Pool Party

by Linda Cargill

  The photo looked a little like Irene. But the hair was light brown instead of black. The eyes seemed to be blue, not violet. The girl on the license was wearing big horn-rimmed glasses, not at all Irene’s style.

  Fueled with curiosity, Sharon sneaked into Irene’s room upstairs at Ocean House that day after school. She found the sketchbook. One drawing was especially gory. It was a color portrait of the doll splashed with blood just as Sharon had found it floating in the bathtub.

  There were lots of drawings of the black pool. Irene exaggerated what was already an odd shape—the circular shallow end changing into what looked like a rectangle that tapered toward the deep end and the diving board.

  There were also paintings of the jewelry that had been stolen from Donna, Elaine, and Marge at the pool party. There was even a sketch of the little old ladies gathered around a table in the downstairs parlor all holding hands. A picture of their séance!

  Sharon continued to flip through the sketchbook.

  She came to a drawing of herself with the barracuda wrapped around her as she struggled underwater. Then a drawing of Donna, Elaine, and Marge. What was going on?

  Sharon dropped the sketchbook as if it were suddenly too hot to handle. She ran out of the room—and bumped into Irene.

  “Could I help you?” Irene asked as if nothing were out of the ordinary to find Sharon rushing out of her room.

  “I—I thought I’d left something in there. Sorry!” Sharon made a lame excuse.

  “I bet you’d like to see my sketches.” Irene yanked her back inside her bedroom. She showed Sharon a sketch that she hadn’t yet seen. It was, incredibly, a painting of the gold knife. Was Irene taunting her? Did she know that Sharon had the knife?

  “I lost it the other day. I collect objects like that, you know.” Irene droned on as if she were discussing the weather.

  Sharon made another excuse, ran to her own bedroom, and slammed the door behind her.

  She called Sue. Sue was a sensible type. She’d know what to do.

  “I’ve noticed Irene acting kinda weird myself,” Sue said. “She’s in all my classes. She gets called out of class a lot. Then when she comes back she never says where she’s been.”

  “Is her father calling or what? Does the teacher ever say anything?”

  “Heck no! Some rich kid like that? The teacher’s probably afraid she’ll be out of a job if she opens her trap.”

  “I’m glad somebody besides me noticed something. Keep your eyes peeled.”

  She dialed Angel and Vicki, too. Vicki had been following Irene around with her reporter’s instinct. She figured there would be a story in a mysterious girl from England. She said that sometimes Irene would just disappear from school for hours at a time and then pop up again. She’d even get into cars with strange men.

  “You know she dyes her hair!” Angel gushed. “I saw her roots coming in brown the other day in the ladies’ room. But then this morning it was all midnight black again. She must have fixed it overnight.”

  “Oh?” Sharon said. That would explain the photo in Irene’s purse.

  “She wears contacts, too. She lost one the other day in class. One of the guys climbed around on the floor looking for it.

  “You didn’t get a good look at the color of the eye without a lens, did you?”

  “What? You mean she wears contacts to change her eye color?” Angel blurted out.

  “I don’t know.”

  Sharon was confused about a lot of things lately. Some kids at school refused to lighten up. They still called her names, accusing her of helping Dan kidnap the most popular girls in the senior class at Ocean High and steal their jewelry.

  Sharon didn’t know what to say anymore. Her feelings about Dan were the most mixed up of all. She had to get her life back on track. But she didn’t know how. It was best just not to think about Dan.

  That was the hard part. Policemen waited outside the school and escorted him back and forth to his house while he awaited trial, but she still saw him every day. He must have noticed how much it bothered her just to look at him. She would turn away and blush.

  Dan passed her a note in class suggesting that she tell everybody she didn’t really kiss him back. He advised her to say that he jumped her.

  She shot him a look. He’d gotten it all wrong. She’d actually liked it when he kissed her. That was what was troubling her—not the other way around. Their eyes held. But they couldn’t talk.

