“You thought I was the killer?” Tommy was so shocked his mouth flew open. “Tim! You should have known better than that!”
“What was I supposed to think? You left the group right after Brian got that note and you took a club from the woodpile. And then you came up here to the manager’s office!”
“You bet I did! Somebody had to protect Brian!”
Brian shook his head. “No, Tommy. It was all a trap to catch the killer. I sent myself that note so that we could lure him up here.”
“You really thought it was me?” Tommy still looked shocked.
“I hoped it wasn’t.” Tim winced a little. He thought about lying to his brother and saying he’d never doubted him, but he just couldn’t do it. “Sorry, Tommy . . . I know I shouldn’t have suspected you, but I figured you’d gone off the deep end. And you were the only one to leave the group.”
“I guess that’s true.” Tommy began to grin. “So you thought I was going to murder old Brian here and you jumped me. For a little guy, you pack some muscle, bro.”
“Thanks.” Tim grinned back. Tommy wasn’t mad at him and he felt very relieved.
“Hey . . . we’re forgetting something!” Brian spoke up.
Tim and Tommy turned and spoke in unison. “What?”
“The killer. It’s got to be Dale, unless you buy that seventh-person theory. And I don’t.”
“Me, neither.” Tommy shook his head. “I just said that to give us some time to . . .”
“Oh, my God! The girls are down there with Dale!” Tim ran for the door, but the moment he turned the knob, the door crashed open and Jennifer and Lexie tumbled in. At first Jennifer didn’t even notice Tim and Tommy. She just ran over to Brian and threw her arms around him.
“Brian! Thank God you’re all right!” Jennifer hugged him tightly. “Dale’s the killer and he’ll be here any minute! Do you have any weapons?”
“I’ve got two. And they’re right over there!”
Brian was grinning as he pointed, and Jennifer whirled around. And when she saw Tommy and Tim, she threw herself in Tim’s arms and started to cry. “I was so worried about you! I was worried about everybody! And now we’re safe. We’re all safe right here!”
Dale was humming a little tune as he went down the stairs. It would take them a while to realize they were locked in. He wished he could see the expressions on their faces when they realized it, but he couldn’t afford that luxury. He had things to do and places to go, and the first place was the walk-in cooler. He’d been the one to suggest that they store the bodies there. And now he would move them all and place them in various rooms of the lodge. It had to look natural or someone might get suspicious and start asking questions. After being so very careful thus far, he’d be negligent if he took a silly chance like that.
The cooler was kept at a constant temperature and Dale shivered as he stepped inside. They were all there and he gave a little wave at he faced his former friends.
“You first.” Dale dragged Susie’s blanket-wrapped body into the kitchen and took off the wrapping. Then he propped it up on the counter, right next to an open box of doughnuts. “Maybe I did you a favor, Suze. Now you don’t have to diet anymore. Eat all the chocolate-covered doughnuts you want!”
Dale was laughing as he went back inside the cooler again. Pete was next and he dragged his body into the library, unwrapping it and putting in a nice reading chair. “Here you go, Pete. Pick any book you like. You told us you loved to read.”
“Hey . . . Cheryl.” Dale dragged her body out of the cooler. “Where shall I put you?”
It took a minute, but then he had it, and he was smiling as he dragged Cheryl’s body over to the service elevator. He unwrapped her and carried her in.
“There you go, Cheryl.” Dale pressed the button for the top floor and laughed as he closed the doors manually. “There’s no power right now, but this is your last chance to move up in the world.”
Ronnie was next and Dale wasn’t smiling as he dragged his body into the lobby. He’d liked Ronnie a lot and he’d been a good friend. Dale was thoughtful as he unwrapped Ronnie’s blanket and put him on one of the leather couches. What final thing could he do for Ronnie? It took a moment, but then Dale had an idea that made him laugh out loud, all the way to the cooler.
“You wanted a girl, Ronnie.” Dale was puffing with exertion as he carried Melanie’s body into the lobby. “And you always said that Melanie was pretty. Well . . . here she is, and I can guarantee that she won’t leave you for another guy!”
Dale unwrapped Melanie’s body and lifted her up, right next to Ronnie. It looked like they were nestled together on the leather couch, and that made him feel good.
“How about you, Zada?” Dale hurried back to the cooler for Zada’s body. It was the last one and he was exhausted by the time he’d dragged her out. “I didn’t know you, so I’m not really sure what I can do for you.”
It took some thought, but at last Dale had it. He carried Zada to the séance table, unwrapped her, and propped her up in a chair. The candles were still on the table and Dale almost lit one, until he remembered. Zada would have to conduct her séance without an open flame. “Go ahead, Zada. Now that you’re dead, you ought to be able to contact one of your fellow spirits.”
