Twisted (29 page)

J
ennifer was too shocked to say anything. She just stood there and stared at the piece of Saddlepeak Lodge stationery that put Brian's life in terrible danger. Tim looked equally shocked, but he was the first to recover. She watched as he moved up closer to Brian and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Brian! What the hell are you doing?”

Brian swiveled around to face them. And then he gave a sheepish grin. “What do you think I'm doing? I'm smoking out the killer.”

“But . . . that note'll put you in horrible danger!” Jennifer found her voice at last. “Don't do it, Brian. It's crazy!”

“I have to do it. I'm responsible for everything that's happened around here.”

Jennifer frowned. “What do you mean? How are you responsible ?”

“I wrote the notes. I got a sample of Kelly's handwriting and I forged every one of them.”

Tim looked shocked. “But . . . why?”

“I wanted to make your skit more believable. That's the reason I rigged the table and the candles. And the notes were a natural. After all, Kelly's death was a little suspicious and I thought it would add to the drama of your séance.”

“But the notes are death sentences!” Jennifer couldn't help raising her voice. “Everybody who got one is dead!”

“I didn't know that would happen. I thought they were all accidents, just like you did. I didn't realize that there was really a killer until Pete died.”

Jennifer and Tim looked confused, and Brian went on to explain. “I know Pete was murdered. I was with him when he parked the hearse, and I know he didn't back up to that garbage can.”

“You're sure?” Tim looked skeptical.

“I'm positive! That why I wrote this note to myself. I started this whole thing and now I've got to stop it!”

“Wait a minute.” Jennifer's eyes narrowed. “I believe you when you say you wrote the notes, but how about Kelly's things? The scarf, the ring, the pin . . . how did you do that?”

“That was easy, too. Kelly wore Tommy's pin for her class picture. I took a copy of her picture to the jewelry store and picked out a pin that looked just like it. And Kelly wrote me a note once, with one of her teddy bear seals. I just steamed it off and used it again.”

“How about the scarf?”

“She dropped it one day and I picked it up. I just never got around to returning it, that's all. And I knew her brand of lipstick. My sister wears the same color.”

“How did you get her class ring?” Tim still didn't look convinced. “I know it was Kelly's. Her initials were engraved on the inside of the band.”

“That took a little extra effort, but I managed to borrow it from Kelly's sister. I'll give it back when I get home.”

“
If
you get home.” Jennifer looked worried. “Don't send yourself that note, Brian . . . please! It's just asking for trouble.”

“I know that. But I have to do something. I was just guessing, but I stumbled on the truth. Somebody really killed Kelly and now they're killing us to cover up the crime.”

Tim and Jennifer were silent. They were so shocked, they couldn't think of anything to say.

“Hey, guys . . . I've got a plan.” Brian did his best to convince them. “If I get a note from Kelly, the killer will go after me. Don't you see? It's the only way we can catch him.”

“You can't do this, Brian.” Jennifer shook her head. “It's too risky.”

“No, it's not. We'll set a trap for the killer. You guys can help.”

Tim reached out to take Brian's arm. “You've been watching too many cop shows. This is a real killer. He's killed six people already. I agree with Jen. It's much too risky.”

“Look, guys . . . the killer's got to get rid of us. He can't let us go home and tell anyone what happened up here. So what are we going to do? Let him murder us all without fighting back?”

Tim glanced at Jennifer and she nodded. Brian had a point. The killer couldn't let them live.

“Okay.” Tim sighed. “But this is going to take some careful planning.”

Brian looked very serious as he faced them. “It shouldn't be that hard. I'll find the note when we all wake up from our nap. Then I'll come up here alone, and he'll try to kill me. Jennifer? Your job is to watch. And Tim? If anyone leaves the group, I want you to promise me you'll follow him.”

“That might work if the killer is one of us, but what if he isn't?” Jennifer sounded worried. “What if Tommy's right and there's another person hiding up here? We'll all be sitting down in the lobby like lumps and you'll be up here, alone with the killer!”

“I've got that covered.” Brian pointed to the microphone on the desk. “All I have to do is flick on this mike and call for help. You know how it works. I used it for all the sound effects when we rehearsed the skits. If you hear my voice on the loudspeaker, you can be up here in a flash.”

