Twisted

by Jo Gibson

  It would be stupid to face Santa unarmed, and Dave ducked behind the counter to find a weapon. There were piles of napkins and packets of salt stored on the shelves behind the counter, but they were useless. He could forget the plastic knives and forks, too. They’d only break. But there was a metal box right under the hot dog grill and that looked promising. It was filled with hot dog skewers and one of them would make a nasty weapon.

  Dave grabbed one of the sharply pointed metal rods, and stood up. He was armed and ready to save Heather. But as he turned to leave the counter, he got a nasty shock. There was a large, bulky figure standing at the end of the counter. Santa was here! And the evil grin on Santa’s face was enough to make Dave’s teeth start to chatter in fright.

  As Santa hurtled forward, Dave didn’t have time to think. He just reacted and stabbed out with the skewer. The sharp metal point speared Santa in the stomach, but the costume was heavily padded. Santa just laughed as he pulled out the skewer, tossing it to the floor with a clatter. And then he lunged at Dave with a fierce growl.

  Dave opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn’t. The air whooshed out of his lungs as Santa knocked him into the counter with a powerful tackle. And then Santa was shoving him along the long counter, straight for the popcorn machine at the end.

  He tried to fight back, grabbing handfuls of the red velvet suit, but Santa had the strength of a maniac. Dave gasped for air, but he was wheezing so badly, he couldn’t seem to draw any oxygen into his tortured lungs. The red light on the popcorn machine loomed larger and larger as Santa barreled him toward it. And then Santa gave a mighty shove, and stepped back. But Dave was going too fast to catch his balance. He slipped on some water that had been spilled on the floor and stumbled against the popcorn machine’s metal surface.

  There was a deafening crack, and sparks flew to light up the darkened interior of the lobby. But Dave didn’t hear the crack. And he didn’t see the sparks. His body spasmed as two hundred and twenty volts arced through his body, and the person who had been Dave Atkin only moments before, fell to the floor in a smoldering heap of charred flesh.

  Santa stepped over the body and grabbed the broom that stood at the corner of the counter. He quickly chopped at the wires that had run from the deep-fat fryer to the popcorn machine, and severed them cleanly. He tucked the wires in his pocket, and then he walked to the box on the wall behind the counter, clicking the circuit breaker back in place. But he didn’t turn the lights back on. That would ruin Santa’s grisly surprise.

  There was a smile on Santa’s face as he hurried out into the mall. There was plenty of time to change into his street clothes. The movies still had at least twenty minutes to run. He’d be just as shocked as everyone else when they discovered Dave’s body.

  As he changed out of his costume, he anticipated what they would say. What a terrible accident. There must have been a short in the circuit, something wrong with the wiring. Poor Dave. If only he hadn’t spilled that water on the floor and then touched the metal cabinet of the popcorn machine.

  Only Santa knew that it hadn’t been an accident. He’d punished Dave deliberately, because he’d been bad. Santa was keeping a list of all the bad boys and girls, just the way it said in the song. And there would be more accidents and more deaths before Santa was finished with his work.

  Twelve

  “That was really a good movie!” Diana sighed happily as the credits rolled on the screen. The villain had gone off to jail, and the cowboy had married his girlfriend at the end of the movie.

  Jay smiled down at her. “Are you sure you’re not just saying that?”

  “No. I liked it. Maybe I’m developing a taste for westerns . . . especially ones with happy endings. What should we watch next?”

  Jay shrugged. “You humored me last time so it’s your choice. I’ll go to any movie you want to see.”

  “Okay.” Diana nodded. “Let’s go out to the lobby and see where everybody else is going.”

  “You want to watch a movie with the group?” Jay looked disappointed.

  “No. I figured we’d pick the film that nobody else wanted to see.”

  They were laughing as they walked up the aisle and pushed open the door to the lobby. But their laughter stopped abruptly, as they saw that the lobby was dark.

  “Do you think they set the timer wrong?” Diana moved a little closer to Jay. It was eerie being out here in the lobby without any lights.

  “I don’t know. Maybe someone turned off the switch by mistake. I’ll feel around and see if I can find it.”

