Sidney Sheldon - Are You Afraid Of The Dark

Kelly turned to see Diane next to her, also naked and handcuffed. Their clothing had been thrown into a corner.

Diane said groggily, "Where are we?"

"We're in hell, partner." Kelly tested the handcuffs. They were tight and firm around her wrists. She could lift her arm four or five inches, but that was it. "We walked right into their trap," she said bitterly.

"You know what I hate most about this?" Kelly looked around the bare room and said, "I can't imagine." "They won. We know why they killed our husbands, and why they're going to kill us, but there's no way we can ever tell the world. They've gotten away with it. Kingsley was right. Our luck has finally run out." "No, it hasn't." The door had opened, and Harry Flint was standing in the room.

His smile widened.

He locked the door behind him and put the key in his pocket. "I shot you with Xylocaine bullets.

I was supposed to kill you, but I thought we'd all have a little fun first." He moved closer.

The two women exchanged a terrified look. They watched Flint, grinning, take off his shirt and trousers. "Look what I have for you," he said. He dropped his shorts. His member was stiff and turgid. Flint looked at the two of them and moved toward Diane. "Why don't I start with you, baby, and then-" Kelly interrupted. "Wait a minute, handsome. How about taking me first? I feel horny." Diane looked at her, stunned. "Kelly-" Flint turned to Kelly and smirked. "Sure, baby. You're going to love this." Flint reached down and started to stretch out on top of Kelly's naked body.

"Oh, yes." Kelly moaned. "I've really missed this." Diane had closed her eyes. She could not bear to watch.

Kelly stretched her legs apart, and as Flint started to enter her, Kelly raised her right arm a few inches and reached into her upswept hairdo. When her hand came down, there was a rat-tailed comb with a steel tip five inches long in it. In one quick motion, she slammed the steel tail into the back of Harry Flint's neck, pushing its steel tip all the way through.

Flint tried to scream, but all that came out was a loud gurgle. Blood was pouring out of his neck.

Diane opened her eyes, stunned.

Kelly looked over at Diane. "You-you can relax now." She pushed away the limp figure on top of her. "He's dead." Diane's heart was beating so fast it felt as though it was going to leap from her chest. Her face was ghostly white.

Kelly was watching her, alarmed. "Are you all right?" "I was afraid he was going to-" Her mouth went dry. She looked at the bloody body of Harry Flint and shuddered. "Why didn't you tell me about-?" She pointed to the rat-tailed comb in his neck.

"Because if it hadn't worked… well, I didn't want you to think I failed you. Let's get out of here." "How?" "I'll show you." Kelly stretched out a long leg to where Flint had dropped his pants. Her toes reached out to grab his trousers. Two inches too far away. She shifted closer. One inch too short. Then finally, success.

Kelly grinned. "Voila!" Her toes clutched the leg of the trousers, and she slowly pulled them close until they were near enough to grab with her hands. She was going through his pockets, looking for the key to the handcuffs. She found it. A moment later, her hands were free. She hurried to free Diane.

"My God, you're a miracle," Diane said.

"Thank my new hairdo. Let's get away from here." The two women picked up their clothes from the floor and quickly dressed. Kelly took the key to the door from Flint's pocket.

They walked over to the door and listened a moment. Silence. Kelly opened the door. They were in a long, empty corridor.

"There must be a back way out of here," Diane said.

Kelly nodded. "All right. You go that way and I'll go the other way and-" "No. Please. Let's stay together, Kelly." Kelly squeezed Diane's arm and nodded. "Right, partner." Minutes later, the two women found themselves in a garage. There was a Jaguar and a Toyota in it.

"Take your choice," Kelly said.

"The Jaguar is too noticeable. Let's take the Toyota." "I hope the key is-" It was. Diane took the wheel.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Kelly asked.

"To Manhattan. I don't have a plan yet." "That's good news." Kelly sighed.

"We need to find a place to sleep. When Kingsley finds out we've escaped, he's going to go crazy.

We're not going to be safe anywhere."

Kelly was thinking. "Yes, we are." Diane glanced at her. "What do you mean?" Kelly said proudly, "I have a plan."

THEY DROVE into White Plains, twenty-five miles north of Manhattan, Diane said,

"This looks like a nice town. What are we doing here?" "I have a friend here. She'll take care of us." "Tell me about her." Kelly said slowly, "My mother was married to a drunk who enjoyed beating her.

When I was able to afford to take care of my mother, I persuaded her to leave him. One of the models who had run away from an abusive boyfriend told me about this place. It's a boardinghouse run by an angel of a woman named Grace Seidel.

I took my mother there to stay until I could find an apartment for her. I used to visit her at Grace's every day. My mother loved it and became friends with some of the boarders. I finally found an apartment for Mother and went to pick her up." She stopped.

Diane looked at her. "What happened?"

"She had gone back to her husband." They had reached the boardinghouse. "We're here."

GRACE SEIDEL WAS in her fifties, a dynamic, motherly ball of energy. When she opened the door and saw Kelly, her face lit up.

"Kelly!" She threw her arms around her. "I'm so glad to see you." Kelly said, "This is my friend Diane." They exchanged hellos.

"Your room is all ready for you," Grace said. "As a matter of fact, it was your mother's room. I had an extra bed put in." As Grace Seidel walked them to their bedroom, they passed through a comfortable-looking living room where a dozen women were playing card games or doing various other activities.

"How long will you be staying?" Grace asked.

Kelly and Diane looked at each other. "We're not sure." Grace Seidel smiled. "No problem. The room is yours for as long as you want it." The room was lovely-neat and clean.

When Grace Seidel had left, Kelly said to Diane, "We'll be safe here. And by the way, I think we made the Guinness Book of World Records. Do you know how many times they've tried to kill us?" "Yes." Diane was standing by the window. Kelly heard her say, "Thank you, Richard." Kelly started to speak, then thought, It's no use.

ANDREW, DOZING AT his desk, dreamed that he was asleep in a hospital bed. It was the voices in the room that had awakened him. "… And luckily, I discovered this when we were decontaminating Andrew's safety equipment. I thought I should show it to you right away." "The goddamn army told me it would be safe." A man was handing Tanner one of the gas masks from the army-experiment.

"I found a tiny hole at the base of the mask. It looks like someone cut it. That would be enough to cause your brother's condition." Tanner looked at the mask and thundered, "Whoever is responsible for this is going to pay." He looked at the man and said, "I'll look into this immediately. Thanks for bringing it to me." From his bed, Andrew groggily watched the man leave. Tanner looked at the mask a moment and then walked over to a corner of the room where there was a large hospital cart filled with soiled linens.

Tanner reached down into the bottom of the cart and buried the gas mask under the linens.

Andrew tried to ask his brother what was happening, but he was too tired. He fell asleep.

TANNER, ANDREW, AND Pauline had returned to Tanner's office.

Tanner had asked his secretary to bring in the morning newspapers. Tanner skimmed through the front pages. "Look at these: 'Scientists are baffled by freak storms in Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, and Italy. ' " He looked at Pauline exultantly. "And this is only the beginning.