Part 31 (1/2)
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-bas.e.m.e.nt.”
”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 hara.s.sing 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 bas.e.m.e.nt. 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. ”h.e.l.lo?”
”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 bas.e.m.e.nt.”