Jennifer glanced at Tim. He looked every bit as worried as she felt. “But, Brian . . . isn't there some other way?”

“I don't think so. I've thought it all through and it should work in theory. Look at it this way. It's the only chance we've got of staying alive. Now let's go back down there so you can act totally freaked when I find that note.”

 

They were all back in their sleeping bags again and Jennifer was amazed to see that Brian had actually managed to fall asleep. Either he was the craziest person alive, or he had nerves of pure steel. Tim appeared to be sleeping, too, and Jennifer wondered whether she was the only one who couldn't fall asleep. She'd just closed her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Lexie with a finger to her lips.

“Jen?” Lexie leaned close to whisper. “I've got to talk to you . . . alone!”

Jennifer whispered back, “We could go over to that table in the alcove, but we shouldn't leave the lobby.”

“Right.” Lexie stuck out her hand and pulled Jennifer to her feet. “Come on, Jen. It's really important.”

As soon as they'd pulled their chairs up to the table, Lexie started to frown. “Look, Jen . . . I've been your best friend for a long time, right?”

“Of course.”

“And I'm still your best friend?” Lexie looked very relieved when Jennifer nodded. “Then that gives me the right to tell you something you probably don't want to hear . . . right?”

“Uh . . . okay.” Jennifer braced herself. Lexie looked very serious.

“I woke up a while ago and you and Tim were gone. You don't deny that, do you?”

“No. I don't deny it. But . . .”

“I know that you probably wanted to be alone,” Lexie interrupted her. “I can understand that. People in love always want to be alone. But I think it's incredibly meshuga of you to leave the group. You'll have plenty of time to be alone with Tim when we get back home. And right now you could be asking for trouble if you sneak away like that! Don't forget there's a killer out there.”

“Yes, Mother Lexie.” Jennifer started to grin.

“It's
Yiddishe mama
. That means ‘Jewish mother,' and I know I'm acting like one. But I wouldn't be a true friend if I didn't warn you.”

“Okay. But aren't you going to ask me what Tim and I were doing?”

“No. It's none of my business. But . . . I think I can guess!”

Lexie began to blush and Jennifer giggled. It was totally out of character for Lexie to blush and she knew exactly what her best friend was thinking. “It's not what you think, Lexie. Tim and I were upstairs in the manager's office, talking to Brian.”

“Brian?” Lexie began to frown again. “He left the group, too?”

“He left first. Tim and I discovered he was gone and we went to find him.”

“Brian's even more meshuga than you are!” Lexie's frown deepened. “What was he doing up there?”

Jennifer hesitated, and then she made up her mind. She could trust Lexie to keep a secret and a third pair of eyes would help when Brian put his plan into motion. “I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone . . . not even Tommy.”

“I promise.”

“Brian was writing himself a note from Kelly.”

“
What?
“

Lexie looked shocked.

“It's true. Brian wrote those notes from Kelly. He was just trying to add a little excitement to our skit, but those notes set off Kelly's killer. And since Brian feels responsible for all the awful things that happened, he decided to set a trap for the killer.”

“What kind of a trap?” Lexie looked intrigued.

“He's going to find a note from Kelly. That'll make the killer concentrate on him. And then he's going to go up to the manager's office so the killer has the opportunity to catch him alone.”

Lexie slapped the side of her head with her hand. “
Vey iz mir!
“

“
Vay is meer
?” Jennifer repeated it. “What does that mean?”

“It's something like ‘woe is me' in Yiddish. So let me see if I've got this right. Brian's going to set a trap for the killer, using himself as bait?”

“Yes. If anyone leaves the group, Tim's going to follow them. And if the killer is someone who's hiding up here, Brian's going to call us on the loudspeaker.”

“I see.” Lexie sighed deeply. “And what will Tim do when this person tries to kill Brian?”

“Uh . . . I'm not sure. Catch him, I guess. We didn't really discuss that.”

“
Vey iz mir!
“ Lexie thumped the side of her head again.

“Jen . . . that just happens to be the most important part.”