  Phil kept on pestering her to invite everybody in the senior class to the “new” pool party. This wouldn’t be by invitation like last time. They’d lost three of their classmates. The criminal had been caught. Everybody needed a party.

  Sharon finally gave in. She got on the loudspeaker at school and invited the whole class to come over to Ocean House the following Saturday. It instantly turned her popularity problem around—just as Phil had predicted. Shouts went up from the senior homerooms even as she was making the announcement. After class, she was mobbed in the halls.

  “You’re a genius, Sharon!” they clapped her on the shoulder. “Everybody loves the idea. It’s a good way to say this nightmare is finally over.”

  “Man, it’s been so hot!” said Ruth, who was the daughter of the mayor. “That’s just what I need—to jump in that pool and cool off.”

  “It may be black and it may be a weird shape,” said another. “But it’s the biggest pool on the island.”

  Dan had the last word. He left a note taped to her locker: Cancel the party. Don’t hold it under any circumstances. Three girls have already disappeared.

  Chapter 8

  Phil got more and more time off to escort Sharon to school, pick her up, and even eat lunch in the cafeteria with her. He was at her house directly after school. She remarked that his boss at Fun & Sun Resort Services must be really understanding.

  “He’s a great guy!” Phil smiled. “Say, you’ve gotta meet Tony.”

  He told her about their party on the beach that night—he, Tony, and their other pals from Fun & Sun Resort Services. “Wanna come? We’re just like one big, happy family.”

  “Well, I’ve got lots of homework and…”

  “That doesn’t sound like my girl!” he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her.

  Phil was right. Several weeks ago she would have jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with him. She wouldn’t have made up excuses about homework. Sharon wasn’t somebody who liked to analyze herself a lot. But even she was wondering why she’d tried to get out of going.

  “You’re right. I’d love to come.” She tried to smile.

  “Great. Pick you up at seven.”

  At seven o’clock sharp, Sharon found herself in Phil’s van headed for the beach. As soon as they got out onto the main road, they were speeding. “Hey, there’s no hurry, is there? I mean, we’re not gonna be late or anything,” Sharon looked over to Phil.

  “Just wanna see how fast this thing will go out on the open road with no cops around.”

  She’d never known Phil to break the speed limit. But everyone seemed to be acting a little crazy lately.

  She held onto her seat while he hugged the curves of the road at fifty miles an hour. The van wasn’t exactly a sports car that was built for this kind of punishment.

  “You know, I’m not always gonna be poor,” Phil said, out of the blue. “Gonna get myself a better job and earn some real dough. Maybe I’ll even get lucky and stumble upon some real finds.” He shrugged and for an alarming moment wasn’t even holding onto the steering wheel.

  “Whadda you mean, real finds?”

  “There were a lot of shipwrecks on the coast around here hundreds of years ago. This was all part of the Spanish Main. My buddies and I like to go scuba diving on weekends to see what we can find. Yep. It pays. If we find something, the state gets half and we get to keep half.”

  Phil was full of surprises lately.

  She was never happier than when they pulled up beside the dunes. They we
re immediately surrounded by Phil’s buddies Rick, Pete, and Jim with some knockout girlfriends in bikinis. The guy she didn’t know must be Phil’s boss, Tony.

  Tony immediately shook her hand. He had a deep bronze tan and curly brown hair. He wore a gold earring in one ear. He couldn’t be more than a couple years out of high school himself. Yet he already had his own business.

  “Thanks for being so understanding about Phil’s hours lately,” she said to Tony as they all walked over to the bonfire on the beach.

  “Don’t even mention it.” Tony handed her a plate. “We think of ourselves as family here. Share and share alike. We take care of our own.”

  Tony gave Phil a smile and a slap on the back.

  Sharon looked around and sighed. She felt uneasy about a bonfire on the beach. They were illegal and the last thing she needed was to get in more hot water with the police. Her parents would probably scalp her.

