Afraid (23 page)

But she had to get up! She had to get to her feet and run! He was still up there, up on the archway. She had to escape before he climbed down!

And then she heard footsteps crunching through the snow. Coming fast. Running toward her. Footsteps that approached like the hoofbeats of doom.

Julie shut her eyes. She couldn't bear to look! But then she heard the fabric of her jacket tear and she could move again. She opened her eyes to face Vicki's murderer, and the man who would surely kill her, now that his plan had failed. And her mouth fell open in shock.

“Paul?” Julie's voice was tentative and shaking, like the mewl of a frightened kitten.

“Jesus, Julie!” Paul dropped to his knees, and put his arms around her. “Are you hurt?”

“Uh . . . no.” It took a moment for his words to sink in. He'd asked if she was hurt. You didn't ask someone a question like that if you were going to kill them.

“Here . . . let me help you up.” Paul lifted her gently to her feet. “My God, Julie! You were almost killed!”

Julie nodded, sagging against Paul's arms in relief. Paul was here. Everything was all right now. She was safe in the protective circle of his arms. And then she remembered the stalker. And how the icicles had fallen.

“He's up there! Paul! On top of the arch!”

Paul stepped back, and looked up. “Who's up there? I don't see anyone.”

“He was up there a minute ago! He knocked the icicles loose! He tried to kill me, Paul!”

“Who?”

“I . . . I don't know. But I saw someone up there, right before I went through the archway. That's why I was running. I thought maybe I could get through before he could do it!”

“Julie . . . honey. You're getting hysterical.” Paul wrapped her in his arms again. “There's no one up there. I guarantee it. And I didn't see anyone come down.”

“He must have climbed down when you were pulling the icicle loose. He's still out there, Paul! And now he's going to try to kill me again!”

“Hold on. Just take it easy, okay?” Paul helped her over to the side of the archway where there was a place to sit down. “Just rest for a minute and catch your breath. You're safe, Julie. I won't let anyone hurt you.”

He didn't believe her! Julie felt tears come to her eyes, and then she began to sob. She had to convince him that she was in danger. He had to believe her!

Paul pulled her close and patted her back. “Come on, Julie. I know you had a bad scare, but you're not making any sense right now. Why do you think that someone's trying to kill you?”

Between sobs, Julie told him about the face she'd seen outside her balcony, the scare she'd had at the ice rink, the whispery voice on the phone, the avalanche, and her near-accident on Dead Man's Run. She even told him about last night, when she'd been locked in the game cooler. The only thing Julie left out was Vicki's taped diary. And when she was finished, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Doesn't that prove someone is after me?”

“Oh, Julie.” Paul bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. Then he brushed back her hair and put her stocking cap back on her head. “Everything's all right, Julie. You had a horrible scare, and you're not thinking straight.”

“You don't believe me!” Julie broke into fresh sobs.

“Of course I believe you. I just think you're jumping to conclusions. I know you've had a rough time. It must have been horrible to lose your parents, and it's bound to be hard to adjust to life in a small place like Crest Ridge. Just take it day by day, and try to calm down. The kind of stress you've had would be enough to drive anybody a little batty.”

Paul wrapped his arm even tighter around her shoulders and kissed the side of her neck. “Please, Julie . . . if you can relax, everytbing'll fall into place. I absolutely guarantee it. And promise me you won't mention any of this to your aunt and uncle.”

“Why not?” Julie was so surprised, she stopped crying.

“You'd make them feel awful, Julie. You're beginning to sound just like Vicki. Mrs. Hudson told me that Vicki thought someone was after her, too. It got so bad, they sent her to a psychiatrist, but it didn't seem to help. Vicki just got more and more paranoid. You may not know this, but Vicki's death wasn't accidental. She flipped out, and drove her car off the cliff.”

“I know.” Julie nodded. “Donna told me, my first night here. And Uncle Bob mentioned it, too. The only one who hasn't talked about it is Aunt Caroline.”

“It's hard for her to talk about it. I think she still blames herself for refusing to lock Vicki up.”

“Lock her up? You mean, like . . . in a mental institution?”

Paul nodded. “Your uncle wanted to commit her, but Mrs. Hudson just couldn't do it. And now she feels guilty because she refused to sign the papers. If she'd agreed to lock Vicki up, it would have saved her life.”

“I see.” Julie's mind was whirling. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Sure. What is it?”

Julie took a deep breath and blurted it out. “Did you love Vicki?”

