Twisted (26 page)

S
usie straightened the collar of her white blouse with fingers that trembled slightly. She was more upset about the note from Kelly than she'd wanted to admit. She knew that Jennifer and Tim had planted the note as part of their skit. There was nothing spooky about that. But the notes were definitely bad luck, and she wished she'd never opened her makeup case to find it.

When Susie had shown everyone her note, she'd realized that a couple of her friends were beginning to believe that Kelly's ghost was real. They thought that the recent deaths hadn't been accidents at all, that Kelly's spirit was actually causing them!

Susie thought about it as she'd waited for their rehearsal to start. What possible reason might Kelly have for causing these “accidents” ?

It wasn't difficult to find a motive for Zada's death. She'd been a psychic and she'd brought special aids to the lodge, to make the séance work. Perhaps Kelly hadn't wanted to come back and she'd been angry with Zada.

Melanie's death had seemed utterly senseless until Susie really thought about it. Melanie had asked to have Kelly's old locker, the one on the end right next to Tommy's. Kelly could have been mad about that. Perhaps she'd even been jealous that Melanie got to see Tommy so often in the halls.

Ronnie's death, however, was a complete puzzle. What had Ronnie ever done to Kelly? It took a moment, but then Susie figured it out. Ronnie had taken over Kelly's spot on the student council, a position he'd only gotten because Kelly had died.

Susie shivered as her thoughts turned inward. Had she ever done anything to make Kelly mad enough to kill her? She wasn't on the student council, she didn't have Kelly's old locker, and she'd never even thought of dating Tommy. Kelly would have no reason to be angry with her, unless . . .

Kelly's antique doll collection! Susie's face turned pale. She'd bought it from Mrs. Bridges right after Kelly's death, thirty dolls, all collector's items. Kelly's doll collection had been her pride and joy, and it had been much better than Susie's. Was Kelly angry at Susie for putting them all together so she could have the best doll collection in Foothill?

Susie shivered and goose bumps prickled her skin. Her great-grandmother had an old saying: When you shivered and goose bumps popped up on your skin, it was supposed to mean that a goose had just walked over your grave. But Susie didn't have a grave. She was still alive and she intended to stay that way. There was no way she was going sit here and shiver, afraid of a ghost that didn't exist!

Work was the best medicine. That was another of her great-grandmother's favorite sayings, and it seemed to be true. Susie sat down at the library desk and picked up her script. She'd go over her lines again. Even though she knew them perfectly, working on her lines would take her mind off Kelly's ghost and that silly note she'd found.

As she read over her lines, Susie began to feel much better. Dale had written the script and it was very good. She played a psychotic teacher who had murdered several of her former students.

The bodies of the former students were hidden in Susie's library and the five plastic skeletons, dressed in school clothes, looked very gruesome. They were sitting around the library table, tied to their chairs with fishing line. Several of them had books in their bony fingers and one even wore wire-framed glasses.

“Here's your blood, Susie.” Dale came in, carrying a large plastic capsule. “Cheryl says it's guaranteed to work.”

Susie held the capsule very carefully. She knew that if she squeezed it, the blood would splatter out. “But we've only got a couple of these. Do you think I should use it tonight?”

“Go ahead. We have to try it once before the actual performance. You brought extra clothes, didn't you?”

“Of course. Do you know if this stuff'll wash out?”

“It's supposed to. Cheryl read the instructions and it says it's guaranteed not to stain if you wash it out within twenty-four hours.”

“Okay.” Susie slipped the capsule into the pocket of her blouse. “How do the skeletons look?”

“Great.” Dale walked over to stick a baseball cap on one of the skeletons and then he started to laugh.

“What's so funny?”

“I brought a pencil to stick behind one of the skeleton's ears. I forgot . . . skeletons don't have any ears!”

Susie laughed, too. “Don't worry, Dale. I'll wire it between a couple of finger bones. That'll do.”

