by Jo Gibson
The next two hours passed in a frenzy of work. Julie made the bed while Ross vacuumed. He cleaned the mirrors and glass, she dusted. He put out the towels, and she made sure the bathrooms were spotless. And then they went on to the next room and did it all over again.
“All through?” Aunt Caroline looked up as they appeared in the doorway of 219.
Julie nodded. “Everything’s done. Shall we start on the sandwich platters?”
“Ross and I’ll do that. Did you call Donna and Paul?”
“I tried, but the answering machine was on.”
“Try again. And if you can’t get an answer, call Dave. Or even Ryan. We could use some help tonight.”
Julie went down to the switchboard and dialed again. She left a message explaining the situation, but it was Saturday afternoon, and Donna had mentioned something about shopping for new furniture. Their grandmother was coming to stay with them for six weeks while she recovered from knee surgery. The whole Kirby family had been busy all week, getting the guest house ready for her.
There was no answer at Dave’s house and his parents didn’t have an answering machine. She’d have to try again later. Ryan was next, and Julie called the Stratford mansion. The housekeeper answered, and told her that Ryan and his father had gone to New York for the weekend. Julie went to the kitchen to report to her aunt, but Aunt Caroline didn’t seem very worried. They could manage on their own if they had to.
It was almost four when Ross and Aunt Caroline were ready to leave for the airport, and Julie went out on the steps to wave goodbye. Ross went first, driving the lodge van. As soon as he’d started down the driveway, Aunt Caroline rolled down the window of the station wagon and motioned Julie closer.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right here alone?” Aunt Caroline looked worried.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You’re welcome to ride to the airport with me. We can manage to squeeze you in.”
Julie shook her head. “No thanks, Aunt Caroline. You need someone here to man the switchboard.”
“That’s true. But I don’t like to leave you all by yourself. There’s a storm blowing in, and this big old place can be scary at night. Will you promise to keep calling Donna until you get her? She can come over and keep you company until we get back.”
“I’ll call her again, right after you leave.” Julie gave her aunt a reassuring smile. “Go ahead, Aunt Caroline. You don’t want to be late.”
“All right . . . if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. I’m not a child, Aunt Caroline. I’ve stayed alone before. And you’ll be back soon.”
Aunt Caroline nodded and started to drive away. Then she backed up and stuck her head out the window again. “If I see anybody on the way through town, I’ll send them up. And Julie? It wouldn’t hurt to lock the doors until we get back.”
Julie was grinning as she went back inside the lodge. She was perfectly capable of staying here alone. She’d lock the doors, as Aunt Caroline had told her, put some good music on the lodge stereo system, and read that new thriller she’d picked up at the gift shop.
One glance at the cover of the thriller, and Julie decided to read something else. The story was about a serial killer who attacked young women who lived alone. She’d promised to write an article for the school paper, and she’d work on that instead. There was certainly nothing frightening about the field trip the French class had taken to the new bistro. Of course, Donna wouldn’t agree. She’d turned as white as a sheet when she’d discovered that the escargots Julie had ordered were snails.
Julie had just finished her article when she realized that she could barely see the page. Dusk was falling, and huge purple shadows crept across the base of the mountains. She switched on the light and glanced at the clock. It was almost five-thirty. If the plane had arrived on time, Ross and Aunt Caroline would be loading their passengers and starting the long drive up the mountain.
The outside lights flickered on, and Julie glanced out over the peaceful grounds. It wouldn’t be long now. They’d be here in less than an hour. Then she remembered her promise to call Donna and she dialed again. One, two, three rings, and the answering machine picked up. Julie waited for the beep, and then she recorded her message.
“Hi, Donna. It’s Julie. I’m here all alone, and Aunt Caroline made me promise to call you. They’re at the airport, picking up a party of twenty-two. Call me back the minute you get in. Aunt Caroline wants you and Paul to work tonight.”
