Twisted

by Jo Gibson

Dale shook his head. “Relax, Melanie. My uncle has the lodge on a backup generator system. It kicks in automatically if the power goes off.”

  “At least we won’t be stuck without electricity!” Melanie gave a sigh of relief. “It’s going to be bad enough if we’re stuck up here by ourselves on Halloween night.”

  There was a crackle as Brian’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “I think you’re forgetting something, Melanie.”

  “What’s that?” Melanie looked curious.

  “Even if the buses don’t get through, this is a great place to spend Halloween. We’ve got decorations, and food and drinks and entertainment. And that sounds like the makings of a great Halloween party to me!”

  Six

  They’d decided that Brian was right, and they were all in a much better mood when they went on with their dress rehearsal. The skits were good, Pete was enthusiastic about their performances, and everyone started having a wonderful time. They were having so much fun that they didn’t really notice that the storm outside was getting worse.

  “Okay, gang.” Pete smiled at all of them. “The only thing left to rehearse is the séance, and everyone’s taking part in that. Jennifer and Tim? You’re on in fifteen minutes. Do you have any instructions for us?”

  Jennifer had already told everyone what to bring for the séance skit. “The girls should get into their white dresses and the guys should change to dark clothes. We’ll meet down here in fifteen minutes.”

  “What about the lights?” Brian spoke up. “Do you want them on?”

  Tim shook his head. “We don’t need them. We’re doing the séance right here in the lobby, and the firelight is a perfect background. I’ll just throw another log on the fire and it’ll be perfect.”

  “The spirits don’t like bright places,” Jennifer explained. “They’re much more receptive if the lights are low, especially if they cast a yellow or orange glow.”

  Melanie laughed. “Oh, sure. And if the lights are down low, we won’t be able to see what you and Tim are doing in the shadows.”

  “No, Melanie.” Jennifer shook her head. “That’s not the reason. Tim and I will be part of the group, and we won’t be doing anything except sitting here. I told you before. This is going to be an authentic séance with no tricks.”

  “Whatever you say.” Melanie didn’t look convinced as she headed for the stairs. But she stopped abruptly as she heard a banging noise at the front door. “I think somebody’s out there. And it doesn’t sound like a restless spirit.”

  Everyone gathered around as Pete went to the door and opened it. The sight that greeted them made everyone gasp. It was a woman wearing a rain slicker, and she was drenched to the skin.

  “Zada?” Tim rushed up to take the two bags that Zada was carrying. “I don’t believe it! You got through the rock slide!”

  “I got through, but my car didn’t. It’s about five miles down the road. I had to climb over the rocks and hike up here.”

  “You’d better warm up by the fire.” Jennifer helped Zada out of her raincoat and hung it on a hook by the door. Then she handed her a blanket and led her over to a warm spot in front of the big rock fireplace. “What happened?”

  “I got caught between two rock slides. That’s where my car is. I’m just lucky I could climb over the second one to get up here. Am I in time for the séance?”

  “We were about to start.”

  “Good. Then my trip wasn’t wasted. Just let me get into some dry clothes and I’ll be ready. I brought some things for you to use.”

  Jennifer realized that everyone was staring at Zada, and she turned around to introduce her. “This is Zada Tilitch. She owns the Cosmic Eye bookstore, and she’s going to help us with the séance. I didn’t mention it before, because I didn’t think she’d be able to get here.”

  “It sounds like you had a close call, Zada.” Pete walked over to shake her hand. “You’ll stay here, of course. If the buses with the kids can’t get through, you can be our captive audience of one.”

  “That sounds like fun. Is there somewhere I can change to dry clothes?”

  “I’ll take you upstairs,” Lexie offered. “There’s plenty of rooms left. You can take a hot shower and dry your hair.”

  Zada looked a little worried. “How about the séance? What time are you holding it?”

  “Whenever you’re ready.” Pete smiled at her. “We’ll all take a break and have some hot chocolate. Just take your time and we’ll wait for you.”

