care what we do as long as we do something.” She glanced down at the trunk. “We don’t know how long Lynne can wait, either.”
“We can’t just leave her up here,” Toni protested. “And we can’t move her. Someone has to stay up here with her until help comes.”
A heavy silence filled the attic. Daisy and Molloy knew Toni was right. But sitting up here with their wounded friend, necessary though it might be, wasn’t going to get them away from Nightmare Hall, and it wasn’t going to get them any help, either.
“I’ll stay with her,” Toni said suddenly, astonishing the other two girls. “You go ahead. Figure out what to do and do it, and I’ll stay up here with Lynne.”
“You?” Daisy gasped tactlessly.
“Daisy, I know you think of me as a whining, wimpy musician, but I think I can handle sitting with Lynne. And before you hand me any medals for bravery, I have to tell the truth. I feel safer up here, in this one room at the top of the house, than I would downstairs with all of those other rooms for someone to be hiding in.”
“He’s not still here,” Daisy denied vehemently. “He’s not!” But her voice trembled.
“You won’t leave me in the house alone, though, right?” Toni said anxiously. “I mean, you won’t suddenly decide to both go for help, will you? One of you will stay here and let me know what’s going on?”
“We would never do that, Toni,” Molloy said. “And before we put you on guard duty, we’ll go down and get Arturo for you. Where’d you leave him?”
“I had him with me until we started up the attic stairs. He’s right down there in the hall. That’d be great.”
Toni grabbed at the violin case when they brought it to her as if it held all the answers. Clutching it, she huddled on the floor beside the trunk. “It’s awfully stuffy in here,” she complained. “I need air, and Lynne probably does, too. I’ll open a window.”
“Okay,” Daisy said, “we’ll be back up as soon as we figure out how to get out of this mess.”
Toni insisted they take the flashlight. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” she said. “And you’ve got the whole house to deal with. I know where everything is up here, and if I bump into a box or two, it won’t … hurt me.”
Daisy and Molloy knew she had started to say, “It won’t kill me.”
Daisy took an extra precious few minutes to take off the damp velvet dress and throw on an old blue coat she found hanging on a peg rack against one wall. Then, with one last check on Lynne, who was still breathing but hadn’t moved at all, Daisy and Molloy left the attic.
On the third floor, Daisy said quietly, “I can’t believe someone carried Lynne into the house and all the way up to the attic without us knowing about it. How is that possible?”
Molloy shrugged. She kept the flashlight aimed in front of them as they cautiously made their way down the stairs. “There has to be another staircase. A lot of old houses have back stairs. We should look for it. But first we have to figure out how to get help. That’s the first thing. I’m worried sick about Lynne. Her pulse was so weak.”
“She’s not going to die, is she?” Tough, streetwise Daisy’s voice was quavering.
“We won’t let her.” But Molloy sounded far braver than she felt. She hadn’t bought one word of Daisy’s scenario about Lynne’s attacker leaving the house. She wanted to believe it, more than she’d ever wanted to believe anything. But she couldn’t. That hammering had come from inside the house, she was sure of it. It would have been fainter if it had come from outside, with the sound battling against the noise of the storm. This sound had been sharper, more distinct.
When they began moving down the main stairs to the second floor, they stopped talking, staying very close together. Molloy was slightly in the lead, still holding the flashlight. The house seemed to her darker and colder and more threatening. But she knew it
“We can’t just leave her up here,” Toni protested. “And we can’t move her. Someone has to stay up here with her until help comes.”
A heavy silence filled the attic. Daisy and Molloy knew Toni was right. But sitting up here with their wounded friend, necessary though it might be, wasn’t going to get them away from Nightmare Hall, and it wasn’t going to get them any help, either.
“I’ll stay with her,” Toni said suddenly, astonishing the other two girls. “You go ahead. Figure out what to do and do it, and I’ll stay up here with Lynne.”
“You?” Daisy gasped tactlessly.
“Daisy, I know you think of me as a whining, wimpy musician, but I think I can handle sitting with Lynne. And before you hand me any medals for bravery, I have to tell the truth. I feel safer up here, in this one room at the top of the house, than I would downstairs with all of those other rooms for someone to be hiding in.”
“He’s not still here,” Daisy denied vehemently. “He’s not!” But her voice trembled.
“You won’t leave me in the house alone, though, right?” Toni said anxiously. “I mean, you won’t suddenly decide to both go for help, will you? One of you will stay here and let me know what’s going on?”
“We would never do that, Toni,” Molloy said. “And before we put you on guard duty, we’ll go down and get Arturo for you. Where’d you leave him?”
“I had him with me until we started up the attic stairs. He’s right down there in the hall. That’d be great.”
Toni grabbed at the violin case when they brought it to her as if it held all the answers. Clutching it, she huddled on the floor beside the trunk. “It’s awfully stuffy in here,” she complained. “I need air, and Lynne probably does, too. I’ll open a window.”
“Okay,” Daisy said, “we’ll be back up as soon as we figure out how to get out of this mess.”
Toni insisted they take the flashlight. “It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” she said. “And you’ve got the whole house to deal with. I know where everything is up here, and if I bump into a box or two, it won’t … hurt me.”
Daisy and Molloy knew she had started to say, “It won’t kill me.”
Daisy took an extra precious few minutes to take off the damp velvet dress and throw on an old blue coat she found hanging on a peg rack against one wall. Then, with one last check on Lynne, who was still breathing but hadn’t moved at all, Daisy and Molloy left the attic.
On the third floor, Daisy said quietly, “I can’t believe someone carried Lynne into the house and all the way up to the attic without us knowing about it. How is that possible?”
Molloy shrugged. She kept the flashlight aimed in front of them as they cautiously made their way down the stairs. “There has to be another staircase. A lot of old houses have back stairs. We should look for it. But first we have to figure out how to get help. That’s the first thing. I’m worried sick about Lynne. Her pulse was so weak.”
“She’s not going to die, is she?” Tough, streetwise Daisy’s voice was quavering.
“We won’t let her.” But Molloy sounded far braver than she felt. She hadn’t bought one word of Daisy’s scenario about Lynne’s attacker leaving the house. She wanted to believe it, more than she’d ever wanted to believe anything. But she couldn’t. That hammering had come from inside the house, she was sure of it. It would have been fainter if it had come from outside, with the sound battling against the noise of the storm. This sound had been sharper, more distinct.
When they began moving down the main stairs to the second floor, they stopped talking, staying very close together. Molloy was slightly in the lead, still holding the flashlight. The house seemed to her darker and colder and more threatening. But she knew it
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