  “No!” Diana grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave me here!”

  Jay chuckled. “What’s the matter, Di? Are you afraid of the dark?”

  “No . . . but I’d much rather come with you.” Diana felt a little foolish as she hung on to his arm, but something about the darkened lobby scared her. She could see the dim rectangle of light by the exit to the mall, but it was almost completely dark where they were standing. There was a strange smell in the air, too. It was a combination of odors that she couldn’t quite identify, but it reminded Diana of the time she’d singed her hair with a curling iron.

  “Hello? What happened to the lights?”

  It was Cindy’s voice and Diana immediately felt better. At least they weren’t alone. “We’re over here . . . by the door to theater four.”

  “Hang on. We’re coming.”

  Diana recognized Paul’s voice, and she peered through the darkness, watching for Paul and Cindy to appear. It took a while. They must have been moving very carefully so they wouldn’t bump into the benches or statues, but at last they materialized, less than two feet away.

  “Hey . . . is anybody here?”

  It was Heather’s voice, and Diana didn’t really want to answer, but she did. “Over here. By theater four. Where are you, Heather?”

  “I’m by theater six, all the way in the back. What happened to the lights?”

  “I don’t know.” Diana recognized Larry’s voice, coming from a long way off. “Don’t move, Heather . . . I’ll come over to you.”

  “Hal?” Jay called out. “Are you here?”

  “I’m by theater one . . . where are you?”

  “We’re over by theater four,” Jay called out again. “Where’s Dave?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe his movie lasted longer. Do you know where the lights are? There must be a master switch here somewhere.”

  “Hold on a second,” Jay called out. Then he gave Diana’s hand a squeeze and lowered his voice. “If you’re all right now, I’m going to try to find the lights.”

  Diana nodded. And then she realized that Jay couldn’t see her nod in the dark. “Go ahead. I’ll stay here with Cindy and Paul.”

  “Okay, Hal.” Jay raised his voice again. “I’m coming your way. I’m going to inch along the wall and see if I can find a switch.”

  “I’ll meet you halfway.” Hal sounded amused. “I just hope I don’t trip over one of those statues and break my neck.”

  Diana shivered as Jay disappeared into the gloom. She could hear his hand sweeping across the wall, searching for a light switch. It was strange, standing here in the dark, with nothing but her sense of hearing to rely on. Every sound was magnified in the silence. She could even hear Paul and Cindy breathing.

  They stood motionless for what seemed like hours, Jay and Hal calling out to each other every few feet. And then Jay gave a shout of triumph.

  “I just found a switch! Shall I turn it on?”

  “Go ahead. Try it.” Hal’s voice sounded strangely muffled.

  There was a click and bright lights flooded the lobby. Diana gave a huge sigh of relief, and then she started to applaud. Everyone joined in and there was cheering and whistling. It was strange how being in the dark could be so terrifying. The lobby had seemed huge and frightening only moments before, but now, with the lights back on, it was perfectly familiar and not at all scary.

  “Thanks for saving my life.” Hal came up to Jay and clapp
ed him on the back. “I thought I was a goner, for sure.”

  Jay looked puzzled. “Why? What happened?”

  “See that tree?” Hal pointed to a large ficus tree in a brass planter. “I got hung up in that thing, and it almost strangled me.”

  They stood in the middle of the lobby, congratulating Jay on finding the switch. Everyone was smiling, and they all felt as if they’d averted disaster.

  “Now I know what it feels like to be blind.” Heather shuddered slightly. “I’ve never been so scared in my life!”

  Diana nodded. She’d been frightened, too. But then she realized that Dave wasn’t with them. “Where’s Dave?”

  “He said he was going to see some thriller,” Cindy spoke up. “But he didn’t say where it was playing.”

  “He was in theater five.” Heather sounded very sure of herself. “I saw him go in.”

  “I’ll go get him.” Larry offered. “Maybe his movie isn’t over yet.”

  They all watched as Larry walked to theater five and opened the door. He went in, but a moment later he came back out, looking puzzled. “He’s not there. And the movie’s over.”

  Diana felt her heart start to pound in sudden fear. “But where is he? Do you think he’s all right?”

