The Midnight Tour

  “It’s like a vacation cottage,” Dana said.

  “If you’re having a really cheap vacation.”

  “I think it’s nice,” Dana said, following Warren toward the porch.

  “I like it. But wait till you meet my neighbors. The Seven Dwarfs live over that way.” He nodded to the right. “And over there...” He pointed at a bleak-looking cabin some distance to the left. “That’s where my buddy Ed lives. Ed Gein.”

  “Oh. Charming. You’ll have to introduce us.”

  “I don’t know. Ed’s sort of a loner.”

  “Ah, but I bet he’d like me.”

  “He’d love you.”

  “With mustard and relish?”

  Warren’s head swung around. He looked surprised and delighted. “You’re bad,” he said.

  “You’re the one who brought up Ed Gein.”

  “He doesn’t really live there.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Warren trotted up the porch stairs. He pulled open the screen door and held it for Dana.

  Before entering, she paused and said, “I’m not on the menu here, am I?”

  “You’re safe with me.”

  “Okay, then.” She stepped through the doorway, then moved out of the way to let Warren by. He fumbled with a load of keys, chose one, and unlocked the cabin’s main door.

  “You mean to tell me that you keep your door locked? In a bucolic place like this?”

  “When you’ve got Ed Gein on one side and the Three Stooges on the other...”

  “The Seven Dwarfs.”

  “Oh. Right.” He opened the door. “Come on in.”

  Dana followed him into the cabin. Straight ahead, on the other side of the living room, was a picture window bright with sunlight. A couch was facing it. She stepped around the couch and walked up to the window.

  Behind the house, the woods continued for twenty-five or thirty feet. But there were few trees. Through the spaces between them, Dana could see down to the beach. The surf was rolling in. A man, looking very haggard, was jogging near the water.

  Warren came over and stood beside her.

  “Great view,” she said.

  “Look at the fog out there.”

  It lay spread across the ocean, far out, thick and pure white in the sunlight.

  “Think it’ll come in?” Dana asked.

  “Hard to say. Sometimes, it just stays offshore all night.”

  “Must look great in the moonlight.”

  “Oh, it does. Stick around long enough and you’ll get to see it. Either out there, or up close and personal.”

  “That’d be nice,” Dana said. “I’m not sure how long I can stay, though. I’m a little nervous about leaving Lynn by herself.”

  Warren looked concerned. “Is something wrong with her?”

  Should I tell him? Dana wondered. What if be’s the prowler.

  Not likely.

  “Somebody was hanging around outside the house last night.”

  And inside it this morning?

  “Like a prowler?” Warren asked.

  “I guess. We were in the hot spa and Lynn saw him. He was apparently hiding in the bushes on the other side of the swimming pool.”

  “Did she recognize him?”

  “All she saw was his arm, I guess. A bare arm.”

  Warren grimaced. “What’d you do?” he asked.

  “Ran into the house and locked the door. Lynn phoned the police. Then we kept an eye on things till a cop showed up.”

  Why didn’t I tell him about the gun?

  He doesn’t need to know everything, she thought. He sure seems like a nice guy, but...

  “Which cop?” Warren asked.

  “Eve Chaney.”

  “Ah-ha! Eve of Destruction! What’d you think of her?”

  “Very impressive.”

  “Yeah. I’ll say. I’d sure hate to get on her bad side.”

  “Having seen her,” Dana said, “I don’t think she has a bad side.”

  “That isn’t exactly what...”

  “I know. But she sure is a good looking woman, isn’t she?”

  “She’s not bad.” Warren hesitated, then said, “But you’re better looking than she is.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “I do.”

  “Well...Thanks.”

  He gazed into her eyes.

  Her heart thumped hard and fast.

  “Anyway,” Warren whispered, “that’s my opinion. For what it’s worth.”

  “It’s worth plenty. To me.”

  He glanced at her lips, then met her eyes again.

  Come on, do it. Don’t just look.

  “I bet you could use á drink,” he said.

  Damn!

  “Sure. Sounds good,”

  “Do you like margaritas?”

  She nodded.

  “Why don’t you relax in here and enjoy the view? I’ll get changed , real fast. Then I’ll make the drinks and bring ’em in.”

  She watched Warren hurry off to a bedroom. After he shut the door, she set down her purse and sank onto the couch.

  She sighed deeply.

  Take it easy, she told herself.

  But he didn’t even make a try! He should’ve kissed me right then. What’s wrong with him?

  He’s a gentleman, she thought.

  Or maybe he is gay.

  Maybe it’s something wrong with me.

  When the door opened, Dana looked over her shoulder. Warren came out of his bedroom. His tan uniform was gone. He now wore sandals, white trousers and a bright, flower-patterned shirt. Loose and untucked, the shirt floated around him like silk.

  “Drinks coming up,” he said, hurrying toward the kitchen.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “Help yourself.”

  Dana followed him into the kitchen. “You got all dressed up,” she pointed out.

  “I hate to stay in my work clothes. By the end of the day, they always smell like burgers and fries.”

