Midnight's Lair (5 page)

    
Now what'll I do? He saw me. Shit, oh shit.

    What were you doing in that room?

    
Maybe he didn't see me.

    
He looked right at me. Maybe he'll forget about it.

    
Fat chance. I've gotta have an excuse. Darcy phoned from town, said she couldn't find her purse, and wanted me to see if it was in her room? That won't work. How could I get the call? Dad would've been at the switchboard.

    
Dad doesn't know why I was there. He might think I wanted to steal something. That'd be better than the truth, anyway. But maybe he'll guess the truth.

    
I've gotta have a story!

    
How about if I say I was out back and thought I saw someone in the window? I knew Darcy and Lynn were gone, and thought somebody'd broken in, so I came up to check.

    
Okay? That's not bad. Okay, that's what it'll be. He might believe it.

    
The best thing to do is go see Dad right away. Tell him the story. That's what I'd do if I really had seen someone in the window.

    Kyle sat on the stair, unable to move.

    
Dad'll never believe it. It never worked, trying to lie to him. He always knew the truth. Like he was a mind-reader, or something. He'll know what I was doing in there. He'll think I'm perverted.

    
Better not to say anything,
Kyle decided.
That way, at least, I won't get it for lying. Just wait and see what happens. See what he asks.

    Kyle finally got to his feet and went downstairs. He pushed through the metal door. Feeling numb and shaky, he headed for the lobby.

    
Please,
he thought,
let Dad not be there.

    Kyle's father was behind the registration desk and looked up at him as he approached. Nobody else was around.

    'You have some business in 210, young man?'

    'Darcy wanted to borrow a couple of my speleology books,' he said, and wondered where that idea had come from. 'I just took them up and left them for her.'

    He nodded.

    
He believed it!

    'Business pretty brisk at the Chalet tonight?'

    'About the same as usual,' Kyle said. 'It was pretty full.'

    'Glad to hear it.'

    'Guess I'll go watch some TV, okay?'

    'Go on ahead. I'll let you know if I need you.'

    Kyle stepped around the end of the registration desk and opened the door to their rooms. He went straight to his bedroom and shut himself in. Immediately, he slid two of his speleology books off the shelves and hid them in the space behind some other volumes. Not that Dad was likely to check. But when you make up a story, you have to follow through with the details.

    Once the books were concealed, Kyle felt a lot better. He turned the television on, and sat in the middle of his bed.

    He was too uneasy to follow the shows. Part of the time, he worried about Dad finding out the truth. (
He's gonna. No, he won't. What if he asks Darcy about the books? What if he just knows?
) Part of the time, he got past the worries and took himself back into Darcy's room. There, he lifted her things from the drawers, looked at them and touched and smelled them and dreamed of how they would look on Darcy.

    Later that night, with the lights off, he sat propped up in bed and stared at the television and thought about the next time.

    Next time, maybe he would take off his clothes. Maybe try on some of her things. (If he stole a pair of her panties, would she notice they were gone?) Maybe he would lie down on her bed, stretch out naked on the same sheet she slept on. In the bathroom, maybe he'd find a towel Darcy had used after a bath or shower. It might still be damp. A towel that had rubbed her body all over.

    

    

    Someone shook Kyle's shoulder. He woke up, startled, and rolled onto his back. His father was leaning over the bed, face grey in the fluttery light from the television. The screen was fuzzy, the way it looks after a station has signed off for the night. Kyle glanced at the digital clock on his bed table. Two thirty-six.

    'What's wrong?' he murmured.

    His heart sped up. He knew what was wrong. Dad knew he hadn't been in Darcy's room to leave books for her.

    'Get dressed and come with me,' Dad whispered.

    This was strange; if Dad meant to give him a lashing, or even just a lecture, he'd do it here, wouldn't he? Maybe he had some other kind of punishment in mind.

    
Maybe he plans to make me face Darcy! At this hour?

