by Jo Gibson
But as Tim opened the door and Jennifer stepped inside the haunted lodge, she had the terrible feeling that nothing would ever be all right again.
Jennifer’s uneasiness faded the moment they joined the excited crowd of students inside. There were twenty rooms on the second floor and an equal number on the third. They’d decided that the second floor should be the girls’ domain, and Tim carried Jennifer’s bag up the staircase to her room.
Tim placed her bag on the bed and turned to smile. “My room’s right above yours. If you need me, all you have to do is throw something at the ceiling.”
“Thanks, Tim. And if you need me, just knock on the floor.”
After Tim had left to get settled in his own room, Jennifer unpacked the things she’d brought. They were going to hold their dress rehearsal with Pete, stay overnight in the rooms they’d chosen, and make sure everything was ready for tomorrow night’s performance. Miss Voelker would ride up the next afternoon on the bus with the children, and then grade their performances.
Jennifer had chosen a room that faced the front of the lodge. When she was through hanging up her costume and unpacking her makeup, she walked to the window and pulled back the curtains so she could look out. A light rain was beginning to fall and Jennifer frowned as she thought of Zada. If it was raining hard, would Zada come to their rehearsal as she’d promised?
As Jennifer stood there, watching the raindrops splatter against the pavement, she noticed that Pete had moved the hearse to the parking lot at the side of the driveway so that the other students could unload their things. Lexie would feel better now that it wasn’t parked right in front. Jennifer could understand why Lexie had shivered when she’d seen the hearse. Her favorite aunt had died in September and Lexie’s family had flown back east for the funeral. The hearse was a sad reminder that Lexie would never see her Aunt Leah again.
Surprisingly, the hearse didn’t bother Jennifer at all. Perhaps she was finally getting over being so timid. But her imagination still kicked into high gear once in a while. It had happened today, when they’d arrived at the lodge, and she’d wanted to cancel the séance. If Tim hadn’t snapped her out of it, they would have blown their grades and missed the chance to help Tommy.
There was a tap on her door and Jennifer went to open it. It was Tim, and she gave him a big smile. “Hi, Tim. Are you ready to go down and help?”
“I’m ready. Pete says it’s cold downstairs. They turned up the heat and started a fire in the fireplace, but it’ll take a while for a big place like this to warm up. Did you bring a jacket?”
“I’ve got my long parka coat, but that’s kind of heavy. Won’t my sweatshirt be enough?”
“No way. It’s barely fifty degrees.” Tim glanced at her Foothill High sweatshirt and frowned. “You’d better put this on, just in case.”
Jennifer’s eyes widened as Tim draped his Foothill High letter jacket over her shoulders. Did this mean what she thought it meant? At Foothill High, the students had decided to revive some of the customs of the fifties and sixties. When class rings were exchanged, it meant that a couple was engaged to be engaged. And letter jackets were much more than a simple award for doing well in athletics. When a girl wore a guy’s letter jacket, it meant that she was dating him exclusively. What would Tommy think if he saw her in his twin brother’s letter jacket?
“Thanks, Tim. But—” Jennifer stopped in mid-sentence and blushed. She wasn’t sure how to ask Tim what the letter jacket signified.
It was as if Tim had read her mind, because he grinned at her. “Relax, Jen. You can tell everyone you just borrowed my jacket to keep warm. Unless you’d rather say something else?”
“Oh. Yes, that’s fine.” Jennifer knew she wasn’t answering the question, but she wasn’t sure what she should say. Rather than risk hurting Tim’s feelings, she just thrust her arms into the sleeves and pulled the jacket close around her. It was wonderfully warm and smelled slightly of aftershave, a scent she found very pleasing. “Thank you, Tim.”
“You’re welcome.
Tim was grinning as they went down the stairs, and Jennifer hoped she hadn’t given him the wrong idea. But wearing Tim’s letter jacket made her feel very special, and she couldn’t help smiling as they walked into the kitchen, where the other students had gathered.