  “I’d think that would be nice.”

  “It gets old.” He removed some bottles from a cupboard. “Anyway, you were telling me about your prowler?”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, Eve went hunting for him around the other side of the pool, but he got away. She found where he’d been, though. He’d trampled the area pretty good. She figured he must’ve been spying on us.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “Neither did we.”

  Warren set the bottles on the counter, then turned around to face her. “Some kind of peeping Tom?”

  That’s one of the possibilities.”

  “No wonder you’re worried. Any ideas at all about who it might be?”

  She shook her head. “Clyde?”

  Laughter burst out of Warren. He looked surprised by it, himself.

  Dana started laughing with him. When she stopped, she said, “You don’t think Clyde is a likely suspect?”

  “It isn’t that. I wouldn’t put anything past him. It’s just that he’s such a jerk. And he’s the first name out of your mouth.”

  “Anyway,” Dana said, “we don’t have any reason to suspect him except for the fact that he is such a jerk. And he’s shown some interest in me at work.”

  “I bet he’d love to get his hands on you.”

  “He’d better not hold his breath.”

  Warren turned away and continued preparing the drinks.

  “He isn’t my type,” she said.

  “Then you’re the exception. Most women find him irresistable.”

  “So I’ve heard. Personally, I find him creepy.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  “We don’t really think he’s our prowler, though. He doesn’t seem like the type to sneak around and spy on people.”

  “You have to be careful of him, though.”

  “Oh, I am. But it’s this prowler who has me worried. I mean, there’s no telling what he might try. And I just know Tuck’s going to...”


  “Tuck?” Warren turned around.

  Oh, no!

  “Lynn.”

  “You called her Tuck?”

  “She’s gonna kill me.”

  A smile spread across Warren’s face. “As in Friar Tuck? Robin Hood and his merry men?”

  “As in a lot of stuff. It’s short for Tucker. I’ve always called her Tuck, but she didn’t want me to say it around any of you guys.”

  “Why not? I think it’s cute.”

  “She used to have trouble with people making fun of it. A lot of trouble. It rhymes with a certain something.”

  “That might cause problems.”

  “Maybe you could pretend I never said it.”

  “I suppose that’s possible. What’ll you give me to keep my mouth shut?”

  “What do you want?” Dana asked.

  He glanced at her lips.

  Here we go again, she thought as her heart quickened its pounding.

  “Could I try on your lipstick?” he asked.

  NO!!!

  She supposed her shock must’ve showed.

  Smiling, Warren said, “Plant it on me with your mouth.”

  Chapter Thirty-six

  SANDY’S STORY—July, 1992

  She couldn ’t wait two weeks.

  She couldn’t wait two days.

  She could barely last overnight, tossing and turning in her bed, her mind in a turmoil, her body feverish as she wondered and hoped and worried.

  In the morning, she woke up naked under her twisted sheet.

  She was surprised to realize that she must’ve been asleep. Raising her head and looking down at herself, she had to smile.

  Just like The Sleeper. But sweaty and messy, skin flushed, creased here and there from wrinkles in the sheets.

  Not a pretty sight, she thought. Good thing Terry can’t see me now.

  But she suddenly wished that he could. Wished he were here in the room with her right this minute.

  I could be at his place in a couple of hours.

  The notion shocked her with its urgency.

  Why not!

  She squirmed and stretched on the bed, then climbed off.

  Her nightgown was on the floor. She vaguely remembered sitting up in the middle of the night, breathless and soaked with sweat, pulling the nightgown up over her head and throwing it aside.

  She picked it up. It still felt damp.

  At the sound of a grunt, she turned her head and saw Eric standing in the bedroom doorway. He smiled and raised a hand.

  “Morning there, hotshot,” she said. “I picked up something special for breakfast yesterday. You want to hang around for it? I’ll just be a few minutes. I have to take a shower.”

  He nodded. But he stayed in the doorway, staring at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  With a shrug, he turned around and wandered away.

  She tossed her nightgown into the hamper, then headed for the bathroom.

  Why did he look at me that way? she wondered.

  She glanced down at herself.

  Sure, she was naked. But that was nothing new. She often went around without anything on, and Eric himself never wore clothes. It had always been that way. It seemed perfectly natural.

  So why did be stare at me like that?

  Maybe I do look different, she thought. She entered the bathroom and studied herself in the mirror. Her smoothly tanned skin had a more rosy look than usual. She must’ve picked up a little too much sun yesterday in spite of her sun block. That happened fairly often, but...

  Was Eric suspicious?

  Maybe he noticed the extra color and didn’t understand how she managed to get it while buying groceries.

  Or was it something else?

  Could he tell, by looking, that she’d met Terry yesterday and...?

  She swept the shower curtain aside and found blood stains in the tub.

  “Eric!” she yelled. “Get in here!”

  He showed up quickly and offered a nervous smile.

  “What’s this?” Sandy pointed into the tub.

  Eric groaned.

  “How many times have I asked you to clean out the tub after you’re done? Especially after you’ve slaughtered some damn thing?”