While Susie wired the pencil in place, Dale draped a letter sweater over the shoulders of another. “How's this?”

“It looks good, but whose letter sweater is that?”

“It's mine.”

Susie's frown deepened. “Are you sure you want to use it? I mean . . . won't you feel kind of strange when you wear it again?”

“Why should I? It's just a plastic skeleton.”

Susie turned away. For some reason, seeing the skeleton with a letter sweater really bothered her. Perhaps it was because Ronnie had been so proud of his letter sweater, and now he was dead.

“Hey, Susie.” Dale walked up and put his hands on her shoulders. “If that sweater bothers you, I won't use it.”

Susie forced a smile and shook her head. “No. It's perfect. It looks really gruesome.”

“Okay. We'd better take our places. They'll be coming any minute. Let's knock 'em dead, Susie.”

Susie frowned. She knew
knock 'em dead
was only a slang phrase, but it was an unfortunate choice of words, considering what had happened. Zada and two of Susie's friends had already been knocked dead on this Halloween weekend. Three victims and none of them even had a chance. Susie was going to be extra careful. She had to make sure that the same thing wouldn't happen to her.

 

Susie grinned as Brian dimmed the lights. The first half of their skit had gone very well. Everyone had gasped when she'd bashed Dale's head with the fake hammer and he'd fallen to the floor, presumably dead. Susie had left the room and Dale had given his solo performance, regaining consciousness and telling the audience how he was planning to trap his teacher, Miss Perkins.

Dale had given the audience the background story. Students had been disappearing from Roosevelt High. The missing students had been flunking out of school and their parents had assumed they'd run away from home. Dale didn't believe it. He suspected that Miss Perkins was responsible for the disappearance of his classmates and he was going to prove it.

Although Dale had been a good student, he'd deliberately flunked several tests. He'd also failed to do his homework and now he was on the teacher's list of flunking students. Just as he'd hoped, Miss Perkins had invited Dale to her home for a study session, all alone, at night. Dale had gone because he knew that several other students had attended one of her study sessions, never to be seen again.

During the first act, when Susie had hit Dale and he'd pretended to die, the library table had been hidden from view by a screen. Now that the room was dark, Susie and Dale quietly removed the screen. Then Dale took his place at the library table and Susie got back in character, holding a book in one hand and a ruler in the other. She was conducting a gruesome geography class for her dead students, and she would be quizzing Dale when the lights came back up.

“Now we'll have a short oral quiz on your homework.” Susie's voice came out of the darkness. “Who wants to answer the first question?”

There was no answer and Susie gave an audible sigh. “All right, class. If there are no volunteers, I'll choose a student to answer. Name the continents, Dale.”

No one spoke and Susie sighed again. “Dale? Give me your answer!”

There was a collective gasp as the lights came up and the audience saw the skeletons around the table. No one had seen the skeletons before. Dale had decided not to use them until this final dress rehearsal, and Susie was pleased to see that they had real shock effect.

Dale was sitting at the end of the table, his head buried in his hands. Susie marched over to him and held up her ruler.

“Answer me, Dale! Name the continents!”

But Dale was perfectly motionless and Susie raised her ruler higher. There was another gasp as the ruler came down to hit the table so close to Dale's hand, it looked as if she were actually hitting him. “You've failed another quiz, Dale. That is why I had to punish you. You were a
baaaaad
student! And bad students deserve to die!”

“No! I'm not a bad student, Miss Perkins!”

Susie pretended to reel in shock as Dale spoke. “You can't speak! You're dead! I killed you!”

Dale sat up a little straighter. “Yes, I'm dead. You killed me and I came back to tell you that you made a mistake. I was a good student, Miss Perkins. I can name the continents.”

“Then do it!” Susie's voice was shaking and she looked slightly uncertain. “I think you're bluffing!”

Dale rose to his feet and smiled. And then he recited the names of the continents, one by one. When he had finished, he pointed his finger at Susie. “It's like I said. You made a mistake, Miss Perkins. You punished a good student. Why don't you admit it?”