Lexie didn’t see them at first. She was busy, helping Susie and Tommy carve the pumpkins that Pete had brought in the back of the hearse. But when Lexie turned and caught sight of Jennifer in Tim’s letter jacket, her eyes widened and she started to smile.
Jennifer shook her head slightly to let Lexie know that Tim’s jacket didn’t mean what she thought it did. Lexie’s smile faded abruptly, and Jennifer thought she looked a bit disappointed.
Tommy didn’t react to the letter jacket at all. He just handed her a hollowed-out pumpkin and cleared a space for them at the counter. Jennifer couldn’t tell whether he just hadn’t noticed that she was wearing Tim’s jacket, or whether he really didn’t care.
The art class had made some stencils and Jennifer took one from the box on the counter. She traced the stencil on her pumpkin with a black marking pen and handed it to Tim. She was tracing her third stencil when Tommy tapped her on the shoulder.
“Nice jacket, Jen.” He winked at her. “Does it belong to anyone I know?”
Jennifer was about to tell him that she’d only borrowed Tim’s jacket because she was cold. But then she noticed that everyone was listening. She didn’t want to embarrass Tim, so she smiled and settled for telling the absolute truth. “It’s Tim’s jacket. And I think it’s very nice, too.”
Five
Lexie waited until they were carrying the pumpkins out to the lobby and no one was near enough to overhear their conversation. “You really blew it this time, Jen. Why didn’t you tell Tommy that you weren’t dating Tim?”
“I guess I should have, but I didn’t want to embarrass Tim.”
“Are you sure that’s the only reason?” Lexie started to grin.
“Of course it is. Tim looked worried about what I was going to say, and everyone else was listening.”
“Right. And you were more concerned about how Tim would feel than you were about giving Tommy the wrong impression. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
Jennifer shrugged. “Not really. What do you think it tells me?”
“I think you like Tim much better than you like Tommy.”
“You’re crazy!” Jennifer scowled at her friend. “I told you before. I think I’m in love with Tommy.”
But Lexie just laughed as she headed back to the kitchen for another load of pumpkins. “Think again, Jen. And this time, try to be honest with yourself.”
All during dinner, Jennifer thought about what Lexie had said. Was it true? Did she like Tim more than Tommy? She certainly liked wearing Tim’s letter jacket. Just knowing that it belonged to him made her feel toasty warm inside. But wouldn’t she feel even better if she were wearing Tommy’s jacket?
“You’re really quiet tonight, Jen.” Tim passed her the platter of sandwiches that the home economics class had made. “Are you worried about the séance?”
Jennifer passed the platter of sandwiches to Susie, who was sitting next to her, and then she leaned closer to Tim. “I’m not worried about the séance anymore. I’m just wondering if Zada’s really going to drive all the way up the mountain in the rain.”
“Maybe she won’t have to drive.”
Tim grinned, a sure sign that he was about to crack a joke, and Jennifer decided to beat him to the punch line. “You mean she might come on her broomstick?”
“Maybe.” Tim was still grinning. “But modern witches don’t use broomsticks anymore. Now they prefer to ride on—”
“Dust busters!” Jennifer finished the joke for him and they both cracked up.
“Okay, gang!” Pete stood up and clapped his hands for silence. “It’s five-thirty and dress rehearsal’s at seven. I’ve posted a schedule on the bulletin board by the registr
ation counter. Make sure you know what time you’re performing. Check your props, put on your costumes and makeup, and we’ll meet down here in the lobby at six-thirty.”
There was a flurry of activity as they hurried to put away the food and clear the table. Then everyone headed for the stairs to get ready for their rehearsal.
Jennifer felt the first flutters of excitement as she climbed up the staircase with Tim. “I checked the schedule and we’re on last.”
“I know. I asked Pete to do it that way. I wanted to give everyone else time to take off their makeup and get into regular clothes for the séance.”
