John Romero - Coed camp

They sat silently for a few minutes longer, deep in thought. "We've got to find where those negatives, and the prints, too, are hidden," Marsha said softly.

"I've got it!" Dan exclaimed. "Hypnosis!"

Marsha's eyes lighted, then dimmed. "Who's a hypnotist?" Then she brightened again. "I believe you hit it, Danny boy! Let me get on that telephone. You go outside and if anybody, Pete or anybody else, comes in sight, you come up on the porch and stand in the doorway. Otherwise, wait till I call you."

She went out into the office first, to make sure no one was around to see Dan leaving the infirmary. He walked down to a maple tree a few yards away and squatted down with his back to it. From there he had a clear view of most of the infirmary and for a hundred yards or more to either side. He kept glancing impatiently at his watch, and the minutes ticked by without Marsha calling him back in. A few more minutes and it would be time to go down to lunch. Nobody came near the building.

Finally Marsha appeared on the porch and waved for him to come in again. She was smiling happily as Dan sat back down beside her desk in the outer office.

"Say nothing to anyone, Dan," she cautioned. "If you and I can bring it off, we can do it better alone. Now, I made a call to my hospital in New York. I work at St. Luke's except in the summer when l come up here. A doctor that I know there promised to get hold of a special drug for me and fly it up in his private plane. So tomorrow afternoon, you drive to the airport just the other side of the village and meet him. He'll give it to you. Hurry back and bring it to me. And don't let anybody see you doing it. I'll fix it with Stein about your absence. Now let's split. You go first, then I'll come on down in a few minutes."

Dan hurried down to the dining hall for lunch. He still wasn't sure what he had suggested to Marsha, but he trusted her sharp intelligence to know what she was doing.

Dan cut his tennis classes short the next afternoon and took off in his car for the village. He burned up the road, but even at that, the plane was already landing when he got to the small municipal airport on the other side of the village. He drove up to the edge of the landing field and waited. A tall, ruggedly handsome man leaped out of the Cessna and strode toward him. Dan climbed out of his car and walked to meet him. The man was as tall as himself, and as he came close, Dan could see that his face looked as if it were usually racked up in a big friendly grin. He grinned at Dan.

"Dan Acres?" he asked.

"Right," said, Dan smiling back and holding out his hand.

"I'm Jim Etheridge." He took Dan's hand in a firm grip, then released it. "Give this to Marsha-with my love." He pulled a cardboard carton from his inside pocket. "Tell her to be careful with it, and I'll get the results from her later. Adios." And he wheeled around and trotted right back to his plane. He was in the air by the time Dan had driven back on the road to the village.

He went through the village as fast as he dared, and once on the other side, he floorboarded the accelerator and the little MG nearly jumped out from under him. He was back in time for dinner with half an hour to spare. Not daring to take the package in to the cabin, he left it hidden under the seat of the car. He could get it later.

At dinner he noticed that Marsha had not come down yet, nor did she show during the entire meal. He wondered if something had gone wrong with the plan, whatever the plan was. Then he saw that Annabelle wasn't present, either.

As they walked out of the dining hall, Dan asked Andy to take over for him at his cabin for an hour or two. Without question the younger counselor agreed. Dan hurried up to the infirmary. Marsha was putting a girl camper into one of the beds. Probably having bad cramps, or something, he guessed. He waited in the office until she had finished in the ward and came in.

"What's up?" he demanded.

She looked worried. "Come on into my place," she said.

They went inside Marsha's bedroom, and she locked the door behind them. Then he saw Annabelle stretched out on the chaise lounge, a silly smile on her face.

"Hi, sugah," she greeted him.

"The other shoe dropped for Annabelle today," Marsha said. "And I had to give her a tranquilizer shot."

"Feelin' no pain atall," Annabelle drawled happily.

"A picture?" Dan asked.

"A picture," she replied. "A very beautiful picture in gorgeous colors of li'l 0l' me performing an act of fellatio on our fellow counselor Andy."

"You mean you giving Andy a blow-job, Miz Magnolia?" Dan grinned.

"That's just what I said," she replied.

"That tranquilizer was a bit too potent, I'm afraid," Marsha said. "Here, Annabelle, take this caffeine tablet."

A few minutes later Annabelle was untranquilized into sobriety again. She sat up straight, her feet on the floor.

"And what are you supposed to do for him?" Dan asked, worried now after what had happened to Sonya.

"That's what drove her practically into hysterics," Marsha said.

"He wants me to-to do things with a stallion in the stables. And he's going to take pictures of it." The slim girl quivered. "I told him I was having my period, that I'd do it for him in another day or two. Oh, Dan, we've got to stop him before that. How in the world does he think I can screw a horse, or vice versa?"

"He'll think of a way," Marsha said grimly. "I'm just curious to know what got him off on that kick."

Dan and Annabelle looked at each other guiltily as the same thought flashed in their minds. Marsha saw the look. "What is it?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well," Dan said, embarrassed, Annabelle and I were kidding the other night about the-ah-size of a stallion's dong, And it's hard to believe, but that little devil must've overheard us,"

"Now what were you two up to, to bring on such a conversation?" Marsha purred, a mischievous smile curling her lips.

Dan looked at her and grinned, Hell, she knew damn well what they were doing,

"Well, let's get on with our plan," Marsha said briskly. "Annabelle, since you're here and since you're marked for the next victim, you might as well join Dan and me. Do you have the drugs, Dan?"

"I'll run get them," he said. "I hid them in my car." He hurried out and up to the parking lot, forcing himself to walk at a normal pace. Someone would think it strange if he went running through camp at a fast gallop. In a few minutes he had the carton shoved in his pocket and was on his way back to the infirmary. Fortunately, no one stopped him to talk or anything. He went back inside the infirmary, into Marsha's room, and gave her the carton.

She opened it quickly and checked the contents. "Good," she smiled. "Now with any luck at all, we'll have the little bastard under control tomorrow. After lunch, you two come here and hide in my room, with the door cracked just enough to hear what goes on. Just in case I might run into trouble. But Dan, don't come out swinging unless I actually call you. Understood?"

"Understood," he said.

"I'll tell Jerry part of what's going on," she continued, "so he can keep the camp operation going smoothly."

Dan stood up. "I'd better be getting along, then. See you here tomorrow," And he left.

Right after lunch the next day Dan went to the infirmary. He glanced around to make sure nobody had seen him, then he went inside. He passed Marsha sitting at her desk with a brief greeting and went into her bedroom, closing the door nearly shut behind him. A few minutes later Annabelle arrived, pale and tense, to join him in the bedroom. He put a hand on her trembling shoulder.

"Calm down, honey-chile," he said soothingly. "Everything's going to be all right. We'll nail the little sonofabitch."