Free Deadly Games by Anthony Masters Page A

you’ve done it,” said David to his twin angrily.
    â€œYou weren’t exactly nice to him either.”
    The twins turned back to the old man, despite a squeaking protest from Gumbo, who was still looking at them impatiently. Jenny put her armsaround Sid and said, “Don’t be upset – please don’t be. I’m sorry they’ve been so horrible. I think they must be jealous of David and me. In fact, I’m sure they are. Maybe they think you prefer us to them and – ”
    â€œThey can’t be
all
bad,” Sid interrupted. “They probably got evil after they died – like they’re trapped here on earth and they don’t want to stay.” Then he paused, trying to be more realistic. “OK, I know what you’re going to say – they did bad things when they were alive, too, didn’t they?”
    â€œWe don’t really know,” said David uneasily. “We’ve only seen them being cruel to Mrs Garland once, and then there was that time they accused her of pushing Alan. Could be you’re right – that they’re trapped here on earth and need releasing. But I don’t know how we’re going to be able to do that,” he ended inadequately.
    â€œI’ve thought about them so much,” said Sid miserably, his sobs dying away. “Those kids I never had.”
    â€œThey need your love, Sid,” said Jenny with conviction. “Now more than ever. If you could reach them, talk to them – ”
    â€œYou could exorcise them,” finished David.
    Sid nodded. “You’re good kids, you are.”
    â€œBut we mustn’t forget that May and Leslie are still dangerous,” warned Jenny. “They still want totest us out. If not you, then definitely us. Imagine how jealous they must be.”
    â€œSo we’ve got to be careful,” muttered Sid.
    â€œYou’ve
got to reach them,” said David. “They’ve got to
feel
your love.”
    Sid nodded again and they felt relieved, as if an understanding had been reached at last.
    But what about Mrs Garland? wondered Jenny. Whose side was she going to be on? And what about their own parents? They must be going frantic by now, wondering what had happened to them. There were so many problems besetting them that Jenny felt she could hardly cope and she knew David felt much the same. But worst of all was the certainty that May and Leslie were waiting for them, ready to play, hoping for another deadly game.

Chapter Twelve
    Sid and the twins followed Gumbo out into a silvery twilight with the dull red orb of the winter sun slowly sinking in a chilly, cloud-flecked sky.
    Spread around them was a tangle of broken machinery covered in foliage, a vast overgrown network of rusting lines and signals. A large corrugated-iron shed had partly fallen in and overhead gantries had collapsed. A blackbird sang in the wilderness and the fading light shadowed the derelict industrial wasteland, making it resemble a futuristic city on some distant planet. The place had a stark beauty of its own, and Gumbo darted eagerly into the oil-stained undergrowth.
    â€œYou think May and Leslie are here?” asked David.
    Sid nodded. “I reckon so. I can, like, feel ’em close by.”
    â€œWhat about Mrs G?” asked Jenny. “Can you feel her?”
    Sid shook his head.
    â€œNeither can I,” said David. “But I keep thinking I’m going to smell peppermint any moment.”
    â€œSo what are we going to do?” Jenny asked. “We’ve got less than an hour of daylight left.”
    David had an idea. “You know that wooden rod water diviners have? They walk about with it and the rod starts shaking over the spot where the water is. Do you think you could be like that, Sid? That you’d sense where May and Leslie are?”
    â€œIt’s worth a try,” he said, looking hopeful.
    Jenny was proud of her brother. “I think