The Midnight Tour

probably take me a day or two to recover from tonight.”

Warren huffed out a breath. It sounded almost like a laugh.

“You think you had it tough?”

“Aw, poor boy.” Smiling, she patted his cheek.

“I sure wish you’d spend tomorrow night with me,” he said.

Dana’s hand remained on his cheek. It drifted, caressing him. “Me, too,” she said. “But I gave my word about the tour.”

“If you explain to Lynn...”

“Nah. Anyway, maybe we can get together Sunday night. And Beast House is closed on Monday. Maybe we could spend the day together.”

He nodded. “That’d be great.”

“Yeah.”

“But I still wish you wouldn’t go on the tour.”

Dana lowered her hand. “It is safe, isn’t it?”

He didn’t answer.

“Is it?”

“I wouldn’t go in there at night.”

“You won’t go in there in daylight.”

“What I meant was, I wouldn’t if I were you.”

“So it’s not safe?”

“It probably is,” he said, his voice at a higher pitch than usual. He grimaced as if in pain. “The beast hasn’t shown up since the night it came after me. And there’ve been plenty of Midnight Tours since then. I guess you could say it’s safe. But you never know. You just never know. If I ran things, there wouldn’t be any more Midnight Tours. I’d make sure nobody ever got into Beast House after dark. I think it’s tempting fate. One of these times, the shit’s going to hit the fan.” For a few moments, he stared into Dana’s eyes and didn’t speak. Then he said, “I don’t want you in there when it does.”

“Tuck goes in every Saturday night,” Dana said. “She doesn’t even know that a beast attacked you. She thinks they’re all dead. The way you and Janice kept her in the dark, she isn’t even aware of the risk she’s running.”

“I doubt if it would stop her.”

“Maybe not. But she oughta be told.”

“You won’t tell her, will you?”

I should, she thought. I really should.

“I can’t have people knowing what happened to me in there,” Warren said.

“You told me.”

“Because I...I had to. I couldn’t let there be any lies between us.” He tried to smile. “Besides, you wanted to know my deepest, darkest secret, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So I told you. But it has to stay a secret. if it ever gets out...that’d be it for me. You know? I’d have to leave.”

“Leave?”

“I couldn’t stay in a town where people knew that about me. I’d probably just drive away and nobody would ever see me again.”

“Can’t have you doing that,” Dana said.

“Then don’t tell on me.”

“I won’t tell,” Dana said, “but I’ll be on the Midnight Tour tomorrow night.”

Warren shook his head.

Trembling, Dana leaned close to him. “If the place isn’t safe for me, it isn’t safe for Tuck, either. Or for the thirteen guests. So I have to go in with them.”

“You wouldn’t be much help...”

“I’d have to try. I’m a lifeguard, remember?” She kissed him lightly, quickly, then leaned away and swung open her door.

“Tell you what,” she said. “You don’t have to walk me to the door. Just wait here. I’ll take a peek inside and let you know if everything’s okay.”

She grabbed her purse and climbed out. On her way around the front of Warren’s car, she slipped the strap onto her shoulder. She stuffed his underwear into a front pocket of her shorts.

“I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder. “If I’m not, you’d better come running and rescue me.”

Chapter Forty-One

SPIES

Earlier, Owen and John had been sitting in the car behind the ice cream stand, still working on the stumps of their cones, when John said, “How about going for a little drive in the hills?”

“Are you kidding? I know where you want to go.”

“What do you wanta do, go back to the motel and sit in our room till bedtime?”

“I don’t...”

“Watch television?”

“I just don’t think we should...”

“Play footsie with me?”

“No.”

“Suck my dick?”

“Shut up!”

“Beat me up some more?”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Hey, man, you owe me. You really hurt me and you busted my glasses.”

“You’ve got your contacts.”

“I like my glasses, man. They make me look smart.”

“Sure they do.”

“Anyway, I’m going for a drive. You’re too chicken to come with me, that’s your prerogative.” He stuffed the dripping end of the cone into his mouth, wiped his hand on the leg of his Bermuda shorts, then started the car. Headlights on, he drove onto Front Street. “What’s it gonna be?” he asked, his mouth full, his words mushy. “Just say the word, I’ll drop you off at the motel and go without you.”

“You’re never gonna find their house, anyway. Just because you’ve got the address...”

“Good point.”

A block later, John swung his old car onto the lot of a gas station, parked beside the mini-mart, and hurried inside. He came out carrying a map. Grinning, he dropped onto the driver’s seat, rocking the car. “Malcasa Point and vicinity,” he said. “Still think I’ll never find their house?”

“Even if you can, you shouldn’t.”

“That’s okay, I’ll drop you off. God knows, I don’t wanta make you do anything against your principles. No sweat off my nuts if you wanta miss out on the chance of a lifetime.”

“If you go, I go.”

A big grin blossomed on John’s face. “Why am I not surprised?”

“But it’s not so I can spy on anyone. It’s to keep an eye on you.”

Laughing, John said, “We know.”

We know.

Sure that’s why.

He ached to spy on Dana.