Free The Dead Man in Indian Creek by Mary Downing Hahn

out of the box and stared at its sleeping face. It seemed to be dreaming something unpleasant, and I would have preferred to leave it where it was.
    "They'll notice it's gone, Parker," I whispered. The flashlight was making strange shadows on the wall and ceiling. If we'd been characters in a movie, spooky music would be playing, and everybody in the audience would say, "Get out of there, boys, before it's too late."
    "Anyway," I added, trying hard to make a joke, "aren't you kind of old to play with dolls?" Unfortunately, my voice refused to cooperate and every word cracked as it left my mouth.
    Parker frowned at me. "You're scared, aren't you?"
    I shook my head. "I just think we ought to leave everything the way we found it."
    Parker put the lid on the box and started for the door, still carrying the doll. But before he reached it, we heard a car enter the parking lot.
    "What do we do now?" I stared at Parker, too scared to move or even think.
    Parker looked around the workroom. "Shut the door and make sure it's locked," he whispered. "Then hide. And for God's sake, be quiet."
    As I closed the door, I heard another car pull into the parking lot, and then low voices approaching the shop–Pam, Evans, and somebody else.
    Trying not to bump into anything in the dark, I wedged myself behind a large wardrobe standing cat-ercornered in the darkest part of the room. I didn't know where Parker was, but, as I heard a key turn in the door, I hoped he was well hidden.
    When the light went on, I shut my eyes; like an ostrich, I was trying to believe that if I couldn't see them, they couldn't see me.
    "Where are the dolls?" the stranger asked.
    Opening my eyes slowly, I peeked around the edge of the wardrobe, grateful for the shadows all around me. A couple of feet away, I saw Pam and Evans. Another man stood even closer, but his back was turned toward me. He was short and stocky, but he looked strong and his sports jacket was tight across the shoulders.
    "One box is finished." Evans shoved the dolls toward him. "And the other is almost done."
    "How long before it's ready?" the stranger asked.
    "In just a few minutes." Pam sounded so nervous I wondered if she were scared of him. "All I have to do is fill the dolls' heads and glue their wigs on."
    The floor creaked as she walked toward the wardrobe and unlocked it. On the other side of the thin board separating us, I heard her rummage around. Then she shut the doors again, locked them, and walked back to the table. While I watched, too scared to breathe, she began packing a doll's head with little bags of white powder.
    All of a sudden the stranger looked up from the box he'd been examining. "There's only five dolls in here," he said.
    "What are you talking about?" Pam asked. "I put six in before we left for dinner." Her voice shook a little, and she clutched the doll she was working on against her chest. Never had I seen a person look so frightened.
    "Do you want to count them yourself?" The stranger leaned toward her and shoved the box across the table.
    "There
are
only five." I could hear shock in Pam's voice as she turned to Evans.
    "You wouldn't cheat me, would you, George?" The stranger asked. "We've been friends for a long time," he went on, "but I can't afford another partner like Dawson." The sound of his voice made me wish I could shrivel up into a little dustball and roll off into a corner.
    "Are you kidding, Flynn?" Evans choked out a laugh. "I'd never try anything like that. Didn't I dump Dawson for you?"
    "You made a great job of it too," the man named Flynn said sarcastically. "Almost getting caught by two kids."
    There was a brief silence. Suddenly Evans snapped his fingers. "Parker!" He spoke so loudly I thought he'd found his hiding place, but then he went on, "I bet Parker's got the doll. He's been snooping around here all week."
    I could practically feel his eyes X-raying through the furniture, searching for Parker and me.
    "You don't expect me to believe that." Flynn