WHERE IS RORY?

T he upbeat Christmas music stopped suddenly. But the colorful spotlights continued to sweep back and forth across the stage.

Stunned and confused, the audience fell totally silent.

No one moved.

“Liza’s dead!” Reva whispered, gazing in horror at the model’s body. “She’s dead! Strangled!”

Amplified by the microphone, Reva’s frightened, shaky voice blasted through the showroom.

The audience remained quiet for a moment.

And then a woman’s voice cried out, “She’s right. Look at that mannequin! It’s real! It’s a girl!”

Reva clutched the microphone and gaped in horror at the murdered model. At the green scarf, knotted so tightly around her neck. At her head, cocked at a weird angle. At her staring brown eye. Her body, held up by a pole stuck through her back. The pool of blood at her feet, drying to a rusty red.

The showroom erupted with shrieks and screams. Feet pounded and chairs crashed to the floor as frightened shoppers began to race from the room.

Dizzy and horrified, Reva gripped the microphone with both hands to keep herself from falling. I have to get out of here! she thought. I have to get out, or I’ll be sick!

But she couldn’t move. Her heart raced, but her legs felt frozen. All she could do was stare.

Ellie, her red hair blazing under the spotlight, stepped close to Liza. She reached out to touch the dead girl, then yanked her hand away and began to cry. Maria stood nearby, her face white with shock.

Reva tore her eyes away from Liza and gazed out at the showroom.

Panicked shoppers screamed and shoved one another, in a frenzy to get out.

A woman bumped against an overturned chair and fell to her knees. Another shopper slammed into her and knocked her to the floor, then scrambled over her and raced on.

Reva turned her head away and noticed two figures standing inside the doors at the far end of the room.

Two people, not moving. Not panicked or screaming. Just watching.

Pam and Willow.

Staring straight ahead.

Their faces blank.

Without any emotion at all.

Reva felt a chill. How can they look on so coldly? Don’t they care what happened?

As if they felt her staring at them, Pam and Willow shifted their gaze to Reva.

Their eyes were as blank and empty as their faces.

Reva shuddered as another chill ran down her spine. With a cry, she finally let go of the microphone, then turned and ran through the door at the side of the stage.

With every step she took, she felt Pam’s and Willow’s eyes on her back.

• • •

Almost two hours later, Reva left the storage room where the police were questioning people. She closed the door with a sigh.

She felt dazed and exhausted.

What’s the matter with the cops, anyway? she wondered as she pulled on her coat. They should be out catching the killer, not wasting time asking me questions.

The killer.

Reva shivered.

Traci and Liza, both murdered.

Both of them models in my show.

Am I next? Is someone out to get me?

Footsteps rounded the corner. Reva jumped, then gasped in relief as she saw Grant coming toward her. He walked slowly, his shoulders slumped and his face filled with sorrow.

“Grant!” Reva cried. Running down the hall, she threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re here! This is awful, so awful!”

“I know,” he murmured, his voice shaky. “I just talked to Liza’s parents.”

“I’m so upset!” Reva said, pressing against him. “Two murders. I just can’t believe this is happening! It was so horrible, seeing Liza hanging there like Traci! I thought I was going to faint!”

Reva nuzzled her head under his chin and pressed closer, waiting to feel his arms wrap around her.

But Grant just stood there, his arms hanging at his sides.

“Please, Grant, hold me!” she pleaded. “I’m so scared.”

Grant sighed and patted her on the shoulder.

Reva frowned. She needed much more comfort than a weak pat on the shoulder!

She raised her head and stared at him.

Grant gazed past her, his dark eyes troubled.

“Hey,” Reva said. “Didn’t you hear me? I really need you to hold me right now.”

Grant took a shaky breath. “I can’t do that, Reva. I feel so terrible. I just can’t.”

“You feel terrible? How do you think I feel?” Reva demanded.

“I know. But I—I really cared about Liza,” Grant murmured. “I can’t believe this happened. I feel so guilty. So empty... so guilty.” His voice trailed off and he hung his head.

“Grant, it’s awful about Liza. But she’s dead.” Reva grabbed his arms and gave him a little shake. “I’m the one who needs you now!”

“Liza needed me, and I wasn’t there.” Suddenly furious, Grant glared at her. “Don’t you get it? I wasn’t there!”

“So be here for me!” Reva told him.

“I can’t! I feel too guilty.” The anger disappeared from Grant’s voice, and he lowered his gaze again. “Too guilty,” he muttered. “Too empty.”

Reva stared at him in disgust. “I don’t believe this. I came to you for sympathy, and all you can do is whine about how guilty you feel!”

“Reva, I—”

“Oh, forget it!” Reva cried. “If you’re going to fall apart, do it somewhere else.”

Spinning away from him, Reva hurried off, leaving Grant alone in the middle of the hall. What a wimp! she thought. Boo-hooing about how guilty he feels when I’m having such an awful time.

Disgusted and angry, Reva strode out to the parking lot. She’d go home and take a hot bath and try to forget this horrible day ever happened.

As she turned the Miata onto Division Street, a dark-colored car pulled away from the curb and began driving behind her.

The light at the corner flashed to yellow. Reva pressed the gas pedal so she wouldn’t get caught at the red.

A horn honked loudly. Reva glanced in the mirror again. The dark car had shot through the red light and was right behind her again.

Reva gripped the steering wheel nervously. Was she being followed?

You’re being paranoid, she told herself. Or are you? There have been two murders, both very close to you. Why shouldn’t you worry?

They might be coming after you, too!

You could be next!

Reva checked the mirror. The dark car was still on her tail. Another car was coming up on her right. She let it pull ahead. Then she twisted the wheel and swerved into the right lane. Screeched around a corner and zipped down a sidestreet.

Breathless, she glanced up at the mirror.

The dark car was nowhere in sight.

Relieved, Reva drove on. She took a roundabout way home, checking her mirror every few seconds until she finally pulled into her driveway.

Frightened and edgy, she hurried inside and up the stairs. I’ll call Daddy before I take that bath, she decided. Maybe the police have caught a suspect by now. If they haven’t, I’ll tell him about the car following me.

As Reva passed the guest room, she heard Grace’s voice cry out. “Rory, you have to stop calling me! I’m begging you, just go home and leave me alone! What? No! Listen, Rory...”

Reva kept walking. I absolutely have to get rid of that girl. Things are bad enough without her and her psycho boyfriend around!

In her room, Reva shrugged out of her coat and let it fall to the floor. Then she headed straight for the phone to call her father.

Please tell me the police have caught somebody! she thought. If they have, then this whole nightmare will be over!

She sat tensely on the bed and picked up the phone.

Grace’s frantic voice came over the line. “Rory, please don’t say that! Please, just stop threatening me!”

Reva frowned. But as she started to lower the phone, a second voice came on the line. “The time is eleven forty-five and twenty seconds,” it said. “The temperature is thirty degrees. Need a wake-up call? Dial 555-W-A-K-E!”

Huh? Reva scowled at the phone. What’s going on?

Why is Grace talking to the weather line?

“No, Rory!” Grace’s voice cried. “You can’t keep following me like this! It’s over, don’t you understand?”

Then came the recorded voice again. “The time is eleven forty-five and forty seconds. The temperature—”

Grace’s voice broke in, pleading desperately. “Leave me alone, Rory! Leave me alone! Stop calling me!”

As the time and temperature repeated and repeated.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20