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."

"Actually, I think I might," said Ellen.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. You will fool Dr. Mobley by pretending to have the disease. And then one of you will be miraculously cured."

"This is crazy," said Betsy.

"Yes, it is," said Carnie with an evil grin. "But you will do as I say...or you will surely die. Follow me."

Carnie led them to the tool shed. Jake followed up the rear with the gun. Carnie turned the k.n.o.b and kicked the door a couple of times to open it. She stepped in and walked across the dirt floor to the other door.

She opened the door and said, "Follow me. And watch your step." She walked through the door and down the stairs. "Come on-we haven't got all night."

As Betsy took the first step down, she thought about slamming the door behind her, jumping down on Carnie, and snapping her neck like a twig. Then the other women could take care of Jake. He was so nervous he might drop the gun. But then she looked back and saw Ellen already stepping down behind her.

Ellen was working on a plot of her own. What would happen if she fainted or fell down a couple of stairs? she wondered. She might end up breaking an arm or a leg. Then what would they do with her? Would they take her to a real hospital? Or would they shoot her like a lame horse in an old western? Maybe she needed a better plan.

Marcia looked back at Jake and whispered, "Young man, you don't have to go along with that crazy woman. Why don't you release us before you get yourself into more trouble?"

"Sorry," said Jake. "I'm already in it up to my eyeb.a.l.l.s. Didn't you see her stab that woman back there in the parking lot."

"But youhaven't killed anybody, have you? I'm a very good judge of character, and I'm quite certain that you're not capable of murder."

"You don't know what you're talking about," said Jake. "Now, hurry up and get down those stairs before I shoot you in the b.u.t.t, Old Lady."

"Mercy!" said Marcia as she turned to go down. She was more offended by his rudeness than his talk of shooting her.

Beverly thought it best to keep her mouth shut. What must Cynthia and Greg be thinking right now? Surely they had gone to Wal-Mart looking for her. She felt as much concern for her daughter as for herself. Cynthia would be worried sick.

Carnie led the group through the curvy wooden corridor, which seemed to lead to a dead end. But then they began to see light in the distance, growing brighter as they got closer.

They walked into the large room and looked around.

"Welcome to Hideaway Hospital," said Carnie with pride.

It was a four-bed ward, like one you might see in a real hospital. Each bed had a nightstand, but they were missing one standard item: a telephone. There was a couch on the far wall and a table in the corner stacked with various medical supplies and linens.

Carnie picked up a stack of gowns and threw one to each of the women. "Change into these."

"Is there a dressing room?" said Ellen.

"Yeah," said Carnie. "You're standing in it."

All four women looked at Jake.

"Give me the gun," Carnie said to Jake. "Now turn around while these ladies change."

Jake turned around, but the women didn't move.

"Hurry up!" said Carnie.

Sensing they were in more danger than before, now that Carnie was holding the gun, they quickly selected their beds and began to take off their clothes and lay them on their beds.

"Now fold your clothes and put them on the shelf under your nightstand and get in your bed," said Carnie.

"Jake, grab that bag and start handcuffing them," said Carnie.

"Is that really necessary? What if there's a fire?" said Marcia.

"Then you're toast," said Carnie.

Jake picked up the bag, walked over to Carnie and talked softly to her with his back to the women. "Do we really need to handcuff them? They're not going anywhere."

"Not as long as somebody's holding a gun on them. But how about at 3:00 AM when you fall asleep?"

Jake walked over to Betsy's bed, set the bag down on her nightstand and pulled out a set of handcuffs. He cuffed her right wrist to the stainless steel bedrail and then went to Ellen's bed.

"Jake? Both hands," said Carnie.

"Ah, come on!" said Betsy.

"I think you'll find that your stay here will be more enjoyable if you learn speak to me in the proper tone of voice," said Carnie.

Jake had just handcuffed Betsy's other wrist when Carnie walked over to her bed and slapped her hard in the face.

It gave Betsy such an adrenalin rush, she tried yank the bedrails free and slam them together like crash cymbals against the sides of Carnie's head. But the only thing she accomplished was to bruise her wrists.

While Jake handcuffed the other women, Carnie walked to the table that had medical supplies sitting on top of it. She picked up four syringes and four vials. She walked to Betsy's bed and prepared to give her an injection.

As Carnie prepped Betsy's arm for the shot, Betsy said, "What is that?"

"Just something to help you rest," said Carnie. "It won't hurt you."

"How do you know? Are you a doctor?"

"No. But I'm a Registered Nurse. Or at least I used to be," said Carnie.

"I need to pee before you put me to sleep," said Ellen.

"No, you don't," said Carnie. "I'm going to catheterize you."

Jake winced. He definitelywouldn't be helping with that.

Elmo and Macy spoke softly so they wouldn't wake up Mallie Mae in the back seat. They were about an hour from home.