Free RESORT TO MURDER by Mary Ellen Hughes Page A

she had the first time and decided to pick up her
pace and get out into the open as soon as she could.
    About another minute had gone by when she
again heard the sound of someone stepping on dry sticks. She
whirled around and called sharply, "Dyna, is that you? Who's
there?"
    At first there was silence, then Maggie
heard footsteps coming towards her, beyond the last curve in the
path. A man in rumpled work clothes came into view. He walked
lazily, hands in pockets, and wearing a grin that looked to Maggie
more frightening than if he had been holding a weapon.
    "Your girlfriend," he said as he came
closer, "got held up."
     
    ***
     
     
    CHAPTER 11
     
     
    "Who are you?” Maggie tried to ask it with a
measure of authority, as in, "Where is your hall pass", or, "Why
aren't you in homeroom?” She took a deep breath and tried to hide
the fear she actually felt.
    The man grinned even more. "Don't matter,
but I happen to work here.” He pulled a hand out of his pocket and
pointed to the Highview logo on his dark cotton shirt. On the
pocket below was machine-stitched, "Eric". He seemed to be in his
mid-twenties, medium built, and might have been called good-looking
with his even features and dark hair except for a certain
shifty-eyed smirkiness about him. He tilted his head to one side,
looking at her teasingly, and said, "Saw you talking to ol' Rob
back there."
    "Yes?” Maggie watched him carefully. He
hadn't made any threatening moves, but his manner was a long way
from putting her at ease.
    He pulled a toothpick out of his pocket and
bit on it, moving it from side to side with his tongue,
lizard-like, and she relaxed some. Disgusting as the sight was, she
somehow felt he was now less likely to make any aggressive move
towards her. Her grip on her racquet eased.
    "Ol' Rob tell you all about his great tennis
career?"
    "Why?"
    "Oh, I just wondered if he tried to snow you
like he's tried to snow all the others, that's all."
    "Snow me?"
    "Yeah," he grinned, and wiggled his fingers
in a downward motion in the air, "snow, like that white stuff comes
outa the sky, or like...."
    "Look, I've got to go.” Maggie turned and
started to walk away. He fell into step with her and she knew there
was nothing she could do about it. But at least she was moving.
    "He tell you he got hurt at Wimbledon? And
that's why he don't play the tour no more?"
    "What does it matter what he told me? Why do
you care?"
    "Just trying to do a good deed.” He grinned
at her , catching the toothpick before it fell.
    "Well, thanks anyway, but...."
    "Truth is he got kicked off the tour.
Dropped by his coach. Like to guess why?"
    "I'm sure you'd like to tell me."
    "Beat up his girlfriend.” He paused, then
added with obvious satisfaction, "Yeah, that's right," when Maggie
turned a stunned face towards him.
    When she didn't comment, he went on. "Got
arrested and everything, only the girlfriend decided not to press
charges and they had to let him go. Over there in England, you
know, this was."
    "Is this true?” Maggie searched his face for
credibility. She had done the same to scores of teen-aged boys
trying to get away with one thing or another at school. This face,
however, was harder to read.
    "Sure it's true. The
police couldn't hold him, but his coach knew what happened. The
tournament guys knew. 'At's why he got kicked out. But he likes to
tell his own story about it, make the girls feel so sorry for him. I just
thought I'd save you some trouble.” He went on grinning the whole
time he talked, and Maggie was still unsure how seriously to take
him. Was he making up a story to get back at Rob for some
reason?
    "Eric, before my lesson I heard Rob sounding
pretty mad at someone. Was that you, by any chance?"
    He looked down at her, his grin now reduced
to a smirk, then took out his toothpick and studied it. Whether he
was planning to answer her or not Maggie never found out because
suddenly Dyna's voice came sailing down the path from around a
bend.
    "Maggie!