  “Don’t worry, Diana.” Jay put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure Dave’s fine. Maybe his movie got out early.”

  “But he knew we were all supposed to meet here, after the show.” Cindy looked worried, too.

  “He’ll show up,” Paul did his best to reassure her. “If the lights were out when he came out of the theater, he might have gone to get a flashlight.”

  Larry nodded. “That makes sense. I’m going out to the mall to see if I can spot him. He’s going to be mad if he misses the next feature. We were going to watch Creature From Another Time. It’s supposed to be a classic horror flick.”

  “Oh, save me!” Cindy made a face. “I read a review of that. It’s got some kind of giant slug that sucks the air out of people. You couldn’t pay me to watch a movie like that!”

  Jay winked at Diana, and then he turned to Cindy with a perfectly straight face. “But it’s supposed to be very imaginative. Paul and I were talking about it just this afternoon. Paul said he could hardly wait to see it.”

  “He did?!” Cindy’s mouth dropped open, and she turned to Paul in alarm. “I’m sorry, Paul. I didn’t know you liked films like that. Of course, I’ve only seen a couple, and I guess I shouldn’t criticize them without seeing more. As a matter of fact, I’d love to go to Creature From Another Time with you. It’ll probably be great!”

  Paul grinned at the anxious expression on Cindy’s face, and then he reached out to give her a hug. “Relax, Cindy. Jay was putting you on. I don’t like monster movies, either.”

  “Gotcha!” Jay grinned at his sister.

  “Rat!” Cindy retaliated by sticking out her tongue at Jay. And then she looked terribly embarrassed because she’d done such a childish thing. “Really, Jay . . . you’re completely impossible!”

  “I know.” Jay patted her on the head. “Will you forgive me if I buy you a big box of Milk Duds?”

  Cindy nodded, her good humor restored. “Maybe. But make it two boxes. And if you throw in a giant orange drink, you’ve got yourself a deal.”

  “Done!” Jay was laughing as he led the way to the refreshment stand, but he stopped short as he came within a foot of the counter. “Do you smell smoke?”

  Diana wrinkled up her nose, and frowned. “It smells more like hair burning. We’d better check the popcorn machine. Maybe it ran out of oil.”

  “I’ll do it.” Jay lifted the board and slipped through to the other side of the counter. “No. It’s not the popcorn machine. It’s off. But it really smells awful back . . .”

  Diana felt her heart hammer hard in her chest as Jay’s voice trailed off. He was looking down at something behind the counter, and his face had turned chalk white.

  “Jay?” Diana’s knees started to tremble. “What is it?!”

  Jay didn’t say anything. He just swallowed hard. Diana began to shiver as he raised his eyes to hers. There was an expression of horror in his eyes that made her feel faint.

  Jay took a deep breath, and swallowed again. Then he cleared his throat, and turned to face Paul. “Go find Larry. Get some blankets and come back here. Hal? I need your help.”

  “Sure.” Hal nodded quickly. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Take the girls out by the Christmas tree. And then come back here.”

  “What is it?” Diana’s voice was shaking as Hal took her arm. “Please, Jay . . . I’m not going to leave until you tell me!”

  Jay swallowed again. He still looked sick. “It’s Dave. He’s back here. And he . . . uh . . . he had an accident.”

  “Is he . . . ?” Diana couldn’t finish the sentence. If the sick expression on Jay’s face was any indication, she already knew the answer.

  Jay nodded. “He’s dead. You girls go with Hal. And stay right by the Christmas tree and wait for us. We’ll come to get you just as soon as we can.”

  “Come on, Diana.” Hal’s voice was gentle as he nudged her toward the exit to the mall. “You can’t help Jay by staying here. It’ll just make things harder.”

  Diana nodded, and started to walk to the exit with Heather and Cindy. But she carried the image of Jay’s grief-stricken face with her, and she blinked back tears all the way through the mall.

  Thirteen

  They were all gathered in the Crossroads Pub. It had been Diana’s suggestion since the pub was the coziest place in the mall. Jay had just finished telling them how Dave had died, and Heather had burst into tears.

