Teacher's Pet (Point Horror) Page 14

  “Considerate guy.” Denzil grunted. “Well, he’s right about one thing—being with people is probably best. She’s not likely to try anything with an audience, I would think.”

  “The horror hunt’s tonight,” Kate reminded him. “I don’t want to stay in camp by myself, but I don’t want to be wandering around out there, either.”

  Denzil thought a minute. “It’d probably be safer if you went. We’ll be working in teams, so you’ll be with us.”

  “Denzil, I’m so scared—I haven’t done anything—why is this happening to me? I mean, I just came here to learn something about writing and to have some fun, that’s all—Denzil?”

  Denzil was looking at her as if he hadn’t heard a word she’d said. Impatiently Kate shook his arm.

  “Did you hear me? You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

  He opened his mouth as if to answer, then seemed to change his mind. Behind the round glasses, his eyes squinted, troubled.

  “Something,” he mumbled. “Something’s not quite right.”

  Kate stared at him, a humorless laugh bursting out. “Well, thank you, Sherlock Holmes—what an absolutely brilliant deduction!”

  Denzil got up and walked a few steps… tapped his fist absently against one upturned palm… walked back again. “For one thing… where did Pearce take Rowena after she was burned?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “If she was burned so badly that she lost her face, people around here would know about it.”

  “Then he had to have taken her somewhere else. Another town. Maybe another state.”

  “But why?”

  Kate looked blank. “Because… she never wanted anyone to know? Or maybe Pearce couldn’t stand having other people see how hideous she looked? Anyway, if they’d been hiding her, he couldn’t have risked anyone finding out about her.”

  Denzil nodded slowly, still walking, still thinking. “So where does Pearce hide her now?”

  “Well… maybe in his house… or the main house… there must be tons of places around here—the woods, the cabins, all these buildings around everywhere—”

  “Yeah.” He sighed, taking off his hat, running one hand through his hair. “It’s just… I don’t know….”

  “Tragic,” Kate finished. “I hope Gideon’s going to the police right now.”

  “What a scandal,” Denzil mused. “If they find her. Hell, if the police come in, she may never come out of hiding.”

  “So what happens in the meantime?”

  “I’m sticking to you like needles on a cactus,” Denzil said. “She’ll either give up, or you’ll lure her out of hiding.”

  “Great. You mean use me as bait.”

  “I can’t get you away tonight—at least not till later. A bunch of the workers went dancing and took all the cars. But first thing in the morning, I’m getting you on that train.”

  Kate thought a moment. “I can’t run away, Denzil.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because she might follow me. Or find me. Then I’d always have to be afraid.”

  “Somehow I can’t picture a black corpse traveling incognito.” Denzil attempted a smile. “And anyway, I thought you liked to be scared.”

  “Not when it’s real,” Kate said seriously. “Not when I can’t just close the book or leave the movie or turn off the TV. And if I run away now, I’d always have to wonder. Wonder if she followed me… or if she’s on the phone when I pick it up… or if she’s waiting around the very next corner.”

  “Kate,” Denzil said, “that’s pretty unlikely.”

  “Not for Merriam it wasn’t.” She stared at him and saw the slight pallor of his cheeks though his head was turned. “You know now, don’t you? That it wasn’t suicide? And if Rowena found Merriam… then she could find me.”

  The door burst open, and they both jumped. Tawney beamed and handed each of them an ice cream cone.

  “I lost a contact,” she warned them. “So if you bite down on something hard, it’s not a pecan.”

  “Thanks.” Denzil eyed the cone suspiciously, then glanced at his watch. “Hey, the horror hunt’s starting—we’d better hurry.” As Tawney walked ahead, he reached for Kate’s hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. “You’re something,” he said seriously. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”

  Kate couldn’t speak. She squeezed his hand, and they went into the lodge, where an instructor was going over the game rules.

  “No one is to go outside the camp boundaries or off the main trails. Everything on the list can be found somewhere on the grounds. And each of you gets a flashlight, if you don’t already have one. Any more questions?”

  “What about a time limit?” someone spoke up.

