Mysteries of Holt House - A Mystery (23 page)

“
What?
What are you talking about?”
Josh’s eyes practically bulged after hearing my question.

Mike gave him a brief description of the
passages and told him how we’d found them. He added a description of the rooms
and what we’d found.

“Don’t say anything. They’ll want to see
the passages and they just might scare off the killer. You’re going to have to
trust me on this one, I know what I’m doing. I’m an experienced homicide
detective.”

“If you say so.” Mike licked his lips and
ran his fingers through is hair. He looked skeptical. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t get it. What could Josh be
thinking? “Why? I mean, personally, I’d prefer it if they
did
scare off
the killer.”

“Just trust me,” Josh said. “I’ll explain my
reasons to you in the morning when we can talk freely. Besides, you don’t
really want this person running free, do you?”

“No, I guess not,” I said, reluctantly. Of
course, he was already running free, and he’d already killed two people, but
what did I know?

After another hour the police were almost
finished, and one by one the boarders headed back to their rooms. I couldn’t
believe how tired I was, but I almost laughed when I realized the officers were
actually telling everyone not to leave town. I always thought that was
something they only said in movies, and it was a little comic relief for me.

“Someone else will be out from the
Homicide Division tomorrow to do a follow-up,” one of the men said, as they
were leaving. At least someone finally believed me. On the other hand, they
were leaving us alone with a murderer in the house. Of course, we are talking
about a very small police department in an area that has had only one murder in
over fifty years. And that one had been between people who were passing through
the area on vacation.

Sharon and Lucy had already gone back to
bed, but not before David told them he was as close as a scream, and this time
I didn’t think he was joking. He’d come running if he heard either one of them.
I’m sure
that
encouraged a good night’s sleep. I told Josh goodnight and
hoped David would listen for me, too.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked.

“Not really, but I’ll feel better after I
get some sleep. That is, if I can get any sleep.”

“Do you want me to stay in your room with
you?”

“No, I’ll be okay. David would hear me if
anything were to go wrong.”

“If you need anything, let me know. Okay?”

“Okay.”

I’d forgotten about Jem with all the
commotion. I hurried to the back door and found him sitting by the porch,
looking cold, dejected and a little insulted. I picked him up and stroked his
back as I walked to my room. His fur was like ice. He was almost too big to
pick up, but I needed to hold on to something. He wagged his tail and I felt
better. When I put him down he walked straight to his blanket and curled up.

 “You know, Jem, it’s not gonna be
too long before I won’t be able to pick you up at all.” He took one last look
at me before he closed his eyes for the night.

“I’m so sorry I left you outside for so
long.” Some dog owner
I
was turning out to be.

I undressed and slipped on my nightgown
before moving to turn the covers down on the bed. There was a note lying on top
of the pillow. “Oh no,” I whispered. “Not another one – not now.”

I picked it up, noticing how heavy it
felt. It was only heavy with the dread I felt, I was sure. I opened it and
read:

“
Amelia,

I’m getting closer you know. Here’s
another quotation

to sleep on. Hope you get a good
night’s rest.

‘Man is hunter; woman is his game.

Alfred Lord Tennyson

The Princess’

My meaning isn’t quite the same as Mr.
Tennyson’s. Think it over.”

Amelia? Amelia. Amelia
Holt!
Oh,
how strange things were becoming. But oddly enough, I wasn’t afraid. I should
have been scared to death because I’d seen what he could do. I knew it was some
kind of threat, but I didn’t feel like it was imminent. Somehow I knew I was
okay for the time being, although now I knew I most definitely wouldn’t be
getting a good night’s rest.

I made up my mind in a flash. Two could
play at this game. I’d leave him a quotation for the next time he came. I’d
leave it right in the middle of my bed, every night, until he found it. But
maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. I really shouldn’t be trying to hurry
things along. Maybe I shouldn’t upset this guy. And just maybe I was reacting
like a child.

Thoughts and questions flooded my mind. I
knew I looked like Amelia, but why would anyone address the note to her and not
me? What did the quotation mean since he, or she, had said the two meanings were
different? Was I fair game? Was someone beginning a hunt, with me as the prize
catch?

What about Ruth and Richard? What did they
have to do with it and why had they been killed? I wondered if it was possible
that somehow they’d found something out that would incriminate someone in the
house – whoever was after me. No, I thought. I’m becoming paranoid. No one
would go that far to get to me. I couldn’t think of a single reason why anyone
would
want
to get to me. And yet it seemed like things were beginning to
escalate.

I put the note in a drawer and sat down on
the edge of the bed. I’d managed to thoroughly confuse myself. Mike had said if
I needed anything… I stood up and put on my robe, immediately taking it off
again. I didn’t know what to do. I finally decided to wait until morning to do
anything. I got into bed and slept, but not well, and not for long. I went to
sleep knowing Jem was there and he’d let me know if anyone was lurking around.

That was the night I had the nightmare
about Ruth Bell in which I heard her scream, and saw someone push her out of
the window. I heard the thud as she hit the ground. I saw her grotesquely
twisted and broken body, and I woke up with a scream caught in my throat.

That was the night I climbed out of bed
and ran to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face, and the night I went
back to my room and sat in the rocking chair, thinking back to how it had all
begun.

I also began to wonder where it would all
end, and that was a pretty frightening thought. Something I had to block out of
my mind.

My head was a pretty well buried in the
sand, just like the new note was buried in my drawer.

