Silent Night 3 Read online

  Punching in the number, Reva sat tensely as the phone rang at Grace’s house.

  A woman answered on the second ring.

  “Mrs. Morton?” Reva said.

  “Yes?”

  “This is Reva Dalby, Grace’s roommate.”

  “Oh, yes!” Mrs. Morton exclaimed. “I’m glad you called. I haven’t heard from Grace, and I’ve been wondering how everything is going.”

  “You haven’t heard from her?” Reva asked. So Grace lied before when she said she’d been talking to her mother.

  Had she lied about everything?

  Mrs. Morton laughed a little nervously. “I’m sure you’re keeping her busy, though. Are you two having a good time?”

  “Not exactly,” Reva told her bluntly. “To be honest, I’m a little worried about Grace.”

  “Worried?” Mrs. Morton’s voice rose. “Why? Is she sick?”

  “No.” Not physically, Reva thought. “I just wanted to ask you a question about her old boyfriend. Rory is here. At least, I think he is, and he’s—”

  “What?” Mrs. Morton interrupted. “What are you saying about Rory?”

  “He’s here, in Shadyside,” Reva told her. “He keeps calling Grace and threatening her. He even came to my house one night.”

  Silence.

  “Mrs. Morton?” Reva asked.

  A low moan came over the phone. “Oh, no! Not again!” Grace’s mother cried.

  “What? What do you mean?” Reva demanded. “What’s going on?”

  Mrs. Morton drew a shuddering breath. “Listen, Reva. Listen carefully—Rory isn’t calling Grace. He is not calling her. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes!” Reva replied, gripping the phone in fear. She already guessed that, but it didn’t make her feel any better to know she was right. “Please, Mrs. Morton, tell me what’s going on!”

  “Rory is dead,” Grace’s mother said, her voice trembling. “He died two years ago in a terrible accident.” She fought down a sob. “Grace killed him!”

  Reva felt the blood drain from her face. “But you said it was an accident!” she cried.

  “It was—but Grace killed him. Get a doctor, Reva!” Mrs. Morton told her. “My poor daughter! I thought she was over it!”

  You thought wrong! Reva felt like shouting. This was worse than she’d expected. Much worse. She’d actually invited a killer home for the holidays!

  “Get a doctor,” Mrs. Morton repeated. “And, Reva?”

  “Yes?” Reva’s mind raced as she tried to remember if she knew the names of any shrinks.

  “Get help!” Grace’s mother urged. The sobs and shakiness had disappeared. Now her voice was strong and insistent. “You have to call the police!”

  The words hit Reva like a splash of icy water.

  “Grace could be dangerous!” Mrs. Morton declared. “You must get the police. She could be very dangerous! Reva?”

  “Yes. Okay.” Reva’s heart thundered in her ears. “I’ll get help, Mrs. Morton. And I’ll call the police right now!”

  “But don’t let them hurt her!” Mrs. Morton pleaded. “She’s sick. She doesn’t know what she’s doing! I’m going to call her old psychiatrist—maybe I can convince him to come with me to Shadyside.”

  “Okay!” Reva repeated, in a panic to get off the phone and get some help. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Without saying good-bye, Reva hung up.

  As she did, a shadowy movement caught her eye. She glanced up.

  And froze.

  Grace stood in the doorway, her brown eyes narrowed to slits, her face tight with fury.

  Chapter 23

  REVA CANNOT ESCAPE

  “Grace!” Reva gasped. “Y-you scared me!” She tried to cover her fear with a laugh. “I mean, I didn’t know you were out in the hall. I didn’t hear you coming.”

  Get rid of her, quick! she told herself. Get her out of the room and call the police!

  “Listen, Grace, I was just about to take a bath,” she said. “After I’m done, why don’t we—”

  “No!” Grace stepped into the room and slammed the door.

  Reva jumped.

  “There’s no time! No time for anything!” Grace declared frantically. “Rory’s coming. He’s coming to kill us both!”

  “But. . .”

  “Are you deaf?” Grace shouted. “Rory called! He’s on his way to kill us! And you want to take a bath?”