  “Two hours. Everyone should meet back here then. If you don’t, we’ll assume you’re lost and gone forever.”

  There was a ripple of laughter around the room, and Tawney looked at Kate.

  “That’s not funny. I wouldn’t want to be lost out there.”

  “Me, neither.”

  “Why, there could be anything out there.” Tawney frowned. “Wild animals… people who’ve escaped from mental institutions—”

  “Ssh!” Denzil hissed. “I’m trying to listen!”

  “—into groups,” the instructor went on. “Here are the lists and extra maps. The team with the most points wins.”

  “That’ll be us,” Denzil said confidently. “We can’t lose.”

  “Who made up the list?” someone called out.

  The instructor quickly consulted another man beside him. “We think Gideon Drewe—we’re not sure.”

  “Where is Gideon Drewe, anyway?”

  “We’re not sure about that, either.” The instructor laughed. “He was supposed to be here, but he hasn’t shown up.”

  “Then let’s get going.” Denzil jumped up and led the way over to the lists and flashlights.

  “I want one,” said Tawney. “What’s it say?”

  Kate peeked over Denzil’s shoulder, quickly scanning the list. “Something dead. Something a hangman uses. A murder weapon. Something you can’t escape—”

  “Something you can’t escape….” Tawney’s face lit up. “I know! Spiderwebs!”

  “Quit giving away all our ideas.” Denzil jerked the list away before Kate could finish reading. “Hurry up, everyone else has started.” As he and Tawney headed for the door, Kate picked up a list of her own and read it as she walked.

  “There are so many weird things on here,” she mumbled.

  “Yeah, and different points for each one.” Denzil followed Tawney outside. “Let’s do the ones with the most points first.”

  “Come on!” Tawney stamped her feet excitedly. “This is going to be so—Kate, are you all right?”

  But Kate didn’t hear her, and she didn’t see Denzil’s puzzled stare as her eyes went down the list, down to the item at the bottom of the page, the item typed in big bold letters, the item worth the most points of all—

  “Teacher’s pet,” she whispered, and Denzil was beside her in an instant, trying to take the paper, trying to pry it out of her hands. “Teacher’s pet!” Kate said again, only this time it was a cry coming up from the back of her throat.

  “Kate,” Denzil said sternly, and at last he tore the paper free. “Kate, stop it—stop!”

  They stood there facing each other, and Tawney wedged in between them, anxiously turned toward Kate.

  “I saw that, Kate, but I don’t think it means what you’re thinking—not a person—I think they mean Pet. You know, the cat—’cause, really, he’s William’s cat, and all the things on the list are trick things; they sort of don’t mean what they seem….” She looked pleadingly at Kate and shook her gently by the shoulders. “Aren’t I right, Kate? It’s just a fun thing, and anyway”—she glanced around and lowered her voice—“I saw Gideon yesterday in the lodge, and we were talking about puns and things, and Pet was curled up in his lap—and I said, oh-ho, look at the teac
her’s pet—so I think he maybe used my idea.” She stepped back, pleased, but when Kate didn’t respond, her face grew troubled again. “I’m pretty sure this is fun, Kate. Really…”

  “Nice going, Tawney.” Denzil glared at her.

  “Come on,” Kate said shakily. “We’re wasting time.”

  After a hurried discussion, they decided on a bone for the “something dead.” There’d been chicken for dinner so there were plenty of scraps in the garbage behind the dining hall. Tawney scooped up a clump of spiderwebs from underneath one of the cabin porches, and Denzil raided the toolshed and got a rusty metal file for their murder weapon. Everyplace they went, they kept a lookout for Pet, but the cat didn’t seem to be anywhere around.

  “She’s probably at Gideon’s house,” Tawney said at last. “Maybe we should look there.”

  Huddled over their flashlights, Kate and Denzil reviewed their lists again and acted like they didn’t hear.

  “So, what next?” Denzil prompted, glancing off into the trees. “Something that crawls? A pentagram? Remember, we need points.”

  For all his show of joviality, Kate sensed it was forced. He hadn’t stopped watching her since they’d left the lodge, and more than once as she’d looked nervously off into the shadows, she’d caught him doing the same thing.

