Twisted

by Jo Gibson

  “That doesn’t explain what she was doing down here in the first place.” Cheryl spoke up. “She said good night, and I saw her go into her room.”

  Susie shrugged again. “Maybe she couldn’t sleep and she came downstairs to sit by the fire. She was pretty freaked about that note from Kelly.”

  “I’d better try to notify her parents.” Pete stood up and headed for the reservation desk. “The phones might be working, now that the rain’s over.”

  They all waited anxiously, but when Pete came back he was frowning. “No luck. The line’s still down.. And my cell phone still isn’t working.”

  “Why don’t we try to drive down to the Hilltop Grocery?” Tommy suggested.

  “Good idea,” Tim said. “It’s only three miles and their phone could be on a different line. And even if it’s not, our cell phones might work down there.”

  Pete began to frown. “You’ll never get through. Zada said there was a rock slide between here and there.”

  “Then we’ll move enough rocks to make a path.” Tommy looked very determined. “But Tim and I can’t do it alone. Who’s coming with us?”

  “I will.” Dale stood up. “How about you, Ronnie?”

  “Count me in.” Ronnie walked over to grab his jacket.

  “Me, too.” Brian jumped to his feet. “Don’t worry, girls. We’ll be able to dig our way through. We’re all big, strong guys.”

  Susie began to bristle. “Why is this turning into a totally guy thing? Women are strong, too. I bet I can lift more weight than you can.”

  “But you’re a better cook than he is.” Ronnie laughed at his own joke. “You girls stay right here where it’s nice and cozy. You can whip up a hot meal for us when we get back.”

  Susie picked up a pillow and threw it at him, but he just caught it and tossed it back. Then Tommy opened the door and they all marched out, looking every bit as resolute as a small army going into battle.

  “There goes the male ego.” Lexie grinned wryly. “I’m surprised they didn’t ask us to knit them some socks while they were gone.”

  “I wonder if they actually believe they can get through.” Susie was thoughtful.

  “I think they do. They looked very determined.” Jennifer turned to Lexie. “Is there a Yiddish word for that?”

  Lexie thought about it for a moment, and then she nodded. “It’s called meshuga.”

  “Mish-you-gah?” Cheryl repeated the word.

  “That’s close enough,” Lexie said. “It means crazy. And that’s exactly what they are if they think they’re going to move a ton of rocks, all by themselves.”

  Eleven

  As the hours ticked by, Jennifer began to get worried. What was taking the guys so long? She knew that Pete was nervous about their prolonged absence, too. She’d seen him go to the window to look out at the road at least five times in as many minutes.

  “Do you think we should go out to look for them?” Susie walked over to join Pete at the window.

  “No, not yet. Give them another couple of minutes. If they’re not back by three o’clock, we’ll go looking for them.”

  They all nodded in unison and turned at precisely the same instant to look at the grandfather clock in the lobby. Their synchronized movements reminded Jennifer of a perfectly rehearsed cheer, and she almost giggled. But this was no laughing matter. It was possible there had been another rock slide and the boys were cut off from the lodge. Even worse, they could have been caught by the falling boulders, but Jennifer didn’t want to think about that.

  It seemed to take forever, but at last the grandfather clock in the lobby chimed three times. It took only a few moments to get their jackets and boots, and then they were ready.

  “Okay. Let’s go.” Pete opened the door and they all stepped out, but Cheryl stopped so abruptly that Jennifer almost ran right into her.

  “Do you hear that?” Cheryl sounded excited. “There’s a car coming up the road!”

  They all turned to look at the road. It was another perfectly synchronized turn, and this time Jennifer laughed out loud, she was so relieved. It was the Jeep. The guys were back!

  Tommy was frowning as he pulled up in front of the lodge and they all piled out. “Sorry. We couldn’t get through. There’s a huge rock slide between here and the store.”

  “We tried to climb over, but the rocks were too unstable.” Dale sounded disappointed.

  “He’s right. We almost caused another rock slide,” Tim said. “But there’s good news, too. We heard a bulldozer and it sounded like it was only a couple of miles away. All we have to do is wait until the road crew digs through to us.”