When he went back to the kitchen to close the cooler door, Dale realized that his stomach was growling. He’d missed breakfast his morning and that meant he’d done all this work on an empty stomach. “Mind if I have a doughnut, Suze? Or do you want them all?“
Dale was grinning as he took a chocolate-covered doughnut out of Susie’s box. She wouldn’t mind. She’d always been generous about sharing her food.
As Dale munched, he had a very disturbing thought. Tim was an A student at the top of his class and the rest of them were no slouches, either. What if they figured out a way to escape, and they told everyone what he had done? But they couldn’t escape from a locked room with security bars on the window. There was nothing they could do, no way they could spoil his perfect plan.
“You can’t escape! I’m smarter than any of you!” Dale laughed in satisfaction. And that thought made him feel so good, he ate another of Susie’s doughnuts.
“Okay. We’re ready.” Tim gave Jennifer one last hug. “We’re going to find him and capture him.”
Jennifer managed a smile, but she felt more like crying. They’d discussed it all and there was no other choice. The boys had gathered their weapons: a sharp letter opener for Brian, a heavy brass vase for Tim, and Tommy’s club.
“Stay here and wait.” Tommy put his arm around Lexie’s shoulders. “And don’t open the door to anyone except us.”
“We won’t.” Lexie hugged him back. And then she pointed to the two knives she’d brought from the kitchen. “Don’t worry, Tommy. If he tries to break in here, we’ll carve him up like a Thanksgiving turkey!”
“Good girl!”
As Tommy hugged Lexie, Jennifer smiled. Perhaps her dream of a best friend who was also her sister-in-law might come true. But only if the boys captured Dale and got back here safely.
“Ready?” Tim motioned to Brian and Tommy. “Let’s go!”
Jennifer watched as they moved toward the door. Her heart wanted Tim to stay, but her mind knew that they had to defeat Dale. It was like Tim had said. Dale wouldn’t just leave them here. He’d try to kill them and they had to capture him before he could make his next move.
“Good hunting, Tim.” Jennifer put a smile on her face. Even though she’d never experienced it firsthand, she thought she knew how girlfriends and wives must feel, sending their men off to war. But Tim didn’t leave. He just stood there at the door, turning the knob and pushing against it.
“What’s the matter?” Lexie sounded worried.
“I don’t know.” Tim turned around with a frown on his face. “The door won’t open.”
“It must be stuck.” Tommy put his shoulder to the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “This is weird!”
“Let me see.” Brian moved up to the door, but instead of trying to force it open, he got down on his hands and knees and examined the lock. When he turned back to look at them, he was scowling. “Dale locked it from the outside. There’s another bolt. I can see it. And it’s encased in a steel sleeve. I hate to say it, but there’s no way in hell we can open it from this side.”
Dale was humming as he worked at the huge gas furnace by the light of a powerful flashlight. He’d resented it at the time, but now he was grateful that his uncle had asked him to supervise the men when they’d installed it. He’d asked them about safety and they’d told him that there was only one way to make the system back up. Of course they hadn’t known they were providing him with the tools for murder.
The red button on the furnace was the manual override and the blue button would turn on the gas. There was an automatic shutoff if the pilot light was out, but he’d figured out how to defeat that. The gas would hiss out, seeping into every nook and cranny of the lodge, building up until the deadly concentration was at its peak.
Dale frowned slightly as he thought about his friends. When they smelled the gas and realized what was happening, they’d open the window. But that would only buy them a little time. There was no escape from the manager’s office. His uncle had installed security bars after someone had tried to break in last summer. Eventually, they’d all lose consciousness, even if they crowded together at the open window. And that was when he’d execute the final stage of his plan.
He’d climb the hill in back of the lodge with his uncle’s high-powered rifle. And when the time was right, he’d fire a round into the kitchen. There was plenty of metal in there with the stainless steel countertops, the restaurant-sized stove, the huge refrigerator, and the ceiling rack that held pots and pans. His shot was bound to create a spark. His friends would be dead by then, or at least unconscious. They wouldn’t feel a thing when Saddlepeak Lodge blew up like a giant bomb.
Dale smiled as he took out the notebook in his pocket and glanced at his calculations. He owed the success of his plan to Brian, who had tutored him in math. He’d figured out the number of cubic feet and the answer had told him how long it would take for the fumes to reach peak concentration. Once he turned on the gas, his friends would have twenty minutes to live.
He reached out and touched the red button for the manual override. It was time to start the countdown. But then he remembered one other thing that Brian had taught him. It wouldn’t hurt to go over his calculations once more. This was even more important than a final exam and Brian had told him to always check his work.
Dale walked over to the janitor’s worktable and sat down on a stool. One final check, one more opportunity to discover any mistakes. When that was complete he would be fully prepared to become a local hero.