‘Oh, calm down,’ Cora said. ‘This was twelve years ago, for godsake. It’s not like we got any on us.’
‘Even so…’ Abilene muttered. The hot water caressing her skin suddenly seemed thick and foul. She saw Vivian standing on the concrete, arms lifted away from her body, head down -inspecting her body as if she expected to find something hideous clinging to her skin.
Abilene was tempted to follow her example. But Helen and Cora were still in the water. And it was ridiculous to think that the pool could still be tainted after all these years. Besides, she’d already spent a lot of time in it. The harm was already done.
‘This,’ she said, ‘is like eating an apple and being told later that it had a worm in it.’
‘You’re grossing me out, Hickok.’
‘You mean you aren’t already grossed out?’
‘So the pool had a stiff in it. Big deal.’
‘I knew we shouldn’t have come to this place,’ Vivian said.
‘Pussies,’ Finley said.
‘It’s ancient history,’ Cora pointed out. ‘I don’t know why anybody’s getting upset.’
‘I need a shower,’ Vivian said.
‘Good luck,’ Finley told her.
‘Why don’t you just sit down and relax,’ Cora said. ‘I want to hear the rest of Helen’s story.’
‘You mean there’s more?’ Vivian asked. She didn’t sound pleased.
‘Well, that’s just about it. Guess I should’ve left out the part about the body in the pool.’
‘Wish you had,’ Abilene said.
‘Ignorance is bliss, Hickok. That must be how come you’re always smiling.’
‘Take a leap.’
‘Maybe I shouldn’t tell the rest,’ Helen said to Cora.
‘Go on. If anybody doesn’t want to hear it, they can cover their ears.’
‘I imagine we’ve already heard the worst,’ Abilene said. Without saying a word, Vivian sat down on the pool’s rim and crossed her legs. She began to flick her hands against her thighs as if brushing off ants.
‘Anyway,’ Helen said, ‘bodies were found all over the place.’
‘So we understand,’ Abilene muttered.
‘A few had been shot. But most of the wounds were in the legs, as if the attackers only used the guns to cripple them. The actual killings were done with sharp instruments. All the bodies were found with their bellies split open. Just like the girl the hunters killed. But it didn’t stop with that. They were mutilated and dismembered in all sorts of awful ways. Eyes were gouged out. Heads were split apart down the middle, or cut off at the neck. Arms and legs were chopped off. Same with the genitals of all the guys.’
‘Oh, for Godsake,’ Vivian muttered.
‘There were women whose breasts had been…’
‘I don’t want to hear this!’ Vivian clapped her open hands against her ears. ‘Just quit it! You don’t have to rub our noses in it. Christ’
‘Okay, well…’
‘What about the women?’ Cora asked. ‘Had they been raped?’
Helen, casting a glance at Vivian, nodded. ‘And then some,’ she said.
‘The cops never got anyone for it?’ Abilene asked.
‘They figured it must’ve been the girl’s family. Or maybe more than one family was involved. I mean, there were an awful lot of assailants. They’d tracked blood all over the place. The cops think there must’ve been anywhere from twelve to fifteen of them. Including women and children.’
‘Some of the killers were kids?’
‘A real family affair,’ Finley said.
‘The problem was, the cops didn’t know the identity of the girl who’d been killed by the hunters. So they didn’t know who to go after. They went around questioning the locals, but they never came up with anything. So the massacre at the Totem Pole Lodge was never solved.’
‘If there were bloody footprints everywhere,’ Abilene said, ‘there must’ve been fingerprints, too. All they would’ve had to do is round up all the people in the area and try to come up with matches.’
‘I guess they didn’t do that,’ Helen said.
‘When it comes right down to it,’ Cora said, ‘maybe they didn’t want to find the culprits. The cops must’ve been local people. Maybe they had a pretty good idea who did it, but they just decided to let it go.’
‘Afraid they’d stir up more trouble,’ Finley suggested.
‘That doesn’t seem likely,’ Abilene said. ‘We’re talking about a major atrocity. Cops aren’t gonna just look the other way.’
‘Who knows? Once they heard Henderson’s story, maybe that’s exactly what they did.’
‘I don’t know,’ Helen said. ‘I just know that they never arrested anyone. And the lodge was closed down, right after the killings, and never reopened. Apparently, some bank owns the place. They’ve tried to sell it off, but everybody around the area knows what happened here. Potential buyers find out pretty quick, too. Once they hear about the massacre, they won’t have anything to do with the place. On top of all that, the book says that the lodge is supposed to be haunted.’
‘Surprise surprise,’ Finley said.
‘People who’ve come near it at night have sometimes seen lights inside. And heard strange noises.’
‘This place is no more haunted than I am,’ Cora said. ‘The locals probably made up all that garbage just to keep people away from the place.’
‘Hey,’ Finley said. ‘That kid this afternoon? Maybe he took us for spooks.’
‘Yeah,’ Abilene said. ‘We might be contributing to the legend.’
‘Improving on it,’ Finley added. ‘Ghosts of bare-ass babes.’
‘Joke about it,’ Vivian said. ‘For all we know, he might be part of the bunch that murdered all those people.’
‘He would’ve made a hell of a killer,’ Finley said. ‘What’d he do, brain ’em with his bottle?’
‘He couldn’t have been older than four or five back then,’ Abilene said. ‘Unless he’s older than he looked.’
‘I don’t mean he was necessarily in on it. But his family might’ve been. Maybe the girl was his sister, or something. What if they have him come over to check on the place, and he’s supposed to let them know if anyone’s here?’
‘Maybe they’ve got us surrounded.’ Finley swiveled her head, making a show of scanning the moonlit grounds.
‘We didn’t do anything.’ Helen sounded nervous.
‘We’ve done plenty,’ Abilene said. ‘But nothing to them.’
‘They’ve gotta be maniacs,’ Vivian said, ‘to’ve killed all those people like that. Who knows what it might take to set them off? Suppose it’s enough that we’re staying here?’
‘We’re at the lodge, so we’re fair game?’
Cora sighed. ‘Come on, gals. You’re letting your imaginations run wild. Before you know it, you’re gonna get yourselves so worked up you’ll want to pack up and get out.’
‘Which is what I’ve wanted to do from the start,’ Vivian reminded her. ‘But now that we know what happened here… Those maniacs probably still live in the same place. Somewhere nearby. And maybe they do know we’re here. And maybe they don’t like it.’
‘Maybe they enjoyed the last chop-fest so much that they’re eager for another.’
Cora let out a loud sigh. ‘You’re not helping matters, Finley.’
‘Hey, I’m on your side.’
‘Then quit horsing around.’
‘I don’t think we should stay,’ Vivian said.
‘See? What’d I tell you?’
Turning toward Vivian, Helen said, ‘We already agreed to give it at least one night.’
‘That was before you told us what’d happened here.’
‘I don’t see how it really changes anything,’ Cora said.
