Afraid (21 page)

Julie propped herself against the cold metal door and pounded hard with both fists. They were already bruised and sore, and the pain would help to keep her alert. Just as she felt her strength beginning to ebb again, the door flew open. And she tumbled out. Right into Donna's arms.

“Oh, my God!” Donna's mouth fell open. “What were you doing in there?”

“I . . . I think I was freezing to death.” Julie gave a shaky laugh. She was so glad to see Donna, she almost cried.

Donna helped her to a stool. Then she poured a mug of leftover coffee, popped it into the microwave, and turned to face Julie with a bewildered expression. “But . . . why did you go into the game cooler in the first place?”

“Somebody left a platter of cold cuts out on the counter. I didn't know the combination, so I couldn't put it away where it belonged. So I put it in there.” Julie pointed to the game cooler and shuddered. “The door closed behind me and I . . . I couldn't get out!”

Donna nodded, but Julie noticed that her hands were trembling as she handed her the steaming mug of coffee. “It's my fault, Julie. I left that platter out. That's why I came back here. I figured I'd better put it away before your uncle found out.”

“What time is it?” Julie knew there was a clock on the kitchen wall behind her, but she couldn't seem to gather the energy to turn around.

“It's almost five-thirty. How long were you in there?”

Julie blinked. She was so tired, she could barely do the simple subtraction. “Over an hour. I . . . I don't think I could have lasted much longer, Donna. You saved my life.”

“But you wouldn't have gone in there if it hadn't been for me.” Tears welled up in Donna's eyes, and she looked terribly guilty. “I almost killed you!”

Julie managed a grin. “Okay. You almost killed me, but you saved my life. It all cancels out. That's what friends are for, yes?”

Donna frowned, and then she gave a shaky grin. “You must be all right. That's two jokes you've made since I let you out. But how did the door close when you were in there? There's a little rubber thing on the wall to hold it open.”

“I . . . I'm not sure.” Julie took a sip of the scalding coffee and studied the door. Donna was right—there was no way the door could have closed on its own. “Maybe I didn't open it all the way?”

Donna looked dubious, but she nodded. “That must be what happened. You sit right there and warm up. I'll get the platter and put it away.”

Julie watched as Donna opened the cooler door and stepped inside. The rubber door-catcher held it securely. She was almost sure she'd opened the door all the way, and she thought she remembered the rubber catcher engaging. But her memory must be faulty. If she'd done it correctly, the door couldn't have closed, unless . . .

The whispery voice! Julie shivered in spite of the warm air blowing down from the heat register directly above her. He'd said that he was watching her. And he'd warned her to mend her wicked ways. What if he'd found out that she'd kissed Paul or Dick Stratford, and decided to punish her by locking her in the cooler?

“Okay. All done.” Donna came back with the platter of meat and stored it in the walk-in refrigerator. “Do you want some more coffee? I can make a fresh pot.”

“No, thanks. I'm fine now. Why don't you come up to my room? We can sleep for a couple of hours, and then we can look for those tapes in the attic.”

“Okay.” Donna grinned at her. “I won't let you go upstairs alone, anyway. You're accident-prone. First the avalanche, and then this. The next thing I know, you'll end up stuck in the elevator.”

Julie laughed, but her laughter sounded weak, even to her own ears. Too many accidents. The avalanche. The game cooler. And Donna didn't even know about her brush with disaster on Dead Man's Run. Perhaps Donna was right—she could be accident-prone. Either that, or the whispery voice on the phone was trying to kill her!

“Y
uck!” Donna brushed aside a cobweb, and shivered.

“It's creepy up here!”

Julie nodded. The fifth floor was more than a little scary, although she didn't think anything could frighten her as much as the avalanche, or Dead Man's Run, or the time she'd spent locked in the game cooler. “Do you have the flashlights?”

“Got 'em.” Donna handed her one of the large flashlights she'd borrowed from the storeroom. “If somebody cleaned those windows more than once a year, it might help.”

Julie glanced at the clouded windows and frowned. It was obvious no one came up here unless they absolutely had to, and she could understand why. There was no electricity, and only hazy light streamed in the windows. Dust and cobwebs were the order of the day, and bulky furniture, hidden under white canvas dust covers, looked like ghostly shapes. To make the attic even more inhospitable, the wind was howling and moaning and shrieking around the eaves. She'd expected to spend a pleasant Sunday afternoon going through old trunks and mementos with her best friend in Crest Ridge, but this wasn't going to be fun at all!

“Maybe this isn't such a good idea.” Donna shivered slightly. “It's chilly up here, and I don't want you to catch a cold.”