  Zada handed Tim one of her bags. “I won’t need more than a few minutes. Why don’t you unpack this, Tim? I brought some lilac-scented candles. They were Kelly’s favorite and they might help attract her spirit to us. She loved lilacs.”

  “That’s right!” Tommy looked surprised. “But how did you know?”

  “I knew Kelly. She used to come into the store to visit me.”

  “I didn’t know that!” Jennifer was shocked. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

  Zada shrugged. “I didn’t think it was that important. I’ve known Kelly for over two years.”

  “How did you meet her?” Tommy was curious.

  “She waited on me at the appliance store, and she sold me the little refrigerator and microwave I have in the back of the shop. When she stopped by to see if everything was working properly, we started talking and we became good friends. Kelly came to see me at least twice a week.”

  Tommy was fascinated. “So you know a lot about Kelly?”

  “Of course I do.” Zada smiled. “Kelly was a lovely girl, but things weren’t very good for her at home. She didn’t feel that she could confide in her mother, so she used to come to me with her problems. She loved you very much, you know.”

  Tommy swallowed hard. “I know. Did you . . . uh . . . did you happen to see Kelly the night she died?”

  “No. But she did come into the store that afternoon. She was very disturbed about something. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she couldn’t tell me until she’d talked to you. She promised to come in the next morning to tell me everything, but . . .”

  Tommy nodded as Zada’s voice trailed off. “But Kelly was dead by then. Do you have any idea what was wrong?”

  “No, I don’t. But Kelly had a secret she took to her grave, and that means her spirit is restless. I really believe that she’ll take this opportunity to confide in us.”

  “You mean you think the séance will really work?” Tommy looked doubtful.

  “I certainly do. I have a very strong feeling that we’ll be communing with Kelly’s spirit tonight.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, and then Lexie took Zada’s arm. “Come with me, Zada. The room next to mine’s vacant.”

  That was the cue for everyone to troop upstairs, leaving Jennifer and Tim alone in the lobby. They didn’t say much as they carried in the round, wooden table they’d decided to use for the séance, and arranged twelve chairs around it. They put out the candles that Zada had brought and then stepped back to survey the setting.

  Both of them were silent for a moment, and then Tim slipped his arm around Jennifer’s shoulder. “What’s the matter, Jen? You look really freaked.”

  “I don’t know. I just don’t like this whole thing with Zada. She didn’t tell us that she knew Kelly, and that makes me wonder if there’s something else that she’s holding back.”

  “Like what?” Tim shrugged. “Relax, Jen. Maybe this is all a part of Zada’s act. It’s possible she didn’t know Kelly at all.”

  “But she was really convincing. And she knew that lilacs were Kelly’s favorite flowers. I didn’t tell her. Did you?”

  “I don’t think so, but it wasn’t exactly a secret. It was even in the paper. Remember the article about Kelly’s funeral? It mentioned that all her friends brought bouquets of lilacs to put on her grave because she loved them so much.”

  “You’re right! I forgot all about that article. Zada could have read it.”

  “She probably did.
And even if Zada did know Kelly, does it really matter?”

  “I’m not sure. I guess not.”

  Tim smiled at her and Jennifer smiled back, but she was still anxious. Something was going to happen tonight, something bad, maybe even dreadful. And since Jennifer didn’t know what it was, there wasn’t a thing she could do to prevent it.

  When he got up to his room, he thought about Kelly and the day she’d confided in him. She’d been so frightened he’d just wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that everything would be all right. Of course, he hadn’t. It was a time to be firm, to tell her what she had to do and make sure that she did it.

  “Relax, Kelly.” He tried to sound casual, even though his heart was pounding hard. “You’re right. It’s a problem. But we can take care of it.”

  “How?”

  Her voice was shaking and he smiled at her. She was so worried, she was acting like a little child who needed reassurance. “It’s simple. First, we have to find out if it’s true. I’ll drive you over to a doctor in Crestview and he’ll give you a test. If it comes back positive, we’ll talk alternatives.”

  “I don’t need to see a doctor. I already know it’s true. And what do you mean by alternatives?”

