wardrobe?”
Simon shook his head. Cookie crumbs flew. “It’s not just that. He saw Leo every day, Ernie. He told us that, when I was talking about my allergy, remember? ‘I couldn’t function without Dr. Leo’s help,’ was what Arthur had to say. ‘A day without a visit to Dr. Leo would be a dark day for me.’ That’s actually what weird old Arthur said.”
“Well, then, he certainly wouldn’t have killed him, would he, Simon?” Elise said tartly. “Arthur’s okay. He’s just … strange, that’s all.” She shrugged. “Who isn’t?”
Impatient with them, Ernie said, “Look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore, okay? I have to find out where Molloy is. That’s all I care about right now.” He moved to the door, picking up his baseball jacket as he passed his bed. “I’m going to go talk to the police. I want to know what they’re doing to find that head case. And maybe they can help me find out where Molloy is.”
Simon straightened up, pocketed several more cookies, and nodded. “Yeah, sure, Ernie. But can we eat first? My stomach is howling with hunger. A few more minutes won’t hurt, will it?”
“You two go ahead. I’m not hungry.”
“Okay if we come back up here and wait for you after we eat?” Elise asked. “I want to know what you found out.”
“Sure. But you’ll have to wait in the hall, because I’m locking the door. Can’t have some crazy killer using my room as a hideout, can I?”
The three separated on the ground floor, and as Ernie left the building he remembered what Simon had said. “A few more minutes won’t hurt.”
Didn’t that depend on where Molloy was and what was happening to her?
How many minutes had it taken for Dr. Leo’s head to be crushed?
Chapter 12
I N THE ATTIC AT Nightingale Hall, Toni was the first to cry out, “Oh, God, what happened to Lynne? Look at her head! She’s bleeding! Is she dead?” Her eyes darted frantically around the dark, cluttered attic, as if she expected someone to jump out from behind the boxes and trunks and furniture. Her voice hushed almost to a whisper, she said, “Someone is out there! Lynne didn’t cut herself on the wood-box. That blood we saw was from that awful wound on her head.”
Looking dazed, Daisy nodded. “And she didn’t hit herself over the head and throw herself in this trunk. Someone else did.”
They stood very close together, their eyes scanning the attic in dread, their breath coming in short, anxious gasps.
“This is unreal,” Daisy said, staring down at Lynne. “How could someone have brought her into the house and up here without any of us hearing or seeing him? Up all those stairs …”
“Oh, no,” Toni whispered, her hands clutching the edge of the trunk, “he’s in here! He’s in the house!” Words spilled out of her mouth as panic overtook her. “He’s not outside, he’s in here somewhere, with us, and there’s something wrong with him or he wouldn’t have done that to Lynne; he’s crazy, he’s got to be crazy! We don’t even know anyone here except Ernie, so anyone who would hurt Lynne for no reason has to be crazy! What are we going to do?”
Molloy struggled to think. She couldn’t believe this was happening. What had they done to make someone so angry? How had they turned themselves into targets? They had only been looking for refuge from the storm. And the place had looked so deserted.
But it wasn’t, was it?
They had to get away from here. Nightmare Hall wasn’t safe, just as Ernie had told her. And they had to get out … fast He could be anywhere in the house. But first, they needed an ambulance. They couldn’t just leave Lynne lying in the trunk. Minutes had to count with the kind of injury she had.
But the phones were out. What could they do? There had to be something. They couldn’t just leave Lynne lying there and not do anything. They didn’t even know if she was still alive.
Bending, Molloy touched Lynne’s wrist. It was cool, and
Simon shook his head. Cookie crumbs flew. “It’s not just that. He saw Leo every day, Ernie. He told us that, when I was talking about my allergy, remember? ‘I couldn’t function without Dr. Leo’s help,’ was what Arthur had to say. ‘A day without a visit to Dr. Leo would be a dark day for me.’ That’s actually what weird old Arthur said.”
“Well, then, he certainly wouldn’t have killed him, would he, Simon?” Elise said tartly. “Arthur’s okay. He’s just … strange, that’s all.” She shrugged. “Who isn’t?”
Impatient with them, Ernie said, “Look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore, okay? I have to find out where Molloy is. That’s all I care about right now.” He moved to the door, picking up his baseball jacket as he passed his bed. “I’m going to go talk to the police. I want to know what they’re doing to find that head case. And maybe they can help me find out where Molloy is.”
Simon straightened up, pocketed several more cookies, and nodded. “Yeah, sure, Ernie. But can we eat first? My stomach is howling with hunger. A few more minutes won’t hurt, will it?”
“You two go ahead. I’m not hungry.”
“Okay if we come back up here and wait for you after we eat?” Elise asked. “I want to know what you found out.”
“Sure. But you’ll have to wait in the hall, because I’m locking the door. Can’t have some crazy killer using my room as a hideout, can I?”
The three separated on the ground floor, and as Ernie left the building he remembered what Simon had said. “A few more minutes won’t hurt.”
Didn’t that depend on where Molloy was and what was happening to her?
How many minutes had it taken for Dr. Leo’s head to be crushed?
Chapter 12
I N THE ATTIC AT Nightingale Hall, Toni was the first to cry out, “Oh, God, what happened to Lynne? Look at her head! She’s bleeding! Is she dead?” Her eyes darted frantically around the dark, cluttered attic, as if she expected someone to jump out from behind the boxes and trunks and furniture. Her voice hushed almost to a whisper, she said, “Someone is out there! Lynne didn’t cut herself on the wood-box. That blood we saw was from that awful wound on her head.”
Looking dazed, Daisy nodded. “And she didn’t hit herself over the head and throw herself in this trunk. Someone else did.”
They stood very close together, their eyes scanning the attic in dread, their breath coming in short, anxious gasps.
“This is unreal,” Daisy said, staring down at Lynne. “How could someone have brought her into the house and up here without any of us hearing or seeing him? Up all those stairs …”
“Oh, no,” Toni whispered, her hands clutching the edge of the trunk, “he’s in here! He’s in the house!” Words spilled out of her mouth as panic overtook her. “He’s not outside, he’s in here somewhere, with us, and there’s something wrong with him or he wouldn’t have done that to Lynne; he’s crazy, he’s got to be crazy! We don’t even know anyone here except Ernie, so anyone who would hurt Lynne for no reason has to be crazy! What are we going to do?”
Molloy struggled to think. She couldn’t believe this was happening. What had they done to make someone so angry? How had they turned themselves into targets? They had only been looking for refuge from the storm. And the place had looked so deserted.
But it wasn’t, was it?
They had to get away from here. Nightmare Hall wasn’t safe, just as Ernie had told her. And they had to get out … fast He could be anywhere in the house. But first, they needed an ambulance. They couldn’t just leave Lynne lying in the trunk. Minutes had to count with the kind of injury she had.
But the phones were out. What could they do? There had to be something. They couldn’t just leave Lynne lying there and not do anything. They didn’t even know if she was still alive.
Bending, Molloy touched Lynne’s wrist. It was cool, and
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