Julie turned around to grin at her. “It was a lot colder than this in the game cooler. Come on, Donna. Vicki's things have to be up here somewhere.”

Donna sighed. “If you're really determined, count me in. I just hope we hit pay dirt soon. I really despise spiders!”

Julie pulled off a dust cover and promptly sneezed as the dust flew everywhere. Not only was this unpleasant, it was dirty. She'd have to make sure to be through long before Uncle Bob and Aunt Caroline got back. She'd need to shower and so would Donna before they could appear in public again.

“This is neat!” Donna pulled back a dust cover and smiled as she found an old console radio. “My grandparents had one of these. I wonder if it still works.”

Julie shrugged. “There's no way to tell unless we lug it downstairs. No electricity, remember?”

“Right.” Julie replaced the dust cover, and then she looked puzzled. “You're going to think I'm crazy, but . . . it's warmer right here. I think I can feel warm air on my ankle.”

Donna bent down to look. “No wonder—it's a floor vent. I can see the fourth-floor hallway, right next to the elevator. And here comes . . . it's Ross! He's unlocking the door to his room. I wonder what he'd do if I moaned or something.”

“Don't do it!” Julie grabbed Donna's arm and pulled her to her feet. “I don't want him to know I'm up here. He might tell Uncle Bob.”

Donna looked disappointed, but she nodded. “I wonder if you can see into any of the rooms through these vents. Ross's room would be right over there.”

“Let's check it out.” Julie grinned and moved to the spot Donna indicated. “Help me move this rolled-up rug. It's in the way.”

Julie got on one end of the rug, and Donna took the other. Working together, they moved it out of the way. There was a small hole under it, and Julie motioned for Donna to look first. It had been her idea.

Donna crouched down and peeked through the hole. She let out a gasp and stood up. “Hurry up. Take a peek. He's changing his shirt!”

Julie knelt down and put her eye to the hole. She gasped as she realized that she could see right into Ross's bedroom. He was standing at the closet, taking out a fresh shirt, his skin rippling and gleaming under the overhead light.

“Did he take off his pants?”

Donna whispered, but Julie heard her clearly. She jumped to her feet, blushing wildly. “Of course not!”

“Well, I was wondering what was keeping you so long. Do you think he knows there's a vent right over his room.”

“I'm sure he doesn't.” Julie bent down to look again, and when she straightened up, she was frowning. “It's not a vent; it's a peephole! I think somebody drilled a hole in Ross's ceiling deliberately!”

“Vicki?” Donna began to grin. “That sounds like something she would have done. She was always getting into one scrape right after another. And let's face it. Ross is a hunk. I noticed that you were pretty interested when you saw him without his shirt.”

Julie fought down the blush that was rising to her cheeks, and nodded. “You're right. I can understand why Vicki did it . . .
if
she did it. Let's see if we can find any more peepholes.”

“This must be your room.” Donna walked over and pointed to the floor. “No sense looking here. Vicki certainly wouldn't have drilled a hole in her own . . . oh-oh!”

“What's the matter?” Julie felt her heart beat faster as Donna whisked aside a crumpled dust cover and knelt down. When she stood up, she was frowning.

“What did you see?” Julie began to frown, too.

“It's your room. And the peephole is right over your bed. But there's no reason Vicki would drill a hole in her own ceiling!”

“That's true.” Julie nodded. Now she understood why there had been a cold draft over her bed. It hadn't been a visitation from Vicki's ghost. She'd known that idea was ridiculous when she'd thought about it the next morning. It had been cold air from the attic, seeping down through the peephole!

Donna seemed to be intrigued by the puzzle. “We know Vicki didn't drill those peepholes. And neither did Ross. Who do you think did it?”

“I don't know. We're assuming those holes were drilled recently, but they could have been there for years. For all we know, my great-great-grandfather did it. Or someone who worked for him.”

“Very true. But why?”

Julie shrugged. “Was the fourth floor ever used for guests?!”

“Never. It was always for the help. Of course, your great-great-grandfather might have had some very pretty girls working for him.”

Donna was grinning, and Julie grinned back. “Are you suggesting my great-great-grandfather was a Peeping Tom?”

“Maybe. Did you see the portrait of your great-great-grandmother, hanging over the fireplace in the private dining room?”

Julie nodded. “I saw it.”

“Then you can understand why your great-great-grandfather drilled those holes!”

“Donna! That's mean!” Julie giggled in spite of herself. But she had to admit that Donna had a valid point. Her great-great-grandmother had looked very prim and proper.