  She didn’t overhear my conversation. So I’ll play along, Reva thought. Humor her. “He can’t get in, Grace,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Remember? The guard and the dogs will keep him out.”

  “You’re wrong!” Grace insisted. She moved farther into the room.

  Closer to the bed.

  Reva’s heart thundered. Her mouth went dry.

  Grace took another step. “Nothing will keep Rory out, Reva! Nothing! He’ll kill the guard, you know. He’ll kill the dogs, too!”

  “No, he won’t!” Reva cried. “Trust me, Grace. He can’t get past them!”

  Grace raked a hand through her hair and ground her teeth. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” she shouted, moving another step closer to the bed. “You don’t have a clue!”

  “Yes, I do! I know Rory is dead!” Reva blurted out the words without thinking.

  Grace stopped, one hand still clutching her brown hair.

  “I just finished talking to your mother,” Reva told her. “She explained about Rory. About the . . . accident. I know he can’t hurt anybody—because he’s dead.”

  Grace’s arm dropped to her side. She frowned and shook her head, a confused expression on her face.

  “You’re safe, Grace,” Reva continued quietly. “Really. Your mom is going to call your doctor. He’ll come and explain everything to you. You’re safe. You don’t have to be scared.”

  “I don’t. I don’t have to be scared,” Grace repeated.

  “That’s right,” Reva agreed. Now turn around and go away, Grace, she urged silently. Far away.

  “I don’t have to be scared,” Grace chanted. Then she took another step, her eyes glittering wetly. “But you do, Reva!” she shouted. “You do!”

  “No—”

  “Rory is through with me,” Grace shrieked. “But he’s still coming. I know he is. He’s coming to kill you, Reva!”

  Okay, enough fooling around and trying to play shrink, Reva decided. Time to call the police. She picked up the telephone. “I’m going to get help, Grace.”

  “No!” Grace dove for the telephone.

  Reva hung onto it and jumped to her feet.

  With a cry, Grace grabbed hold of the phone cord and yanked it out of the wall.

  Reva screamed.

  Grace tore the phone from Reva’s hands and heaved it across the room. It bounced off the wall and crashed onto the dresser, shattering a bottle of perfume.

  “No help for you!” Grace shouted. “Rory is going to kill you. He’s going to kill you now—like he killed Traci and Liza!”

  Reva’s heart seemed to skip.

  Traci and Liza? Grace killed them?

  And now she’s going to kill me!

  Reva began to edge her way along the side of the bed. If she could make it to the end, she might be able to slip past Grace and run for the door.

  Had Grace locked them in? She didn’t know, but she had to try.

  Reva took another cautious step.

  Grace didn’t seem to notice. Her head was lowered as she fumbled for something in the pocket of her jeans.

  Reva edged sideways again.

  Grace’s head snapped up. Her hand came out of her pocket, clutching something.

  Reva froze, terrified.

  Grace held a long, green scarf in her hands.

  “Rory is going to kill you, Reva.” Grace twisted the ends of the scarf around her palms and snapped it in the air. “He’s going to kill you.”

  Reva broke for the door.

  Grace leaped in front of her, cutting her off.
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  With a cry, Reva whirled around and started to race for the bathroom. She was only two steps away when she felt the soft, silky scarf wrap around her neck.

  “No!” she gasped. She brought her hands up to her throat, hoping to get her fingers underneath the scarf.

  Too late.

  Panting in fury, Grace tightened her grip on the scarf and yanked, hard.

  Reva gagged. She dragged air in through her nose, but not enough. Not nearly enough!

  The scarf tightened again.

  Reva grabbed hold of Grace’s wrists and tugged.

  But Grace didn’t budge. She held on, pulling the scarf tighter.

  The silky scarf felt like a wire slicing into Reva’s neck. Slicing deep into her throat.

  Tighter.

  Tighter. . .

  Chapter 24

  “KILL HER, RORY!”

  Reva tried to scream, but all that came out was a hacking croak. She couldn’t get enough air in to try again.

  She’s killing me!