  Everybody was helping themselves to the food. They had heaping vats of spicy pork barbecue and Brunswick stew prepared Georgia style. There were plenty of steaming cornbread hush puppies. They made Sharon’s mouth water. But when she reached for a soft drink in the vat filled with ice, she couldn’t find anything except beer.

  Suddenly she wasn’t very hungry. She put her barbecue sandwich back down and just stared into the fire.

  One of the girlfriends got out a deck of cards and everyone started playing poker. They used real money. Tony had brought his own stack of fresh, crisp one hundred dollar bills. Sharon had never seen so much money at one time! It traded hands so fast it made her dizzy just to watch.

  They kept on chatting about schemes to expand Fun & Sun Resort Services. They all talked about how they were going to be rich someday and the kinds of cars they would drive. They boasted about how big their mansions would be and how they’d buy up land and start condo developments.

  Even though it made her feel like a prude, Sharon was horrified by the way they gambled their money. She excused herself and went over to stand by the water looking out to sea as darkness fell. How well did she really know Phil if he had friends like this? Was this his idea of a good time?

  Suddenly somebody grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down onto the sand. She screamed. Hungry lips landed on hers. She pushed him back enough to make out Phil’s face in the dark. He reeked of liquor.

  “C’mon, honey, what’s wrong? Don’t you like me anymore?” He was fumbling with the straps of her bathing suit.

  “Phil, don’t! Let me go.” She was getting frantic.

  “Don’t you love me?”

  She finally persuaded him to stop. When she sat up and looked back toward the bonfire, the area was deserted. The other couples had taken to the sand dunes. In fact, she could hear a giggle here and there.

  “Take me home,” she said.

  “I know what it is,” Phil said. “You like that jerk Dan better than me.”

  She was about to protest. Then she realized it was true.

  The next morning Phil called and apologized. He said he wasn’t himself last night. He even sent roses, which pleased her mother, who gushed about what a gentleman Phil was and how lucky Sharon was to have him for a boyfriend.

  All Sharon could think was how she desperately needed to talk to Dan.

  The next evening Sharon went to bed early. It seemed she’d been asleep only a few minutes when she woke up. Sharon checked the clock beside her bed. Midnight. That’s when she heard the voices.

  She cracked her door and peered out. Nothing. She tiptoed out into the hallway and into the darkened reception area. Not a soul.

  The front doors were wide open. That was weird. Her mother usually locked everything up before she went to bed.

  Sharon listened closely as she crept outside. She could still hear faint voices. She spotted a light inside the pool enclosure and crouched behind a bush, hardly breathing, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

  A bunch of girls were gathered in a tight circle, sitting near the deep end of the pool. She could barely make out their faces by the light of the one lantern they were holding. But she recognized some of their voices.

  There sat Irene. Beside her was Sue. Then came Angel and Vicki. What could they be doing at this hour? Why hadn’t they invited her? They were all members of the pact—except Irene. They’d all agreed to tell each other everything.

  Sue, Angel, and Vicki didn’t even like Irene. Now they were acting like best friends!

  What was Irene up to? Nobody else would have come here at this hour unless she’d invited them.

  Sharon crept back into the house and up to her room. She had a hard time falling asleep, but when she did she had a dream about a gorgeous woman with long blond hair. The lady wore an old-fashioned, floor-length dress and sat beside her bed weeping. The crying went on and on. Sharon tossed and turned and finally woke up in a sweat.

  It was finally morning. The pale rays of dawn streaked through the window. The doll from the tower bedroom was sitting in a chair beside Sharon’s bed staring at her.

  Chapter 9

  Someone rushed up behind Sharon and put his hands over her eyes.

  She screamed.

  “Sh-h-h-h-h! It’s just me.” Phil spun her around in his arms and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

  “Say … ah … sorry … I ah … got carried away the other night. That’s all. That’s what I really came to say.” Phil shrugged.