“That makes sense.” They were almost at her door. She slipped out of Tim’s letter jacket and held it out to him with a smile. “I guess I’d better give this back. Thanks, Tim. It’s a great jacket. I really liked wearing it.”
But Tim didn’t take the jacket. He just grinned and stepped back. “If you like it, keep it. It looks really good on you.”
Jennifer stared after him as he turned and walked down the hall. He wanted her to keep the jacket! But why? And for how long? She almost called him back to ask him, but she didn’t. She just hugged the jacket close to her chest and carried it into her room.
He stared at the schedule and frowned. Tim and Jennifer were doing their séance last. That meant he’d have to worry about it through all the other performances.
The séance itself was no problem. There was no way the spirits of the dead could contact the living. He was quite sure about that. But the purpose for the séance was another matter. Were Jennifer and Tim suspicious about Kelly’s death? Was the séance a trick to trap him into saying something he’d regret later?
Of course, he’d be very careful about what he said, but he couldn’t sit there silently. If he didn’t say anything at all, everyone would wonder why. He had to walk a fine line between reacting as one of the characters in the séance skit should and not revealing anything that might lead to further questions. So far, he’d managed that beautifully. Kelly hadn’t told anyone their terrible secret and he’d silenced her forever before it could surface. But now Kelly’s spirit was supposed to speak to them. And there was always the possibility that some smart person would start to put two and two together.
He paced the floor in his small room and wished he could think of some way to stop the séance. But he’d thought it all out and that just didn’t seem possible. If he objected, there would be even more questions—perhaps the very ones that might lead to his downfall. If he’d only handled things differently back when it had all started!
The rain was pounding against the windowpane so hard it hurt his head. It had been raining then, too. It had rained all day, clearing for only a few hours in the early evening and then starting again, soaking them both.
He sat down on the corner of the bed, holding his aching head, and trying to think of something else. But memories of Kelly, images that he’d pushed from his consciousness, swirled in front of his mind. So beautiful, even with dripping hair and a wet dress plastered to her lovely body. So sweet. And so warm and loving. He could remember the way she’d smelled, a fresh scent that had reminded him of purple lilacs glistening with dew in the morning sun. And her smile. Those perfect teeth. Those generous lips that had clung to his. It hadn’t mattered that she’d been out of her head on the allergy pills her doctor had prescribed, so dizzy and disoriented that she’d asked him to drive her home. The pills had made her giggle at everything, even the fact that neither one of them had a raincoat, and they’d been laughing as they’d dashed out to her car.
And then he was back, back to that wonderful, horrible night. It was the night that their fates had been sealed together forever.
They were in the cabin on Gull Lake. It was the closest place to get warm and he’d known that the family wasn’t coming out this weekend. Kelly was wrapped in a blanket he’d taken from one of the beds. She was still shivering, sipping the cup of soup he’d heated for her.
“How’s that?” He stepped back from the blaze he’d started in the fireplace and smiled at her. “Give it a couple of minutes, and it should be warm in here.”
Kelly smiled at him and leaned closer to the fire. “It’s nice. I think I’m warming up already.”
“That’s probably the hot soup.” He smiled as he sat down on the couch next to her.
“Probably. Thanks for bailing me out tonight. You’re really sweet.”
He laughed. Kelly was bombed if she thought he was sweet. But she seemed very serious as she stared up at him.
“Why are you laughing? You are sweet!”
He was still laughing as she reached up to towel off her hair. But he stopped abruptly when the blanket slipped down to her waist.
There was no way that he could resist. She looked so beautiful in the firelight and she didn’t seem to realize that the blanket had slipped. A guy would have to be made of stone to resist a beautiful, half-naked girl like Kelly. And no one would have to know.
Once he’d made up his mind, he moved quickly, pulling her close and kissing her warm, trembling lips. At first she resisted, trying to push him away. It was clear she hadn’t really meant the invitation he was sure he’d seen in her eyes. She said something about the allergy pills and how dizzy she was. And then she told him that she just wanted to go home.