“So what shall we do?” Donna looked serious. “Shall we squeal on your great-great-grandfather?”

Julie thought it over for a moment and then she shook her head. “Let's not. But I do think we ought to plug up those holes. Let's move something heavy over them.”

“How about this for yours?” Donna pointed to an old steamer trunk. “It'll take both of us to move this.”

But Donna was wrong. The trunk moved quite easily, sliding over the hole with a screech of metal casters against the wood floor. The sound was very familiar and Julie shivered. Was that the sound she'd heard in her dream the night she'd seen the face on her balcony?

“Oh, my God! Pay dirt!”

Julie whirled to look at Donna, who had raised the lid of the trunk. “What did you say?”

“These are Vicki's things. That's the sweater she wore in her school picture. And this is her backpack. I'd recognize it anywhere. We found it, Julie! They stored all Vicki's things in this trunk!”

Julie's hands were trembling as she helped Donna lift out her cousin's things. And way down in the bottom, under all those beautiful, expensive clothes, was a rosewood box with a lock.

Donna pointed to a zippered makeup case on top of a pile of sweaters. “Find me a pair of eyebrow tweezers, will you? Anything narrow and sharp will do. I'll pick the lock.”

“You can do that?” Julie was amazed.

“Of course. I used to pick the lock on Paul's bicycle all the time. No problem.”

Julie watched as Donna slipped a scissor blade into the hole on the lock and twisted. There was a soft
click
and the lid lifted.

“Oh, boy!” Donna grinned as she turned the box so Julie could see. “Here's Vicki's videotape collection. You've got a VCR in your room, don't you?”

Julie nodded, a bit reluctantly. She wasn't sure it was right to watch her cousin's personal videotapes.

“What's the matter? Having an attack of morals?”

Julie sighed. “Just a slight attack. But don't worry about it, Donna. I want to see those tapes every bit as much as you do!”

J
ulie gasped as her cousin's picture appeared on the screen of the color television set in her bedroom. Now she understood why everyone had been so upset the first time they'd seen her. She
did
look exactly like Vicki!

Donna and Julie had concealed the rosewood box in a carton and carried it up the back stairs to Julie's room. Feeling like two conspirators, they'd sorted out the tapes and stacked them in neat piles, according to the dates on the labels. They'd decided to play them chronologically, and now they were sitting in front of the entertainment center, Donna on a chaise longue, Julie on the bed, watching Vicki's oldest tape.

“I really hate to write things down, so this is my diary. I decided it would be a lot more fun to tape it.”
Vicki smiled at the camera.
“I grew up right here at Saddlepeak Lodge. I'm almost seventeen, and I'm going steady with Paul Kirby. We're not exactly in love, but we're in lust
. . .
at least, I'm in lust. Paul's a nice guy, and he buys me lots of neat stuff, but he's so straight, he's getting on my nerves. I hate to think how bored I'd be if I didn't have R.”

Julie reached for the pause button. “Who did she say?”

“She said ‘R.' Like an initial, you know?”

“That's what I thought.” Julie clicked off the pause, her mind racing. It must be the R who'd written the note. She just hoped Vicki would give his full name.

“R's so great in bed, the best lover I've ever had! Of course, he's the first, so I really don't have any standard of comparison. He makes me feel like . . .”

“Oh, my god!” Donna hit the pause button. “She was going steady with Paul, and sleeping with
him!”

Julie nodded. “But who is he? Who's ‘R'?”

“I don't care! If she wasn't already dead, I'd strangle her! Paul saved all his money to buy her nice things, and that cheap little . . .”

“Hold it.” Julie reached out to take her friend's arm. “It won't do any good to get mad now. Maybe she's just making it up for the camera, playing a part, or something like that. We don't know for sure that it's true, so let's just listen, okay?”

Donna took a deep breath and let it out again in a long sigh. Then she nodded reluctantly. “Okay. But I think it's true. Vicki wasn't the type to play a part. She was in the junior play and she was a lousy actress.”

“Let's back it up a little.” Julie took the remote control out of Donna's hand and hit the rewind. “We'll make up our minds when it's over.”

“. . .
the best lover I've ever had! Of course, he's the first, so I really don't have any standard of comparison. He makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. He's slept with so many women, it really means something when he tells me that I'm the best. Let me tell you, he's taught me things I never read in any book!”

Donna flinched, and Julie hit the pause again. “Come on, Donna. Forget about your brother for a minute, and just listen. Pretend it's a movie or something if it upsets you so much.”

“Okay, okay. Go ahead.”

