He slipped a finger under the front edge of her bra, pulled it outward and up, and her lovely breasts were exposed. She longed for the glorious sensation of his fingertips. But instead, he teased her by kissing the side of her face, then down her neck. As his warm, moist lips inched their way toward the nipple, she knew an orgasm was imminent.
They were lost in their own world. So, it was not surprising that neither of them heard the soft knock at the door.
Then it opened.
“Elmo?”
It was Carnie, standing in the doorway, staring at them—undeniably in the heat of passion.
Macy pulled her blouse together and turned her back to Carnie.
Carnie glanced down at Elmo’s crotch.
His face turned bright red. “Carnie, let me explain.”
“What are you doing to my sister?”
“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have been doing this.”
No, Elmo, thought Macy. Don’t say that. It’s what we’ve always wanted.
“But I’m calling off the wedding—for good,” he said.
“You’re breaking up with Carsie? Just like that?” said Carnie.
“Yes.”
“Well, then you should have had the decently to tell her before you go having sex with somebody else,” said Carnie.
“I’m not. I mean, we weren’t.”
“Yeah, right. You think I’m an idiot?” Carnie slammed the door shut and walked off.
Elmo ran to the door and yanked it open. “Please don’t tell Carsie. I promise I’ll call her in the morning and ask her to come here. Then I’ll try to break it to her gently.”
“Good luck with that,” said Carnie.
“So, you’ll let me tell her?”
“Okay, sure. Whatever.”
Elmo walked back into the study and closed the door.
“Are you okay?” he said to Macy, who was standing at the window looking out into the night.
She turned around. “Yeah.”
But she didn’t look okay. Tears were dripping off her face.
He walked over to her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have started this tonight.”
“It wasn’t just you. I wanted it too.”
“I know. But we should have waited until I settled things with Carsie. It’s just not right for us to be doing this when she still thinks I plan to marry her.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“But I promise I will take care of it tomorrow. Then we can be together. I love you so much, Macy.”
“I love you too.”
He kissed her on the forehead. They said goodnight and she went back upstairs.
And Macy knew that dreams and fantasies would never again be enough.
**********
Carnie sat at the bar in the Pub Room next to her bedroom and chugged down a beer.
All her planning and work had been a waste of time. The two old women and the fat used car guy had died for nothing. Not that she really cared, except that every murder could be increasing her chances of getting caught. And if there was one thing she cherished, it was her freedom. She would kill herself before going to prison.
And what about Jake and the four women down in the Hideaway Hospital? She hated to admit it, but she needed advice. And the one person she could always depend on was her grandmother, Sylvia.
She loved her grandmother, as most grandchildren love their grandparents. But there was a dark side to their relationship. After her mother died, Carnie frequently had terrible nightmares. And when she did, she ran to Sylvia’s bed.
But long after the nightmares ended, her grandmother continued to insist that Carnie sleep with her. And Sylvia began to touch Carnie in a way that made her uncomfortable. The quick peck on the lips of her granddaughter became long, open-mouth kisses.
Carsie had always seemed oblivious to Carnie’s plight—going along her merry way, while her sister was being abused right under her nose. Carnie used to hate Carsie for that. But she had since forgiven her. After all, if Carnie had ever told her sister what was happening, she surely would have helped her. But Carnie could never bring herself to do that. Carnie had let it happen, so she couldn’t put all the blame on her grandmother.
Once Carnie was grown and able to finally move out and get away from Sylvia, she thought she’d be able to live a normal life. But in truth, there was no way she could ever escape Sylvia’s powerful hold on her psyche.
And now, as much as she hated to admit it, she needed her grandmother’s help.
31 - TO THE MOBLEY ESTATE
“What if somebody sees us driving in?” said Cynthia. “It’s going to be a little hard to explain why we’re coming to visit them at 10:30 on a Saturday night. Especially since we don’t even know them.”
They were halfway up the long driveway to the Mobley house.
“We’ll park along here somewhere and walk the rest of the way. Like right there—between those trees,” said Greg.
He steered the big Bonneville off the driveway and into the woods.
“I don’t think anybody will notice the car here,” he said.
“Until morning,” she said.
“Yeah. Well, I hope we’re out of here before then.”
“Me too.”
Greg killed the engine and opened his door. Cynthia tried to open hers.
“My door won’t open,” she said. “There must be a little bush or something blocking it.”
“That’s okay. Just get out on my side.”
They walked out of the woods and toward the house.
“When we get closer, we’ll have to turn off our flashlights,” said Greg.
“I heard there were bobcats living in these woods.”
“Bobcats? Could be, I guess. But don’t worry, they only eat small mammals,” said Greg.
She looked up into the moonlight and observed the tips of the tall trees lining the driveway. “Well, I’m feeling pretty small right now,” she said under her breath.
**********
The last thing Carnie wanted to do was admit failure to her grandmother. As much as she despised the woman, she longed for her approval.
