“Lou—” she began, but the words froze on her lips.
From inside the monastery came a shrill, piercing scream. As the girls huddled together, the sound died slowly away.
Then a silence, even more terrifying, fell upon the grounds.
CHAPTER
2
“NO TRESPASSING”
“Someone is inside that building!” Penny exclaimed, recovering from startled surprise.
Tensely, the girls waited, but the sound was not repeated.
“It was a woman’s scream,” Louise whispered after a moment. Nervously, she clung to her chum’s hand as they stood in the shadow of the big iron gate. “What can be happening in there?”
Penny stared at the dark monastery, uncertain what to do. Nowhere was a light visible, yet she felt that not only was the building occupied, but also that alert eyes were watching them from somewhere in the gloomy interior.
“Someone may be in trouble and need help,” she said in an unsteady voice. “Let’s rap on the door and ask.”
“At this time of night?” Louise tugged at her chum’s hand, trying to pull her away. “Let’s go, Penny! It’s really none of our affair what goes on here.”