  Susie didn’t look happy. “But when will that be? We could be stuck here until Christmas!”

  “I don’t think it’ll take them quite that long.” Brian laughed. “Come on, Susie. Look on the bright side. If we’re going to get stuck, Saddlepeak Lodge is the perfect place. We’ve got food, water, heat, and electricity. What more could we want?”

  “Cable TV.” Tommy looked glum. “We’re missing a whole day of college football.”

  “I love to watch football,” Lexie said. “It’s my favorite sport. I just wish I wouldn’t always end up cheering for the wrong team.”

  “What do you mean?” Tommy turned to look at her.

  “If I like a team, they lose. That’s why I didn’t try out to be a cheerleader. If I cheered for Foothill High, they’d lose every game.”

  Tommy looked doubtful, but Jennifer nodded. “It’s true. My dad says Lexie has a real knack for picking losers.”

  “Hey, Lexie . . .” Tommy was grinning as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. “What are you doing for the next eight weekends?”

  Lexie shrugged. “I don’t know . . . why?”

  “I want you to spend them with me. How about it? Do we have a date?”

  Lexie shrugged again. “That depends. What did you have in mind?”

  “I want you to watch football with me. I’ll tell you which teams I want to lose and you can cheer for them.”

  “Okay.” Lexie laughed as Tommy hugged her. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  Jennifer stared at Lexie in surprise. Her best friend had undergone an amazing transformation, right before her eyes. Lexie’s cheeks were pink, her eyes were sparkling, and her smile was warm as she gazed at Tommy. Jennifer was wise enough to know the signs. Lexie was definitely interested in Tommy.

  Was she jealous? Jennifer was relieved to find that she didn’t feel the slightest twinge of envy. Tim was the one she wanted, not Tommy. Perhaps she hadn’t really been in love with Tommy at all. She still liked him as a friend, but that was it. And Tommy seemed perfect for Lexie. But there was someone in the group who looked very jealous and it was Cheryl.

  “I’ve got an idea.” Cheryl spoke up. “Why don’t we have another rehearsal? Our skit had some rough spots last night, and it’ll give us something to do while we’re waiting for the bulldozer to get through.”

  Jennifer almost laughed out loud. Cheryl’s motive was perfectly transparent. She was in Tommy’s skit and Lexie wasn’t. It was a perfect way to get Tommy away from Lexie.

  “That’s a very good idea,” Pete agreed. “If the buses with Miss Voelker and the kids are right behind the bulldozers, we could be giving a show tonight.”

  “In that case, we’d better do a full technical rehearsal,” Brian said. “I haven’t even tested some of my special effects.”

  “Okay.” Pete glanced at his watch. “I’ll give you twenty minutes to get into your costumes and makeup. Let’s go over the whole production, from start to finish.”

  “Including the séance?” Susie started to frown.

  “Of course.”

  “Uh . . . Pete?” Susie’s voice was shaking slightly. “Do you think we could do things out of order, and start with the séance?”

  “That’s up to Jennifer and Tim. But why?”

  Susie looked embarrassed and it was clear she didn’t want to answer. “Uh .
. . well . . . Melanie got that note from Kelly, and now she’s dead. I know it’s just coincidence, but . . . I’d rather do the séance in the daylight, that’s all.”

  “That’s okay with us, Pete.” Jennifer decided to rescue Susie from further embarrassment. “We don’t mind starting with the séance. Is that all right with everyone else?”

  One by one they nodded, and Jennifer noticed that several of her friends looked relieved. The séance skit was starting to scare everyone, now that Zada and Melanie were dead.

  But nothing unexpected happened at the séance. The table didn’t rock or spin around and there were no ghostly voices. When it was over, everyone including Jennifer and Tim drew a deep sigh of relief.

  “That was fine.” Pete flipped his notebook shut. “But I guess the spirits don’t communicate very well in the daylight.”

  Ronnie laughed. “That’s okay. I don’t think I could have survived another spinning table. Come on, everybody. Let’s get into costume and rehearse the rest of our skits.”