Five minutes later, it was completely dark outside. The phone rang again, and Julie picked it up with a smile on her face. It was probably Donna, saying she was on the way. “Saddlepeak Lodge. This is Julie. How may I help you?”
“You’ve been a very bad girl, Vicki. You thought you could hide it from me, but you can’t. I saw you with him. I know what you’re doing. I warned you, and you refused to listen. I love you, baby, and I don’t want to hurt you again, but you’ve given me no other choice.”
There was a click and then a dial tone. Julie sat in stunned silence for a moment, and then she leaped up from the desk. He was out there, watching her, and she was all alone!
The big front door was securely locked, but how about the back? And the side? Julie ran to the side door and slid the bolt home with a resounding clunk. Then she raced to the outside door in the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw it was securely locked.
Her heart was pounding, and she sagged against the wall in relief. She was safe. There was no way he could get inside. Then she thought about the words that whispery voice had spoken, and she grabbed Mrs. Robinson’s chef’s knife, just in case. He was insane. He’d called her “Vicki,” even though she’d said her name plainly when she’d answered the phone. In his deranged mind, he thought she was Vicki, come to life again!
Julie shuddered. She’d go back to the switchboard and watch the front door. And if he tried to get in, she’d call Sheriff Nelson.
She was just entering the lobby when she heard it, a creaking noise in one of the rooms upstairs. The doors were securely locked, but what if someone was in the lodge with her? What if the stalker had been inside all along? He could have made the call from an inside phone!
Julie took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. The lodge was an old building, and old buildings sometimes creaked in the wind. Aunt Caroline had warned her that it could be scary at night, especially if the wind picked up.
She glanced out the window and saw the pine trees swaying, their branches whipping back and forth in the wind. The storm had arrived. But it was almost six-thirty, and they should be back any minute. She’d sit at the switchboard, her finger on the one-button emergency code for Sheriff Nelson, just in case.
She had almost reached the switchboard when the lights went out. Julie gasped and stopped in her tracks. The moon cast huge, looming shadows through the lobby windows, and even the overstuffed leather couches looked menacing. But it wasn’t unusual for the power to go out during a storm, and the wind was blowing even harder now.
Julie clutched the knife and tiptoed silently around the desk. The icy snow pelting against the glass sounded like snare drums, rattling faster and faster until they reached a frightening crescendo. The wind was howling now, screeching around the corner of the building, moaning and shrieking like some giant, prehistoric animal in pain.
Then she heard it again, and she huddled behind the desk. She hadn’t been imagining things. There was someone on the second floor, moving toward the main staircase. The top step creaked, and Julie’s heart pounded hard in her chest. One of the workmen? No, they’d loaded their truck and left at five o’clock. It was the stalker! And he was inside the lodge!
Then, as if to confirm her worst nightmare, the whispery voice floated down from the top of the staircase. “Come out, Vicki. I know you’re here. You’ve been a very bad girl.”
Julie reached up and grabbed the phone. She had to call Sheriff Nelson. But there was no dial tone. The stalker had cut the p
hone line!
“Come out, Vicki.” The voice was nearer now, and Julie heard a footstep on the second stair. “It won’t do any good to hide. I checked all the rooms, and I know you’re down here. Come to Daddy, and take your punishment like a good girl.”
Daddy? Julie’s mind whirled in dizzy circles. It was Uncle Bob! And he thought she was Vicki! Julie was so shocked, the knife clattered from her hand. And then she heard another stair creak, and then another. He was coming down to get her!
Julie knew she didn’t have time to look for the knife. It was very dark, and it might take her precious moments to find it. Instead, she forced her trembling legs to move, across the floor toward the back staircase. She had to sneak up the back stairs and hide in her room. It was the safest place. He’d already checked it and found it empty.
Quietly, stealthily, Julie opened the door to the staircase. This was a deadly game of hide and seek, and she was “it.” She couldn’t let Uncle Bob find her, not if she wanted to live. He’d kill her, just as he’d killed Vicki!