“No!” Susie backed up as Dale started to move toward her. “That's impossible. Good teachers don't make mistakes.”

“But you did, Miss Perkins. You killed me, and I didn't deserve to die.”

Dale advanced and Susie retreated. For the first time she began to look very frightened. “I'm sorry I killed you, Dale. I'll make it up to you, I promise!”

“There's only one way to do that.”

“How?” Susie's voice was shaking. “I'll do anything!”

Dale began to smile. “Your life for mine, Miss Perkins. It's the only way to atone for your mistake.”

“Yes. I see that, Dale.” Susie nodded slowly. “You are quite correct. I killed you in error and now I must make amends.”

“Exactly! Go down to the police station and turn yourself in. They'll see that justice is done.”

“No!” Susie shook her head. “I am the teacher. I will decide what is just and what is not!”

There was a gasp from the group as Susie darted behind the desk. They knew from previous rehearsals that she was supposed to pull out a drawer, take out a handgun, and pretend to kill herself. Susie knew it, too, but the prop gun wasn't where she was sure she'd placed it.

Susie stared down at the drawer for a moment. Where was her gun? She felt around in the back of the drawer and almost smiled in relief as she found it hidden under a pile of papers. Thank goodness she'd found it! Her carelessness had almost ruined Dale's skit.

But was this gun different? It seemed heavier as she lifted it out, but Susie didn't have time to think about that. Dale was shouting his line and she had to act quickly.

“No, Miss Perkins! Don't do it!”

Susie raised the gun and pointed it at her head. The blood capsule was already in her hand and she'd break it the moment she heard Brian's gunshot. Since the gun didn't actually fire, Brian would play a recording of a gunshot over the microphone and Susie's timing had to be perfect.

“I am a
baaaad
teacher!” Susie delivered her line in a fierce voice. “And bad teachers deserve to die!”

“No, Susie! No!”

Susie almost laughed as she heard Jennifer's voice. Jen was really getting into this skit. She'd even called Susie by her real name, not the name of the character she was playing. But Susie didn't hesitate. She was a good actress and good actresses went on with the show. She just put her finger on the trigger and began to squeeze it.

There was the sound of Brian's recorded gunshot, right on time. But at that exact instant, something horrible happened. There was another gunshot, directly on the heels of the first, so close that it sounded like one long explosion. It was so loud that several members of the audience screamed and covered their ears. But Susie didn't hear their screams. She didn't even hear the second explosion.

The sound in the library was deafening, echoing against the walls and bouncing back and forth between them. And then Susie was on the floor, blood spurting from her head in a sticky red river as the life flowed from her body.

“Fantastic!” Pete started to clap and everyone else joined in. “That was great, guys, much more realistic than the last rehearsal. Those blood capsules really work.”

Dale was smiling as he took a bow, and then he reached down for Susie's hand. “Okay, Susie. You can get up now.”

But Susie didn't grasp Dale's hand and pull herself to her feet as she'd done at the last rehearsal. She didn't even twitch as Pete called out her name.

“Susie? Come on, Susie. You don't have to be such a ham. The skit's over. It's time to take a bow.”

But Susie still didn't move and Pete's grin faded as he walked over to her and knelt down on the rug. “Susie?”

But Susie didn't answer. She just stayed on the floor, motionless, in a pool of her own warm, red blood.

“Susie?” Pete sounded scared as he took Susie's hand and felt for a pulse. And then he looked up and the horrified expression on his face said it all. Susie wasn't acting. The second explosion had been a real gunshot. The fake gun wasn't a fake and their friend, Susie Romano, was dead.

“
I
t's my uncle's gun.” There was an expression of horror on Dale's face. “But I never realized he kept it loaded in his library desk! It's my fault Susie died. She was in my skit and I should have checked!”

Pete shook his head. “No, Dale. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. I know it sounds cruel to say so right now, but Susie was responsible for her own death. We know what happened. I found the prop gun in the top drawer, and we all saw Susie pull out the second. She made a mistake that turned out to be fatal, but it was an accident.”