“I'm meeting him tonight at his place, so I'd better get ready. Maybe I'll take along my camcorder and shoot some tape of him. I ought to preserve my first lover for posterity, don't you think? And then I'll come back and tell you all about it.”

The screen went blank, and Donna sighed again. “I can't believe Paul was dumb enough to fall in love with her!”

“Shhh!” Julie motioned for silence. “It's on again!”

“Okay. I just parked and now I'm getting out of the car.”
The camera tilted, and there was a shot of a fountain, surrounded by rosebushes.
“And now I'm ringing the doorbell. I'd better shut this off, or R'll get freaked. And I'd better ask if it'
s
okay to tape him. I don't want to get him mad at me. He might cut me off. Later, okay?”

The screen went dark again, and Julie put the tape on pause. “Did you recognize the house?”

“No. It looked like one of those fancy places in Denver. I don't think anybody local has a fountain like that.”

“The door was very distinctive.” Julie nodded thoughtfully. “Did you see that stained glass? Two blue cranes, facing each other.”

“Play the rest. Maybe he let her tape him. Hurry up, Julie. I want to see if I recognize him.”

Julie hit the play button again, and they watched as the screen flickered. There was a shot of a sunken living room, and a mahogany coffee table holding a beautifully carved antique chess set.

“Whoever he is, he's got money!” Donna sighed deeply.

Suddenly a man's hand loomed up to cover the lens of the camera.
“Shut it off, Vicki. And put it away.”

The screen went blank, and Donna sighed. “Damn! I know that voice, but I can't quite place it.”

“Me, too.” Julie hit the fast forward button, but the rest of the tape was blank. “I guess he didn't want to be taped. And she didn't feel like telling us about it. Now we'll never find out who R is.”

Donna look thoughtful. “Don't give up yet. I think I know who can tell us if that stained glass window is anywhere around Crest Ridge. Can I use your phone?”

Julie nodded, and watched as Donna dialed a number. “Hi, Mr. Wilkins. It's Donna Kirby. No, that's all right. I know Dave's working. I really wanted to talk to you.”

Julie lifted her eyebrows. She had no idea why Donna wanted to speak to Dave's father.

“I think you're much cuter than Dave, too . . . but don't tell him I said that.” Donna laughed. “I need some help on a homework assignment, and I thought maybe you'd know. Are there a lot of stained glass windows in Crest Ridge?”

Julie frowned. Why in the world would Mr. Wilkins know that?

“That many, huh? But we're not talking major expensive here, are we?”

Donna nodded again, and she seemed pleased with the answer Mr. Wilkins gave her. “Three. I see. Which one would you say is the best? I need to know for an art project.”

Julie began to grin as Donna nodded, and made an occasional comment to Mr. Wilkins. She was very good at getting information.

“Thanks a lot, Mr. Wilkins. You have no idea how much you've helped me. Say hi to Mrs. Wilkins for me, okay?” Donna hung up the phone and turned to Julie with a grin. “The Stratford mansion has two blue cranes on the door.”

“Dave's father was a guest in the Stratford mansion?”

“No. He runs a window-washing business. I figured that if anybody remembered that window, it would be the guy who had to clean it. Bingo, Julie! We've got Vicki's R. It's Ryan Stratford.”

Julie shook her head. “I don't think so. The minute you mentioned the Stratfords, I knew. That voice wasn't Ryan's. It was his father's.”

“Dick Stratford? But why would Vicki call him R, if his name is . . .” Donna stopped in mid-sentence and thumped the side of her head with her hand. “Dick is short for Richard, right?”

“Right. Vicki's first lover was Dick Stratford. Do you want to play another tape?”

“Why not?” Donna raised her eyebrows. “This is just getting juicy. I want to find out if she ever slept with Paul.”

“Donna!”

Donna laughed at Julie's shocked expression. “You want to know, too. Don't you?”

“Well . . .” Julie couldn't help it. She started to grin. “Of course I want to know. But for purely academic reasons.”

“And what would those be?” Donna looked amused.

“I want to find out if your brother's as good as Dick Stratford.”

 

Donna sighed as Julie slipped the second-to-last tape in the machine. “I still can't believe it. Four different guys in less than three months.”

“And they all had names starting with R. I wonder if she did that on purpose.”

Donna shrugged. “Who knows? Vicki was weird, sometimes. And don't forget that Paul's name didn't start with an R until she started calling him Rock.”

“Well . . . let's just hope there's not another one! All these Rs are getting confusing.” Julie sighed as she picked up the remote control. “Did you happen to notice the date on this one?”

“October thirty-first, the night of the Halloween Party. She broke up with Paul in the middle of October and Ross was her date.”