“I thought I did.” An expression of pain flickered across Paul's face. “I always thought we'd get married when I graduated from college, and we'd settle down right here in Crest Ridge. But Vicki didn't like small-town life. She wanted to make lots of money and travel around the world. She used to talk about the wonderful life your parents had, and how lucky you were because you weren't stuck in Crest Ridge.”

Julie's eyes widened. “Really? And I thought she was the lucky one! I always wanted to grow up in a town where I knew everyone and everyone knew me, surrounded by lots of relatives and friends. I guess we were very different.”

“I guess so.” Paul nodded.

“Is that why you broke up with Vicki? Because you had different goals in life?”

“That's part of it.” Paul looked sad again. “I wanted to stay here and she didn't. And I wanted a family when the time was right. But Vicki told me she never wanted to have kids.”

“Never?”

“Never. Vicki hated kids. She didn't have any patience with them. I always thought I could change her mind, but it didn't work out that way. How about you? Do you feel the same way Vicki did?”

“No.” Julie's eyes turned misty. “I'd like to work with children, maybe teach . . . I'm just not sure. And I definitely want a family of my own. But that's a long way in the future, after I finish college and work for a while. Are you really sure Vicki didn't want children someday? Maybe when she was older?”

Paul shook his head. “I know she didn't. But maybe that was because she couldn't have any of her own.”

“What?”

“I shouldn't have said that.” Paul winced. “Look, Julie . . . you've got to promise you'll never tell anyone, okay?”

Julie's heart was pounding a rapid tattoo as she nodded. “I promise.”

“Vicki and I were sleeping together. And once she thought she was pregnant. I drove her down to a clinic in Denver, and a doctor examined her. That's when we got the bad news.” Paul gave a bitter laugh. “At least, it was bad news for me. It was probably very good news for her. He said Vicki had some kind of blockage, and she'd never be able to have children.”

B
y the time she'd taken a hot shower, Julie was feeling much better. But she was still reeling from the bombshell Paul had dropped. Vicki hadn't been pregnant. She couldn't get pregnant. There was no reason for Paul to lie about it . . . unless he was R, and he was covering up for getting Vicki pregnant! But why would he do that when he'd admitted that he'd slept with Vicki? He'd even told her about the scare they'd had, thinking she was pregnant. The whole thing just didn't make sense. And if Vicki wasn't pregnant, why had she said she was on her tape? Or had she?

Julie got out the rosewood box and put Vicki's last tape in the machine. She had to hear her exact words. She fast-forwarded to that section, and frowned as she listened.
“Sometimes I dream about R. I see that awful, trapped expression on his face the night I told him I was pregnant.”
Maybe Vicki hadn't been pregnant. She could have been lying to R. But there was also the possibility that Paul was lying when he said Vicki couldn't get pregnant.

Julie shook her head. She was so confused, she really shouldn't think about it anymore tonight. But something seemed to be driving her, some compelling need to know more about her cousin and why she'd died. At first, idle curiosity had entangled her in the mystery surrounding Vicki's death. But now she'd seen Vicki's videotapes, and she'd watched her cousin degenerate from a beautiful, self-confident young woman to a terrified, desperate girl. Julie just
had
to know what had happened to change her cousin so drastically.

The box of videotapes was still sitting out on the shelf. Julie frowned and tried to concentrate. She knew that there was something she should do, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. And then she remembered—Vicki had said she'd come back to erase her diary. But she'd died before she could do it.

Julie turned on the television and switched to an all-night movie channel. Then she put Vicki's first tape into the VCR and started to record over her cousin's diary. It wasn't until she'd slipped the final tape into the machine that she realized which movie was playing. It was
Life Stinks
with Mel Brooks.

The irony struck her, and Julie began to laugh. And as she laughed, she had the feeling that someone else was laughing with her. Vicki's spirit? It no longer seemed impossible. If Vicki was still out there somewhere, she'd be sure to appreciate which movie was recorded over her diary.

Julie sobered quickly as she had a frightening thought. During her first week at Saddlepeak Lodge, she'd experienced horrible nightmares about her cousin. But the frightening dreams had stopped abruptly on the day she'd begun to ask probing questions about Vicki's life and death. Perhaps Vicki really
had
been trying to contact her, to warn her about the stalker. Unless she learned Vicki's secret and solved the mystery surrounding her death, she might share Vicki's awful fate.

The final tape was finished. Julie put it back into the box and closed the cover. She was tired, and she knew she'd be able to think more clearly after a good night's rest, but there was no way she could sleep with all with these puzzling questions running through her mind. Which R had written the note to Vicki? That was the place to start.