Jennifer winced. She knew what everyone else was thinking and it was up to her to say it. “There's the note Susie got from Kelly. Do you think that . . .”

“No. Absolutely not!” Pete interrupted her. “That note has nothing to do with Susie's death. I don't want any of you to even consider it.”

Jennifer took a deep breath. And then she blurted it out. “You're wrong, Pete.”

Everyone turned to stare at Jennifer. It was the first time they'd ever heard her talk back to a teacher. She could feel herself starting to blush, but she knew she was right and she wasn't about to back down.

“I don't believe that Kelly's ghost murdered Susie. That's not what I mean at all! But finding that note and worrying about it could have made Susie careless.”

“Jen's right.” Tim slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little hug. “Susie was really distracted after she got that note.”

Pete didn't look happy, but he nodded. “Okay. You've got a point. But what can we do about it?”

“I think Jennifer and Tim should stop planting those notes.” Cheryl sounded angry. “It's just causing trouble.”

“But we can't!” Jennifer turned to face Cheryl. “Really, Cheryl . . . we'd stop in a heartbeat if we could, but we're not doing it!”

Cheryl rolled her eyes at the ceiling. “Sure. And the pope's not Catholic. Come on, Jen . . . admit it. The fun and games are over and your stupid skit's causing all sorts of trouble.”

“We're not the ones causing trouble.” Tim jumped in to defend Jennifer. “Jen and I don't like the notes, either. We'd stop them if we could, but . . .”

“I know, I know. You don't have to repeat it.” Cheryl gave Tim a nasty look. “But if you're not writing the notes, who is?”

Pete held up his hands for silence. “Let's forget about the notes. They aren't important. It's our reaction that's causing all the trouble. I told Jennifer and Tim to go on with their séance, but maybe I made a mistake.”

“You can't stop the séances.” Brian's voice came over the loudspeaker. “It won't work.”

Jennifer jumped and looked up at the speaker. She'd forgotten that Brian wasn't with them. “Why won't it work? Come in here and tell us.”

There was a crackle as Brian shut off the microphone. A moment later, they heard him coming down the stairs from the manager's office. When he appeared in the doorway, he was frowning.

“Why can't we cancel, Brian?” Tim frowned right back at him.

“I told you. It won't work. Once you've summoned an angry spirit, you can't just send it away.”

“You're making this up!” Cheryl turned to glare at him. “You're just trying to frighten us.”

Brian shook his head. “No, I'm not. Zada brought some books with her and I read them last night.”

“But . . . why?” Jennifer looked puzzled.

“Because I needed some answers. Something weird is going on here, and I wanted to find out what it was.”

Everyone was silent for a long moment and then Jennifer asked the question. “Did you find out?”

“Yes. It's right here on page fifty-three.” Brian opened one of the books. “It says,
Beware lest you summon an angry spirit, for it shall not go quietly. The living may not alter or even intrude upon such a spirit's chosen path without risking death.
I think we can safely assume that Kelly's spirit is angry . . . right?”

“Right,” Tim said. “Kelly's spirit certainly seems to be angry. But that book just describes what's happening. We need to know what we can do about it.”

“I was coming to that.” Brian flipped open another book. “There's more right here.
An angry spirit must be acknowledged. Wrongs committed during the spirit's lifetime must be righted by those who remain behind. Only when the spirit is appeased, will it will slip back from hence it came
.”

“Oh, that's just great!” Cheryl sounded very sarcastic. “What do we have to do? Round up all the kids who were mean to Kelly in grade school, and offer them up as a living sacrifice?”

Brian didn't laugh. “Close, but not quite. We already know why Kelly's spirit is angry. She said she was murdered and she came back tell us who killed her. If we catch her killer, Kelly's spirit will be appeased.”

“I guess that makes some kind of sense,” Jennifer said. “But how are we going to do that?”