Julie felt her spirits fall as she pressed the play button. Vicki had been wild, and she doubted that Ross had tried too hard to resist her. And he was an R.

“Tonight's the big night.”
Vicki twirled in front of the camera, showing off her harem dancer's outfit. “
I picked this for R because it's straight out of a fantasy. And just to help matters along, I've got this!”

“A bottle of vodka?” Donna turned to Julie, but before she could ask what it was for, Vicki's voice answered her.

“I'm going to spike his beer. R doesn't like the taste of hard booze, but he'll never notice. I'll wait until after the party. They're depending on him to keep everything running smoothly. Mom says she can't get along without him, but neither can I. I need him, and I need him bad!”

Donna reached out and pressed the pause button. “She's go-irig to go for Ross!”

Julie nodded. It certainly sounded like that was what Vicki was planning.

“Just a little for me, so I don't lose my nerve.”
Vicki raised the bottle to her lips and took a swig.
“He'll never know what hit him. He's perfect for me, absolutely perfect! He's got ambition, and character, and he'll do the right thing. I'd stake my life on it. I am staking my life on it! But I won't tell you about that now. I'll tell you on my next tape, my last tape.”

The screen went blank and Julie turned to Donna. “What is she talking about?”

Donna shrugged. “I don't know. Play the last tape. It's dated December eighteenth.”

Julie shivered as she put the tape in the machine. December eighteenth was the day Vicki had died. Would this be a deathbed confession of some sort? Or was it just another tape? The only way to tell was to play it, and her hands were shaking as she pressed the play button.

Both girls gasped as Vicki's face came on the screen. She looked haggard, and there were dark circles under her eyes. In sharp contrast to the other tapes, she was dressed in an old shirt and jeans, rather than a designer outfit. She looked as if she hadn't had any sleep in days, and her hair was lank and knotted.

“Oh, my God!” Donna shivered. “She looks like hell! Do you suppose she had the flu? I never saw her looking so awful!”

“I have to tell you about something.”
Vicki's voice was weak and trembling.
“I made up my mind, and I'm going to do it tonight. R sent me a note today, and I don't have a choice anymore. I have to go through with it.”

“The suicide?”

Julie shivered as Donna nodded. “It sure sounds like she's going to kill herself, doesn't it?”

“I feel bad for him. And I feel even worse for Mom. Poor Mom. She doesn't know what I'm going through, and she's been so sweet and patient with me. I want to tell her, but I can't! I just can't do that to her!”

“Tell her
what?”
Donna looked terribly confused, but Vicki's next statement didn't help.

“When she finds out what I've done, she's going to be so upset. She might even hate me, but I don't know what else to do. And R's going to hate me, too, when he finds out how I lied to him. But I've got to do it! I just can't take it anymore!”

“Take
what?”
Julie almost shouted, she was so excited. Vicki just had to say why.

“They all think I'm crazy. The shrink. Mom. Maybe even R. But I'm not crazy. I'm perfectly sane. And I know somebody's out there, trying to get me!”

“Whoa!” Donna reached out the stopped the tape. “What did she say?”

“She said somebody was out there, trying to get her.”

Donna nodded. “Sure, but she's paranoid, right?”

“Maybe.” Julie pressed the play button again. She didn't think Vicki was one bit paranoid, but she couldn't tell Donna how she'd reached that conclusion.

“I'm going to tell you exactly what's been happening. Maybe it'll calm me down so I'm not so scared. I know someone's been watching me. I caught a glimpse of him a couple of times, and I can feel him, even when I can't see him. And I know his voice, at least when he whispers. And his laugh. It's a horrible laugh. I hear it in my dreams every night. The stalker's the one who's crazy, not me!”

Julie leaned forward anxiously and stared at her cousin's face. She clasped her hands tightly together to keep them from shaking and waited for Vicki's next words.

“He's the reason I can't stand to work the switchboard anymore. You see, there's that big open window, and I know he's out there somewhere in the dark. And I'm inside, under the lights, all lit up like a target!”

“What is she talking about?”

Donna looked shocked, and Julie reached out to take her hand. “Shh! Maybe she'll tell us!”

“He can see me, but I can't see him. And just when I convince myself that the shrink is right, that I'm just imagining things and nobody's really out there, he calls me to tell me he's watching!”

“Who calls?” Donna looked intrigued. “Is she talking about another R?”

“I don't know. Listen.”

“He says I'm wicked, and if I don't change my ways, he's going to have to punish me. That's why I've been so freaked. He's been scaring me for a long time now, and I just can't take it anymore!”