The Captive Page 0,24

to do something to help him, but how can I help? Nobody's neck bends that way when they're alive.

Every horrible detail was so clear. The fraying rope. The swinging shadow on the cinder-block wall. The machinery with its dials and switches. And the awful stillness.

Drip. Drip.

Swinging like a pendulum.

Hands covering her mouth, Cassie began to sob.

She backed away, trying not to see the curly brown hair on the head that was lolling sideways. He couldn't be dead when she'd just danced with him. He'd just had his arms around her, he'd flashed her that cocksure smile. And now-

She stepped back and hands fell on her shoulders.

She did try to scream then, but her throat was paralyzed. Her vision went dark.

"Steady. Steady. Hang on there."

It was Nick.

"Breathe slower. Put your head down."

"Nine-one-one," she gasped, and then, clearly and distinctly so that he would understand, "Call nine-one-one, Nick. Jeffrey-"

He cast a hard glance at the swinging feet. "He doesn't need a doctor. Do you?"

"I-" She was hanging on to his hand. "I came down to get Deborah."

"She's in the old science building. They got busted here."

"And I saw him-Jeffrey-"

Nick's arm was comforting, solid. "I get the picture," he said. "Do you want to sit down?"

"I can't. It's Laurel's dress." She was completely irrational, she realized. She tried desperately to get a grip on herself. "Nick, please let me go. I have to call an ambulance."

"Cassie." She couldn't remember him ever saying her name before, but now he was holding her shoulders and looking her directly in the face. "No ambulance is going to do him any good. You got that? Now just calm down."

Cassie stared into his polished-mahogany eyes, then slowly nodded. The gasping was easing up. She was grateful for his arm around her, although some part of her mind was standing back in disbelief-Nick was comforting her? Nick, who hated girls and was coldly polite to them at best?

"What's going on here?"

Cassie spun to see Adam in the archway. But when she tried to speak, her throat closed completely and hot tears flooded her eyes.

Nick said, "She's a little upset. She just found Jeffrey Lovejoy hanging from a pipe."

"What?" Adam moved swiftly to look around the machine. He came back looking grim and alert, his eyes glinting silver as they always did in times of trouble.

"How much do you know about this?" he asked Nick crisply.

"I came down to get something I left," Nick said, equally short. "I found her about ready to keel over. And that's all."

Adam's expression had softened slightly. "Are you okay?" he said to Cassie. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what. Then Suzan said you'd gone to look for Deborah, but that you were looking in the wrong place." As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he reached out to take her from Nick-and Nick resisted. For a moment there was tension between the two boys and Cassie looked from one to the other with dawning surprise and alarm.

She moved away from both. "I'm all right," she said. And, strangely, saying so made it almost true. It was partly necessity and partly something else-her witch senses were telling her something. She had a feeling of malice, of evil. Of darkness.

"The dark energy," she whispered.

Adam looked more keen and alert. "You think-?"

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I do. But if only we could tell for sure..." Her mind was racing. Jeffrey. Jeffrey's body swinging like a pendulum. "Usually we use clear quartz as a pendulum ..."

She snatched Melanie's necklace off and held it up, looking at the teardrop of quartz crystal.

"If the dark energy was here, maybe we can trace it," she said, fired with the idea. "See where it came from-or where it went. If you guys will help."

Nick was looking skeptical, but Adam cut in before he could speak. "Of course we'll help. But it's dangerous; we've got to be careful." His fingers gripped her arm reassuringly.

"Then-we have to go back in there," Cassie said, and before she could change her mind she moved, darting into the far room where the feet still swung. Nick and Adam were close behind her. Without letting herself think, she held the crystal up high, watching it shimmer in the light.

At first it just spun in circles. But then it began to seesaw violently, pointing out a direction.

Chapter Seven

Cassie followed the motion of the crystal. It was pointing upstairs, she decided-the opposite direction led into