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for instance.”
    “All right, all right.” Tuck eased her foot down on the brake pedal, and the Jeep slowed down.
    “Thank you,” Dana said.
    “You’re always so cautious.”
    “You’re always so reckless. Maybe that’s why your dad didn’t want you to stay by yourself.”
    “I don’t think that’s why.”
    “Was he afraid you might throw wild parties?”
    “Nah. It was the whole idea of me being alone in the house. You know, it’s so enormous and there’s nothing around it but the woods. No neighbors or anything. It can get a little creepy when you’re there by yourself. Anyway, I think Dad had visions of the Manson family or Hannibal Lecter coming for me.”
    “In which case, a lot of good I’d be.”
    “It’s just some sort of mental aberration on Dad’s part. He seems to think I’ll be fine if you’re staying with me. It’s not because you’re such a big, strapping brute, either.”
    “I hope not.”
    “Not that you aren’t.”
    “I see that living in the lap of luxury hasn’t robbed you of your native charm.”
    “Nope. Thank God, huh?”
    “Yeah. It would’ve been a major loss. Anyway, if they’d forced you to go on the cruise with them, what would they have done about Beast House?”
    “Put Clyde in charge,”
    “Who’s Clyde?”
    “Clyde Bennett. You met him yesterday. He’s a charmer. He’s gotta be thrilled to death about me being head honcho this summer.”
    “Does he give you a hard time?” Dana asked.
    “He used to.”
    As they glided around a bend, the two-lane public road came into sight. Tuck slowed the Jeep and came to a complete stop.
    This is where you’ve gotta start being careful,” she explalned. “Some of the people around these parts drive like maniacs.” She eased forward, checking in both directions, then stepped on the gas. “Beast House,” she yelled, “here we come!”

Chapter Four
    THE STORY ACCORDING TO PATTY
    “Hello again,” Patty said.
    Owen, relieved by the interruption, settled back in his seat and leaned sideways a little to look up the aisle at the guide.
    “Is everyone enjoying the scenery?” she asked. “It’s pretty terrific, isn’t it?”
    Looks good from here, Owen thought.
    Patty was standing casually with the microphone close to her mouth. She held on to a support pole with her other hand. The hand was high, as if she’d raised her arm to ask a question.
    “This section of Pacific Coast Highway can be a little frightening,” Patty said. “But you folks probably enjoy a good scare, or you wouldn’t be on your way to Beast House. Am I right?”
    Some of the passengers responded, “Right.” Others chuckled.
    “To put your minds at ease, I can tell you that we haven’t lost a bus over the cliffs in the past three weeks. That trip, I hear, was very exciting for a few seconds. But I miss the guide. She and I were pretty good friends. Her name was Bubbles.”
    “Give me a break,” Monica muttered.
    “Not Sandy?” asked a man in an aisle seat just in front of Patty.
    “Good one,” she told him.
    “How about Rocky?” suggested another passenger.
    “Actually, all three perished. It was a terrible accident. But I’m sure we’ll fare better. Won’t we, Al?” The driver raised his arm and gave a thumbs-up. “He doesn’t let a little thing like cataracts get in his way.” After a short pause, Patty asked, “How many of you have been to Beast House before?”
    Looking around, Owen saw eight or ten of the passengers raise a hand.
    “What’s that, about one out of five? Pretty good. That’s about typical. We get a lot of repeats. There’s something about Beast House that just keeps drawing people back to it. Especially weirdos. No offense.”
    A lot of riders laughed at that one.
    “The house has had a long and colorful history. Mostly, the color has been red. I won’t get into much of that, though. What I want to do, now, is tell you a few things that won’t get covered to any extent on the tour.
    “Beast