It took only a moment to pull on a green velvet sweatsuit and take Vicki's note out of the desk again. She'd peek at Paul's notebook at school tomorrow, and compare his handwriting to the writing on the note. And she'd go down to the pro shop and look at the autographed picture of Ryan that was hanging on the wall. She could get a sample of Dick Stratford's signature from his credit card receipts. And Red Dawson had invoices ready to be sent out. She could go to her aunt's office and look at his writing. The only other candidate was Ross, and she'd take care of that right now. She'd knock on his door with some kind of excuse, and get a sample of his handwriting.

Julie shivered. She had to be very careful. The author of Vicki's note could be the whispery voice on the phone, the stalker who had followed her and knocked the icicles from the archway. He could have been trying to scare her off, to make her stop asking questions about Vicki. But if he suspected that she had Vicki's note and she was collecting handwriting samples, he'd have to kill her.

Should she go to the sheriff? Julie thought about it for a moment, and then she realized that it wouldn't do any good. There was no proof she was being stalked, and Sheriff Nelson wouldn't believe her. He'd probably think she was flipping out, and he'd be sure to tell her aunt and uncle. Then Uncle Bob would want to lock her up in a mental institution, and after what had happened to Vicki, Aunt Caroline might just agree with him! She had to do this on her own, identify the stalker and prove that she hadn't been imagining things. And getting a sample of Ross's handwriting was the perfect place to start.

Her hands were shaking as she gathered up a notebook and pen. She still didn't know what excuse she'd use, but the first thing to do was to see if Ross was still awake.

Julie loosened the bars on her patio doors and opened them quietly. She stepped out and glanced over. There was Ross! Out on his patio!

“Hi, Ross.” Julie spoke softly, so she wouldn't wake her aunt and uncle. “I'm glad you're still awake. Can I talk to you for a minute? It's important.”

Ross nodded. “Sure. What is it, Julie?”

“Would you come inside for a minute? It's cold out here.”

Ross nodded again, and then he laughed. “Your place, or mine?”

“Your place. Give me a couple of minutes, okay?”

Julie glanced down at her sweatsuit. No need to change clothes. Perhaps it wasn't entirely proper to meet Ross in his room, but she hadn't wanted him to come to hers. If Aunt Caroline or Uncle Bob happened to see him coming out of her room, she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Less than a minute later, Julie was knocking on Ross's door. He opened it, and she stepped in. “Hi. I know it's late, but I forgot all about this school project I have to turn in tomorrow. It'll only take a couple minutes, if you'll help me.”

“Sure.” Ross grinned as he noticed her notebook. “What is it, Julie? An interview?”

“Well . . . sort of. It's for history class. We're . . . uh . . . studying historical buildings in the area, and I decided to use Saddlepeak Lodge. I wrote out some questions. Could you just answer them for me?”

“No problem. Have a seat, Julie.” Ross motioned her to one of the two chairs that were arranged by a low round table. Then he took the notebook, and read the first question aloud.
“What is the address of this site?
You know the answer to that, Julie.”

Julie nodded, and handed him the pen. “I know, but could you write it down for me, Ross? It's supposed to be in the source's handwriting. It's one of Mr. Haskell's rules. That's to prove I really interviewed you.”

“Mr. Haskell?” Ross looked at her in surprise. “When I went to Crest Ridge High, Mr. Haskell taught math.”

“Right. I meant to say Mr. Jenkins.” Julie nodded, but she blushed bright red. She'd never been a good liar.

“What's this about, Julie?” Ross put down the pen and stared at her. “It's not a school project, is it?”

Julie sighed. As Donna would say, she was busted, caught dead to rights with her hand in the cookie jar. “Uh . . . no. It's not. It was a trick to get a sample of your handwriting. But I should have asked you honestly. That would have been a lot better.”

Ross nodded. “Why do you need a sample of my handwriting?”

“So I can compare it to this.” Julie pulled the ticket stub with the message out of her pocket, and handed it to him. She noticed that Ross's hand trembled as he took it.

“I can save you the trouble. I wrote this note. Why?”

“Because the date on the ticket is December eighteenth. Did you meet Vicki on the night she died?”

“No. She didn't show up. I waited for hours, and then I drove back here. That's when I found out she . . .” Ross's face had turned white and he cleared his throat. “ . . . that she was dead.”

“Where was she supposed to meet you?”

Ross looked as if he didn't want to answer, but he did. “In Denver. At a justice of the peace's house. Vicki was pregnant, and we were going to get married.”

“And you think she killed herself, rather than marry you?”

An expression of pain flickered across Ross's face. “I made all the arrangements, and she drove off the cliff on the way to the wedding. What would you think?”