Lexie started to grin. “I know! We're going to switch the séance into one of those murder-mystery parties. You guys must have planned it this way.”

“But we didn't!” Jennifer frowned. “Honestly, Lexie. I don't know anything about a murder-mystery party.”

“Me, neither.” Tim shook his head. “This is all Brian's idea.”

Brian looked very serious as he shook his head. “It's not my idea, either. It's Kelly's. She's the one who wants us to find her killer. That means we've got to hold another séance. It's the only way that Kelly can tell us who killed her.”

“Brian's right. We can't stop now. Let's go on with the séances.” Tommy looked serious, too. “If somebody murdered Kelly, I want to know who it is.”

Lexie nodded. “Me, too! But there's only eight of us left. Will it work?”

“It'll work.” Brian sounded very certain. “How about it, Pete? Can we hold another séance?”

Pete shrugged. “Let's put it to the vote. How many want another séance?”

Tommy and Lexie raised their hands and a moment later, so did Cheryl. Jennifer hid a grin. It was clear that Cheryl wasn't going to be left out of anything that Tommy wanted to do.

“I'm in,” Brian said. “How about you, Tim?”

“Sure. If everyone wants another séance, I'm willing to take part. But we can't do it without you, Jen.”

Jennifer hesitated and then she nodded. “All right. Since I started the whole thing, I guess it's only right that I follow through. How about you, Dale?”

“Okay.” Dale looked amused. “I'll cast my vote with the majority. But I think you should be in on it, Pete. I know this isn't really the time to bring it up, but the table's getting kind of empty.”

There was a moment of silence and then Pete stood up. “All right. I'll take part. Get into your séance clothes and we'll meet around the table in fifteen minutes.”

 

Jennifer was dressed and ready when Tim knocked on her door. But he didn't wait for her to answer. He just opened the door, crossed the room to where she was standing, and took her into his arms for a long, comforting kiss.

When the kiss ended, Tim looked down into her eyes. There was a gentle, caring expression on his face. “Are you okay, Jen?”

“I am now.” Jennifer snuggled a little closer. “But I can't understand why Brian practically forced us into holding another séance. I talked to him yesterday morning and he told me he didn't believe in Kelly's spirit.”

“Maybe he changed his mind.”

“Maybe.” Jennifer took Tim's hand and they walked toward the door. But she didn't really believe that Brian had changed his mind. There was another reason, and Jennifer just hoped that it wouldn't lead to even more trouble.

 

Everyone felt much better when they left the séance table. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had happened. There had been no knocks, no voices, no candles that mysteriously extinguished themselves. There was no evidence that Kelly's spirit had even heard them and that was just fine with Cheryl. She wanted Kelly's spirit to disappear so Tommy could concentrate on the living, particularly on her.

Cheryl grinned as she climbed the stairs. At least one thing had worked in her favor. Since she'd been sitting next to Tommy at the séance, Pete had paired them together. He'd told them there'd been too many accidents and he was starting a new policy. Everyone was now on the buddy system, and no one was allowed to go anywhere alone. Their buddies had to know where they were at all times, and anyone who got a note from Kelly had to promise to report to the group immediately. Tommy was Cheryl's buddy, Lexie was paired with Dale, Tim was Jennifer's guardian, and Brian and Pete had agreed to keep an eye on each other.

“I'll wait out here until you're ready.” Tommy stood to the side as Cheryl opened her door. “Just call if you need me.”

Cheryl turned to smile at him. “Don't be silly, Tommy. Why don't you just come in?”

“No.” Tommy looked uncomfortable as he shook his head. “Guys aren't allowed in the girls' rooms. Go ahead, Cheryl. I'll wait right here.”

“All right. Whatever you want.” Cheryl managed to keep the pleasant expression on her face until she'd shut the door behind her. Then she started to scowl and she just barely resisted the urge to fling her shoe at the back of the door. What was wrong with Tommy? She'd expected him to jump at the chance to come into her room, and he had turned her down!

