Secret Admirer (14 page)

Still no answer.

She pushed through the curtains. Holding her breath, she shone her light around the backstage area. Again she saw nothing.

Selena let the beam of light explore the stage.

Empty. No one here.

Not a sound. Not a sound …

Until she reached the very back of the stage.

And heard a moan, so faint that she had to strain to make it out.

“Katy?” she called again. “Where are you?”

Another moan. From above?

Selena swung the beam of yellow light up toward the catwalk. But the flashlight wasn't powerful enough to reach that high.

At the top of the metal ladder stood the small prop room that led out onto the catwalk. Selena knew it was up there, but she had never seen it.

Her fear of heights kept her from climbing that ladder.

She moved closer to the ladder. Something shiny glinted on the floor beneath it.

Selena swung her flashlight beam toward the spot. What shone so darkly there on the floor? A puddle.

A dark red puddle. Red as blood.

Selena jumped back as she heard another moan from above.

The moan of someone in pain.

And then the words, so faint, so faint that Selena could barely hear them: “Help me … someone … please help me!”

26
 

S
elena gazed up at the catwalk. It was very high, she saw, feeling a cold shudder run down her back. So high and steep. Straight up.

Katy had never been afraid to climb the ladder.

Selena had tried to climb it once. On a dare from Jake. She had made it halfway to the top. Then she felt so dizzy and sick that she had to climb back down.

“Ohhhhh.” The moan again.

“I'm coming!” Selena called. She shoved the flashlight back into her jeans pocket. Firmly gripping the ladder with both hands, she began to climb.

One step after another.

Don't look down,
she told herself.

She climbed higher, higher still. She felt the familiar panic fill her chest. For a moment the dark walls spun around her. She stopped, shut her eyes, and hugged the ladder as tightly as she could.

I can't go any higher,
she thought.

You have to,
she urged herself.
This time you have to
.

She took another step up.

Her stomach churned. Cold sweat beaded her face.

Don't think of how high it is,
she thought.
Just concentrate on each step. One at a time
.

After what seemed like hours, Selena reached the top of the ladder. She leaned into it, gripping firmly with her right hand. Then she used her left hand to pull out the flashlight and click it on.

The beam of light revealed the prop room leading onto the catwalk.

The door was shut.

Selena saw no sign of Katy. No sign of anyone.

“Katy!” she called, her voice choked with panic.

“Where are you?”

Silence.

Selena glanced down. A wave of dizziness swept over her. For a moment, her grip on the ladder loosened and she knew she would fall.

I have to get off this ladder,
she thought.
Then I'll decide what to do
.

Gripping the ladder tightly with one hand, she pulled the prop room door open with the other. Then she stepped off the ladder and threw herself into the room. Trembling, she slammed the door shut and leaned against the wall.

The prop room was dark. For a moment Selena saw nothing. Slowly her eyes focused on a sliver of light seeping under another door. The door that led onto the catwalk.

I'm safe for now,
Selena told herself.
I'll worry about how to get back down later
.

“Katy?” she whispered into the darkness. “Are you here?”

No answer.

Selena shone the light around the tiny room. She was surprised at how full it was, the rows of shelves crammed with props and costumes.

One large storage cabinet divided the room in half. Selena crawled toward it. She heard a scraping sound from the other side of the room.

“Hey—!” She spun around. “Who is there?” she cried hoarsely.

Her question was answered by another moan.

Selena crawled closer to the cabinet.

She leaned around it.

And found herself face-to-face with Danny Morris.

27
 

S
elena opened her mouth in a terrified scream.

I'm trapped,
she realized.
Danny has trapped me up here!

He stared silently at her.

“Danny!” she cried. “Danny?”

Now she noticed that he wasn't moving. That his eyes were only half open. That he didn't blink.

Selena gaped at him, her brain spinning in confusion. “Danny …?”

His jaw slid open and he uttered a soft moan.

She raised the beam of light to Danny's face and leaned closer to him. He sat propped against the cabinet, his arms and legs tied by thick ropes.

An ugly purple bruise spread across his forehead. And his blond hair was caked and matted with blood.

“Danny!” Selena gasped. “What happened? Who did this?”

Danny's eyes fluttered open. “Selena?” he murmured.

“What's going on?” she demanded. “Who tied you up?”

“You asked me to come,” he choked out.

“Huh? I
what?”
Selena cried, confused. “What happened to you? Who did this?”

“I don't know,” Danny groaned. “I came up here because you told me to. You said to wait. I don't remember any more. Why did you ask me to wait for you up here?”

“I—I didn't!” Selena stammered. “I didn't call you!”