  Jennifer and Tim had just finished putting their props away when there were shouts from the third floor. They hurried up the stairs to join the crowd that had gathered in Ronnie’s room.

  “The psychic duo strikes again, huh?” Ronnie grinned at them as they came in.

  Tim frowned. “Do you mean us?”

  “You bet I do! When I opened my suitcase, I found a note.” Ronnie held up a piece of paper. “It was wrapped in this scarf, printed with lilacs.”

  “It’s Kelly’s scarf,” Tommy explained.

  “Here, Tim.” Ronnie handed him the note. “Read it out loud.”

  Tim unfolded the note. “It’s written on Saddlepeak Lodge stationery, just like the other one. And it says, Ronnie—Talk to me at the séance tonight and I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Very interesting.” Ronnie was smiling as he glanced around the room. “What do you think, guys? Are Jennifer and Tim playing more tricks?”

  Jennifer shook her head. “You’ve got it wrong, Ronnie. Tim and I didn’t write that note. I swear it!”

  “Of course you didn’t.” Ronnie was still grinning. “Kelly wrote it . . . right, Jen?”

  “I don’t know who wrote it!”

  “Excellent!” Pete started to clap and everyone joined in. “Good job, Jennifer. You’re turning into a very convincing actress. This whole setup with the notes is great!”

  Jennifer exchanged glances with Tim. Neither one of them knew quite what to say. Nobody seemed willing to believe that they hadn’t written the notes.

  “How about it, gang?” Pete turned to the other students. “Are you up for another séance tonight?”

  “No!”

  Everyone turned to look at Susie. All the color had left her face and she was trembling. “I don’t think we should hold another séance, not after that note Ronnie got. What if something awful happens to him?”

  “Susie, my love. I didn’t know you cared.” Ronnie burst into laughter. But when he saw that Susie was close to tears, he pulled her into his arms. “Hey, Suze . . . nothing’s going to happen to me. And we’ve got to have the séance. I can hardly wait to see what these two jokers have got planned for me.”

  Tim shook his head. “You’ve got it all wrong, Ronnie. Jen and I don’t have anything planned.”

  “I knew you’d say that.” Ronnie chuckled. “You two guys are good! But I’m warning you . . . if that table starts spinning around again, I’m going to figure out exactly how you’ve got it rigged.”

  The lilac-printed scarf had brought back memories of her. Kelly had been beautiful, the last time he’d seen her. She’d been dressed in a simple cotton sundress, white with tiny sprigs of purple flowers in a repeating pattern. She’d looked so fresh and innocent that he almost hadn’t believed what she’d told him. Only the tears running down her cheeks had convinced him that she’d been telling the truth about their baby.

  How could a night that had been so thrilling turn out to be such a disaster? He could still see her face in the light of the fire and feel the soft, satiny warmth of her skin. It should have been a happy memory for him, but it wasn’t. Not now. Not after what had happened.

  He leaned back against the pillow and closed his eyes. He still had ten minutes before he had to go downstairs and he needed to rest his eyes. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately and he was very tired.

  And then he saw Kelly’s face again, as her car went out of control. Her mouth was open and she was screaming, begging for someone to rescue her. The car swerved down the hill, riding the lip of the ditch, heading straight for the crossing. And then the train rounded the bend, brakes squealing and sparking as they tried in vain to halt the tons of hurtling metal.

  At the last instant, she turned to look out the window. And her eyes locked with his in a steady bond that no earthly force could break. And her beautiful lips formed the words that made up the restless terror of his sleep. Murderer! I’ll get you for this!

  He sat up with a jolt, sweating and feverish. It was the same dream, the same horrible message. But it was only a dream, nothing more. He hadn’t been there to see the accident. Kelly had never seen him. He’d been miles away and there had been no way at all for Kelly to guess that he had killed her.

  But did Kelly know the truth now, after her death? And was there some means for her to take her revenge? He shook his head in denial as he got up to pace the floor. There was no such thing as a ghost or a spirit. Dead was dead, and Kelly had ceased to exist on any plane. There was no possible way that the dead could hurt the living. But the living could hurt the living, and someone was trying to hurt him.