But it was too late to turn back. He’d been thinking about her all night and now she was here, alone with him. If she hadn’t wanted this to happen, she wouldn’t have asked him to drive her home.
He pulled off the blanket and pushed her down on the couch. Her body was beautiful in the firelight, and he could see tan lines from the bikini she’d worn at the lake. He reached out to trace them with his fingers and when she tried to stop him, he clamped his lips over hers and took possession of her mouth.
Any restraint he might have had disappeared in the fire of passion. This wasn’t the time to think of consequences. That could come later, after he’d satisfied his blazing need. He paid no attention to her desperate struggles. She would be his tonight.
There was no one to hear her when she cried out. The cabin was set back from the main road and no one knew they were here. Beautiful Kelly, so warm and so loving. It was a night he’d remember for the rest of his life.
The phone rang once, bringing him back to the present with a jolt. It was a signal that they were ready to start the entertainment. He had to mask his feelings, go downstairs, and pretend to be part of the group.
There was time for only one more memory as he picked up his things and headed for the door. He hadn’t lied to Kelly afterwards, when he’d held her in his arms and soothed away her tears. He’d told her that everything would work out for the best. And it had, now that she was dead.
The call came right as Tommy and Cheryl’s skit was about to begin. They all heard the phone on the reservations desk ring, and a moment later Brian was calling for Pete over the loudspeakers.
“I’ll be right back.” Pete looked a little disgruntled. “Just relax for a minute, and we’ll pick up right where we left off.”
The phone call took a little longer than Pete had expected, and when he came back, he was frowning. “That was Miss Voelker. They’re having a really bad storm in Foothill, and she called to see if we were all right.”
“But it’s barely raining up here.” Cheryl pointed to the window where only a few drops were hitting the glass.
“We’re almost twenty miles away.” Tommy slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little hug. “It’ll take a while for it to get to us . . . if it does. Did Miss Voelker say it was headed our way?”
Pete nodded. “That’s what she told me. She called the National Weather Bureau right before she called us. They told her it’s supposed to blow over by tomorrow afternoon, just in time for the buses to drive up here.”
“That’s a relief!” Dale started to smile. “The kids would be really disappointed if we had to cancel our plans.”
Tommy and Cheryl were just ta
king their places when the phone on the desk rang a second time. A moment later, Brian’s voice came over the loudspeaker again. “Lexie? Your brother’s on line one.”
They all waited as Lexie hurried out to the registration desk to pick up the phone. She was gone for only a few moments, and when she came back she was frowning.
“My brother says there’s a couple of big rock slides on the road. Both lanes are blocked and no one can get through. He just wanted to know if we were all right.”
Jennifer glanced at Tim. He looked just as worried as she felt. How about Zada? She’d promised to be here at six-thirty and it was almost eight. Was she caught in one of the rock slides?
“Does your brother think the buses can get through by tomorrow night?” Pete was frowning.
“He doesn’t know, but he said to tell you to keep everyone here. The lodge is sandwiched in, right between two slide areas. It’s the safest place we could be.”
“Okay,” Pete said. “We’ll stay put.”
“He says the road’s a mess, and the rocks are still shifting so there could be more rock slides. He was just saying good-bye when the phone went dead.”
“You mean we’re cut off from everybody in Foothill?” Melanie began to look very nervous.
“That’s right. And we’re stuck here until they clear the road.”
Just then there was a blinding flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder so loud that everyone jumped. The lights flickered once, and then they came back on.
“That was close!” Susie shivered slightly. “Does anyone know if this place has lightning rods?”
Tim nodded. “It does, and Tommy and I made sure they’re all connected. We did the roof last summer.”
“Do you think we should round up some flashlights and candles ?” Melanie still looked worried. “If the storm gets bad, the lights could go out.”
