawtones . . . love the teamwork . . .

play varsity tennis . . . brings out my competitive side . . . best friend is Shelley . . . u can see lots of pictures of us here . . . lots of good times . . . I’m a loyal friend, always try to live up to what is expected of me . . . hate letting people down, would rather be JANET RUTH YOUNG

disappointed in them than have them disappointed in me . . . I’ve had this happen to me at least once since my dad moved away when I was little . . . I won’t bore you with that story since you probably know how that goes . . . I like a guy at school, but he has no idea . . . so if you are cute and reasonably tall and above all, NICE, please hit me up.

TMI, Dani thinks. That’s way too much information. Just leave in the happy parts.

Hello, world!!! I’m a jr. at Hawthorne High and sing alto in our a cappella group the Hawtones . . . love the teamwork . . .

play varsity tennis . . . brings out my competitive side . . . best friend is Shelley . . . u can see lots of pictures of us here . . . lots of good times . . . I’m a loyal friend, always try to live up to what is expected of me . . . if you are cute and reasonably tall and above all, NICE, please hit me up.

Dani presses Publish.

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2

Dani Solomon babysits for a boy named Alex Draper three times a week. Dani doesn’t like having so many nights tied up. She doesn’t need the money, either. Her mother is a successful real estate broker and gives Dani a big allowance.

But Dani keeps babysitting because Alex and his mom—whose name is Cynthia Draper but whom Alex calls “Mrs. Alex,” so Dani calls her that too—rely on her. Dani’s sure she’s the most responsible, educational, and fun babysitter Mrs. Alex could find. Plus, she likes Alex because he makes her laugh.

On April 23, Alex and Dani play Lion King, a game Alex made up after watching the movie.

“You’re not a mountain anymore,” Alex says. “You’re fire.”

“I thought we were both mountains,” says Dani. It’s hard to keep track of all the characters, scenes, and events that weren’t in the movie.

“I’m still a mountain. But you’re fire. So flame up.”

Dani hisses and waves her fingers. “Am I flaming up?”

Alex stands his plastic animals at their paper-cup caves. They rear up and sniff the flames.

“So what does a mountain do?”

“Watch.” Alex squats and grunts like he’s trying to poop. “See?

Now I’m a mountain. Do that when you turn back.”

JANET RUTH YOUNG

“A grisly discovery in Dorchester this afternoon,” says the living room TV. “A nine-year-old girl allegedly stabbed to death by her stepfather. Details at six.” Dani grabs the remote to shut off the set. She sees a three-decker apartment building cordoned by yellow tape. A small lump covered by a blanket in the middle of a big stretcher. Two sobbing neighbors watch a man leave in handcuffs.

Monster, she thinks. Or is he just crazy? What kind of person would do that? And how could he do that to a little kid? The girl probably trusted her stepfather the way Alex trusts Dani. Dani imagines something like that happening to Alex. Alex as a lump on a stretcher. Alex having been killed by someone he trusted.

Someone close to him, who is supposed to be responsible for him.

A caregiver, just like Dani. The idea is just too horrible.

Alex’s animals form a circle on the coffee table, waiting for the lion to tell them what to do. Dani pauses, while the scene in her mind completes itself in greater detail. She imagines being a murderer like the man in Dorchester. She pictures herself walking in