Twisted

by Jo Gibson

  “Good idea,” Tim agreed. “Let’s all take a nap. We’ll be safe if we stay here together.”

  They all stretched out on the couches or on the floor, huddled together in a tight little group. Jennifer didn’t feel like sleeping so she closed her eyes and tried to think of something pleasant, something that would distract her from the awful things that had happened.

  Tim. Jennifer smiled. Why hadn’t she realized that she was in love with him before this Halloween weekend? She’d assumed that he was only a friend, but she’d cared about him much more than she’d thought. Jennifer remembered something her mother had told her once, something she’d thought was ridiculous. Now, years later, her mother’s words made a whole lot of sense.

  “How do you know you’re in love, Mom?” a twelve-year-old Jennifer had asked.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll know.” Her mother had laughed. “Just remember, Jennifer . . . the basis of true love is friendship.”

  Jennifer had frowned and asked the first question that had come into her mind. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that if you don’t have friendship, your love won’t last.”

  Jennifer had nodded, but she remembered thinking that her mother was crazy. Friends were one thing and boyfriends were another. But now she understood what her mother had meant. She loved Tim, but he was also her friend. Tim was someone she could talk to, someone she admired, and someone who felt exactly the same way about her. He was kind and gentle, the sort of man she’d want for the father of her children. That was why she wanted to spend the rest of her life with . . .

  Jennifer’s eyes popped open in alarm. Her thoughts and feelings were leading her down a path she wasn’t ready to take. She didn’t want to get married quite yet. She wanted to wait, to live on her own, to be independent for the first time in her life. There was no way she’d go straight from her parents’ house to an apartment she’d share with her husband. She wanted to finish high school and go on to college. And when she earned her degree, she wanted to start her career. Once both of them were established, it would be time to talk about marriage.

  Jennifer shut her eyes again and smiled as she thought about married life. There they’d be, sitting side by side in the living room, after the children had gone to bed. They’d be talking and laughing at something one of them had said. Tim would be a research chemist and she would be an elementary school teacher. She would tell him about the students in her class and he would discuss the important work they were doing in his lab. They’d have lots of friends, people they’d met along the way. There would be friends from high school and college, teachers from her school, and coworkers from his lab. They’d have relatives, too. There would be two sets of parents, and Tommy, who would visit with his wife. Perhaps Tommy might even marry Lexie and then her best friend would become her sister-in-law!

  The dream was so delightful, Jennifer giggled out loud. And then she felt something tickling her ear and she giggled again.

  “Jen?” Tim’s lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “Are you still awake?”

  Jennifer blushed. It was a good thing that Tim couldn’t read her mind! “Yes, Tim. I’m awake.”

  “Are you too nervous to sleep?”

  Jennifer shook her head. “Not really. I was just thinking about something.”

  “It must have been something good. You looked really happy.”

  “It was.” Jennifer blushed even harder and changed the subject before Tim could ask her what it was. “How about you? Aren’t you sleepy?”

  “Not really. But since we’re both awake, why don’t we stand guard?”

  “That’s a great idea.” Jennifer threw back the blankets and stood up. “Come on, Tim.”

  They were very quiet as they tiptoed past their sleeping friends. Lexie was curled up in a ball on one of the couches and Tommy was on the floor, right next to her. Dale was next to Tommy, sleeping on his back and snoring softly. And Brian was next to him, completely covered by his sleeping bag.

  “Look at Brian,” Jennifer whispered. “I’d better fold back his sleeping bag. He can’t get any air that way.”

  Tim watched as Jennifer reached out and folded back the sleeping bag. Then both of them gasped as they saw that the sleeping bag held a rolled-up blanket and the pillow, bunched up to look as if Brian had his head under the covers. Brian wasn’t there!

  Tim turned to Jennifer in alarm. “We’ve got to find him! He could be the killer’s next target if he’s gone somewhere alone!”

  Brian wasn’t in the kitchen or in his room. And his parka was still hanging on the rack by the door so he hadn’t gone outside. They searched the spa and both floors of bedrooms, but Brian was nowhere to be found.

  “Where is he?” Jennifer knew she looked worried.

  “I don’t know, but there’s one last place to look. Let’s try the manager’s office on the mezzanine.”

  Jennifer and Tim headed up the stairs at a run. Brian had used the manager’s office for his headquarters while they were doing the skits. It was the nerve center of the lodge with a bank of telephones and the microphone for the PA system, and Brian had adopted it as his private office.

  “Do you hear a radio?” Jennifer stopped as they reached the mezzanine.

  “I hear it. And I think it’s coming from the manager’s office.”

  The door was partially open and Tim glanced in. When he turned back to Jennifer, he looked worried. “Brian’s sitting at the desk, reading a note . . . and it’s written on Saddlepeak Lodge stationery!”

  Jennifer’s face turned pale. All the notes from Kelly had been written on Saddlepeak Lodge stationery. “It could be an old note. I know Brian kept them. Come on, Tim. Let’s sneak in and read it. I want to make sure!”

  Brian was staring at the note so intently, he didn’t notice as they slipped in the door and tiptoed up behind him. Jennifer leaned closer so she could read over his shoulder, and what she saw made her start to tremble. The note was from Kelly, just as they‘d suspected, but this was a new note, one they’d never seen before. Kelly had written that she was going to give herself a birthday present. She promised to name her killer at the stroke of midnight, tonight on Halloween!

  Tim nudged Jennifer and then he pointed to the envelope that had held the note. Unlike the others, it didn’t have a name. The envelope was perfectly blank and Jennifer frowned as she realized what that meant. This new note from Kelly, this certain death sentence for anyone who received it, could have been meant for any one of them.

  Jennifer was about to ask Brian where he’d found the note, when Brian did something so crazy that she gasped out loud. As they watched, Brian picked up a pen and wrote his own name on the envelope.

  Nineteen

  Jennifer 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!

  TWENTY

  He 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.