Could it be Lexie? Cheryl thought about it for a second and then she shook her head. Impossible! Lexie was short and skinny, without a sexy bone in her body. There was no way that Tommy could be seriously interested in her. Cheryl had been very jealous when she'd seen them holding hands, but now she realized that Tommy was probably just being kind to an unfortunate girl who obviously adored him.

Cheryl slipped out of her clothes and examined her figure in the mirror. She was much prettier than Lexie with curves in all the right places and a face that a model would envy. She was perfect for Tommy, but why had he turned down her invitation?

Kelly. Cheryl began to frown. Tommy was still thinking about Kelly. The séances had depressed him, bringing back painful memories of the girl he'd loved. Luckily, Cheryl had thought of a perfect way to take his mind off his former girlfriend.

It didn't take long to get into her bathing suit, a tiny white bikini that was sure to take Tommy's mind off Kelly. She slipped on a robe, no sense showing Tommy more than he could handle at the moment, and picked up her portable CD player. She'd already chosen the CDs she wanted to play and they were all mellow, romantic albums.

The next thing to pack was her sports bag. Cheryl hurried to the bathroom to get her scented bubble bath. She opened the medicine cabinet and then she saw it, a small gold class ring on the top shelf. There was a rolled piece of paper stuck through the band, and she gasped as she saw the initials on the ring
. K.A.B.
Kelly Anne Bridges. It was Kelly's class ring! And even before she unrolled the note, Cheryl knew it was a message from Kelly.

The handwriting was the same. She recognized it from the other notes. Cheryl frowned as she read the message. It said,
Cheryl—The killer is one of you. I will tell you who murdered me tonight.

“Oh, sure!” Cheryl laughed and slipped the class ring back on the shelf. Jennifer and Tim were up to their old tricks and this time she'd been chosen. She wasn't nervous, not even a little bit, but Pete had made them promise to report any messages from Kelly and that meant a change in her plans for the evening.

Cheryl thought about leaving the note and the ring right there on the shelf. She could always claim she hadn't found them. But now that she considered it carefully, the note might actually help her. Tommy was waiting outside her room. He might decide to wait outside the spa, too. And if Tommy refused to climb into the Jacuzzi with her, all her plans for a romantic evening would be ruined.

There was a smile on Cheryl's face as she picked up the note and headed for the door. Jennifer and Tim might not realize it, but they'd done her a big favor. Because of the note, Tommy would be her captive audience tonight. He was honor-bound not to leave her. That would give Cheryl plenty of time to convince him that she was the perfect girl for him.

 

Tommy looked very serious as he unlocked the door to the spa. “Are you sure you'll be all right while I change?”

“Of course I will.” Cheryl nodded quickly. “Just take the key and lock the door behind you. You can let yourself in when you come back.”

As soon as Tommy had left the room, Cheryl started her preparations. Everyone had been very upset when she'd reported the note and Tommy had agreed when she'd suggested that he sleep in the adjoining room, so all she had to do was call out if there was any sign of trouble.

The rest of the girls had objected. Boys weren't supposed to be on the girls' floor. Lexie and Jennifer had even offered to stay in Cheryl's room, but Cheryl had turned them down. If Kelly's spirit tried to kill her, Lexie and Jennifer wouldn't be able to protect her. But Tommy might. He could reason with Kelly's spirit and convince her not to do any more harm.

Cheryl was grinning as she poured bath oil in the Jacuzzi and watched the bubbles form. After their interlude in the Jacuzzi, she was almost sure Tommy would never even set foot in the adjoining room. They'd keep the doors locked and closed. No one would have to know except them. And after one night with her, Cheryl was sure that Tommy would be hers for life.

Music was next, and she slipped Tommy's favorite CD into her player. She turned it on, but no sound came out of the speakers. A glance at the battery case and she knew what was wrong. One of the batteries was missing. She should have thought to check it before she'd left her room.