Friday Night in Beast House (9 page)

He looked toward the southeast corner.

Any second now.

Seconds passes, and she didn’t come walking around the corner.

Minutes passed.

12:06.

Where
is
she?

What if she doesn’t show up at all? Maybe she got caught. Maybe she forgot about it. Maybe she never
meant
to show up, and it was all just a trick.

No, no. She wouldn’t do that. She
wants
to come. If she doesn’t make it, it’s because something went wrong.

Says who?

Me, that’s who. This wasn’t any trick. She wouldn’t do that sort of thing.

And then she came jogging around the corner of Beast house.

Someone
did. A figure in dark clothes.

What if it’s not Alison?

Has to be, he told himself.

The approaching jogger seemed to be about Alison’s size, but not much showed. A hat covered her hair and she seemed to be wearing a loose, oversized shirt or jacket that hung halfway down her thighs. Or
his
thighs. For all Mark could really see, the jogger might not even be a girl.

He sat motionless on the porch stair, watching, ready to stand up and bolt.

The jogger raised an arm.

He waved and stood up.

Slowing to a brisk walk, she plucked off her hat. Her hair spilled out from under it, pale in the moonlight. ‘Hiya, Mark.’

Alison’s voice.

His throat tightened. ‘Hi. You made it.

‘Oh, yeah. I wouldn’t miss this. A stride away from him, she stopped and stuffed her hat into a side pocket of her jacket. She took a few quick breaths, then shook her head. ‘But I guess I wasted my time, huh?’

‘I hope not’

‘You knew the rules, Mark.’

‘Yeah.’

Damn. I don’t know why, but I really figured you’d be able to pull it off somehow.

‘I sorta
did
.’

Her mouth opened slightly.

‘I’ve
been
inside.’

‘Really?’

‘I just… figured I’d meet you out here.’

‘Okay. Great. Let’s go in.’ She started to step around him.

He put up his hand. ‘No, wait.’

She halted and turned to him. ‘What?’

‘I’m not so sure it’s safe.’

She chuckled. ‘Of
course
it’s not safe. Where’d be the fun in that?’

‘No, I mean it. I really don’t think it’d be such a great idea to go in. I think somebody might be
in
there.’

‘What do you mean? Like a night-watchman? A guard?’

‘I mean more like somebody who
shouldn’t
be in there. Maybe even… you know… one of the
things
.’

‘A
beast?
How cool would
that
be?’

‘Real cool, except it might kill us.’

‘Then
we
could be exhibits.’ She sounded amused.

‘I don’t think we should go in.’

‘Oh.’

‘I really like you a lot and everything. It’d be fantastic to go in the house and explore around with you. I mean, God, I sure don’t want to
disappoint
you. But I don’t want to get you killed, either.’

In silence, she nodded a few times. Then she said, ‘You didn’t make it in, did you?’

‘Huh?’

‘You just figured you’d meet me out here anyway and hope for the best.’

‘No, I got in, I did. It’s open.’

‘Let’s go see.’

She turned away. Mark almost grabbed her, but stopped his hand in time.

She trotted up the porch stairs, opened the screen door and looked around at him. ‘Well,
this
isn’t locked.

‘I know’

She went in.

Mark hurried after her. ‘No, wait.’

She didn’t wait. She walked straight across the porch.

‘Alison. Wait up.’

She stopped and gave the kitchen door a push. It swung open. ‘Hey, she said. She sounded surprised and please.

‘I told you.’

She turned around. ‘You really
did it.
Good
going,
Mark. I had a feeling about you.’

‘Well…’

She came toward him, stopped only inches away and put her hands on his sides. She looked into his eyes for a few seconds. When she pulled him forward, his belly pack pushed at her. ‘Let’s get this out of the way,’ she said. She slid it around to his hip, then wrapped her arms around him and tilted back her head.

They kissed.

He had often imagined kissing Alison, and now it was happening for real. She seemed to be all smoothness and softness and warmth. She had a taste of peppermint and an outdoors aroma as if she’d taken on some of the scents of the night: the ocean breeze and the fog and the pine trees. She held him so snugly that he could feel each time she took a breath or let it out.

