“It was stupid to leave the van in the barn,” said Sylvia.
“I was planning to dump it,” said Carnie.
“Well, it’s too late for that. But it doesn’t matter now.”
Sylvia glanced at Cynthia and then at Greg. “I saw your car. Nice hiding place. In fact, I parked in that area too. By the way, I hope you have a good warranty on those tires.” She pulled out a large pocket knife and held it up, smiling.
Carnie stepped in close to her grandmother and whispered, “What’s the plan?”
“Just be patient, My Dear. Now give me a proper greeting.”
Carnie hated it—even in private. Now she was being forced to do it in front of other people. She kissed Sylvia on the lips.
But it was just a peck—not nearly enough to satisfy her grandmother. Sylvia took Carnie’s head in her hands and gave her an open-mouth kiss lasting five seconds.
In the blink of an eye, Carnie could have unsheathed her knife and gouged out Sylvia’s tongue. And then her eyes. Then she could have cut out her heart and stomped on it.
She couldhave.
**********
Macy tossed and turned and thought about Elmo’s eyes and lips and arms. They had both wanted to make love. And they wouldhave—if Carnie hadn’t interrupted. Of course, doing it on a hard floor was not what she had pictured for their first time.
She had imagined it thousands of times—waiting naked on a warm bed, under a satin sheet, when he walked out of the steamy bathroom in his robe. They would eye each other with burning desire as he walked toward her. It would be all he could do to restrain himself from running to the bed and leaping on top of her.
He would untie his robe and let it fall open, revealing his lean, muscular chest and his firm lower body, already throbbing for her.
Because Macy had not been with a man in many years, she had trained herself in the art of self-fulfillment. Through graphic visualizations, she could ring her own bell repeatedly—hands free.
But now she really needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a wonderful day, she thought. She got up, put on her robe and went down to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk. When the microwave beeped, she reached to open to door.
“Why are you still up?”
Macy spun around and saw Elmo, standing in the doorway wearing his robe and slippers.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said.
“Yeah, me either.”
“I’m just so excited.”
He walked to her. “I love you, Macy.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Hey, since we’re both having trouble sleeping, you want to go down and watch a movie?”
“Sure.” She smiled. They had watched hundreds of movies and countless TV shows together. And now she could enjoy that with Elmo for the rest of their lives. As well as making love to him any hour of the day or night—any time he wanted her.
**********
“Who’s this?” said Sylvia to Carnie.
“His name is Jake. He’s a friend of mine.”
“And he helped you set this up?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Cynthia interrupted. “Excuse me, but could somebody please tell me what’s going on here? Why have you kidnapped these women and drugged them? And why are you holding us?”
Sylvia turned to Cynthia. “Lady, I don’t think you understand the precarious situation you’ve gotten yourself into. I have total power over you and everybody in this room. For example: Carnie, go over there and slap Jake in the face. Slap him as hard as you can.”
Carnie reluctantly followed her grandmother’s orders.
Jake stared at Carnie, dumbfounded.
“No, that wasn’t good enough. You hesitated. Do it again. Now!”
This time, Jake grabbed Carnie’s hand before she could strike him.
“You failed, Carnie. Make him pull his pants down. Underwear too.”
“Forget it,” said Jake to Carnie. “I’m not playing this game.”
“Oh, but you are, Jake,” said Sylvia. “Now, do what I said, Carnie.”
Carnie reached for Jake’s belt bucket, but he pushed her away.
“Okay, that’s it,” said Sylvia. “End of game. Kill him, Carnie.”
Carnie turned and gave her grandmother a stone cold stare.
“Kill him, now!”
Carnie reached behind her back and pulled out the knife.
Jake grabbed the pistol off the couch and pointed it at her. “What are you doing, Carnie? I love you. Put the knife away.”
“Love?” said Sylvia with a sneer. “Boy, you don’t even know what love is. Just because you got into her panties, you think she loves you? No. Carnie only loves one person and that’s me. Kill him!”