Jennifer's face turned red. “You're right, Lexie. What do you think Tim should do?”

“He should arm himself. He's dealing with a dangerous killer. Where's the handgun Susie found in the drawer?”

“It's still in the drawer, but Pete took out all the bullets. And I don't know where he put them.”

“Let's just pray the killer doesn't know where he put them, either!” Lexie shook her head. “Okay, Jen. The gun's out. How about a knife?”

“There's a knife rack in the kitchen.”

“Good. Let's get a knife for Tim and hide the rest. How about other weapons?”

Jennifer thought fast. “There's the fireplace poker. Tim could hit him with that. And I think I saw a baseball bat in the storage room.”

“Those are all good ideas, but I think Tim'll have to settle for hitting him with his fist.”

“Why?”

“Because your time's run out. Brian just woke up.”

“Uh-oh!” Jennifer groaned as she glanced toward the group around the fireplace. Lexie was right. Brian had crawled out of his sleeping bag and as she watched, he unfolded the piece of Saddlepeak Lodge stationery. The jaws of the trap had sprung and they weren't even ready!

H
e almost laughed out loud as he watched Brian unfold the note. Thanks to Jennifer and Lexie, he knew exactly what was going to happen. When they'd gone over to the table in the alcove, he'd moved closer so that he could hear them. They hadn't been paying any attention to him. They'd been much too interested in discussing Brian's plan to trap the killer.

It was an interesting plan and he might have fallen into their trap if he hadn't been prepared. But he was always prepared and now he had the knowledge to outwit them. His father would have admired his cleverness . . . if it hadn't involved a series of murders. Dalton Prescott had one failing as a politician: He was a law-abiding man. He'd be shocked if he knew that his only son, Dale, didn't mind climbing over dead bodies on his road to success.

Dale put a concerned expression on his face. He was getting very good at hiding his true emotions. Miss Voelker's drama class had been helpful and he was turning into an excellent actor.

He would go far in the political world. Dale was sure of that. The important thing was to make sure he didn't get caught. He'd gotten away with killing Kelly and he'd keep right on getting away with murder. He was going to let them think that their silly plan had worked, and then he'd kill them all.

As he looked around the group, Dale felt a small tug of remorse. These were his friends and he liked them, but killing them was the only way out of this jam. Their deaths would look like a horrible tragedy, with one lone survivor. Dale Prescott would manage to get out of Saddlepeak Lodge alive.

Dale almost smiled as he imagined the stories in the newspapers. The headlines would read
TRAGIC
H
ALLOWEEN WEEKEND AT SADDLEPEAK LODGE.
The people in Foothill would talk about it for years. They'd praise young Dale Prescott for trying so valiantly to save his friends' lives. Of course, Dale wouldn't succeed, but that wouldn't matter. Everyone would hail him as a local hero. It would be just the boost his future political career would need, and he'd be the only one left alive who knew the truth about what had happened this fateful Halloween night.

 

“I don't understand you, Brian.” Tommy frowned deeply. “How can you laugh about something like this?”

“I'm laughing because I don't think it's real. This writing's different.”

“Who do you think wrote it?” Lexie asked the question, even though Jennifer had already told her the answer. She was playing along, just as Jennifer had told her to do.

“I don't know. It could have been Ronnie, or Susie, or Cheryl. We were all joking around about the séances and the notes. I'm going up to the manager's office to get the other notes, and we'll compare the writing.”

“You're going up there alone?” Tim sounded very worried. “I don't think that's a good idea.”

Dale nodded. “Tim's right. Maybe we should all go with you.”

“That's not necessary.” Brian turned and headed for the door. “You guys stay here. I told you before, this note's not real. I'll just grab the other ones and bring them down here.”

“Do you think I should go with him, just in case?” Tommy stood up.

“No.” Jennifer shook her head. She was following the plan they'd worked out with Brian. “I'm sure Brian's right. He examined the other notes and he's very good with handwriting. If this note isn't like the others, Brian doesn't have anything to worry about.”