  Looking miserable, he shrugged.

  “I mean, man! Don’t you think it’s high time for you to start cleaning up your own messes? You’re thirteen! I’ve got better things to do than waste my whole life cleaning up after you!”

  Eric whimpered and lowered his head.

  Something seemed to crumble inside Sandy. “Oh,” she said. “Hey.” She hurried over to him, wrapped her arms around him and drew him against her. “I’m sorry,” she said. She gently stroked his back. “I’m sorry, honey. Mommy shouldn’t have yelled at you. Okay?”

  He pressed his face against the side of her neck.

  “Better?” she asked.

  He sighed.

  “I don’t like it when I have to yell at you, honey. But you need to learn to start cleaning up after yourself. You’re getting to be a big boy, you know? I don’t want people saying my big fellow’s a slob.”

  The way he started to jiggle, Sandy knew he must be laughing. He did seem to understand so much. If only he could talk...

  “You all better now?” she asked.

  He sniffed and nodded.

  “I’ll take care of the mess this time,” she told him. “But from now on, I want you to make a little more effort to clean up after yourself. Is it a deal?”

  He grunted and nodded some more.

  “Okay, then,” Sandy said.

  She let go of him, but he still clung to her. “Okay if I take my shower now?”

  He shook his head.

  “What do you want?”

  His hands began moving in big circles over her back, the way he did when he soaped her.

  “Okay,” Sandy said. “You can come in with me. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

  In the shower, they stood together under the hot spray.

  Eric soaped her first, rubbing the slippery bar all over her body. Then she did the same for him.

  After they’d rinsed all the soap off their bodies, Sandy shut off the water and Eric slid open the shower curtain. They climbed out. Eric handed a towel to her.

  As she dried herself, Sandy said, “I need to go back into town this morning.”

  Eric furrowed his brow.

  “I know. I hate to leave you again so soon. I really should’ve taken care of this yesterday, but I sort of ran out of time.”

  Not exactly a lie, she told herself.

  Eric didn’t look pleased.

  “Oh, don’t give me the sourpuss routine. Why does it even matter if I leave? You’re never around, anyway. And it’s not as if you’ll let me come with you. What am I supposed to do, just hang around the house all day and be here in case you happen to drop in?”

  He scowled at her.

  “Real nice,” she said. “Anyway, I have to go. I’m sure you’ll get along just fine without me.”

  He growled.

  “Hey!” she snapped.

  Eric flinched at the sharpness of her voice. Glaring at her, he threw his towel to the floor. Then he whirled around and stomped out of the bathroom.

  “Wait,” Sandy said. “Eric!”

  He hurried down the hallway, feet thumping, claws clicking against the hardwood floor.

  “I bought us some chocolate doughnuts yesterday!” she called.

  Seconds later, she heard the front door slam.

  “Shit”

  She suddenly felt like crying.

  She almost didn’t leave. But she wanted worse than ever to see Terry And what was the point in staying? Eric was nowhere to be seen. Though he might be hanging around to spy on her, he had probably run off sulking into the woods.

  Ready to go, she went out to the pickup truck.

  Yesterday, she’d found Eric waiting in the passenger seat as if eager for a ride.

  Seeing the seat empty t
oday made her throat feel tight.

  “Eric?” she called toward the woods. “I’m sorry! Okay? Look, I’ll stay home if you really want me to. We’ll have the chocolate doughnuts. What do you say?”

  She waited, listening, turning slowly and looking for him in the bushes and trees. He remained silent and hidden.

  “If you don’t want me to go, you’d better come out.”

  He didn’t come out.

  Stepping up to the side of the pickup, Sandy tossed her beach blanket into the bed. Then she reached over the panel and set down the canvas bag in which she had packed her swimsuit, sun block, a couple of towels and a paperback novel.

  “Last call, Eric!” she yelled. “I’ll stay if you want me to, but you’ve got to come out! I’m not staying home for you if you’re not going to be here!”

  She waited, listened.

  “No? Okay. See you later.”

  She climbed into the truck, swung her purse onto the passenger seat, and started the engine. As she drove down the rough, unpaved road through the woods, she kept looking for him.

  But he didn’t show.

  She glanced at the place where Slade, Harry Matthews and Lib were buried.

  I’m on my way to visit a cop?

  Real smart.

  If had a lick of sense, I wouldn’t get involved with anyone, much less a cop. I must be out of my mind.

  I oughta turn around right now and go back to the cabin.

  Instead of turning around, she drove to the gate.

  I’ll go back to the house, all right, After I’ve seen Terry. Maybe not till after dark, if I get lucky.

  As she unlocked the gate and swung it open, she thought about calling out one more time for Eric.

  Why bother? He had his chances.

  But she couldn’t help it. “Eric?” she shouted.

  No answer.

  Good!

  In the pickup again, she drove through the open gate. Then she hopped out, shut the gate and locked it.

  He made his choice, she told herself.

  Back inside the truck, she drove slowly forward, bouncing and shaking her way down the shadowy tracks until she came to the edge of Pacific Coast Highway.