  “Do you think it was . . . uh . . . he didn’t suffer, did he?” Heather choked out the words.

  “No.” Larry shook his head. “It was instantaneous, Heather. I’m sure of that.”

  “Good. I’d hate to think that he . . .” Heather blinked back tears, and cleared her throat. “You know what I mean.”

  Cindy frowned. “But I thought you didn’t like Dave. Why should you care if . . .”

  “That’s not true.” Heather interrupted her. “I did like Dave. I just didn’t want to date him, that’s all. But now I wish I’d gone to that stupid thriller with him. If I’d been with him, maybe he wouldn’t have gone out for popcorn. And then he’d still be alive!”

  Heather looked so miserable, Diana didn’t even mind when Jay slipped his arm around her shoulders. It was clear that Heather felt guilty about the way she’d treated Dave in the past.

  “Look, Heather . . .” Diana searched for some words of comfort. “Any one of us might have used that popcorn machine. Jay and I talked about getting more popcorn . . . didn’t we, Jay?”

  Jay nodded. “That’s right. Diana almost went out for a refill.”

  Heather turned to look at Diana, and Diana could read the expression in her eyes. Heather was thinking, Too bad you didn’t. Then it would have been you, instead of Dave. But Heather didn’t say anything. She just snuggled up to Jay and leaned her head against his shoulder.

  “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m having a beer.” Paul broke the uncomfortable silence. “Anybody want to join me?”

  Cindy nodded. “I do. Why don’t you draw a couple of pitchers. And be sure to get a mug for Heather. She needs to pull herself together.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Jay took his arm from Heather’s shoulder, pushed back his chair, and stood up. Diana couldn’t help but notice that he looked very relieved. “I’ll get the mugs.”

  “So, Heather”—Cindy gave Heather a perfectly innocent smile—“do you feel better now?”

  Heather glared at Cindy. She knew Cindy had come up with the excuse Jay needed to break up their embrace. She looked as if she wanted to say something scathing, but all she did was nod.

  “Why don’t you try to use the phone behind the bar?” Cindy turned to Diana. “Maybe it’s working now.”

  Diana tried
not to grin as she got up and headed behind the bar where Jay was standing. Cindy knew the phone wasn’t working. She’d tried it when they’d first come into the pub. It was just a way to get her back with Jay while Heather was left behind, sitting at the table with Cindy.

  “Come over here, Heather.” Cindy motioned to the chair directly across the table from her. “I want to know all about the Christmas play. I missed it, but everybody said that you were fantastic.”

  Diana watched as Heather slid over to talk to Cindy. Cindy was a true friend, and she was also absolutely brilliant. Cindy knew that there was no way Heather could resist bragging about her starring role in the sorority play.

  As Heather began to tell Cindy about the costumes she’d worn and the character she’d played, Diana picked up the phone. There was no dial tone, but she hadn’t expected one. The lines were still down, and with the storm raging outside, they wouldn’t be fixed anytime soon.

  “Hey, Di.” Jay looked happy to see her as he came back with an armload of chilled mugs. “You want to help me carry these to the table?”

  “Sure.” Diana picked up a serving tray and began to arrange the mugs on its flat surface. “Jay? Can I ask you a question?”

  Jay nodded, and Diana took a deep breath. She didn’t really want to ask, but she had to know. “It’s about Dave. Exactly how did the accident happen?”

  “I don’t know.” Jay sighed deeply. “The popcorn machine must’ve had a short. His hand was still touching it when I found him.”

  Diana looked puzzled. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “The popcorn machine’s only one-ten. I could understand it if he’d been using the deep-fat fryer. That’s a two-twenty circuit. But the popcorn machine? It would have given him a nasty jolt, but it shouldn’t have killed him.”

  “Maybe the popcorn machine was plugged into the wrong outlet.”

  “That’s impossible.” Diana shook her head. “The deepfat fryer has a different kind of plug. And it was hardwired to a dedicated outlet.”

  “Are you sure?” Jay began to frown.

  “I’m positive. I was right there when the electrician ran in the lines. I asked him why he was doing it that way, and he said it was a safety feature so no one could plug a one-ten appliance into a two-twenty circuit.”