‘It’ll be real creepy,’ Helen said.
While she looked at the lights Vivian had mentioned, Abilene noticed that the ceiling tiles over the pool slanted upward at right angles to a rectangular gap in the center.
She hoped for a better view of the opening, so she made her way forward. As she neared the middle of the pool, currents began to rub the front of her body. The water’s temperature seemed to rise. Then she stepped on something that wasn’t granite. Iron bars? She lurched back to get away from them, and gazed down through the water.
Set in the floor of the pool, like a trapdoor, were crosshatched bars a yard long. They covered a square opening. Below them, she saw an orifice surrounded by rough stone. The hole seemed to narrow, farther down. Then darkness obscured its depths.
She tested the strength of the bars with one foot, found them solid, and stepped onto the middle of them. Hot currents climbed her legs, fluttered against her groin and rump, caressed her belly and sides and back. She crouched enough to let the water massage her breasts.
A few moments later, she remembered why she’d come here to the middle of the pool. She tipped back her head. She was directly underneath the gap in the ceiling. It looked like a chimney that ran all the way to the roof. Far up there, she saw a gray smudge of daylight.
‘What do you suppose that is?’ Finley asked, coming up beside her.
‘A vent?’
‘Looks like it.’
‘I guess you’d need something like that, you build a lodge on top of a hot spring.’
Finley tilted her camera high. ‘You’d think snow and crap would fall in.’
‘I think it’s covered. You can’t see sky, just a little light. The sides are probably open. The spring’s right here, by the way.’
‘Yeah?’ Finley looked down.
‘Here, stand on it.’ Abilene moved aside.
Finley stepped onto the bars, and her eyes widened. ‘Hey, now,’ she said, ‘I might just stay right here.’
‘I’m getting out before I melt down to nothing.’ Abilene left her there.
Cora, arriving at the far side, tossed her bundle of clothes to the tile floor. She boosted herself onto the edge, stood up and turned around. Feet apart, hands on hips, her skin shiny and dripping, she waited for the others.
And saw Finley, still on the grate, taping her.
‘Damn it, Fin!’
‘Hey, come on, you look great. Just like Tarzan.’
A corner of her mouth curled up. ‘Like Tarzan?’
‘Tarzan with tits,’ Abilene said.
And Cora began bellowing like the apeman, drumming her chest with both fists, her breasts jumping with each blow, the wild outcry resounding through the room, deafening.
Abilene, aching to plug her ears, hurled her two bundles of clothes past the edge of the pool. By the time she could poke fingertips into her ears, however, Cora had stopped.
Vivian, cringing, muttered, ‘Jesus H. Christ.’
Finley, grinning, gave the side of her camera a fond pat and started forward. ‘This is gonna be great.’
‘Nobody better ever see it but us,’ Cora warned.
‘Nobody ever sees these tapes but us. You know that.’
‘Yeah, but do I believe it?’
Abilene boosted herself out of the pool. She wondered if Finley was videotaping her. Probably. When she turned around, she saw the camera pointed her way, its red light on. ‘You want me to hold that for you?’ she asked. Crouching, she reached out. Finley waded forward and handed the camera to her.
Abilene reversed it, raised it to her eye, and taped Finley climbing out.
Helen laughed and clapped.
‘Real cute, Hickok.’
‘The historical record of our adventure wouldn’t be complete without you in it,’ Abilene said, grinning.
‘Yeah yeah yeah.’
‘Get this, Abby,’ Cora said. She grabbed Finley by the shoulders and hurled her off the edge. The girl flew backward past Helen’s side, arms and legs flapping, and smacked the water. Vivian, near the impact site, whirled and ducked away from the huge splash.
‘I’d give her a six-point-two,’ Abilene said. ‘Sloppy entry.’
‘Her form really sucked,’ Cora said. ‘Five-point-nine.’
Finley came up, puffed out a spray, and wiped her face. ‘Hardy-har-har-har,’ she said.
When she climbed out this time, she quickly dodged past Cora and hurried close to the wall - Abilene taping her.
‘Okay, okay,’ she said. ‘Enough is enough.’
Abilene stopped recording. She held onto the camera while Finley used the sock-bound bundle of clothes to dry her face and arms. Then she handed over the camera.
Vivian, out of the water, stamped her feet and shook her arms. ‘Now don’t you wish we had towels?’ she asked.
‘We’ll be dry pretty soon,’ Cora said. ‘Let’s just check things out down here.’
‘I don’t want to go exploring in the raw.’
‘Then get dressed.’
‘I’m soaking.’
‘Then don’t.’
‘I’m sure not,’ Abilene said. She didn’t want to get her clothes all wet. And she liked the feel of the air against her skin. Though warm and humid, it seemed almost cool after the heat of the pool.
‘Just pretend you’re at Hefner’s,’ Finley said, grinning at Vivian.
Cora wandered toward a recessed area beyond the pool’s apron.
Following her, Abilene found a short hallway. Stairs in the center led upward. On each side of the staircase, and just in front of it, were doors with signs that read GENTS and LADIES. ‘Must be dressing rooms,’ she said.
‘Let’s take a look,’ Cora said, and headed for the door marked LADIES.
‘Forget that,’ Finley said, and went for the GENTS to the right of the staircase.
‘I doubt you’ll find one in there,’ Cora told her.
‘I can always hope.’
‘Boy, would he be surprised,’ Helen said.
‘Boy, would I jump on him.’ Hinges squeaked as Finley thrust open the door. She halted. ‘Maybe not,’ she muttered.
Except for faint gray light from the doorway, the room was totally dark.
‘Must not have any windows,’ Abilene said.
‘Anybody here?’ Finley called.
Abilene cringed. ‘Don’t do that.’
‘Let’s go,’ Cora said. ‘We can always come back when we’ve got flashlights with us.’
Finley shut the door, and they returned to the pool. They walked alongside it, heading for its south end. There, beyond a broad expanse of empty floor, a U-shaped bar extended out from the far wall. Behind the bar were rows of empty shelves for bottles. Around its front, a dozen swivel stools stood mounted to the floor. The clear space, Abilene thought, must’ve been for tables and chairs.
‘They had a cocktail lounge down here?’ she said.
‘Neat,’ Finley said.
‘We’ll have to bring our stuff down for Happy Hour,’ Cora suggested.
Abilene grabbed the wooden back of a stool. She pushed it sideways. It resisted at first, then turned slowly, groaning on its rusted swivel.