Carnie moved toward Jake with demonic look in her eyes that freaked him out. He pulled the trigger. But it didn’t fire. Of course not, he thought. She had never loaded it.
Jake kicked Carnie back and she took a swipe at his leg and missed.
“Do it!” said Sylvia.
It all happened too fast. The knife was in Carnie’s hand. She raised it above her head and then threw it at him.
Jake looked down and saw only the handle of the knife. The long blade was buried deeply in his chest. He slumped to the floor and fell over backwards.
Carnie went to his side. She looked as though she had just come out of a trance. “I’m sorry, Jake.”
But it was little consolation. If he’d done the right thing and turned himself in, he would have been wearing a one-piece prison suit.
But now he’d be wearing nothing but a toe tag.
**********
Mallie Mae got up to go to the bathroom. Soon Elmo would know just how much his mother cared about him. She had disgraced herself at the restaurant for the sole purpose of keeping Carsie and Elmo apart. And bringing Macy and Elmo together. And she was proud of herself for doing it.
But it had not been easy. We are trained as toddlers to only go in the potty. So, after more than 70 years, it took great effort for her to pee in her panties. And not just a little spurt. She needed enough to soak through her clothing and the fabric of the chair, so it would spill over and drip on the floor.
But it had been well worth it. Elmo would now dump Carsie. He was in love with Macy, and always had been. Most of the time Macy and Elmo spent together had been late at night, after Mallie Mae had gone to sleep. She knew they enjoyed watching movies together, but she had never seen the possibility of romance. All three of them had been fools, she thought. But not anymore.
When she came out of the bathroom she decided to check on Macy. She cracked her door and peeked out. Macy’s door was open and a faint light shone through her doorway. Mallie Mae couldn’t resist. She walked to Macy’s doorway and looked in.
“Macy?”
Macy was not in her bedroom or her bathroom. Maybe they’re watching a movie, she thought. Or maybe they’re in his bed.
She went downstairs and checked Elmo’s study and his bedroom. Both had their doors wide open. They must be in the Media Room, she thought. She tiptoed down the stairs, listening carefully as she went, and was nearly at the bottom of the stairs when she heard Elmo and Macy talking softly. She peeked out and saw them standing at the closed guest bedroom door—Carnie’s door. Bright light shone from the gap under the door.
“Do you really think we should bother her? It’s 1:00 in the morning,” said Macy.
“Well, apparently she’s up. And I just want her to know we’re going to be watching a movie. Don’t want her to worry if she hears strange noises.”
“And you want to apologize again,” said Macy.
“Yes. Am I being silly?”
“No. I understand. I’ll apologize too.”
Elmo knocked on the door and waited.
No answer.
He tried again.
Nothing.
“Wonder why she’s not answering?” said Macy.
“Carnie? You okay?” he said through the door.
Still no resp
onse.
“Now I’m getting worried,” he said to Macy.
“Do you have a key?”
“Yeah.” He rushed into the Pub Room and opened a cabinet behind the bar and pulled the key off the hook. Then he went back and opened Carnie’s door.
Macy looked at Elmo in shock. “What in the world is this?”
Mallie Mae gasped, and was surprised that neither Macy nor Elmo heard her and turned around. She knew this day would come.
But why did it have to come now?
Chapter34
Carnie took the pistol from Jake’s lifeless hand. She ejected the clip, began to load it with bullets she had brought down from her bedroom and hidden under a bag on the table.
Sylvia walked over to where Cynthia was standing, handcuffed to her mother’s bed. She looked at Beverly and then at Cynthia as she smiled and said, “You know, Carnie enjoys killing old women. Don’t you, Carnie?”
Carnie didn’t answer.
Sylvia continued. “I’m sure you heard about the poor old lady in Marshall and her nurse. I understand the house was a bloody mess. And her safe was robbed too.”
“Why are you telling me this? Now I know who the murderer is.”