    'Where are we going?'

    'Do like I say.'

    Dad didn't sound angry, but Kyle heard a tremor in his voice. Was he scared about something? Excited?

    Kyle climbed out of bed. His clothes were draped on a chair. With his back to his father, he dropped his pyjama pants and put on his jockey shorts. He started to step into the good slacks he'd worn for hosting at the Chalet.

    'Not those,' Dad said. 'Put on some grubbies.'

    
Why?

    He didn't ask. He went to his closet, and got into jeans and an old shirt. Then he put on socks and jogging shoes.

    Dad led the way. The lights had been dimmed in the deserted lobby. The hotel was silent. Kyle felt as if the building itself were asleep.

    Dad said nothing.

    They walked down the corridor of the east wing, even walked past the door of 115, the final guestroom.

    
We're going to the stairs,
Kyle thought.
He is taking me up to Darcy's room.

    But Dad stopped at the very last door before the corridor's end. It was unmarked. In the past, Kyle had tried to unlock it. This was the one door he'd found in the entire hotel that didn't open to the pass key.

    Dad had told him, long ago and more than once, that it was a storeroom.

    
He's gonna lock me in!

    
You like sneaking into rooms so much, spend some time in this.

    Dad took a leather key case out of his pocket. It was the one Kyle had given him for his last birthday. He unsnapped it. On one of the metal clips were two matching keys, one that looked shiny and new. He tugged the new key loose, and held it up in front of Kyle's eyes. It shone like gold in the dim lights.

    'I had this made for you on your fifteenth birthday,' he whispered, still in that same tense voice. 'But I saved it till I was sure you were ready.'

    'Ready for what?' Kyle rubbed his sweaty hands on his jeans.

    'I saw you coming out of that room tonight, I figured it was time.'

    'I didn't do anything.'

    'Oh, I got a pretty good idea what you were doing. Used to do it myself. Then one day, my Daddy gave me one of these.' He handed the bright new key to Kyle. 'Go on, open her up.'

    Kyle's hand shook so badly that the point of the key scraped the lock face. His father took his hand, held it steady, and guided the key in. Kyle turned it. He opened the door.

    He glimpsed red curtains, an easy chair. Then Dad nudged him forward, followed him inside and closed the door.

    The small room was dark except for a faint glow coming in around the edges of the curtains. A hand on Kyle's shoulder guided him, turned him.

    'Now, don't yell or anything,' Dad whispered.

    Silently, the curtains parted.

    Kyle's mind reeled. His heart hammered. His breath rushed out.

    He was standing no more than two feet from a window - not a window, exactly. It had to be a two-way mirror. A full length mirror like those on the bathroom doors of all the other units. This one, however, was obviously not on the bathroom door. It was set into the wall.

    On the other side of the glass was a guest-room.

    Room 115.

    Its lights were on.

    On the bed was the woman he'd seated at the Chalet, the one with the rose blossom perfume.

    The bed covers lay heaped on the floor and she was squirming on the sheet.

    'Name's Amy,' Dad said. 'Amy Lawson.'

    She was naked.

    A wide band of white tape covered her mouth. Her hands were tied together with clothes-line, arms stretched overhead and secured to the wrought-iron bedframe. Her legs were spread far apart, tied at the ankles to the corners of the frame.

    Kyle stared. He had never seen a real woman naked. Pictures in magazines, but never the real thing.

    This was better than anything he had ever imagined.

    Her struggles to free herself made it even better. She was rocking, twisting, arching her back, pulling at the ropes. Her big breasts bobbed and swayed. Her skin was shiny with sweat. It looked dark and polished from the sun, pure white where a bikini had kept the sun away. There were faint, reddish patches on her breasts and shoulders and thighs.
Dad,
Kyle thought,
must've made those.

    Dad, for sure, had done the number on her face. The face had been pounded pretty good. A cheek was red and swollen, and one eye was swollen almost shut.