Though her breasts were muffled under layers of jackets and shirts, he could feel them.

He started to get hard.

Uh-oh.

Afraid it would push against her, he bent forward.

Alison loosened her hold on him. ‘I’m ready if you are,’ she whispered.

Chapter Sixteen

‘Huh?’ Mark asked.

‘Ready?’

Still holding each other, but loosely with their bodies barely toughing, they spoke in hushed voices.

‘Ready for what?’

‘To go in.’

‘Oh. I really don’t think we should.’

‘Sure we should. I’ve been waiting for this
for years.
It’s gonna be
so
cool. Come on.’ She lowered her arms, turned toward the kitchen door, then reached back and took hold of Mark’s right hand. ‘Come on.’ She pulled at it.

He followed her into the kitchen. And stopped. ‘Wait. I have to tell you something.

She turned toward him. ‘Okay.

‘I was down in the cellar. That’s where I hid til closing time.’

‘Really?’ She sounded interested.

‘Down in the beast hole.’

‘My God. Inside i
t?’

‘Yeah, there’s like a tunnel.’

‘Wow.’

‘I stayed in there all day.’

‘My God. How cool! Weren’t you scared?’

‘Sometimes.’

‘So how did you return the tape player?’

‘I didn’t. I never got one in the first place. I came over really early and jumped the turnstile and hid until they opened the house. Then I just blended into the crowd and pretended to be a tourist til I got into the cellar.’

‘Good going.’

‘I was pretty lucky. I had a couple of minutes by myself, so I crawled down the hole and stayed.’

‘So
that’s
how it’s done.’

‘How
I
did it, anyway. But the thing is, when I came out of the hole, I took a look around. You know how there’s always a padlock on the Kutch side of the door down there?’

‘Sure.’

‘It’s gone. The padlock.’

‘Gone?’

‘Yeah. And I’m pretty sure it was there this morning. So somebody must’ve taken it off while I was down in the hole.’

‘The door isn’t locked at all?’

‘It opens.
I
opened it, just to see.’

‘Did you go through?’

‘The tunnel? No. I got out of the there.’

‘But if goes to the Kutch house.’

‘I know.’

‘Nobody
ever
gets to see the Kutch house. This is the chance of a lifetime.’

‘Yeah, a chance to die.’

‘Oh, don’t be that way. Nobody’s going to die.’

‘That’s because we’re getting out of here. Turning away, he pulled at Alison’s hand.

She jerked her hand from his grip. ‘Not me,’ she said. ‘I’m not leaving till I’ve checked the place out.’

‘The padlock’s off
.’

‘Right. Meaning we can go through the tunnel.’

‘Maybe someone
already
came through. From the other side. Doesn’t that
scare
you? We oughta get out of here right now. We’re lucky we haven’t already gotten…’

‘Nobody’s stopping you.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You can go.’

‘I can’t leave
you
here.’

‘Well, I’m not going.’ She sounded so calm.

‘But…’

‘Okay, so the padlock’s off. Did you get chased or anything?’

‘No.’

‘See anything? Hear anything?’

‘No.’

‘So as far as you know—except for the padlock being off—the house is as safe as ever.’

‘But the padlock…’

‘Did you actually
see
it today?’

‘No, but I’m pretty sure it was there.’

‘But you didn’t see it with your own eyes. So maybe it
wasn’t
there. When was the last time you actually
saw
it?’

‘I guess maybe… early July.’

‘I did the tour last month,’ she admitted. ‘I saw it then. So that’s the last time we can be sure it was on the door. A month ago. So maybe it’s been gone for
weeks
.’

‘I don’t think so. That door’s
always
locked.’

‘Okay. Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. But even if someone took the lock of
today,
it doesn’t mean they’re in the house right
now
.’

‘I guess not,’ he admitted.

‘Come on. Let’s take a look around.’

‘I don’t think we should. Really.’

‘I do. Really.’

‘Alison…’

‘Mark. Come on. It took a lot of guts to do what you did today. You don’t want to bail out now, do you?’

‘Not really. But…’

‘Then don’t. Come on.’ She took his hand and led him through the kitchen.

‘Not the cellar,’ he whispered.

