The Dark: A Collection (Point Horror) Read online

  "Bianca, what is it?" Harry asked a few moments later, over the protests of Mr. Pigsley. Harry didn't sound sleepy, as if he'd expected her to call. Their minds were in sync. She had noticed that before.

  "Meet me in the graveyard behind the Shipleys' house right away."

  "The graveyard?"

  "I'll explain when you get there."

  "OK." He knew enough not to question her.

  "Bring your toolbox if you have one."

  "Anything else?"

  "Hurry! We don't have time to lose."

  She heard a click. Then there was a strange sound on the phone as she hung up. She didn't have time to worry about it. It was probably her imagination anyway.

  Bianca nerved herself to open the front door to her own house. A solid wall of darkness confronted her. Somehow she had to make her way through the night to reach her goal. The thought that Harry would be there waiting for her in the graveyard gave her courage. He'd told her that she could do anything. She was beginning to believe it.

  Bianca was in the graveyard in five minutes. With a flashlight she climbed through a break in the cemetery fence, the break they'd discovered in the rear of the Shipleys' backyard.

  There wasn't as much mist or fog tonight. Still, it was so dark out that it preyed on Bianca's imagination as she stood there under a live oak tree with twisted, gnarled branches. Each branch was draped with prickly, gray-green Spanish moss. She couldn't blot out of her mind those ghostly shapes and forms that had loomed up at her out of the darkness the last time — the crosses, church steeples and mausoleums with stone ladies covered with green moss.

  Bianca hoped Harry wouldn't keep her waiting long. He didn't. He came hurrying along with a toolbox.

  "Borrowed ten dollars from Mr. Pigsley to call a cab." Harry was all out of breath from running through the cemetery. "Told him I'd pay it back with interest. Couldn't bring the old clunker. Would never make it in time, though Mom said she was willing to sit outside in the dark on the road waiting for me all night if necessary. She'd do anything for you after what you did for us."

  Bianca kissed him on the lips.

  "What did you remember?" he pressed, anxious.

  She didn't have to ask how Harry knew that she'd remembered something important. The two of them seemed to be able to sense what the other was thinking.

  "We've got to go through the back door of the Shipleys' house," she explained. "I don't want anybody to see us. That's why I asked you to meet me in the cemetery instead of at the front door. I'll tell you what's going on as soon as we get inside."

  The key let them in through the back door and didn't trigger the burglar alarm. They climbed the stairs in the dark, holding hands, and turned on the hallway light when they got to the second level. She explained how she'd remembered something that the killer had dropped.

  "It was very hard, so hard that it wouldn't break or smash when I was stepping on it with my full weight," Bianca explained.

  "The killer could have dropped anything. But if he was fighting so hard to protect it, it must be important." Harry was on the same wavelength.

  "What could be so hard and so valuable except jewelry?" Bianca told Harry what was in her mind as she led him to the Shipleys' bedroom. Their room was the one closest to where she had encountered the killer in the upstairs hallway.

  "Mrs. Shipley's jewelry box, of course! "Harry exclaimed when he saw it sitting there on her large vanity table. "That's why you asked me to bring the tools? It's locked up."

  "We've got to break into the jewelry box. If I hold the jewels in my hands, I might remember something more. The Shipleys won't mind. I'll tell them everything when they get back."

  Harry agreed. The Shipleys would never suspect her of any wrongdoing — not the girl who had saved Little Katie twice!

  Harry banged on the lock to the jewelry box with his hammer. When that didn't do the trick, he tried a hacksaw. He sawed away at the metal lock on the ornate jewelry chest that was so large and heavy it wouldn't be easy to pick up or carry. The lock soon fell off. Bianca opened the box. Her hands lighted on jewelry, and lots of it. She brought it out and looked at it. She handed some to Harry.

  Most of this jewelry was heavy and made of solid gold. There were necklaces, pendants with rubies, earrings and brooches. The diamonds were especially big. That was probably what had landed under her tennis shoe. She dropped a diamond ring to the floor and stepped on it to make sure.

