Part 24 (1/2)
It was inside the roped area.
”What happened?” said Greg to a man standing with his wife.
”I heard it was an old lady. Somebody stabbed her.”
”Oh, Greg,” said Cynthia as she clutched his arm.
”Come on.” Greg held the rope up while they bent down and went under it.
One of the cops saw them approaching and started walking toward them, holding out his hand, ordering them to stay back.
”We think it might be her mother,” said Greg.
Cynthia started crying. ”You've got to let me see her.”
”Alright, come on,” said the cop.
When the other officers and paramedics opened a path for them, they could see the body lying on the pavement with a sheet over it.
”No!” Cynthia threw her arms around Greg and pressed her face into his chest. She was sobbing uncontrollably.
”We think it might be her mother. Could you let us see?” said Greg.
Cynthia cried harder.
One of the paramedics uncovered the face.
”It's not her, Sweetie,” said Greg.
”What? Are you sure?” She turned around. ”Oh, thank G.o.d.”
A woman had just broken through the crowd and run to the body.
”Oh, Mom!” She knelt down beside the b.l.o.o.d.y corpse and began to cry.
Greg and Cynthia turned and walked away.
”But where is she?” said Cynthia.
Chapter27.
Carnie drove the van into the barn and killed the engine. She and Jake had successfully abducted four women for her fake clinical trial.
”What are you going to do to us?” said one of the women.
”I'm checking you into Hideaway Hospital,” said Carnie.
”I don't need to go to the hospital. I want to go home,” said another woman.
”I need volunteers for my clinical trial,” said Carnie.
”So, we're gonna be the white mice in your laboratory?” a woman said.
”Something like that. Now, let's go,” said Carnie.
Jake got out, opened the sliding door and motioned for the women to exit the van. He held the gun on them as they stepped out. His hand was getting so shaky it seemed as though it might fire accidentally at any second.
”Okay, let's get your names and ages,” said Carnie.
”Betsy Holsom. 72.” She was slightly stocky, and appeared to be quite strong and healthy.” She glared at Carnie as though she might try to grab her at any moment and wrestle her to the ground.
”My name is Ellen Pinkly, and I'm 88.” Ellen was skinny and frail. Her skin was whiter than baby powder.
”Marcia Cleggmore. 79.” Marcia was nearly six feet tall, and stood erect and proud.
”Cleggmore, huh? said Carnie. ”Aren't the Cleggmores that wealthy family? Yeah. Y'all have that fancy clothing store in Coreyville, right?”
”That is correct.”
”Yeah. What's the name of that store?”
”Cleggmore's.”
”Oh, right. Of course.” said Carnie with a smart-aleck grin.
Carnie looked at the last woman. ”And finally, we have?”
”Beverly Sonora.”
”Age?”
”67.”
”67? Why you're just a kid. Looks like I messed up, Jake. This one's too young.”
”Then why don't you just let me go,” said Beverly.
”Nope. Can't do that. You'll just have to act older.”
”Act older for who?” said Beverly.
”For Dr. Mobley.”
”What? I can't believe Elmo is involved in this,” said Marcia.
”Dr. Mobley is trying to develop the best possible medication for his mother, who has Alzheimer's. So, we're going to pretend to have a clinical trial using the various concoctions he comes up with. The big difference in our clinical trial is that we'll have only four partic.i.p.ants and that you'll be residentsin the clinic for the entire trial. And I know what you're going to say. None of you haveAlzheimer's.”