    'I always put the best-looking babes in 115,' Dad whispered. 'Sometimes, they're just for looking. This one checked in by herself. When they do that, sometimes they get the treatment. What do you think?' he asked.

    Kyle muttered, 'Neat.'

    He gazed at the writhing woman, hardly able to breathe. He felt trapped inside his jeans, his rigid penis threatening to ejaculate. It was the way he'd felt in Darcy's room just before he rushed out.

    But some of the urgency drained away as his father eased him aside. The man crouched for a moment, then stood up and twisted a pair of latches near the top of the mirror's frame. Just below the latches were two metal handles. Dad gripped them and pushed the mirror outward. Stepping over a foot-high section of wall he entered the room, carrying the mirror in front of him.

    'Come on in,' Dad said.

    Amy made quiet whiny noises.

    Kyle stepped into the room.

    She stopped squirming. She watched him with wide eyes.

    Dad propped the mirror against the wall near the opening to the secret room. Then he put a hand on Kyle's shoulder. 'She's all yours, son. I'll be back in an hour.'

    Dad went out through the regular door.

    Kyle stared at the naked, sweaty body.

    
This can't be happening,
he thought. He felt as if his father had taken him by the hand and led him into a dream - an amazing, erotic dream that was too wonderful to be true.

    
It's not a dream,
he told himself.

    
I'm really here.

    
And I've got an hour.

    As fast as he could, Kyle took off his clothes.

    

    

    In spite of her humiliation and anger at being seen half naked by Kyle, Darcy was glad to have the jacket. From neck to waist, at least, she felt warm.

    Greg met her just before she reached the dock.

    Now, if he'd been the one to show up at the grotto…

    
I'm sure feeling lively,
she thought, and smiled at him. 'How's it going?' she asked.

    'Not bad. There's a fellow with Tom who said he'd stick with him on the way out.'

    'Okay, good. How would you like to take up the rear and keep an eye out for stragglers?'

    'Fine.'

    'I'll get the other flashlight from Beth. Here, you take this one.' She gave it to him. 'It's the stronger of the two. It should be good enough to keep things fairly bright for everyone.'

    'We ought to count noses before we start out.'

    Darcy nodded. Then she faced the group and called for attention. 'In just a minute,' she said, 'we'll start for the elevators. But I want to give you some instructions first. Most of you came down here with friends or family. I want you to stay close to those you came with. Hold hands or something so you don't lose each other. Any of you who came alone, step up to the front right now, and we'll make sure you get a partner.'

    Several people started working their way forward. They gathered in front of Darcy. One was Kyle. Four of the others looked around, formed pairs, and introduced themselves to their new companions.

    'Why don't I be your partner,' Kyle said to Darcy.

    'That'd leave somebody out,' she told him. 'Who's still alone?' she asked.

    A girl raised her hand.

    A blonde with a pony tail. She looked fifteen or sixteen. Darcy wondered what a girl that age was doing on the tour without her parents. 'What's your name?' she asked.

    'Paula Whitmore,' the girl answered.

    'Okay, Paula. Do you want to pair up with this young man?'

    She looked at Kyle, smiled and nodded. 'Sure. If it's all right with him.'

    He shrugged and said, 'I'm Kyle.'

    'Okay,' Darcy said, 'it's you two, then.' She felt guilty about sticking Paula with Kyle. It seemed like a dirty trick, just a way to keep the jerk off her own back.
Hell,
she told herself,
it's only natural to pair them up. They're the same age and everything. And Paula could have objected. The girl might actually enjoy having a male escort.

    Darcy turned her attention to the rest of the group. 'Okay, now. Does anyone not have at least one partner?' Nobody responded. 'Once we start out, I want each of you to be responsible for three things. First, stay beside your partner. Second, keep track of the people directly in front of you. If it's too dark to see them, keep a hand on one of them. Third, pay attention to the people right behind you. Don't leave them behind. There's no hurry.