He shook his head. "It's been happening a lot lately, that's all. Maybe people stealing them. Anyway, I think Lynn's waiting for You."

"I'd better get going. See you later, okay?"

"You bet," he said.

"Thanks again for the coffee." She picked up the stryofoam cup, turned away and started toward the group. She walked slowly, her eyes on the steaming, dark surface.

Is he still at the window? she wondered. Is he watching me?

Is he interested? . .

He gave me free coffee, didn't he?

Yeah, but why was he in such a rush to scram, yesterday? Like he could get away from me fast enough.

Scared I'd ask him to help me search the house.

"Okay," Lynn said. "We're all here."

"Hi, Dana," Rhonda said, smiling as her cheeks reddened.

"Hi, Rhonda. Sharon."

Sharon, a cigarette jutting from a corner of her mouth, tipped her a wink. "Day two."

"Yep."

Clyde stared at her through the drifting smoke of his Camel. She nodded a greeting to him, but refused to smile. He kept on staring at her.

Was that you at the pool last night, Clyde, You in the house this morning?

What were you doing in there, spying on...?

"The good news," Tuck said, "is that nobody screwed around in Beast House last night." .

"Nobody you know about," Sharon said.

Diana took a sip of mffee. It was very hot, and tasted like a French roast.

Warren makes good coffee, she thought. - "The bad news is, we came up short a cassette player yesterday. We started out three short, but Dana and I turned up two hiders. Just a couple of goofballs. They claimed not to know anything about another hider, and we couldn't turn anyone else up. So there's still one player outstanding."

"--Ciutstanding," Clyde muttered.

Lynn said, "We don't know of any missing tourists, though."

"We never do, do we?"

"Probably because they aren't missing," Lynn told him.

"If we had a customer vanish every time a player does, we would've gone out of business years ago."

"So you say."

"Get off it, Clyde," Sharon said.

"I say the beast is back," Clyde said. He tossed a quick smirk at Dana. "Every so often, it puts the snatch on someone. Needs some fresh meat, you know what I mean?"

"He's just trying to scare you," Rhonda said.

"I'm trembling," Dana said.

"Maybe you should be. You might be next."

"That's enough, Clyde," Lynn said. "Let's not make a big deal out of this. Far as we know, nobody's missing. The player's gone, that's all. People do steal the things. But we need to keep our eyes open. Maybe someone did get snatched, even though there's no reason to think so. Another possibility is that we've got a hider. If it's a hider, he might still be in the house. No telling what he might be up to, so we need to be especially careful."

"Do you suppose it's all connected?" Rhonda asked, frowning as if deep in thought.

"What's all connected?" Lynn asked.

Rhonda blushed. "You know. The vandalism of Ethel, the missing tape player. They both happened on the same day, didn't they?"

"The vandalism might've been the night before," Lynn said. "But yeah, there could be a connection. I just don't think we know enough to draw any sort of conclusions yet."

"I've got a couple of conclusions," Sharon said, squinting through her cigarette smoke. "I conclude something weird's going on. And I also conclude this might just be the start of it."

Clyde widened his eyes. "And it all began yesterday with the arrival of Dana."

"Blow it out your ass," Sharon told him.

"Kiss my ass."

"Not with these lips."

"That's enough," Lynn said. "For one thing, we had plenty of incidents before Dana came along. For another, Clyde, try not to be such a fuckwad."

"Oooo," he said. "You'd better watch your language, little girl, I might have to get out a bar of soap."

Ignoring his remark, Lynn glanced at her wristwatch. "It's almost time to open. Any questions about your assignment?"

I'd like to take the second floor," Dana said. "If that's all right. Since I screwed up yesterday."

Sharon agreed to switch positions with her.

Smirking at Dana, Clyde said, "Guess who has the first floor?"

"I don't see that as a problem," Dana said. "Do you?"

"Oh, no no. I see it as an opportunity."

"Are we all set?" Lynn asked.

"Not quite," said Clyde. He mashed the remains of his cigarette under his shoe.

"What is it now?"

"You called me a fuckwad," he said.

"Right. So?"

"Did you mean it as a complicnent?"

"Sure," she said. "Whatever you wanta think. Now let's get this show on the road."

Clyde taking up the rear, they walked in a group around the side of the house. At the front, Lynn, Sharon and Rhonda cut across the lawn toward the ticket booth. Clyde stayed behind Dana. She resisted an urge to look back at him.

"Do you think I'm a fuckwad?" he asked.

Turning her head, she said, "I wouldn't know."

He hurried up to her. "Lynn can't stand the fact that I broke up with her. She's hated me ever since."

"No kidding?" Dana muttered.

"I'm afraid I broke her heart."

"I guess you're a real heartbreaker."

"So, how was your date last night?"

"Just fine."

"Just fine? That's not much of a recommendation. If you'd been with me, your answer would have been 'extraordinary' Or even 'magnificent.'"

"I'm sure." She climbed the porch stairs.

Clyde hurried ahead of her and opened the front door of Beast House.

"Thanks." She stepped over the threshold.

Rushing in behind her, Clyde jerked the door shut. It slammed the daylight out.

Dana could hardly see the stairway through the murky gloom.

"Sorry," Clyde said. "Do you need the light?"

"This is fine."

"Could we talk for a minute?"

"I need to get upstairs." She put a hand on the newel post and stepped onto the first stair.

"Nobody'll be in here for another five minutes, at least. So don't run off, all right?"

She climbed a few more stairs, anxious to get away from him.

Wait. Why not hear what he has to say?

Ask him a few questions.

Dana stopped and turned around. Clyde came toward her.

"Stay down there, okay? We can talk, but don't try to come up."

He halted. "Is this all right?"

"Fine. What do you want, Clyde?"

"I want us to be friends."

"Friends. Right."

Spreading his muscular arms, he said, "There's still time."

"Sure."

"Do you already have another engagement planned for tonight?"

She realized that her heart was pounding fast.

"No, I don't," she said. "As a matter of fact, I didn't have one last night, either. I just didn't want to go out with you."

"So you lied."

"That's right."

"Shame on you."

"I know. I hate lies. That's why I'm leveling with you now. You and I are co-workers. I'd like for us to be friends, but I have no intention of going out with you."

"Ah, the old 'co-workers' ploy."

"It's not a ploy."

"Sure it is. It's just a handy excuse. Why don't you just come right out and say that you hate me."

"I don't hate you."

"Your dear friend Lynn has probably told you all sorts of terrible lies about me. She can't stand that I dumped her. Oh, she was absolutely nuts about me. She couldn't get enough of me. She was insatiable. We even did it right here inside Beast House. Countless times. In every room. Even in the attic. Even in the cellar."