“Untie me,” he pleaded. “Please.”

“Of course,” Selena replied. She reached for the ropes. Her hand stopped in midair.

Danny
couldn't
be The Sun—could he?

No way he hit himself over the head and tied himself up! She stared at him. His eyes had closed. Blood dripped thickly from the cut under his hair down the side of his face.

Selena caught her breath. The stalker had planned to kill
Danny
. Danny, not Katy. And Selena must have interrupted him before he could finish.

I saved him!
she realized.
I saved Danny!

Then she felt her heart slide up to her throat. The stalker tried to kill Danny. Selena showed up unexpectedly. The creep ran away. And hid.

Hid somewhere in the auditorium?

Was he still here somewhere?

“We've got to get out of here!” Selena cried. She tugged frantically at the heavy, coiled ropes. They didn't budge. “I'll find something to cut you loose,” she told him.

“Clippers … in the corner,” Danny murmured.

Selena stumbled to the corner and searched frantically for the clippers. “They're not here!” she cried.

“Over the door,” Danny choked out. Selena felt above the door. No. No clippers. Nothing she could use to cut Danny free.

She began to paw through the props on the lowest shelf.

And then she heard something. Another sound.

The sound of footsteps, echoing on the stage below.

“It's him,” she breathed.

“Who?” Danny whispered.

“Shhh!” Selena stopped moving, straining to hear more.

The footsteps moved closer. Right below them.

She heard a metallic clang. The sound of a foot on the ladder. Another clanging footstep.

Selena switched off the flashlight. She felt sick with fear. In the darkness, she crawled back to Danny and huddled next to him. “Be quiet!” she whispered urgently. “Don't make a sound!”

The steps continued up the ladder. Steady, confident footsteps.

Then a long silence.

The door creaked open.

In the doorway, nearly lost in the darkness, stood a large figure.

The stalker.

28
 

S
elena froze. And stared into the dark doorway.

And heard a familiar voice. “Selena? Is that you?”

Katy. Katy's voice.

“Katy!” Selena cried, almost sobbing with relief.

“What's going on?” Katy asked. “What are you doing up here?”

“I can't explain now—we're in danger,” Selena told her. “Did you see anyone down there?”

“No,” Katy said. “I didn't look. I left my math book up here. I was doing some problems during breaks in the rehearsal. Should I look for someone else?”

“No! Never mind!” Selena cried. “Danny is here. He's hurt. We have to get help!”

“Huh?” Katy uttered a startled cry. She switched on an overhead light.

Selena blinked at the sudden brightness. She saw
that Katy was wearing her black stagehand's outfit. She carried a heavy metal flashlight.

“Danny's really hurt!” Selena told Katy. “We've got to untie him and get help!”

Katy's face twisted in confusion. “Why is he up here?”

“The Sun,” Selena explained. Now that she could see the ropes it was easier to get them untied. “The Sun tried to kill him. I think he's still here somewhere. Come on, Katy, help me untie him!”

“Why?” Katy asked. “If he's tied up, he can't cause trouble.”

“Don't you get it?” Selena cried impatiently. “Danny isn't The Sun! I found another note. The Sun said he was going to kill someone close to me. He meant Danny—but I thought he meant you!”

“No, he didn't mean me,” Katy replied softly, calmly.

“Katy, help me!” Selena cried. “Danny needs a doctor.”

“Don't worry about Danny,” Katy soothed her. “He won't cause you any more trouble now.”

“Selena,” Danny moaned.

Selena tugged at the ropes around his arms.

“I said forget Danny!” Katy screamed. She crossed the room in two steps.

Raised her arm.

And brought the flashlight down hard on Danny's head.

His eyes rolled up. His head slumped onto his chest.

“Katy!” Selena gasped in horror. “Why—?”

Katy pushed a pile of costumes to the floor and settled herself on one of the shelves, facing Selena. “I
want to talk about you and me, Selena,” Katy explained, her eyes burning into Selena's. “I want to talk about our friendship.”

Selena felt a shiver roll down her back. “We can talk about anything you want,” she answered carefully. “But let's do it down on the ground.”

“I'm very comfortable up here,” Katy replied coldly. “Aren't you? You should be. We're together again, the way we used to be.”

Something buzzed at the back of Selena's mind. She pushed it away, tried to think clearly. “What do you mean?” Selena asked.

“It's like the old days, just you and me. Best friends. Katy and Selena, doing everything together.”

Selena sank onto the floor next to Danny. Stared at his unconscious form. Katy had done that. Katy had hit him. “We're still best friends—”

“Not the way we used to be,” Katy insisted. “You used to put me first, Selena. The way I always did with you.”