  "A king's ransom!" Harry gasped. "The killer must have heard about these jewels stashed here. Maybe he saw Mrs. Shipley wearing them in public. That must have been his motive for breaking into the house."

  Just as Bianca pressed her foot down on the diamond ring, the face of the killer came to mind as clearly as if he were standing in front of her.

  "Harry!" She put her hand to her throat. "I — I just remembered him."

  "The killer?"

  She nodded. "But — but this person can't be the killer."

  She suddenly remembered those words that the killer had spoken to her that night two years ago. He'd hissed, Don't you dare scream. I won't have my reputation ruined.

  "I told you it would happen. I was right." A familiar voice from behind startled Bianca.

  She and Harry dropped the jewels.

  "I told you that someday you'd come across something that would make you remember the night of the killing." The killer advanced on them. "Everything would become clear. Well, all you had to do was to step on the same jewel that you'd almost tripped over in the hallway that night exactly two years ago."

  "Doc, I — I don't understand!" Bianca stared down the barrel of a gun.

  Chapter 12

  As he held the gun on them, Doc explained himself, "I was as quiet as possible cutting the power to the house from outside and sneaking through the sliding glass door into the Shipleys' bedroom two years ago. Cutting the power was a precaution so that I wouldn't be seen from across the street. I thought no one was home when I stole the jewels out of Mrs. Shipley's jewelry chest. It had no lock then. I was creeping out into the hallway to case out the other bedrooms, when that busybody maid screamed. You appeared with the baby. You ran into me and knocked that diamond ring out of my hand."

  Doc stared at the diamond ring beside Bianca's foot.

  "I pushed the maid away. She was losing her balance and was about to fall downstairs. I lost my cool. The gun fired. In a panic I thought about snatching the baby and taking her with me to make my getaway. But you defended her like a hellion."

  He again looked at Bianca.

  "I thought I heard a car coming out front, so I didn't follow you. I quickly stashed the jewels in the jewelry box. I had to escape from the bedroom balcony before the police got there. You were screaming, waking up the whole neighborhood. I thought up some excuse about hearing a commotion and coming next door to investigate in case the police saw me. I promised myself I'd return for the jewels later. Now that you've remembered everything, I can't wait any longer."

  "I told you he was a crook!" Harry exclaimed. "I can smell a skunk a mile away."

  "Doc, why would you break into a house looking for jewels? You've got plenty of money and — and you're a respected doctor. You've got a brilliant career ahead of you as a psychiatrist and—"

  "I've only got one million to my own name from my grandparents. Mrs. Shipley's jewels are priceless."

  Tears streamed down Bianca's face for Doc himself. Her heart felt for him as it would for Little Katie. He was somebody that she would have died to save. She had trusted him as she trusted no one else.

  "These aren't just any jewels, sweetheart!" A rapt look appeared on Doc's face. "These are jewels that belong to one of the richest women in America. You can't buy them in a store."

  Bianca couldn't believe her ears. The jewels flashed and scintillated in the light coming from the hallway. Bianca gazed into Doc's eyes. "Doc, please tell me this is all a joke. Tell me that none of this is really happening, that you're still my best frie
nd. Please!"

  "Can't you see that he would have thrown you down the stairs after Mrs. Ingersoll except that you escaped him?" Harry exclaimed.

  "You would have killed me, Doc?" Bianca croaked. "In this very house?"

  "Those are his words, not mine!" Doc glared at Harry.

  "You weren't really concerned about my medical condition, then?"

  "I spent the whole night cramming in the medical school library, reading up on psychiatry. I found out that when you woke up you might not remember anything, and you might develop a phobia about the dark."

  "Would you have killed me as soon as I remembered something, any time during these past two years?" She'd always thought of Doc as someone who would save her life, not take it.

  "I was prepared to convince you it wasn't me if you'd started to remember something. Besides, the more I played your medical adviser, the more likely you'd be to censor any such memories yourself. You thought too much of me, to be quite frank."

  "Why did you start . . . well . . . trying to make me your girlfriend?" She blushed and glanced at Harry. It was hard to carry on such a discussion around him.

  Harry glowered at Doc.

