Page 24 of The Dinner Party

“Oh dear.” Mr. Wentworth shakes his head, distressed. “I’ll be right down.”

Carson waits for Mr. Wentworth to start down the steps, and then he follows behind him. But before he disappears, Carson casts one last look over his shoulder at you. The warning in his gray eyes is unmistakable.

Once the two of them are gone, you are left alone in the attic. Well, just you and the dire wolf.

That poor wolf! She looks so sad in her cage. No animal should be trapped in a cage. It’s wrong. Just looking at her is physically painful for you.

That’s when you notice a key hanging from a hook mounted on the wall of the room.

You suspect the key must open the cage. After all, what other purpose could it possibly serve? If you want, you could set the wolf free. Nobody could stop you.

But maybe that’s not such a good idea. After all, the wolf has very sharp teeth. And she looks hungry.

What should you do?

To open the cage, turn to Chapter 41 (page 100)

To leave the carnivorous animal with sharp fangs secure in her cage, turn to Chapter 42 (page 102)

41

Yes, the wolf looks dangerous and hungry. But she is a living creature, and you cannot leave her trapped in a cage. You couldn’t live with yourself if you did that, especially when you have a chance to set her free.

Besides, the wolf won’t hurt you. She will surely understand that you’re on her side. Animals sense things like that.

You grab the key off the wall. Slowly, you approach the cage, key in hand. You allow her to sniff your hand, so she’ll get used to the scent of you, but she lets out a growl, and you pull your hand away before she bites it off.

“Hey, girl,” you say, “I’m going to let you out of there.”

The wolf lets out another growl, and a glob of saliva drips from her lips. You’re not entirely sure how to interpret that, and you don’t try too hard.

You fit the key into the lock with hands that are only slightly shaking. For a moment, it doesn’t turn, and you think that all this buildup was for nothing, but then you apply a little more force, and you hear a click.

Slowly, you pull open the cage door. You take a step back, bracing yourself for the wolf to leap up and rip you limb from limb. But to your surprise, the wolf does not claw you limb from limb. In fact, she doesn’t move at all.

“Go!” you hiss at the animal. “You’re free! Get out of here before they eat you!”

But the wolf does not budge.

Stupid wolf.

Well, that was all for nothing. As the saying goes, you can open a wolf’s cage, but you can’t make her leap out and rip out the throats of everyone in the house.

Sighing, you leave the room and head back downstairs.

Turn to Chapter 42 (page 102)

42

When you get back downstairs, Avery is waiting for you. She flashes you a smile that shows all of her teeth. You’ve known Avery a long time, but you’ve never seen her so thrilled to see you.

“Mr. Wentworth told me to send you into the kitchen,” she says. “There was an issue with the stove, but it seems to be resolved.”

“Sure,” you say. “Will you show me where it is?”

“Actually,” Avery says, “I have to set the table. But it’s right down the hallway on your left. You can’t miss it.”

She seems so confident you’ll be able to find the kitchen, but this place is huge. Still, you’re sure that if you get lost, someone will point you in the right direction. “Okay, no problem.”