Sylvia’s smile grew bigger and more evil.
“You’re planning to kill all of us, aren’t you?”
“We’ll see.”
Sylvia turned and walked toward Carnie. “Where’s the bracelet?”
“In my room.”
“I want to see it.”
“Right now?”
“Right now. Go get it.”
**********
Elmo and Macy were standing in Carnie’s doorway, looking at the hole in the floor.
Elmo led her into the room and showed her the stairs. “It goes down to the sub-basement.”
“How could I have been living here for 15 years and not know about this?”
“We wanted to forget about it, so we closed it off.”
“Forget about what?”
“There’s a laboratory down there. My dad built it so he could do his experiments.”
“Underground?”
“Yeah. It’s a long story. Look, I’ve gotta go down and find out what Carnie’s up to. You stay here. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Elmo went down the stairs, through the hallway and into the lab. He didn’t see anybody, but he heard a woman’s voice. It sounded as though it was coming from the bathroom, so he went over to check it out.
The bathroom was empty, but the voice was louder. He noticed that the mirror had been pulled away from the wall on one side. He moved closer and discovered that the mirror was also a door. The house had secrets even Elmo wasn’t aware of.
He opened the mirror door and stepped into the hospital ward. “What’s going on here?”
Sylvia had been harassing Greg. She spun around and smiled. “Oh, Elmo. I was wondering how long it would be before you joined us.”
“Who are you and what are you doing in my house?”
“My name is Sylvia Slitherstone. I went to college with Mallie Mae. We were suite mates.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re in my basement. Slitherstone? Are you related to Carsie and Carnie?”
Cynthia shouted, “We’ve all been kidnapped. She’s planning to kill us.”
Sylvia’s smile disappeared.
Elmo turned to run upstairs and call 911.
But then he saw Carnie. She was pointing a gun at him. “What are you doing, Carnie?”
“If you had just gone ahead and married my sister, this wouldn’t be happening. Move over there by that table.”
“You mean Carsie’sin on this?”
“Yes. Well, sort of. She was supposed to seduce you into marrying her so we could get our hands on your money.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“But in the process, she fell in love with you.”
Sylvia chimed in. “A fairy tale love story, huh, Doc?” She laughed.
Carnie kept her gun pointed at Elmo as she walked to Ellen’s bed and removed the handcuff from her right wrist. Then she moved away from the bed and ordered Elmo to walk over and handcuff himself.
Elmo looked at Sylvia. “You couldn’tbe a friend of my mother’s.”
“Oh, I never said we were friends. I said we went to college together. I suppose we were friends at first. But that ended when she stole your father away from me.”
“So, my dad dumped you way back in college, and now you want money? Is that what this is all about?”
“No, not really. It’s more about getting even. About getting what’s mine. Morford should have been myhusband. You should have been myson.”
“Are you really that petty? To hold a grudge for over 50 years?”
Sylvia stopped smiling. “I want what’s mine. And I’m gonna take it.”
**********
Mallie Mae was still standing near the bottom of the stairs watching Macy in Carnie’s room, when she heard somebody come in the front door. Then she heard footsteps coming down behind her. She knew that at any moment Macy would hear too, and turn around. But there was nowhere to go but down.
“Mallie Mae?” said Macy. She rushed to her. “What are you doing up? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just—“
“—what’s going on around here?” Carsie said as she stepped off the bottom stair. “Why is everybody up in the middle of the night?”
Macy and Mallie Mae looked at each other, but said nothing.
“And I think my grandmother is over here too. Where’s Elmo?”
Before they could answer, Carsie saw that Carnie’s bedroom door was open and the light was on. “And where’s Carnie?”
Carsie ran to her sister’s bedroom and saw the hole in the floor. “What’s this?” Then she heard somebody below. “Hello?”
“It’s me, Sis.” Carnie walked up the stairs and into the room.
“Carnie, what’s going on here?”
“We’re having a little party down in the basement.”
“I thought thiswas the basement.”