The narrow stairwell had no windows, and now, with the power out, it was pitch black. It was also unheated, and Julie shivered as a blast of cold air came out to meet her. Thank goodness Donna had shown her this staircase! They’d used it to carry Vicki’s tapes to the fourth floor, and it had been scary even with the lights on. Since no one used it anymore, it was cleaned only once a year, and Julie shuddered as she remembered the dust and spiderwebs that they’d encountered.
Julie stepped into the dark, cold space and shut the door silently behind her. She shivered as she reached out and grabbed the banister. Spiderwebs were creepy, but she was glad the back staircase was in such disreputable condition. Uncle Bob would never think to look for her here.
She seemed to remember that the staircase had creaked, and she stayed close to the wall, trying to avoid the center of the steps. The back staircase had never been intended to be used by guests, even when the lodge was first built. It was an employee staircase, and since the elevator had been installed, it hadn’t been used at all. Julie held tightly to the rail with one hand while she brushed the wall with the other. How many steps until she reached the landing? It seemed she’d been climbing forever in this cold, dark, airless place.
The banister ended abruptly, and Julie stumbled slightly. Seventeen steps. She’d count them from now on, and hope that there were the same number between each floor. She stepped out on the second-floor landing, her heart beating so rapidly she was afraid she might faint. What if Uncle Bob had heard her? He could be lurking behind the door that led to the second-floor hallway, ready to leap out and grab her as she crept by.
Julie hesitated, shrinking back against the wall. But she couldn’t stay here forever. She had to get up to her room, where she could lock the door. Crossing the landing was a chance she had to take. It was only way she could get to the next flight of stairs.
She held her breath as she tiptoed across the landing and turned the corner. She’d made it! There were seventeen more steps to climb to the third floor, and Julie counted as she climbed. She didn’t want to stumble again.
It seemed to take forever to reach the third-floor landing. She tiptoed across it, trying to calm the rapid tattoo of her heart. Another seventeen steps and she was on the fourth floor landing. Now all she had to do was open the hallway door, slip inside, and race to her room.
Julie grasped the doorknob and turned it. But nothing happened! It was locked! She swallowed down her sudden panic and tried again. It was no use. The doorknob wouldn’t turn. What would happen if she stayed here on the stairs? Would Uncle Bob find her before Ross and Aunt Caroline got home?
Suddenly a horrible thought flashed through Julie’s mind. What if the reservation had been a fake, a trick to lure Aunt Caroline and Ross to the airport? Uncle Bob could have used his whispery voice as a disguise, so Aunt Caroline wouldn’t recognize it. If Uncle Bob had made that call, there would be no guests at the airport. And Ross and Aunt Caroline might wait for hours for a plane that would never arrive!
Frantically, Julie tugged at the door. It flew open with a jerk, and she almost fell. The knob had never been designed to turn. It was just a handle to pull the door.
The hallway was as dark as the stairwell, and Julie peered into its inky blackness as she took a tentative step inside. The moon would have seemed as bright as day right now, but its light was blocked by two outside walls.
Julie felt her way down the hallway, touching the wall as she went. Distances were deceiving, and she almost crashed into the double antique doors. The key was in her pocket and she unlocked them quickly. Then she stepped inside, comforted by the bright moonlight streaming in the living room window, and hurried to her room, stepping in and locking her door behind her. But Uncle Bob was strong, and the flimsy lock wouldn’t keep him out for long. Julie glanced around the room, her eyes stopping at the heavy dresser that was only a few feet from the door.
The dresser scraped as she pushed it across the floor. If luck was with her, he wouldn’t hear it. But even if he did, it would take him precious minutes to break· the lock on her door and push the heavy piece of furniture out of the way.
Now there was nothing to do but wait. Julie sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the door, her heart pounding in fear. How long would it take for Uncle Bob to find her? Aunt Caroline and Ross just had to get here before he broke into her room and killed her!
Sixteen
“Was that the phone?” Donna frowned as she unplugged the vacuum.