  He winced slightly. It was clear that Kelly was going to be difficult. “The way I see it, you’ve got two choices. Either you have the baby or you don’t. And if you choose to have it, you’ve got another choice to make. You can keep it. Or you can give it up for adoption.”

  “It sounds so . . . so cold!”

  Her lips trembled and he could tell that she was about to cry, so he put his arm around her shoulders. “Hey—it’s not that bad. You know me. I’ll go along with whatever you decide.”

  “Okay.” She reached inside her purse for a tissue. “I know the smart thing to do, but I just don’t think I can do it.”

  “You mean not having the baby?” He used the phrase deliberately, avoiding the word abortion. It had all sorts of negative connotations and this was the time for tact and diplomacy.

  “Yes. I mean . . . it’s not exactly against my religion or anything like that, but . . . I’m just not sure.”

  He nodded, the soul of understanding. “But wouldn’t it be harder to have the baby and give it up? You’d have to leave town so people wouldn’t know and you’d miss your senior year. That’d be hard to make up. And how about your college scholarship ? Are you willing to let that go?”

  “No . . . I don’t want to lose that.” Kelly sounded very uncertain. “I was thinking . . . maybe I could just stay here and keep on going to school. They wouldn’t find out until Christmas. I could drop out then and have the baby.”

  He put on a smile, even though he felt more like scowling. That was exactly what he’d been afraid of. “But everyone would know. Do you really want that, Kelly?”

  “No.” Kelly shook her head. “That would be awful. But I’d get to keep the baby. And I’d only miss one semester.”

  “That’s true. It’s your decision, Kelly. I’ll marry you now, if that’s what you want. It’s my baby, too. But I really hate to see you make a terrible sacrifice like that.”

  “Sacrifice? What do you mean?”

  “You’d be just another statistic, a girl who got pregnant and dropped out. And don’t forget that they’d let me stay in school. My parents would probably pay for a little apartment, but you’d be stuck there, staring at the walls and waiting for the baby to be born. You’d be all alone, Kelly.”

  “But my friends would come to visit. It wouldn’t be that bad.”

  “They’d come . . . at first. But then they’d get busy with cheerleader practice, and basketball games, and rehearsing for the spring play. They’d be concentrating on homework, test scores, and plans for college while you’d be thinking about doing the laundry and cooking dinner. Your interests would be so different, you wouldn’t have anything to say to your friends.”

  Kelly looked a bit worried. “Well . . . maybe that’s true. But I’d have the baby to think about.”

  “That’s just it, Kelly. The only thing you’d have would be the baby. The baby would become your whole life. You’d be wasting your intelligence, wasting your opportunity for a college scholarship, wasting all your chances for a better life. It wouldn’t be good for the baby, either.”

  “I know you’re right. But . . .”

  “It would be hard for me, too.” She was starting to cry again and he handed her his clean, white handkerchief. “I couldn’t expect my parents to pick up the whole tab, so I’d have to work a couple of part-time jobs. My grades would slip, and I might even lose my scholarship.”

  “But you’d still get to go to college, wouldn’t you? I mean . . . your parents really want you to go.”

  He nodded, a little tentatively. “I’m pretty sure that my parents would pay my tuition, but they wouldn’t be happy about having to support all of us until I graduated.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  Kelly sounded very depressed and he reached out to give her a hug. It was time for a little kindness, along with the hard truths he was teaching her. “Maybe it’ll all work out. One thing for sure . . . I know you’d make a really good mother.”

  “Thanks.” Kelly gave him a small hint of a smile, but she didn’t look happy. “Maybe I could take night classes. I know a girl who graduated from high school that way.”

  “Maybe . . . if you weren’t too busy with the baby. Let’s say you managed to do it. What would happen then? It wouldn’t be fair to ask my parents to pick up the bill for your college expenses.”

  “I could work. I’ve always worked.”

  “That’s true. But how much could you earn? You’d have to put the baby in day care and that would be expensive.”

  “I guess you’re right.” Kelly sighed deeply. “There’s no way I’ll ever be able to go to college if I keep the baby.”

