The Twisted Window by Lois Duncan Page A

East Ridge subdivision was made to the accompaniment of country-western music played at top volume. By the time they pulled into the Carvers' driveway, Tracy's ears were numb and her head was throbbing.
     
    Sally Carver was waiting just inside the doorway, looking surprisingly exotic for a Winfield housewife. She was wearing a forest green scoop-necked dress with gold accessories, and her blond hair was arranged high on her head in an intricate French braid.
     
    She greeted Tracy cordially and then turned to her husband. "So you're finally back! What in the world took you so long? I told you we're meeting the Mahrers at a quarter to seven."
     
    "I stopped to visit a minute with Tracy's aunt," Doug said. "Believe it or not, she's the real estate agent who sold us this house."
     
    "That's coincidence number two then," Sally said. "The first was Tracy's calling us when she did, right when we were absolutely frantic about finding a sitter. All I can say is, blessings on Jimmy Tyler! He's an angel for having given you our number, Tracy."
     
    "We'd better get the show on the road, hon," Doug broke in. "Is Cricket down for the night?"
     
    "Probably," Sally said. "I tucked her in and handed her Monk-Monk and put on the Songs From Dreamland tape. That usually does the job in about thirty seconds."
     
    "Cricket?" Tracy repeated the name in bewilderment. "Her name is Cricket?"
     
    "It's a nickname," explained Doug. "You'd understand why if you ever saw her in the daytime. The kid's like a jumping bean. She never stops hopping around."
     
    "You don't have to worry about her tonight though," Sally said reassuringly. "Once she hits that bed, she's down for the count. Around ten, you'll have to get her up and walk her to the bathroom. She sleeps so soundly she won't wake up on her own until the bed's wet.
     
    "Cricket's room is down the hall, second door on the right. If you should need to get hold of us for any reason, the information about where we'll be is on a pad by the telephone. Help yourself to anything you want from the refrigerator." She looked at her watch. "Doug, we've really got to get going!"
     
    "That's what I've been trying to tell you," Doug Carver responded in mock exasperation. "Tracy doesn't need a thirty page instruction sheet. Next thing, you'll be offering to supply her with a floor plan of our home."
     
    They were still engaged in lighthearted bantering as they left the house. Tracy stood gazing out through the screen as they crossed the yard and got into their car. The engine roared to life and the car radio followed suit, filling the evening with foot-stamping bluegrass. The headlights flashed on like the eyes of a waking cat as Doug backed the car slowly out of the driveway and into the street.
     
    Tracy continued to stand and watch until the Carvers had disappeared from sight around a bend in the road and Sweetwater Drive had settled back into undiluted darkness. Then, closing the door but leaving it unlocked, she went down the hall to the room in which the child was sleeping.
     
    The bedroom door had been left standing open, and light from the overhead in the hallway spilled into the room, illuminating the small figure on the bed. Mindy was lying on her side with her thumb in her mouth. Her silken hair was spread out across the pillow like a halo. With her free hand, she was clutching a toy monkey, and a tape recorder on the floor by the bed was playing softly. A woman's voice was singing a song about the moon.
     
    "Mindy?" Tracy asked softly. "Are you awake?"
     
    The child made no response.
     
    "The moon is wise, the moon is old, and all her songs come wrapped in gold," sang the lady on the tape.
     
    Tracy switched on the lamp on the bedside table. Despite the fact that Mindy was a recent addition to their household, it was evident that the Carvers had redecorated the room for her. The wallpaper was splashed with pictures of brightly colored balloons, and the curtains were adorned with Sesame