  He frowned as he thought about Zada. He’d killed her because he’d thought she’d known Kelly’s secret. But killing Zada hadn’t stopped the threat. Someone else knew.

  Melanie had received the note and he’d been sure that she was the one. But Melanie’s death hadn’t solved the problem, and now there was Ronnie. Someone knew Kelly’s secret. He just wished he could figure out who it was!

  Now someone was forcing him to kill again. Another note, another death. It was a horrible equation, but he had little choice. Did Ronnie know Kelly’s secret? Was he the instigator and would the notes stop after his death? There was only one way to tell. He‘d just have to kill Ronnie to find out.

  Twelve

  Ronnie was whistling as he opened the door to the formal dining room and carried in the props for his skit. He was in a very good mood. Jennifer and Tim had chosen him to receive Kelly’s note, and he could hardly wait for the séance to see what else they had up their sleeves. It was clear they were going to have Kelly’s spirit speak directly to him and he was more than willing to take part in their little drama. Of course, he’d act surprised when Kelly’s spirit contacted him. Maybe he’d even make everyone think he was a little scared.

  As he arranged his props on the dining room table, Ronnie began to smile. Susie’s reaction to the note had been a real eyeopener. She’d actually been afraid that he might get hurt! And that meant she liked him much more than he had realized.

  Ronnie’s smile grew wider as he thought about Susie. He’d known her for years and their parents did business together. The bakery supplied all the bread that Susie’s parents used in their deli. Susie was plump but that didn’t bother him. He liked women with curves, and he’d always thought that most of the girls at Foothill High were too skinny. Susie was pretty, too, and she had a good sense of humor. Now that he thought about it, he wondered why he’d never thought of dating Susie before. They were already friends and their families got along just fine. Just as soon as this Halloween weekend was over and they were back in Foothill again, he’d ask Susie for a date.

  It didn’t take Ronnie very long to arrange the plate and silverware he’d brought with him from the kitchen. There was only one place setting and it was at the head of the table. His skit was simple, but it was very frightening. Ronnie was playing a judge who’d sentenced a man to death by hanging. The man he’
d sentenced had been innocent and he came back to haunt Ronnie, the judge who had condemned him.

  There was only one thing that made Ronnie’s skit tricky. In everyone else’s skit, Brian was behind the scenes to do the special effects. In Ronnie’s skit, Brian played the condemned man’s ghost, and since he was on stage for most of the time, they had to rig everything by remote control.

  The skit started with Ronnie at the head of the table, eating a solitary meal. There was a sound from above and Ronnie looked up to see the dead man swinging from a noose attached to the massive chandelier one floor above the table. As Ronnie watched in horror, the dead man dropped down from the chandelier with the noose still around his neck.

  Naturally, they used a dummy, and after it fell, the lights went out. That gave Ronnie time to shove the dummy under the table so Brian could take its place. When the lights came back on, Brian moaned and got up to play the dead man’s ghost.

  The dummy hadn’t worked at all last night. Ronnie had tugged on the hidden wire, but it hadn’t fallen. They’d rigged it again, right after the performance, but Ronnie still wasn’t sure it would work. He wanted to test it before tonight’s performance.

  Ronnie sat down at the table and reached for the hidden wire. There was a snap as the rope separated and the dummy came tumbling down. It was perfect and Ronnie grinned. They had it right, this time. The dummy looked very realistic and everyone who saw it fall would scream in terror.

  Now that he’d tested the dummy, Ronnie had to hook it back up again. He grabbed the dummy’s arms and dragged it over to the base of the narrow circular staircase that led to the mezzanine area overlooking the dining room.

  Dragging the dummy up the stairs was impossible. Its arms and legs flopped around and got stuck between the balustrades. Ronnie finally gave up and draped the dummy over his shoulders, holding the legs in one hand and the arms in the other. It was called a “fireman’s carry” and Ronnie had seen pictures of firefighters carrying people out of burning buildings that way. It looked easier than it actually was, and by the time Ronnie got to the top of the circular staircase, he was panting.