Carnie looked at Mallie Mae and Macy. “Come on, Ladies. Elmo wants you to come down too.”
As they were approaching Carnie’s room, she reached into her suitcase, pulled out a little plastic bag and put it in her skirt pocket. “Follow me.”
When they entered the lab, Macy looked around and said, “Where’s Elmo?”
“He’s in here.” Carnie led them into the big bathroom and sent them through the mirrored doorway.
Sylvia was standing at the far side of the room holding the pistol. “Welcome, Ladies. Now the fun begins.”
“Who are you, and how dare you break into our home?” said Mallie Mae.
“Don’t you recognize me, Mallie Mae?”
“No. Should I?”
“We went to college together. I was one of your suite mates.”
“Sylvia?”
Sylvia’s grin scared Macy.
“Yes. So, I’m sure you know why I’m doing this.”
“I have no idea.”
“You stole my boyfriend, Mallie Mae! I’ll never forgive you for that!”
“Stole your boyfriend? Morford?”
“Yes, of course, Morford. When your roommate dumped him, I was there to pick up the pieces. But then she decided to play matchmaker, and introduced him to you. She was determined that I didn’t get him. She hated me.”
“Martha didn’t hateyou.”
“Yes, she did. Bring it over here, Carnie.”
Carnie reached into her pocket and took out the little plastic bag as she walked to her grandmother. Sylvia exchanged the gun in her hand for the bag in Carnie’s hand. Then she reached into the bag and pulled out a silver bracelet. “But I finally took my revenge on Martha.” She held up the bracelet and walked over to Mallie Mae.
“What’s that,” said Mallie Mae.
“I’m surprised you don’t recognize it.”
“It can’t be the br
acelet Morford gave her.”
Sylvia turned it over and held it close to Mallie Mae’s eyes so she could read the inscription.
“How did you get that?” The horrible truth sunk in. “Somebody murdered her last week. It was you!”
Sylvia started laughing. “She had it coming.”
“Just because she got me and Morford together—over 50 years ago? Because of that you murdered her?”
Carnie spoke up. “Actually, I killed her. And her nurse.”
“And you’ve been living in my house?” said Mallie Mae.
“That’s right, Old Lady.” Carnie pointed the gun at her. “Now get over there against the wall and sit down! You too, Macy!”
Carsie was dizzy with confusion. “Carnie, why did you have to ruin everything? Elmo and were going to get married.”
“Wrong,” said Carnie. “Elmo wasn’t going to marry you.”
“Yes, he was. He just needed a little time to work things out for Mallie Mae and her Alzheimer’s.”
“I don’t believe Mallie Mae even hasAlzheimer’s disease,” said Carnie. “I think she was faking it to break up you and Elmo.”
“That’s not true, is it Mallie Mae?”
Mallie Mae didn’t answer.
“Besides,” said Carnie, “tonight I caught Elmo making out with Macy.”
Carsie looked at Macy. “They’re great friends. I’m sure Elmo was just giving her a friendly hug.”
“Well, let me see if I can paint the picture for you, Sis. They were in his study. And her blouse was unbuttoned, her bra was flipped up and he was kissing her on the boobs. And if I hadn’t walked in when I did—“
“—Elmo, how could you?” said Carsie.
She looked at Macy. “And I trusted you.” She began to cry.
“Quit being a baby, Carsie,” said Sylvia. “Can’t you see that the Mobleys are all alike?”
**********
Horatio jerked from his sleep when Hadley tapped him on the shoulder.
“What’s the matter, Ben?” said Horatio.
“I’m going home.”
Horatio put on his glasses and looked at the alarm clock. “But it’s 1:45 in the morning.”
“I know. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to get home. Something’s just not right. I called the house phone and nobody answered.”
“They’re sleeping.”
“Yeah, but then I tried all their cell phones, and nobody answered. And I know Elmo and Macy would answer their cell phones at night.”
Hideaway Hospital Murders Page 18