  “The cat,” Tawney said again. “Don’t you think we should be looking for Pet?”

  “We’ll find her,” Denzil said evasively. “Don’t worry about it. Just come on.” He grabbed Kate’s elbow and frowned. “Do you wanna go back to my cabin and rest awhile? You don’t look too good—”

  “No. I’m fine.” She stared at him, with a tight smile. Denzil had a funny look on his face.

  “Maybe you’d better sit down—”

  “What’s next?” Kate asked quickly. Keep moving. Don’t think.

  Denzil took a step closer. “Look, I really mean it, maybe you should—”

  “Denzil, I am all right,” Kate said sharply. “Just get on with the hunt and stop nagging me.”

  Denzil flushed and dropped back. Both he and Tawney stared at her, and Kate looked guiltily away.

  “Hey, that’s cool.” Denzil held up his hands. “Whatever you say, Kate.”

  Kate swallowed over the lump, in her throat. “Denzil, I’m sorry—” she began, but he and Tawney had already moved down the path ahead of her.

  Kate wasn’t sure what they were looking for now, nor did she care. She followed them, head down, feet dragging, a terrible fear growing inside her….

  “Something an executioner would carry.” Tawney’s voice drifted back. “An axe?”

  Even from a distance, Kate could hear Denzil’s tension. “Nah, that’s too easy. Everyone’ll think of—” He stopped so abruptly on the path that Kate ran into him. But as she looked up, his gaze was directed somewhere over her head. “Do you smell something?” he asked sharply. “Smoke?”

  Tawney sniffed the air. “No. Just cold.”

  “Smoke,” Denzil said again. He was already heading down the path, his head swiveling from side to side. “It’s smoke. I’m sure it’s smoke—”

  “It’s the fireplace in the lodge, probably,” Tawney said. “I don’t think anyone’s burning leaves out here tonight, do you?”

  But Denzil was going faster now, his face tilted to the sky. “It’s not the fireplace, it’s something else.”

  As her friends moved away, Kate made an effort to shake off her sluggishness and follow. The crisp night air sliced into her lungs, yet suddenly the back of her throat began to burn.

  Denzil froze on the path, his glance alarmed as he shouted back over his shoulder. “It is fire! It’s one of the cabins!”

  The next thing Kate knew, they were all running, racing down the path, as an orangish glow suddenly shone through the trees ahead. She heard Tawney scream, and her heart leaped into her throat.

  “Oh, Kate!” Tawney screamed again. “It’s your cabin!”

  And Kate saw the flames then, licking from the doorway, the throbbing, nickering pulse of fire as it crept over and through the little house.

  “No!” she screamed.

  In unthinking panic, she bolted for the door and went down as someone tackled her from behind.

  “Are you crazy?” Denzil shouted. “What’re you doing?”

  She kicked at him. “Let me go!”

  “You can’t go in there, it’s too late!”

  As Kate stared helplessly at the growing inferno, Tawney sank down beside her and began to cry.

  “What’d you do, Kate?” Denzil yelled, practically beside himself. “Leave your heater on?”

  “I didn’t do anything!” Rowena did. Rowena set this on purpose because Gideon and Pearce belong to her….

  “I’m calling the fire department!” Denzil whirled to go, then turned back to the girls huddled there on the ground. “Tawney,” he ordered, “call Gideon. Use the phone in the lodge—the number’s in the office.”

  Tawney jumped up, scared and confused. “What… what should I tell him?”

  Taking off, Denzil spun back. “Tell him there’s an emergency! Tell him to get his butt down here!”

  “Come on!” Kate jumped up and ran with Tawney to the lodge. Already people had begun to smell the smoke, temporarily abandoning the hunt to seek out the source of the fire. As Tawney dialed the number and gripped the phone to her ear, Kate paced back and forth, mentally counting the number of rings. After several moments, Tawney held the receiver out to her.

  “Oh, Kate,” she cried, “no one’s answering! What’ll I do?”

