Page 102 of D for Dead

‘You mean that spooky looking place down the road?’

‘That’s the one.’

‘So what about it? What’s so creepy? Has something happened there?’

‘Someone was murdered in the basement.’

‘No shit. Is the place haunted or something?’

‘Not haunted, I don’t think.’ Troy shook his head. ‘But bad stuff happened there.’

‘A long time ago?’

‘A few years back.’

‘How do you know that?’ Cap’s eyes were narrowed, filled with disbelief. ‘You can’t just pretend that because a house looks creepy that bad shit happened there. This has to be a true story, Troy, that’s the deal.’

Troy’s temper flared. He was sure Cap’s tale about the Ouija board was bullshit. How dare he suggest the Johnson house story wasn’t true? ‘I’m not making it up. It honestly happened.’

‘Sure it did. Why should I believe you? I mean, how would you know?’

‘Because I saw it happen.’

The words were out before he could take them back. Cap’s jaw dropped, his eyes widened, but there was still a hint of disbelief in them. ‘You what?’

Somehow the story came tumbling out. Troy didn’t mean to tell him everything, but over the next hour Cap learned about perfect Amy Gallaty, the bitchy twins, and poor nerdy Danielle. How Troy had followed them into the woods, that Danielle had gone into the Johnson house as part of a dare and had never come out. How Troy had found the hatchway door, gone into the basement and seen the dead body on the table, Danielle chained up and covered in blood, and how Amy had entered the room, been caught by Johnson, but had managed to escape.

When he was done, Cap was looking at him in amazement. ‘That happened?’

‘Yeah.’ Troy could tell from the look on Cap’s face that he believed him. He would have had to have been a hell of a storyteller to make it all up.

‘And you never told anyone?’

‘I was twelve. I should’ve told, but I was afraid of getting in trouble. I thought the twins would tell.’

‘But they didn’t.’

‘No, they pretended like it hadn’t happened.’

‘And Amy never told either.’

‘She went home after the accident.’

Cap was silent for a long moment. ‘Have you ever been back to the house?’

‘Yeah, I ride past it all the time.’

‘I mean inside. Have you ever been back inside?’ Cap paused. ‘Back into the basement?’

‘No, hell no.’

‘I would love to see it.’ Cap’s lips curved. ‘We should go.’

‘Shit, are you crazy? I never want to go back down there.’

‘Why not? Are you afraid? We can go in by the hatchway door again. He won’t know we’re there.’

‘I’m not afraid. It’s a stupid idea. A really stupid idea.’