“I'd think it was a terrible accident or . . . or something like that.” Julie stopped herself short. She had almost said,
or maybe someone murdered her,
but she didn't want to burden Ross with that suspicion, not until she'd gathered all the facts.

“It wasn't an accident. Vicki left a suicide note for her mother. Mr. Hudson showed it to me.”

“I know. Uncle Bob told me about it. But it didn't say anything about suicide.” Julie faced him squarely. “I don't think Vicki intended to kill herself. The only reason she left that note was because she was running off with you, and she wanted to say goodbye.”

Ross didn't look convinced. “Look, Julie. I'd like to believe that, but it doesn't make sense. Vicki knew that road. She'd driven it thousands of times before. She barreled right through the guard rail on a curve that wasn't even dangerous. What makes you think it
wasn't
suicide?”

“She bought new sunglasses right before she left. And a new lipstick she never even got a chance to wear. And a brand-new bottle of perfume. Why would she buy all those things if she was planning to kill herself?”

Ross frowned deeply, and then he shook his head. “I don't know.”

“Because she
wasn't
planning to kill herself. She was planning on running away with you, and wearing that lipstick and perfume at her wedding, and putting on those sunglasses the next morning. That's why.”

Ross blinked. And then he gave a deep sigh. “I wish I could believe that. God knows, it would make me feel a lot better.”

“Then believe it.” Julie's eyes met his. “There's no evidence to the contrary, none at all. I'm convinced that Vicki really wanted to marry you.”

The color began to come back to Ross's face, and he nodded. “That's why I couldn't understand it. I thought she wanted to get married. And she
said
she did. I was going to do the right thing by her, Julie. I really was. We barely knew each other, but we could have made it work for the sake of the baby.”

“You never told anyone that you were going to get married?”

“No. I wanted to tell Vicki's parents, but she was afraid they'd try to stop her. They could have, you know. She was under age. And to make matters even worse, she was having some tough emotional problems.”

“I heard about that.” Julie seized the opening Ross had left for her. “She thought someone was after her, right?”

Ross sighed. “That's right. She got a couple of crank phone calls when she was working the switchboard. And she had several nightmares about a face at her window. That's why I asked you to tell me if anything else happened. For a moment there, I thought that there was really something to it. But you haven't had any more nightmares like that, have you, Julie?”

“No. Not like that.” Julie shook her head. She pushed down the impulse to tell Ross about the other things that had happened to her, and decided to ask him a question, instead. “Do you think Vicki was crazy?”

“Of course not! She was just under a lot of stress. I thought taking her away from Crest Ridge might help. She hated it here. But . . . it just didn't happen that way.”

“How about after she died?” Julie asked the question even though she thought she knew the answer. “Did you tell anyone that you'd planned to get married?”

“I wanted to tell Mrs. Hudson. I thought maybe she'd understand. But I never got up the nerve. And then I decided I shouldn't say anything at all.”

“Why not?” Julie held her breath as she waited for his answer.

“I thought it would only make Mrs. Hudson feel worse to know she'd lost a grandchild, too.”

“Yes. You were probably right.” Julie sighed deeply. She wished she could tell Ross that Vicki had lied about being pregnant. That might make him feel better. But she still wasn't sure whether Paul had been telling her the truth. “When did Vicki tell you she was pregnant?”

“December twelfth. I'll never forget it. I got off work, and Vicki was waiting for me in my room. I remember how shocked I was when she told me. I was so grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Hudson for giving me a job, and then I did something like that!”

“What do you mean?”

“I showed my gratitude by getting the boss's daughter pregnant. It's right out of a cheap movie! I was so mad at myself, I could hardly stand it. But then Vicki started crying. She thought I was mad at her. It took me an hour to convince her that I wasn't.”

Julie sighed. If Paul was right, and Vicki had been lying to Ross, it was even worse than a cheap movie. “Did you love her?”

“How could I? I barely knew her! But I liked her. And I thought maybe that was enough.”

“Tell me what happened.” Julie's voice was soft. She wanted to know, and it might make Ross feel less guilty if he talked about it.

“It happened the night of the Halloween party. Vicki had just broken up with Paul, and she didn't have a date. She'd rented a costume and everything. So I played Sir Galahad, and offered to take her.”

Julie nodded. “What happened at the party?”

“I danced almost every dance with her, and she seemed to have a good time. Don't get me wrong, Julie—I had a good time, too. Vicki was a great dancer. But it all started out as a favor to her parents. I knew they'd be upset if she didn't show up at the party.”