Free Captives (Nightmare Hall) by Diane Hoh Page A

vacation, and so has the handyman.” She leaned closer to Charlie, and he tightened his grip around her shoulders.
    “Did you tell the police to go check it out?” Ernie asked, hating himself for not leaving her alone.
    Tanner nodded. “But they said right now they’re busy checking every dorm, and that it would take a while. Twin Falls doesn’t have a very large police force, Ernie.” Her eyes began to dull from the sedative and the arm that had been resting on the chair dropped into her lap.
    It was time to go. “Thanks, Tanner. Thanks for your help. And I really am sorry about what happened.”
    Tanner’s eyes were fighting to stay open.
    “I’ve got to get her over to Jodie’s,” Charlie said. He helped her upright. “I hope you find Molloy, Ernie. I’m sure she’s okay.”
    Watching them leave, Ernie saw the way Charlie was careful to open Tanner’s umbrella and shield her with it, and felt a stab of pain in his chest because he wasn’t doing exactly the same thing for Molloy. He was supposed to be. But Molloy wasn’t here.
    Nightmare Hall? Was Tanner right? It would be the perfect place to hide out. Isolated, deserted.
    It was worth a try. Even a long trek in foul weather would be worth it if Molloy opened the door to Nightmare Hall when he knocked and cried, “Ernie! You found me!”
    Ernie stood up, would have bolted from the infirmary, but an authoritative voice behind him said, “Excuse me. You want to tell me your name and what you were doing talking to Dr. Leo’s daughter?”
    Ernie turned around to face a middle-aged, ruddy-faced policeman in uniform.
    “I’m a friend of hers,” he said, deliberately not giving his name. Maybe this policeman didn’t know or wouldn’t remember that the name ‘Ernest Dodd’ was on that list of suspects, probably in capital letters, but he couldn’t afford to risk it. “I just came to offer my condolences.”
    “Nice of you.” The policeman’s eyes narrowed. “Coming out on a bad night like this, I mean. Could have waited till morning, right? What’d you say your name was again?”
    Oh, man.
    A younger officer, looking not much older than Ernie, came out of another room just then. “What’s going on, Sloane?” he asked, glancing over at Ernie. “Problem?”
    “Nah, no problem, Reardon. This guy was talking to the Leo girl, and now he seems to be having trouble remembering his own name.”
    “You want to give us your name?” the officer named Reardon asked Ernie politely. “I mean, there isn’t any reason why you wouldn’t want to, is there?”
    Ernie gave up. Sometimes you could fight City Hall, and sometimes you couldn’t. This was one of those times. “Ernie Dodd,” he said reluctantly.
    Reardon nodded. “He’s on the list,” he told his partner. “Maybe that’s why he wanted to keep his name to himself.” To Ernie, he said, “You want to come along with us? We just have a few routine questions.” He pointed into the small room. “Right in here, if you don’t mind. Nothing to worry about.”
    Easy for you to say, Ernie thought as his earlier hope of finding Molloy soon shriveled up and died. Your girlfriend isn’t missing, is she?
    But he moved into the room without further argument, knowing that he wasn’t going to be leaving the infirmary any time soon. If Molloy was at Nightmare Hall, she’d have to wait a little longer for Ernie Dodd to find her.
    He could only hope that she was there with no one but Lynne, Toni, and Daisy. No one else.
    Not a killer looking for a place to hide.

Chapter 15
    D AISY AND MOLLOY CLIMBED down from the chair and stood facing each other in the kitchen. The flashlight lay on the edge of the sink, its wide yellow beam casting an eerie glow across the room,
    Molloy was the first to speak. “Maybe,” she proposed halfheartedly, “the nails are old. Maybe the handyman did this a long time ago, to keep intruders out.”
    “Oh, right,” Daisy said, glaring. “And he also locked the doors