  Reva grabbed hold of Grace’s wrists and tugged. She dug her nails into the flesh. Scratched at the skin, trying to loosen the grip of those hands.

  She couldn’t do it!

  The scarf tightened. Tightened. A burning wire, cutting Reva. Cutting her.

  Reva began to choke.

  She felt her eyes bulge. Black spots danced in front of them. A rushing sound filled her ears.

  I can’t breathe! Can’t get any air at all!

  She’s killing me! I’m going to die, just like Traci and Liza!

  Desperate to get free, Reva kicked backward, slamming her heel into Grace’s shin.

  Grace hissed in pain, but she didn’t let go of the scarf.

  Reva kicked again and missed. She twisted her whole body from side to side. Twisted and turned, staggering back and forth.

  Grace held on, staggering with her.

  Pulling the scarf.

  Killing Reva.

  As they lunged across the room together, Reva suddenly heard the door burst open, and then a wild, high-pitched cry.

  “Hiaee-yahh!”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blurry figure standing in the doorway.

  Michael!

  Her brother raised his arm over his head and yelled again. “The Evil Avenger is here!” he bellowed. Then he laughed, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement.

  Oh, no! He thinks it’s a game, Reva realized.

  Couldn’t he see? Couldn’t he tell she was being strangled?

  This is no game, Michael! she wanted to cry. Get out of here! Go get help!

  But she couldn’t yell. She felt so weak . . . so far away.

  Michael gave another fierce cry and rushed into the room. He raised his arm higher, and Reva saw a flash of metal.

  The fake knife.

  It won’t work! Reva thought desperately. Grace won’t even feel it!

  Michael plunged the knife into Grace’s side. “The Evil Avenger strikes again!” He giggled, then stuck the collapsible knife into Grace’s shoulder.

  Without letting go of the scarf, Grace tried to shove Michael away with her elbow.

  The movement gave Reva the chance she needed. She grabbed Grace’s arm with both hands and jerked it down.

  The hand loosened its grip.

  Reva lunged sideways, throwing Grace off-balance. Coughing and gasping, Reva broke free, then spun around and shoved Grace away from her as hard as she could.

  Grace stumbled backward, her arms pin-wheeling as she tried to keep from going down. But she couldn’t stop herself.

  Reva heard a sickening crack as Grace’s head slammed into a corner of the desk.

  Grace fell to the floor with a thud. She didn’t move.

  A trickle of blood ran down the side of her head.

  Michael stopped laughing. His mouth dropped open in a startled squeak.

  Reva’s neck throbbed and her throat felt crushed. The scarf still clung to her neck. She fumbled with it, coughing painfully.

  “Reva?” Michael’s voice was tiny and frightened.

  From the floor, Grace gave a low moan.

  “Michael!” Reva rasped, finally getting the scarf all the way off. “Go get the security guard!”

  “Okay,” Michael answered. Grace moaned again. Michael eyed her warily. “Is she going to be okay?”

  Reva tried to clear her throat. “Don’t worry. Just go find the security guard and tell him to come up here. Hurry, Michael!”

  Michael jammed the knife into his pocket and raced from the room.

  Reva rubbed her throat and swallowed several times. She tried to kill me! she thought, staring at Grace. She almost did!

  Moaning again, Grace’s eyes fluttered open. She turned onto her side, then slowly eased herself into a sitting position.

  Reva tensed up. Would Grace come after her again?

  But Grace didn’t try to climb to her feet. She sat on the rug, exhausted and dazed. As she glanced groggily around the room, her gaze fell on Reva.

  Reva stared back, horrified. “Why?” she whispered hoarsely. “Why did you kill Traci and Liza?”

  “To show you.” Grace rubbed her head, then stared at the blood on her fingers. “To show you that you can’t have everything you want. You think you can take everything. That everything is yours.”

  Reva shook her head.

  “Oh, yes, you do!” Grace declared bitterly. “You think everything is yours. So I wanted to kill you!” She wiped her bloody fingers on the carpet. “But first I wanted to frighten you. To make you suffer. To show you what real horror is like!”