“Don’t worry about it. I turned on the answering machine.” Paul climbed down from the ladder and stood back to survey the paint he’d just applied to the walls. “Do you see any spots I missed?”
“It looks good to me. I think Grandma’s going to love this color. Mom says she’s always wanted a pink bedroom.”
“It looks like the inside of a Pepto Bismol bottle to me.” Paul sighed as he began gathering up his painting supplies. “I just hope it dries before the furniture gets here tomorrow.”
Donna nodded and smiled at him. “It’ll dry. We’ll leave the window open. I’m getting hungry. Do you want to go out for a hamburger?”
“Sure. You finish up in here and I’ll put the painting stuff away.”
Donna glanced around the room with pride. They’d really worked hard today. The guest house had never been used for anything except storage, and they’d moved what seemed like hundreds of boxes into the garage.
“Ready?” Paul appeared in the doorway.
“Almost.” Donna walked over to the basket under the mail slot and picked it up, intending to take it into the kitchen to clean it. Then she noticed that there was an envelope inside.
“Oh, great. Grandma’s already getting junk mail.” Donna pulled out the envelope, and frowned as she saw the name written on the front. “It must be for you, Paul. It’s addressed to Rock.”
Paul reached over and grabbed the envelope out of Donna’s hand. His face had turned a pasty white, and Donna stared at him in alarm. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s got to be from Vicki.”
“But . . . how? Vicki’s dead!”
“She must have left it here on the night she died. She always dropped notes here for me. I checked it every morning, but I stopped the night I heard she was dead.”
Paul’s hands were shaking as he ripped open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. He held it for a long moment, without unfolding it.
“Go ahead.” Donna nudged him. “Read it, Paul. It might be important! Don’t you want to know what it says?”
“Not really.” Paul stared down at the letter as if it were a bomb ready to explode.
“Well, I do!” Donna snatched it from Paul’s hand and unfolded it quickly. “I’ll read it to you. Sit down.”
Paul looked dazed as he sat on the edge of the bed. His face was still white, and Donna couldn’t blame him for being freaked. Reading a letter from a dead girl was like getting a summons from the g
rave.
“Relax. It’s probably nothing.” Donna patted him on the shoulder. She could understand why Paul was upset, but there was no way she was going to pass up an opportunity to know what Vicki had been thinking on the night she died.
“ ‘Dear Rock.’ ” Donna’s voice was hushed as she read the words. “ ‘I know I hurt you, and I’m really sorry. But you’re still my best friend, and I have to tell someone. Maybe you’ll understand, but if you don’t, C’est la vie.’ ”
Paul frowned, and Donna explained. “C’est la vie means, ‘That’s life.’ Vicki took French last year, remember?”
“ ‘I’m leaving tonight to marry Ross. He’s waiting for me down in Denver. I set him up, Paul. Right after the Halloween Party, I spiked his beer with vodka. And then I sneaked into his room, so I’d be there when he woke up the next morning.’ ”
Donna turned to look at Paul, but he was just sitting on the bed, staring off into space. She turned back to the letter again.
“ ‘Of course, nothing happened. He was out like a light. I know it was mean, but I had to do something. And then I waited six weeks and told him that I was pregnant. I figured he’d do the right thing and ask me to marry him, and he did. So I’m going to. And that’ll get me out of here, to someplace that’s safe.’ ”
Donna turned to look at her brother again. He looked absolutely miserable. Maybe reading Vicki’s letter out loud wasn’t such a good idea. “You look sick, Paul. Do you want me to stop?”
“No. Finish it.”
“ ‘I know you didn’t believe me when I told you about the stalker. Mom didn’t, either. Everybody thinks I’m crazy, but I’m not. He’s out there, and he’s going to kill me if I don’t get away. I’m going to wait a couple of weeks, and then I’ll tell Ross I lost the baby. Then I’ll get a job, and I’ll work really hard to be a good wife. I owe him that for taking me away from this horrible place!’ ”
Donna glanced at Paul again, and they locked eyes. “This doesn’t sound like a suicide note, does it?”