Chapter
Twenty-nine

At breakfast I noticed that everyone
looked bedraggled, with the exception of Ted, who wouldn’t dream of looking untidy.
Cleanliness was the word of the day for him. Exhaustion was the word of the day
for the rest of us.

Ted acted downright bright and cheerful,
and it was really irritating. He mentioned he’d taken a tranquilizer and it had
helped him get right to sleep. He sang out a cheery good morning to Lucy, who
gave him one of her nastiest looks. As she passed the back of his chair she
made a strangling motion at him before she returned to the kitchen.

J.T.’s eyes looked red and swollen. He
kept glancing at everyone suspiciously, wanting to know who’d murdered his
friend. I looked at Josh across the table and noticed he was looking at each
individual with the same look as J.T. At least Josh’s looks were given with a
trained eye. The suspicion, the grim faces, and the quiet, all did a number on
me. I couldn’t stand it. I had to get away.

“Excuse me,” I said, abruptly standing and
pushing my chair back. I covered my mouth and coughed before heading to my room
to grab my jacket.

“Come on Jem. Let’s go outside for a while.”
He followed me out to the gazebo.

It had snowed during the night. After
brushing the white stuff off a chair, I sat down. Another short bout of
coughing attacked me and there was the most irritating tickle in my throat.

The snow began falling again and I
concentrated on it, trying not to think about what was going on in my house.
The flakes were small, and I knew each one was a unique crystal, no two alike.
While I watched, larger flakes began to fall, resembling soft, ivory leaves. I
gazed toward the house, and through the curtain of snow I could see the
surrounding bushes swathed in white, the tree branches weighted down by the
same heavy, wet snow.

The curtain grew thicker and I could
barely make out the house. I thought how deathly quiet it was, then regretted
my choice of words. I was shivering, but had no intention of returning to the
warmth of the house any time soon. I just couldn’t face it, literally, and
turned my back on the house. The maddening tickle struck again, and I started
coughing.

“Kelly!” I heard Mike’s voice from near
the house. “Where are you?”

“I’m here, in the gazebo,” I called out,
which brought on another cough.

As he approached I looked up and saw the
concern on his face.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No.”

“What are you doing out here? It’s
freezing.”

I’d crumpled up the note from the night
before and stuffed it in my shirt pocket before I left the house. I unzipped my
jacket and pulled out the note.

“Read this,” I said, sullenly.

He took it from me, smoothed it out and
read it.

“When did you receive this one?” His eyes
remained on the paper and he didn’t look up.

“I found it on my pillow when I went to my
room early this morning. It was right after I left you and Josh, after the
police left.”

“Why didn’t you come get me?” He sounded
angry. “Don’t you realize how much danger you might be in? What’s the matter
with you?”

“I take it you’re interpreting it as a
threat, too. That’s the way I read it, but I honestly don’t think this person
is ready to make a move yet. He’s playing with me first. Oddly enough, I don’t
feel like I’m in any danger, at least not yet. But it’s coming, I can feel it –
just like a train picking up speed while it moves down the tracks.”

“You could be right, but why did he call
you Amelia? It doesn’t make sense, other than the fact that you look like her.”

“I don’t know.” I coughed. “It’s got to
have something to do with the fact that I look like her. I’m really confused,
Mike. I don’t know
what
to think anymore.”

“I know.” He put a comforting arm around
me. “Nothing around here makes any sense lately. Come inside with me where it’s
warm, and we’ll talk to Josh. I think he should see this note. Since he’s an
ex-cop, maybe he’ll come up with something. We’ve got to put a stop to this
before it goes any further.”

“You’re right, maybe Josh can help.”

I had a small fit of coughing as we ran to
the house. I had to stop for a second, and Mike made me slow down. “What’s with
all the coughing? I knew you shouldn’t be out here. I noticed you were coughing
during breakfast, too.”

“I think it’s just nerves. I’ve got a
tickle in my throat.” I covered my mouth and coughed again. “Sorry.”

I pushed the back door open and Mike
pointed to a chair. “You sit down here and I’ll find Josh. I’ll be right back.”

While he was gone I started heating water
for tea. I hoped it would relieve the tickle. While I was looking through the
refrigerator for a lemon, Josh and Mike walked in and sat down at the table.

“What are you looking for?” Mike asked.

“A lemon. Tea with lemon and honey is supposed
to be good for coughs.” I coughed again to confirm the malady, and realized my
chest hurt.

“You’re beginning to look flushed. Do you
feel feverish?” Mike stood and walked over to me, putting his hand on my
forehead to see if my skin was hot.

“I’m fine,” I said, pushing his hand away.
“If I look flushed, it’s from being out in the cold. It
is
cold outside,
you know.”

“She’s getting irritable, too,” Josh
pointed out. “A sure sign of illness.”

“You’re a big help,” I said. “Don’t worry.
I’ll take some vitamin C.”

“Okay, okay. Let’s sit down and discuss
what’s going on around here. Mike,” Josh asked, “where’s this note you were
telling me about?”

Mike handed it to Josh, who read it, and
they both turned to look at me.

“It has something to do with the portrait
– your resemblance to Amelia Holt,” Josh said. “And somehow all the occurrences
are tied together, I’m sure of that. The fact that the note was left last night
tells us that much. It’s too much of a coincidence that Richard was murdered
and the note was left on the heels of his death. The other notes came just
before Ruth’s death, from what Mike tells me.”

“You already told him about the other
notes?” I asked, looking at Mike.

“Early this morning, after you went to
bed, Josh and I talked for a long time.”

“I wish I’d been there to join in.”