Free RESORT TO MURDER by Mary Ellen Hughes Page B

Maggie, wait!"
    "See you later," he said, then stepped off
the path and disappeared into the trees.
    "Maggie! There you are!” Dyna came to a
stumbling halt as she caught sight of her friend. Her face was
flushed and her hair flew out in several directions.
    "Dyna! Where were you?"
    "I got locked in!"
    "Locked in where?"
    "The rest room.” Dyna put
her hands on her knees and took several deep breaths. Then she
flipped her hair out of her face and continued. "I saw those kids
going with their mother for a lesson with Rob, so I knew you'd be
okay for a while. I really had to go - all that water I drank 'cause it was so
hot - so I ran over to the sports center and figured I'd be back
before you were ready to leave."
    "Well you weren't. I thought you’d left
without me."
    "Maggie, I wouldn't do that!” Dyna looked so
hurt that Maggie immediately regretted her angry tone.
    "I'm sorry. I'm just jittery because of that
creep.” Maggie looked in the direction Eric had gone, but there was
no sign of him.
    "What creep? Who was here? Were you in
trouble?"
    Maggie told her about Eric, downplaying the
fear she had felt at first and relating what he had told her about
Rob.
    "Oh my gosh. That sounds pretty bad. Is it
true?"
    "I don't know yet.
Rob was evasive
when I asked him about Wimbledon. But this Eric doesn't strike me
as a sterling source of information. Maybe I can check it out.”
Maggie looked over at her friend. "But what about you? What did you
mean about being locked in the rest room?"
    "Maggie, it was weird.” Dyna ran her fingers
through her already wild hair. "I went into the sports shop to use
the ladies' room, like I said. The door was kinda hard to pull
open, like it was warped or something, you know? Anyway, I know I
didn't pull it closed real tight, 'cause it wasn't a one-person
rest room, but had stalls, so I didn't have to lock it or anything.
So I'm sure I just pulled it closed enough to stay shut.
    "Well, when I was drying my hands with one
of those air driers, I thought I heard a something, but I wasn't
sure 'cause those things make such a noise right in your face, you
know, blowing all that air. And when I tried to leave, I couldn't
open the door! It was jammed shut, and I couldn't push it
open!"
    Maggie wasn't sure if she wanted to gasp or
laugh from the picture Dyna was drawing her, but she asked, "How
did you finally get out?"
    "Well, after pushing and kicking at it and
getting nowhere, I started hollering. Finally, these two guys
walked into the shop to get a court, I guess, and heard me. They
managed to pull the door open. Talk about embarrassing!"
    "So it wasn't actually locked, then?"
    "No, but just as good as."
    "And you're sure you didn't pull it tight
yourself?"
    "Maggie, there was no way I could have done
that. Honest. Besides, I was in a hurry, remember?"
    Maggie smiled. "I know. I'm just trying to
eliminate all other possibilities."
    "All other possibilities except what?"
    "That our friend Eric made sure you were, as
he said, `held up'."
    "But why? Why would he do such a thing? It
seems such an adolescent kind of thing to do."
    "Well, he didn't strike me as a model of
maturity, but he might have wanted to make sure I was alone."
    "Maggie!” Dyna looked at her, her eyes
wide.
    "To find me alone to talk to me, since
that's what he did. But then, maybe he didn't think you'd be along
so quickly. Maybe," Maggie looked in the direction Eric had
disappeared in the woods and rubbed at the goose bumps that had
formed on her arm, "just maybe he had other plans too."
     
    Maggie and Dyna walked out of the woods,
Dyna keeping up a steady stream of questions that Maggie couldn't
answer but which she knew must be coming from Dyna's store of
nervous energy. Maggie still felt on edge herself.
    As they walked across the expanse of lawn
and came closer to the hotel, Maggie caught sight of a man dressed
in the same kind of work uniform Eric had been. He was pruning a
row of hedges. Maggie veered towards him and