  “But he’s home!” Kate grabbed the phone away. “They’re both home! Someone should answer—”

  Three rings. Seven. Five more. Kate slammed down the receiver, pulling Tawney toward the door.

  “Come on,” she cried, “you have to come with me, okay?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To Gideon’s house. Something’s wrong—”

  “But shouldn’t we wait for Denzil?”

  “No, no, there’s no time. Just hurry!”

  She prayed she’d remember the way. She prayed for a bad phone line and that Pearce and Gideon just hadn’t heard the ringing, she prayed that she’d have enough courage to go into that house, not knowing what she might find—

  The gate was open when they got there. The house loomed up dark and silent, and Tawney pressed close to Kate.

  “That’s where Gideon lives?”

  “Yes. But there should be lights, and the gate’s not usually open. I’ve got to go in, Tawney. I’m afraid—”

  “What’s that?” Tawney’s voice dropped, and she glanced uneasily over her shoulder. “Did you hear something?”

  Kate was instantly alert. She swept her flashlight through the darkness and reached for Tawney’s hand. “I don’t hear anything. What did it sound like?”

  “Something moving. I don’t know… something.”

  Please, God, just let it be the wind. “I don’t hear it.”

  “Let’s go,” Tawney whispered. “I don’t like this.”

  “You can wait here for me. If I’m not out in five minutes—”

  “No, I’ll come with you.” Tawney tried to sound brave. “Only, let’s hurry, okay?”

  Kate nodded and they went slowly toward the house… up the steps… across the porch to the door. Raising her hand, Kate gave a timid knock. A blast of cold whirled a shower of leaves around their feet, and Tawney stifled a scream. Kate knocked again. The door rattled in its frame, but nobody answered.

  “I think we should leave now,” Tawney said. “I don’t think anybody’s home.”

  Kate backed off the porch and hesitated, listening for some sound within. If Rowena did come back, surely they would have overpowered her, even with Pearce’s injuries—surely—unless she surprised them, unless she caught them off guard and it’s too late, neither of them can help me now—

  “Tawney?” Kate’s voice trembled, and she turned around.

&nb
sp; Tawney wasn’t there.

  “Tawney!” Kate screamed. “Tawney, where are you?”

  And she heard the front door opening… squeaking back on its hinges… and the soft moan… like someone in pain….

  “Pearce?” Kate called, alarmed. “Pearce, is that you? Are you all right? Where’s—?”

  “Kate,” the voice whispered, floating from the yawning black hole of a doorway. “You shouldn’t have come here. …”

  “Gideon?”

  Fearfully Kate moved toward his voice… felt her feet cross the threshold… saw a shadowy figure hovering near the stairs at the end of the hall.

  “Gideon? Is that you? There’s been a fire and—”

  Her voice faded as she stared at him. In the sickly glow of her flashlight, his face seemed unnaturally pale, his body propped against the wall as if standing were too great an effort.

  In his hands he held a long, black piece of cloth.

  A veil.

  Numbness went through her. Her eyes locked on his blurred face… his eyes, deep holes without color….

  “Gideon…”

  “You can’t have either one of us, you see.” His voice was a hollow whisper. The veil moved between his fingers as he came slowly toward her. “Not me… not Pearce… Rowena would never allow that. If Rowena can’t love, then no one can.”

  Kate felt herself stumbling, slow-motion panic pulling her back, her body blocked by the wall. My God… my God… Gideon….

  “It’s not your fault that you’re so beautiful,” he whispered, and still he moved closer, the long black material like a rope in his hands, twisting, turning… “that you’re so easy to fall in love with….”

  “No…” Kate flattened herself against the wall… watched him come closer. “Gideon… no…”

  Terror exploded behind her eyes. Through a haze, she saw the walls sway around her… the ceiling tilt crazily above her head. A swirl of images flooded her mind—Teacher’s pet… Gideon twisting the axe in the tree… slashed clothes… “Rowena would be jealous of that”… the eyes at her window… blood… blood… blood everywhere… and “inseparable” Pearce had said… “twins”… “closer than anyone could guess”… “he still hasn’t gotten over it… I don’t think he ever will…”