  “But, Grace—”

  “Shut up, Reva!” Grace snapped. “You treat everyone like dirt. Everyone! Me. The maid. Your cousin. But especially the guys. You save the worst for the guys.”

  Reva couldn’t believe this! What was Grace talking about?

  “I had a wonderful guy once,” Grace continued in a soft, dreamy voice. Her lips twisted in a weird smile. “I had Rory.”

  Yeah, and you killed him, Reva thought.

  “He was so great, Reva. I was wild about him.” Grace stared at the bloody carpet for a moment. Then she squeezed her eyes shut. “But we had a fight while we were driving. We were both so angry, shouting at each other. I grabbed the wheel and—and—” Her voice broke and she began to sob.

  It was an accident, as her mother said, Reva realized. A horrible accident.

  And the guilt drove Grace crazy.

  Grace flung her head back and stared at Reva, tears streaming down her face. “I wanted you to see what that kind of loss feels like!” she cried.

  “But—but why Traci and Liza?” Reva asked. “I hardly knew Liza. And I didn’t even like Traci. Why did you think killing them would hurt me?”

  “Because of the fashion show!” Grace wiped at her tears and smiled that weird smile again. “It was the first thing I ever saw you really want. You wanted it so much, you stole all the credit from your own cousin. Because it was so important. It was the first thing that ever meant something to you. So I decided to take it away from you. Bit by bit, person by person!”

  Reva felt a sharp stab of disappointment. Grace is right, she realized. The show meant more to me than anything.

  “You were scared, weren’t you, Reva?” Grace asked, almost pleadingly. “You did suffer!”

  Reva thought of all the work she’d done to get the show ready. Designing the set. Choosing the models and the music. She remembered the feeling of excitement as it all started to come together.

  And then she pictured the two strangled models. The customers racing from the showroom, screaming in panic. The fashion show—her fashion show—ruined.

  And she had been scared, especially after Liza was killed. She thought somebody might kill her.

  Well, somebody almost did, she thought, staring at her roommate.

  “I saved you for last,” Grace told her. “I was going to let you watch everything fall apart. And then I was going to kill you.” Gra
ce’s eyes filled with tears again and she hung her head. “But I failed. I failed. But Rory will finish the job for me.”

  Oh, no, she’s back to Rory again. Watching Grace cry, Reva actually felt sorry for the girl. She’d gone totally off the deep end.

  “Rory will kill you for me.” Still sobbing, Grace raised her head and gazed at the door. “There he is now!” she cried, scrambling to her feet. “Rory—I knew you’d come! Kill her! Kill Reva!”

  It’s her imagination! Reva thought. Rory’s dead!

  Isn’t he?

  A movement caught her eye. Someone stood in the doorway.

  “Kill her, Rory!” Grace shouted.

  Reva spun around in horror.

  Chapter 25

  “YOU MURDERED REVA!”

  “Kill her!” Grace screamed, pointing at Reva. “Do it, Rory. Do it now!”

  But Rory wasn’t in the doorway.

  The security guard stood there, looking slightly confused. Michael stayed in the hall and peeked wide-eyed around the doorframe.

  “Kill Reva!” Grace shrieked. “Please, Rory! Please kill her for me!” She took a stumbling step toward the guard.

  The guard’s eyes hardened. His hand went to his gun.

  “No!” Reva shouted at him. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about!”

  “Yes, I do! I want you to kill her. Please, Rory, why won’t you do it?” Grace covered her face with her hands. “Why won’t you help me?” she sobbed.

  Keeping his hand on the gun, the guard glanced at Reva.

  Reva took a shaky breath. “You’ll have to take her to the police,” she told the guard. “She killed two people. But take it easy with her. She’s sick. She needs help. I’ll call her mother.”

  The guard nodded and took hold of Grace’s arm. She glanced up at him. “You’re going to help me, aren’t you, Rory?”

  “Sure. Come on.” Gently, the guard tugged on Grace’s arm and led her out of the room.

  “Wow,” Michael breathed. “That was weird, huh?”

  “Very weird,” Reva agreed. “But it’s over, Michael. And, Michael?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for coming in when you did,” she told him. “You saved my life.”