‘Of course, the cellar.’

‘Why don’t we go through the rest of the house first? Don’t you want to wander around and see all the exhibits? I thought that was supposed to be the main idea.’

‘It was. But this is our chance to see inside the Kutch house. Maybe out
only
chance ever.’

‘I think it’s a really bad idea.’

In an oddly chipper voice, Alison said, ‘I don’t,’ and led him into the pantry.

She suddenly stopped.

‘What?’ Mark whispered.

‘My God, it’s dark in here.’

‘Even darker in the cellar.’

‘Do you have something?’ Alison asked.

‘A couple of candles.’

‘Good. I meant to bring a flashlight. Glad
you
came prepared.’

‘Thanks.’ He let go of Alison’s hand, reached over to his right hip and slid open the zipper of his pack. When he tried to put his hand in, the headphones got in his way. He took them out. ‘Can you hold these?’

Alison found them in the darkness and took them.

‘Thanks.’

He put his hand into the pack.

‘Headphones?’ Alison asked.

‘To make me look like a tourist.’

‘Hmm. Smarter than the av-uh-ridge bear.’

Cellophane crinkled softly.

‘What’s that?’ she asked.

‘Wrappers. I had my lunch in here. I’ve also got an empty Pepsi can.’

His fingertips found the match book. He took it out, opened its flap and plucked out a match. He struck it across the score and tiny sparks leaped around the match head, but it didn’t catch.

He tried again.

The match flared.

‘Now we’re cookin’, Alison said.

She looked golden in the glow of the small flame. Marked smiled when he saw that she was wearing the headphones.

‘Why don’t I hold this?’ Mark suggested, ‘and you reach in and get out the candles.’

‘Sounds like a plan.’ She slipped her fingers into the opening, then smiled at him. ‘You don’t have anything nasty in here, do you?’

‘I don’t think so.’

Her hand came out holding a pink candle. ‘Here’s one,’ she said. She raised it and held it steady, its wick touching the flame of Mark’s match.

When the candle wick caught fire, Mark shook out the match. Alison gave the candle to him.

‘Thanks,’ he whispered.

‘I get the other one?’

‘Sure. We might as well use them both.’

She put her hand into the pack again. ‘What’s this?’

‘What’s what?’

She removed her hand from the pack. And showed him.

‘Somebody’s glasses. I found them down in the beast hole.’

‘Really? Can I have a look?’

‘Sure.’

The cellophane made quiet crackly sounds as she unwrapped the glasses.

She raised them into the light of Mark’s candle.

Her eyes opened very wide.

She said, ‘Oh, my God.’

Chapter Seventeen

Mark suddenly felt sick. Again. ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.

‘They’re
hers
.’

‘Whose?’

‘Claudia’s.’

‘Claudia who?’

‘You know,
Claudia.
I don’t know her last name. That grody kid. Sorta fat and dumpy. She showed up for a while last year.’

‘Oh.’

‘Remember?’

‘Sort of He vaguely recalled a pudgy girl with hair that had always looked greasy. ‘She was only in school a couple of weeks, wasn’t she?’

‘Try three months.’

‘Really?’

‘I should know. She spent them all
hanging
on me.’

‘Oh. She
was
always, like, following you around the halls.’

‘Yeah. Like a dog. She wanted to be my friend. I hated to be
mean
to her, you know? She seemed nice enough. But
too
nice, if you know what I mean.’

‘Fawning.’

‘Yeah. That’s it, fawning. God, she was aggravating. She would never take a hint. She never knew when to quit. She would like
invite
herself places, stuff like that. There was one time, I told her she should try to find herself some
new
friends and she said, ‘You’re all the friend I could ever want.’ She was
so
awful.’

‘And she disappeared?’ Mark asked.

Alison stared at the glasses. Nodding, she said, ‘Yeah. I mean, it wasn’t like she
disappeared.
I never heard of search parties or anything. One day, she just didn’t show up for school. I figured she’d stayed home because she was upset at me. I’d really laid into her the day before. Told her I was tired of having her in my face all the time and how she was driving me nuts. I was pretty rough on her. But, jeez, what’re you gonna do? I mean, it was like having a stalker.