“Okay . . . if you're sure.” Tommy gave a deep sigh and sat down. But after a few moments, he stood up again. “It's beginning to get dark. I'm going outside for more firewood while there's still enough light to see. We're going to need it if we're planning to stay up all night.”

Jennifer felt her heart jump to her throat as Tommy went out the door. Tim had promised Brian that he'd follow anyone who left the group, but they'd had no idea it would be his own twin brother!

“Stay here. I'll be right back.” Tim got to his feet. “I'm going to see if Tommy needs some help.”

Jennifer and Lexie exchanged anxious glances. Could Tommy be the killer? He'd been grief-stricken when Kelly had died. At least everyone had
thought
he'd been grief-stricken. How could Tommy have killed the girl he loved? And how about Zada? Why had he murdered her? And Melanie and Ronnie and Susie. They'd all been good friends since grade school! And then there was Cheryl, the girl Tommy had seemed to want to date. And Pete, everyone's favorite teacher. It just didn't make sense!

There was a crackle from the loudspeaker and Jennifer and Lexie looked up. But the speaker was silent again. No cry for help. No word from Brian. Was everything all right in the manager's office?

That was when it happened, something so unexpected that Jennifer almost gasped out loud. Dale got to his feet and headed for the door.

“Dale! Where are you going?” Lexie's voice was shaking.

“To the kitchen.” Dale stopped with his hand on the door. “I'm hungry and I'm going to make myself a sandwich.”

Jennifer was so nervous, it took her a moment to find her voice. “You . . . you don't have to do that. I'll make you a sandwich.”

“No way.” Dale laughed. “I believe in women's lib and I can make my own sandwich. Besides, I need to stretch my legs. Do you girls want me to bring you back something?”

Jennifer shook her head. “No, thank you. I'm not hungry. But do you really think it's safe to go off alone?”

“I'm not worried.” Dale turned to Lexie. “How about you? Would you like a sandwich?”

Lexie shook her head. “Uh . . . no, thanks. I'm not hungry, either.”

“How about some water? A soda? A cup of hot chocolate?” Both Jennifer and Lexie shook their heads and Dale gave them a friendly smile. “Okay. I'll be back in a couple of minutes.”

The moment the door had closed behind him, Lexie rushed over to Jennifer. “Okay, Jen. What do we do
now
?”

“I don't know. We never talked about what to do if two people left.”

“Well, we can't just sit here.” Lexie sounded freaked. “We've got to do something!”

“You're absolutely right. Let's go, Lexie. Since Tim's busy following Tommy, we'll just have to follow Dale ourselves!”

 

Tim stayed in the shadows, several feet behind Tommy. This simply had to be a mistake! Tommy couldn't be the killer, but he had promised to follow anyone who left and he would. They'd have to talk when all this was over. He'd tell Tommy that he'd never really doubted him and Tommy would say that he would have done the same thing, in Tim's place. Then they'd laugh about it and there would be no hard feelings or trouble between . . .

No! This couldn't be happening! Tim's eyes widened as he watched Tommy pick up a club-sized log and turn around to leave the woodpile. His twin brother was carrying the log like a weapon and he was heading around to the side door of the lodge. What was Tommy
doing
?

Heart pounding fast, Tim followed his brother inside the lodge and up the back stairs. Tommy was going toward the manager's office and he was armed with a club!

Tim could barely believe his own eyes. He'd told Jennifer that he was worried about Tommy's state of mind, but he'd never expected it to get this bad. He didn't believe for a minute that Tommy had killed Kelly. That was completely impossible. But Tommy had been devastated when Kelly had died, and he'd never gotten over his love for her. His twin brother had been grasping at straws. Because he'd wanted so much to see Kelly again, he'd talked himself into believing that their séance had worked. And then, when Brian had pulled his stunt with the notes from Kelly, it had pushed Tommy over the edge.

At first Tommy had been amused by the notes from Kelly, but he'd come to believe they were real. And then he'd agonized over those notes, wondering why Kelly hadn't contacted him. In his crazed mind, he must have thought that Kelly had rejected him and now he was taking his revenge. Tommy had killed everyone who'd received those fake notes from Kelly, and now he was after Brian.