  He didn’t say anything. She was finally starting to talk sense.

  “I don’t want to make a decision right now, not until I can talk it over with someone I trust.”

  “Who?” He tried to be casual, but his whole body tensed. Kelly couldn’t tell anyone she was pregnant!

  “Don’t worry.” Kelly put her hand on his arm. “This won’t get out. I promise.”

  “How can you be sure of that?” He tried to sound reasonable, even though he was beginning to panic. Something like this was bound to get out. Who did she think she was kidding?

  Kelly was silent for a long moment. “Maybe you’re right. Give me a little time to think it over.”

  “Sure, Kelly. Take as long as you want. Just call me before you talk to anyone, or do anything . . . okay? That’s only fair. Don’t forget that we’re in this together.”

  “Yes. We are.” Kelly looked very solemn as she got up to leave. “I’ll call you before I do anything. I promise.”

  After Kelly had left, he’d sat there with his head in his hands. Could he trust her to call him before she told anyone else? He just wasn’t sure. And could he really afford to take that chance?

  He’d thought about it all that morning and into the afternoon. And then he’d made his decision. Kelly was frightened and very naive. She was bound to talk to someone. She couldn’t handle something like this, all by herself. It didn’t really matter who she told. No one in Foothill could keep a secret this big. It would come out, and his whole future was in jeopardy.

  There was only one thing to do. He didn’t like it, but there was no other choice. He had to silence Kelly before she talked. This was one secret that Kelly had to take to her grave.

  Had he made the right decision? He winced as he remembered how he’d cut Kelly’s brake line. She’d always parked her car by the big oak tree in her driveway. The yard was overrun with weeds and tall grass, and he’d had plenty of cover.

  When he’d heard that Kelly was dead, he’d felt a stab of pity. Poor Kelly was gone and so was the unborn baby that no one could ever know about. He’d mourned them bot
h, but he’d also been very relieved.

  And now he was terrified again. The same fear that had forced him to kill Kelly was back in full force. He’d thought he’d ended it with her death, but he hadn’t counted on Zada Tilitch, the psychic who claimed to be Kelly’s confidante.

  Even though Zada had insisted that she didn’t know why Kelly had been so upset, he had his doubts. Kelly had told him that she needed to talk to someone. What if Zada had been that person? If Kelly had taken Zada into her confidence, would Zada reveal her secret at the séance?

  Zada was a paid psychic who gave readings and held séances. Her reputation depended on giving a good show. If Zada could convince everyone that Kelly had spoken to her from the grave, it would be good for her business. She was bound to reveal Kelly’s secret . . . if she knew it. And he couldn’t take the chance that she didn’t!

  His position was clear. No one could know Kelly’s secret. His very life depended on that. But what could he do? He shut his eyes and imagined a snowball, rolling down a hill. It started slowly, just a small compact ball the size of his fist. But as it rolled, it took on more snow, gaining speed and growing so large that no one person could stop it. The secret of Kelly’s pregnancy was the snowball. He had to stop it now, before it could grow. He had to silence Zada permanently, before she could tell anyone else what she might know.

  Seven

  Zada was smiling as she stepped out of the shower. This séance was a wonderful opportunity for her. If it went well, and she would make sure that it did, her reputation as a psychic would be the talk of Foothill High. Tapping the teenage market was a natural. She didn’t understand why she hadn’t thought of it before. Teens had plenty of money and they were very concerned about their future. Before she left, she’d offer to do a couple of free readings, and they’d be hooked.

  And then there were the parents. Zada’s smile grew wider. When Jennifer had introduced her to the group, she’d listened carefully to the names. Lexie Sussman’s father owned the town newspaper. If his daughter was impressed, there might be an opportunity for some free publicity. Tommy and Tim Jackson had connections, too. Their mother was president of the Foothill Ladies League. And then there was Dale Prescott, a state senator’s son, and Cheryl Maloney, whose parents did a lot of fancy entertaining. The Maloneys might hire her to do readings at one of their parties, or lead a séance as an evening’s entertainment.