  Doc made a wild, theatrical gesture. "Think of it as double insurance. You'd never suspect somebody who was both your medical adviser and your lover!"

  "What a creep!" Harry exclaimed.

  "The Shipleys were about to leave for a big trip to take care of their investments. I felt sure you weren't going to remember anything before then. I was getting ready to make the big break and rob the house when nobody was at home. Then I planned a one-way ticket to Rio. In short, I was preparing to clear out and cash in."

  "Why did you tell me I ought to meet other guys? Why did you start dating that nurse from the hospital?"

  "Remember, the senior doctors at the hospital thought it wasn't professional for me to be so close to you. I didn't want anybody to get suspicious or pry into my business while I was planning my final moves prior to leaving the country for good."

  "So that's why you got furious when I started to date Harry, even though you told me to?" Bianca felt a glimmer of understanding.

  "I'd miscalculated. I didn't think you'd follow my advice. You seemed such a shy, withdrawn little thing. I was surprised you had the nerve to go out with Rick Roscoe, let alone one of the Fellini brothers."

  "McCollough knew I spelled trouble big time," Harry boasted.

  "When I observed what a violent attraction you and Harry seemed to have for each other, I decided that Harry was bad for you — or rather bad for my plans." Doc glared at Harry as if he despised him.

  "You bet I am!" Harry proclaimed. "I'm the one thing you didn't calculate on."

  "Not only had you started to remember something at the movie theater (I kept a close watch on you from my seat), Harry was starting to draw you away from my influence. I had to stop him before it ended in disaster."

  "Were you the one in the rest room, threatening me?" Bianca felt those cold fingers on her neck.

  "Who else, Bianca dear, would know how to play on your fear of the dark?" He ran his fingers up and down her neck to demonstrate.

  "But I didn't see you in the lobby!" Harry objected.

  "Your brother disarmed one of the fire exits near the screen. I took advantage of it as soon as I saw Bianca run out of the theater. I stood outside the ladies' bathroom window, where I figured she'd end up. I watched Bianca at the sink. When she started to wash her face, I knew she wouldn't be able to hear me. I crept quietly past her and hid myself on the other side of the door in the ladies' lounge. When she got ready to leave, I turned out the lights."

  Big tears coursed down her cheeks. "But — but you were so kind to me! You helped me overcome my fear of the dark."

  "That's what I wanted you to think."

  Harry nodded. "After Marianna was nearly killed in the cemetery, you sent Bianca back to the hospital. She was showing signs of recovery, too."

  "She was remembering that night two years ago!" Doc hissed. "That's why I told her senior doctors how grave I thought her condition was. I advised them she was having a relapse."

  "I bet you tried to make advances to her in the hospital, didn't you, you shameless bastard!" Harry scoffed. "That's why you wouldn't let me in to see her."

  Doc said. "I wanted to wipe your memory out of her mind."

  "Even getting me arrested didn't do that!" Harry boasted. "She was there rooting for me the whole way."

  Doc scowled at Harry.

  "I felt so guilty and confused," Bianca explained. "I thought you still liked me, Doc, even though I was starting to like Harry, well ... in a different way."

  "If I couldn't have your absolute devotion, I was willing to take advantage of your guilt trips," Doc explained. "Anything that kept you subservient to me until it was time to skip town."

  "It was you that day in the high school, too, wasn't it?" Harry asked.

  "I got past the building secretary and the policeman in the office, upstanding citizen that I am. All I had to do was turn out the lights in the basement classroom to give Bianca another warning. I showed her my silencer, but not because I was going to shoot her. I wanted to scare her into silence in case she should remember any little detail about the killer that the police might recognize as me. Then I chased her to the gym."

  "How did you know we'd be here tonight?" Harry pressed.

  Bianca remembered the funny noise on the phone when she had called Harry at the pier.

  "You bugged my phone. Didn't you, Doc?" she asked, incredulous.