“Hello?”
“I’ve got a big problem,” said Carnie.
“What did you do?” said Sylvia, with disappointment in her voice.
“I got my clinic all set up, but then—“
“—Carnie! I told you that wouldn’t work.”
“I know, but—“
“—you should have just waited, like I told you. He would have come around in a couple of weeks. By then, he would have been missing Carsie so much he would have agreed to marry her right away.”
“I don’t think so…”
“Why not?” said Sylvia.
“I caught him with Macy tonight.”
“Having sex?”
“Pretty close. Her blouse was open and Elmo was kissing her boobs,” said Carnie.
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah. So, see—your idea wasn’t gonna work either.”
“Shut up, Carnie. Let me think.”
After ten seconds of silence, Carnie began to wonder if the call had been dropped.
“Hello?” said Carnie.
“I’ve got plan.”
“Good. What is it?”
“I’m coming over there.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, right now. And don’t do anything until I get there. You’ve already made a mess of things.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I’m sorry.” She wanted to stab Sylvia right through the heart with a dull knife.
“Yes, you are sorry. You always have been. You never do anything right.”
Sylvia hung up.
Carnie thought for a few minutes, and then called her grandmother again.
“Carnie, why are you calling me back? I’m on my way.”
“I forgot to tell you about the secret entrance in the barn.”
“I know all about it, My Dear,” said Sylvia, hanging up before her words had complete
ly registered in Carnie’s brain.
**********
Greg and Cynthia walked into the barn and began to look around. The interior was faintly illuminated by a single light bulb hanging from the rafters. They saw the dark blue van and knew it must be the abduction vehicle.
They knew there was an underground corridor from the barn to the house, but they had not thought to ask Nurse Magdely for the exact location of the door to that secret passageway. But the only interior door in sight was the tool shed door.
Greg used his shoulder to force the stubborn door open. Their flashlights found the other door inside almost immediately.
“This is creepy,” whispered Cynthia.
Greg opened the door and they went through, and down the stairs as quietly as they could. There was just enough light in the corridor to see where they were stepping. Greg figured the light bulbs along the way to be no more than 25-watters.
Cynthia worried about spiders and snakes. She took shallow breaths, wondering what kind of damage the musty air might be inflicting on their lungs.
Cynthia tripped on the edge of a board and fell forward into Greg’s back.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
He gave her a quick hug and then turned around and they began walking again. They could now see the light at the end of the corridor. Greg was expecting to hear people talking, but heard nothing.
Before they reached the opening, they could see Jake lying on a couch against the far wall. He appeared to be sleeping. But there was a pistol near his hand. They crept into the room and were surprised to see four women, handcuffed to their hospital beds.
Cynthia hoped they were only sleeping. She saw her mother and rushed to her side. She felt for a pulse. Yes—she was alive. She whispered into Beverly’s ear, but got no response. These women are drugged, she thought.
Greg tiptoed toward Jake. If he could grab the gun without waking him up, he thought, then he could make him release the women and they could get away in the van. He was two feet from the couch when he heard something. It must be somebody coming down from inside the house, he thought.
Greg turned and looked at Cynthia. She had heard something too. He figured they would be seen if they tried to escape the way they came in, so he motioned for Cynthia to go off to the right, down the hallway. He had no idea what was down there, but it was the quickest hiding spot.
They ran fast, but softly, into the hallway just as Carnie opened the secret mirror door and walked in and started talking to Jake.
Greg and Cynthia had not been seen, but now they were worried the woman would walk to the other end of the room, where Beverly’s bed was located. If she did, and then looked down their hallway, she would see them. And probably shoot them. Or stab them to death, like the poor woman in the parking lot.
Greg decided to take a big chance. They could hide in one of the two rooms off the hallway. But what if the door hinges were squeaky? He went for it anyway. It opened silently and they rushed in and closed the door.
The room was dark, so Greg turned on his flashlight. He planned to turn it off as soon as they—.
He stepped into a hole and fell down. Cynthia shined the flashlight across the floor and saw the big opening. A section of flooring had been pulled up and leaned against the wall, exposing the dirt underneath, and a long wooden box, mostly buried in the ground. They both prayed the noise had not been loud enough to alert the man with the gun and woman who had just joined him.
**********
Carnie couldn’t believe Jake had already fallen asleep. She picked up the gun. “Wake up!” She shook his shoulder violently.
“What?” He sat so quickly it made him dizzy.
“We’ve got a change in plans,” said Carnie. “We don’t need these women after all.”
She walked over to Betsy and held the pistol to her sleeping head.
Jake jumped up. “What are you doing?”
“These women have seen our faces, Jake. What do you think I’m doing?”
“But you can’t just murder them.”
“Why not?” she said in a flippant tone, as though she was about to squash a cockroach under her shoe.
He hurried to where she was standing. “Don’t be crazy, Carnie.”