It was painful to contemplate, but Tim had to face reality. His brother was carrying a club, a lethal weapon. And he was climbing the stairs to the manager's office to find Brian. Tommy was completely insane. That was the only explanation. His insane twin brother was going to kill Brian and he had to find a way to stop him!

Tim held his breath as Tommy hesitated at the door to the manager's office. Perhaps Tommy wouldn't go in. Perhaps there was some other reason he'd picked up the club from the woodpile. Perhaps . . . but no. Tommy was turning the doorknob and going into the manager's office!

There wasn't time to think. There was only time to act. And Tim acted quickly, using the element of surprise. Before Tommy could raise the club from his shoulder, he jumped his twin brother, grabbing the club and attempting to wrestle him to the floor.

“Hey!” Tommy whirled around with deadly intent, but when he saw who had jumped him, he dropped his club in shock. “Tim? Hey, bro
. . . what are you doing?
“

But before Tim could answer, something happened that made them all stop dead in their tracks. There was a tremendous crash of thunder and the generator went out, plunging the room into semidarkness.

Jennifer put her eye to the crack in the kitchen door and then pushed it open. “He's not here! We've lost him, Lexie!”

“He hasn't had time to go very far. Listen . . . maybe we can hear him.”

Both girls stepped back into the hallway and listened. And then they heard it, the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

“Hold on a second.” Lexie dashed back into the kitchen and pulled two knives from the butcher-block holder. She handed one to Jennifer and then she motioned to the stairs. “Now we're armed. Let's follow him!”

“Which way did he go?” Jennifer stopped when they reached the landing and leaned back to whisper. If Dale was the killer, she didn't want him to know that they were behind him.

“Up there!” Lexie whispered, too, as she pointed to the second set of stairs. “I can hear him on the third floor!”

Heart pounding in fear, Jennifer climbed to the third floor, Lexie close behind her. But when she reached the top of the stairs, she heard footsteps running toward the back staircase. “He's going down again! Let's go!”

When they reached the back stairs, they heard a door bang shut on the landing. Dale was on the mezzanine, the same floor as the manager's office!

Jennifer's legs were trembling as they tiptoed down the stairs and eased open the door. But before they could step out onto the mezzanine, there was a bolt of lightning, an ear-splitting crash of thunder, and a sizzling pop as the lights went out.

“Oh, my God!” Jennifer was so frightened she forgot to whisper. “What was
that
?”

“I think lightning just struck the generator. Come on, There's no time to waste!”

Jennifer tiptoed onto the mezzanine, peering into the gathering darkness. They hadn't gone more than a few feet before she saw a shadowy figure ahead in the semidarkness. He was bending over by one of the potted palm trees that were placed at regular intervals on the mezzanine.

“There he is!” Jennifer's voice was a frightened whisper.

“I see him. I think he's tying his shoe.”

Jennifer's eyes were adjusting to the dim light and she could see him more clearly now. “What should we do?”

“Let's go around the other way. If we can make it to the manager's office before he gets there, we can warn Brian. He's a sitting duck in there!”

Jennifer followed Lexie as they reversed their direction. The mezzanine was built in a circle, overlooking the lobby, the dining room, and the library. When they passed the spot where Ronnie had fallen, Jennifer shuddered. If Dale had killed Ronnie, he would surely kill Brian if they didn't get to the manager's office in time.

 

Dale felt like shouting out in triumph. His plan had worked. He'd heard Tommy and Tim come up the back stairs and he knew they were in the manager's office with Brian. Now the girls would join them and soon he could put the second half of his plan into motion.

Jennifer and Lexie were just passing the section of the mezzanine that overlooked the library. He could hear their soft footsteps on the carpet. As soon as they went into the manager's office, he'd be ready to act.

Dale pulled the master key out of his pocket. This was a little like shooting fish in a barrel, but he didn't have time for any more games. He'd lock them all in the manager's office together. They didn't know there was no way to get out, once he'd locked the bolt from the outside. At first they'd think they were safe behind the closed door, but eventually they'd realize that they were prisoners. Doomed prisoners. Prisoners who would die before this Halloween night was over so they'd never be able to tell the story of how Dale Prescott had murdered them all.