  “That’s all right.” Sharon evaded his gaze. “I was just nervous, I guess.”

  “About what? A guy doesn’t like to hear that his girl’s nervous about him.”

  “I’m just nervous about the pool party.”

  His blue eyes flashed. He reached out and touched her chin. “The party’s supposed to be a celebration. The police have caught the criminal, and everybody wants to let go and have a good time.”

  But Sharon didn’t think the police had caught the right person. She couldn’t really believe that Dan had done it.

  “I just can’t help remembering the first pool party,” she said.

  “You won’t remember it after tomorrow night.” Phil grabbed her by the hand and pulled her after him.

  “Where are we going?” Sharon asked.

  “To McDonald’s. I don’t have much money on me, so we’ll get some frozen yogurt.”

  Phil had already deposited her on the passenger side of the Fun & Sun Resort Services van and shut the door behind her. He leaped into the driver’s seat and was off. This was just like their first few dates. They’d take off somewhere just for the fun of it. That’s why she’d originally been attracted to Phil. He was casual, happy-go-lucky, and fun.

  He reached across the front seat and lightly slapped her thigh. “You’ve been moping around and losing too much weight lately. Gotta take better care of yourself.”

  Sharon was genuinely touched. She felt just as she had when she’d first fallen in love with Phil. He seemed so boyish and carefree with those flashing blue eyes, that curly blond hair that fell in his eyes, and that tan. Sometimes she wondered if she’d ever seen him wearing anything besides that Fun & Sun “Life is a Beach” T-shirt, bathing trunks, and thonged leather sandals.

  They went through the drive-through, got their cones, and parked. Phil rolled down the window and let the breeze blow through the van. He even crossed his legs and propped them up on the dashboard as he licked his cone. “I have a surprise.”

  “Oh?” She tried hard to imitate Phil’s perfectly relaxed attitude.

  “I have a new job prospect. It’s gonna start real soon.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I promised I wouldn’t tell you about it until it’s definite. I’ll just say now that I’ll be making a lot more money. We’ll be able to afford to get serious real soon.”

  Sharon felt a rush of emotion that she didn’t want to try to sort out.

  “Until then I bought you something to tide you over.” He fished down deep into his pocket and handed her a ring. “Now we c
an really go steady.”

  Sharon examined it. It was certainly no cheap Cracker Jack box ring. It looked like the real thing! If she wasn’t mistaken, it was fourteen-carat gold with an authentic sapphire.

  But the initials “CW” were clearly engraved on the inside of the band.

  CW had glinted back at her from the pool. They were the same initials on the knife and on the handkerchief.

  “What’s wrong, Sharon? Don’t you like it?” came Phil’s voice from far away.

  “Phil, what does CW mean?”

  He shrugged. “Search me. Maybe some sort of brand name.”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “Dave’s Treasure Trove.”

  She swallowed hard.

  Phil insisted she show her mother the ring. Her mother raved about it, got out her handkerchief, and wept as if her daughter had really gotten engaged.

  After Phil left, Irene came downstairs to chat until bedtime. Sharon tried to pretend everything was normal, though it was increasingly difficult to live in the same house with Irene. She was beginning to freak Sharon out. It was a feeling she couldn’t shake.

  That night in bed Sharon tossed and turned. A beautiful lady with long blond hair came to her in her sleep. She was dressed in an old-fashioned, floor-length gown. The lady’s complexion was chalk white. Her lips were blood red.

  The lady started to shake Sharon violently. “Quick! Help me! He’s going to kill me.”

  As Sharon struggled to wake up, her bedroom door burst open. The mysterious lady screamed, but Sharon couldn’t see who had come in. There was a terrible struggle. The lady ran away. The intruder chased her.

  Sharon thought she heard footsteps going up a staircase. There was a tremendously loud splash.

  Sharon found herself sitting up in bed screaming. There, sitting in her bedroom in the very chair where she’d seen the lady, was the doll from the bedroom upstairs. Again.