“Are you saying I’m crazy?” She swung around and pointed the gun at Jake’s face.
“No, no. Of course not.” He stepped back a little.
Carnie stepped toward him. “Then what are you saying, Jake? That Carnie Slitherstone is a cold-blooded killer? Is that what you’re saying, Jake?”
He was afraid to speak or to move.
“Well, you know what, Jake. I am a cold-blooded killer.”
And Jake was now a cold-blooded believer.
She cocked the pistol.
He cringed. He wasn’t ready to die. Sure, he had killed a man—he was guilty of a hit and run. And he should have gone to the police and let them throw him in jail where he belonged, he thought. At least then he would have still been alive tomorrow.
She squeezed the trigger, and the gun clicked.
Jake opened his eyes in disbelief.
Carnie began to laugh at him. “You idiot. You really think I’d trust you with a loaded weapon?”
His testosterone suddenly revved up a rage in his belly and he lunged at her and her impotent gun.
But she took a quick step back whipped out a big knife.
Where did she get that? he wondered. She had seemingly pulled it out of thin air.
He struggled to catch himself and avoid the outstretched knife, and barely succeeded.
“Don’t you ever try anything like that again,” she hissed.
He raised his hands in humble surrender. “I’m sorry.”
**********
Greg and Cynthia were sitting on the floor, against the wall. They had turned off their flashlights to conserve the batteries.
“We should call the police,” whispered Cynthia.
“But if they come knocking on the front door, these people might kill the women and make a run for it.”
“Not if we warn them about it and have them sneak in through the back way, like we did.”
“Yeah, I guess that might work.”
Cynthia flipped opened her cell phone. “Never mind—I’ve got no signal.”
Greg checked his phone. “Me either. We’ll just have to wait until they go back to sleep. Then one of us can slip out and call the police.”
“Well, I’m not staying without you,” she said. “And I’m sure not going without you.”
“But you’d only have to get to the barn. You’d have a signal out there.”
Cynthia glared at him.
“Okay. We’ll both go,” he said.
32 - IN THE DARK
Greg checked his watch. It was 11:55 PM. He and Cynthia had been sitting in silence, waiting for the man and woman out in the hospital ward to leave or fall asleep. They had heard them yelling earlier, when the woman first came in. After that, there had been only occasional mumbling.
If the man or woman walked in on Greg and Cynthia, they would be caught. There was no place for them to hide in their empty room. And the only weapons they had were plastic flashlights.
“How long have we been sitting here?” said Cynthia.
“About 45 minutes.”
“What do you think is in that box?”
“I don’t know.” Greg turned on his flashlight and walked to the front of the box.
“What are you doing?”
“Now I have to know what’s in here.”
“I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have brought it up. Maybe we’d better just leave it alone.”
Cynthia moved over to where Greg was kneeling in front of the box. It was six or seven feet long and about three feet wide. Except for the top, it was mostly buried in the dirt, so there was no way to determine the depth.
Greg handed Cynthia his flashlight and pulled up on the board. It
was heavy. He had opened it just a few inches when Cynthia directed the flashlight beam down into the box.
She jumped back, hitting her head on the wall.
Greg quickly lowered the lid and went to her side. “Baby, are you okay?”
She was shaking—as though she’d seen the Angel of Death. “Did you see inside?”
“What?”
She gulped. “Skeletons.”
“Are you sure?”
She grabbed his wrist and shook it hard. “Yes, I’m sure. Get me out of here, Greg.”
“Okay, but hang on a second. Will you hold the flashlight for me?”
“Do you really have to look? Can’t you just take my word for it?”
“Just stay back here and hold the flashlight. Please?”
“Hurry.”
Cynthia stood up and leaned against the wall and turned the flashlight toward the box.
Greg lifted the lid a couple of feet and studied the contents. There were several skeletons in the box. He counted four skulls and lowered the lid. His skin began to crawl, and he knew it wouldn’t stop until he was back above ground. “Let’s go.”
**********
It was only a little after midnight and Horatio was already making his first trip to the bathroom. He couldn’t even remember what it was like to sleep through the night. His enlarged prostate was a pain in the butt.
When he got back to the bed, Alma said, “Ben’s talking in his sleep. Maybe you’d better go check on him.”
“Nah. He’ll settle down in a minute.”
But his brother didn’t settle down. He got louder.
“Horry?”
“Alright. I’m going.”
Horatio walked to the guest bedroom and stood in the doorway. He could see his brother clearly, thanks to the moonlight coming in through the windows.
“Ben?”
Hadley continued to mumble.
“Ben, you’re talking in your sleep.”
But he talked even louder. He seemed to be angry with someone.
Horatio walked to the side of the bed. “Ben?” He put his hand on Hadley’s arm.
Hadley jerked upright while grabbing something at his right side.
Horatio flipped on the light.
Hadley woke up, still clutching an imaginary object with both hands.
Greg Tenorly Suspense Series Boxed Set Page 34