  "I had to keep track of everything you did," Doc admitted. "I had no idea what you were going to remember when. It was the worst possible thing for you to recall the jewels, especially the one you tripped over in the hallway. When I found out you had a new hunch about what had happened that night, I finalized my plans and got over here quick. I couldn't risk your remembering me when I wasn't there, especially since this evening was exactly two years to the night. That alone could trigger your memory."

  "What are you going to do with us?" Bianca pleaded.

  "You, my dear, are coming with me tonight after I complete the robbery." Doc pinched Bianca's cheek. "I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind. Not now. Not after I've seen how useful you can be to me in my future life."

  "What are you going to do with Bianca?" Harry butted in.

  "We'll be driving to Mexico, crossing the border in a spot where inspections aren't what they should be. Then we're going to rent a houseboat and sail down the coast to Rio where we can live like kings."

  "But — but — my parents! The Shipleys! Little Katie!"

  "We'll leave them a note saying we've eloped. How romantic! By the time they suspect foul play — if they ever do! — we'll legally be husband and wife."

  "Husband and wife!" Harry burst out, as if he hadn't expected that answer.

  "A man of my position in Rio will need a nice, submissive wife."

  "What about Harry?" Bianca pressed.

  "He'll never talk again."

  "Rat!" Harry spat.

  "If the law won't put you in jail and Bianca's going to spring you on bail every time you get in trouble because I plant evidence on you, I'll shoot you with the silencer that killed Mrs. Ingersoll."

  Bianca gasped.

  "I can't help it if a lock of Mrs. Ingersoll's hair got wound around my fingers when I was struggling with her. I didn't discover it until I left the house. It was a good thing I saved it, though. I found a use for it. You'll die, Fellini, the murderer of Mrs. Ingersoll. Who else besides her assassin would have a lock of her hair underneath his bed?"

  Harry lunged at Doc to knock the pistol out of his hand. Doc stepped out of the way and hit Harry over the head. Harry slumped to the floor unconscious.

  "Harry!" Bianca tried to run to him.

  Doc shoved her aside. He tied Harry's ankles together with rope that he was carrying in his pocket. He tied his hands behind his back. Doc handed Bianca the pistol.


  "Shoot Harry!" Doc stared straight into her eyes.

  "Doc! Please!" She shook her head and backed away.

  "You'll do anything I say. I've trained you well over the past two years. You hardly have any mind left of your own. You'll make an obedient wife. Everyone will envy me."

  She couldn't believe that this was the old Doc. Surely it was an evil twin who looked and sounded like him.

  "We're going to arrange everything so it looks like Harry was the killer and the thief, gunned down by the other thieves who were trying to rob the house."

  It was too horrible to be true. Doc had mercilessly taken advantage of her.

  Harry groaned and rolled over. He was coming to.

  "Hurry!" Doc snarled. "You don't want Harry to see you kill him, do you?"

  "But — but why do you want me to kill him?" She begged.

  "So we've both committed one murder. A nice marriage pact, isn't it? That way you'll be less likely to want to rat on me. I'll keep your dirty secret. You'll keep mine."

  She'd never disobeyed Doc before. But she couldn't shoot Harry. She hung her head. Her hand spasmed. She dropped the gun as Harry's eyes blinked open.

  "You clumsy cow!" Doc yelled at Bianca.

  Doc forced the gun back into her hands and made her hold it. He slipped his hands over hers. He aimed the gun straight at Harry's heart.

  Harry gaped at Bianca in horror.

  "Shoot him, Bianca!" Doc hissed into her ear. He pressed his fingers down on hers and tried to force her to pull the trigger.

  "No!" Tears streamed down her face.

  Harry couldn't roll fast enough or far enough to evade Doc's deadly accurate aim. As he rolled, Doc kept on moving his hand. Bianca's hand had to follow his. Doc kept on squeezing down more and more on her trigger finger.

  "You must obey me, Bianca! You must obey me!" Doc shouted as if that were more important than anything.

  Bianca couldn't let Doc make her murder Harry. She loved Harry. Harry loved her. She was standing next to a floor lamp illuminating the hallway. The cord was close to her leg. Bianca reached her foot behind the cord. She gave the cord a sharp pull and yanked the plug out of the wall.