"Sure, I can do that." He walked behind the counter to the computer and began typing and clicking. After a few minutes he said, "Let's see, between 12:00 and 1:00... n.o.body paid with a credit card during that period. Just a few cash payments."

"What if they printed doc.u.ments from one of those computers?" said Greg, pointing to the four desktop computers along the back wall. "Are copies of those doc.u.ments saved somewhere?"

"Yeah. They're saved on the print server for a week. I'll check it." He worked at the computer a few more minutes and then said, "Here's something."

"Can I see it?" said Greg.

"Yeah. Come around."

Greg and Cynthia walked behind the counter and looked over the man's shoulders. The t.i.tle of the doc.u.ment read: Informed Consent for Partic.i.p.ation in a Clinical Trial It didn't make sense to Greg. Why would the killer be involved in a clinical trial of experimental drugs for Alzheimer's disease? Beverly didn't have Alzheimer's. But Nancie Jo Gristel did. Who else? He had just heard of somebody else who had Alzheimer's. It was Mallie Mae Mobley. And her son had just taken a leave of absence from his medical practice.

Then he remembered the nurse at the hospital the other day. She seemed to know the Mobleys better than she let on. Maybe he was just grasping at straws. But it might be a clue. And right now it was the only one they had.

"Thanks. You've been a great help," said Greg.

"I have?" said the man.

"Yes, you have." He turned to Cynthia. "Let's go."

As they got into the car, Cynthia said, "What's going on? Where are we going?"

"To see a nurse."

Chapter29.

Macy checked the clock on the instrument panel as Elmo pulled into the garage. It was 9:34 PM. Their day was about to end. And what an amazing day it had been. She wished it could go on until midnight, until tomorrow, until forever. But now she had to walk Mallie Mae to her room and get her ready for bed.

Elmo and Macy got out of the car, and Macy was about to open the back door to wake up Mallie Mae. But Elmo walked around to her and motioned for her to wait. He looked in the back seat. Mallie Mae was in a peaceful slumber.

He took Macy in his arms and spoke softly. "This has been the most wonderful day."

Macy had so many things to say, but couldn't manage to say any of them before Elmo began to lean in to give her a kiss. Earlier in the evening, when he had kissed her forehead on the dance floor she had overwhelmed with emotion. This time he was going for the lips. She wondered if she would literally faint in his arms.

Realizing she was holding her breath, she tried to relax and inhale, which only served to fill her lungs with his marvelous scent and radiate quivers throughout her body. The few inches of movement from his lips to hers pa.s.sed in slow motion-probably because her brain was processing a million thoughts a second. Every nerve ending stood waiting on high alert.

But how could the real thing compare to her fantasies? What if it was a disappointment? Or worse yet, what if it was much better than her fantasies, but led nowhere? One exciting kiss wouldn't guarantee a happy ever after.

Quit thinking and just kiss him, Macy told herself.

She was surprised at how natural it felt-as though their lips had been created by G.o.d as a complemental set. She was kissing the only man she had ever loved. And now she knew her fantasies had been but a superficial portrayal of this exquisite reality.

When he gently pulled away and she came out of her trance, she had no idea how long it had lasted. But it was not long enough.

"Better get Mom to bed," said Elmo.

"Okay."

Macy turned to open the back door.

"And after you get her settled in, why don't you come down for a while? I'll be in my study," said Elmo, smiling.

"Okay, I will." Macy wondered just how fast she could get Mallie Mae to bed.

"Why are we going to see a nurse?" said Cynthia.

"It's just a hunch," said Greg. "Wednesday morning I was at the hospital sitting with a church member whose husband was having back surgery."

"Yeah, I remember."

"And we were talking about the Mobleys, and how Elmo was taking a leave from his medical practice because he had just discovered his mother had Alzheimer's. And there was a nurse over at the computer who seemed to be taking quite an interest in the conversation. I felt guilty when I started to feel that we were gossiping. So, I went over to the nurse and apologized."

"Why did you apologize to her?"

"I don't know. I just had the impression she might be a close friend of the Mobley family, and that she might have been offended by what was being said."

"So, what did shesay?"

"She told me it was okay. And she acted as though she was no more than a casual acquaintance. But I didn't buy it. She definitely knew more than she was saying," said Greg.

He parked the Bonneville in the hospital parking lot and they got out and walked toward the main entrance.

"What's her name?" said Cynthia.

"I don't remember."

"Well, then how are we going to find her?"

"I doremember that it sounded Biblical. Her name sounded like a character from the Bible."

"Okay, this could take a while. Where do we start? Mary?"

"Mary... I think it isMary."

"Mary who? Is her last name also Biblical?"

"Actually...I don't know. Maybe," said Greg.

"Mary Magdalene? Surely not."

"Wait-that's close."

Cynthia looked at Greg in disbelief as they walked through the gla.s.s doors and into the lobby.

"May I help you," said the elderly woman at the information desk.

"Yes," said Greg. "I need to find a particular nurse, but I'm not sure about her name."

"Uh..." The woman had no idea how to respond.

Cynthia knew what Greg was about to say. The poor woman would think they were both crazy.

"It sounds Biblical. Mary something. Like Mary Magdalene," said Greg.

When the woman began to smile, Cynthia thought she looked a little scary. But it maybe it was because of the fact that the woman didn't have any teeth.

"Oh. I think I know who you're looking for: Mary Magdely," said the woman.

"Yeah, that's it," said Greg.

"She usually works days. But she couldbe pulling a double. If so, she'd be on the second floor."

"Thank you so much," said Greg.

He and Cynthia walked to the elevator.

When the doors opened at the second floor Greg spotted her immediately. She was in the nurse's station.

"Mary?" said Greg.

"Yes?" she said as she looked up. She seemed to remember him. "May I help you?"

"I'm Greg Tenorly. I was here on Wednesday during a surgery and talked to you briefly."

"Yes, I remember you."

"Oh, and this is Cynthia Blockerman."

The two women exchanged h.e.l.los.

"We were wondering if we could talk to you in private for just a minute," said Greg.

"Well, I'm pretty busy tonight..."

Cynthia stepped forward. "It's a matter of life or death."

The pain she saw in Cynthia's eyes was more convincing than her words. She told one of the other nurses she was taking her break. Then she led them into an unoccupied room and closed the door.

Greg told her about the murder and the kidnappings, and Cynthia's mother. Then he explained how he thought the killer was the same one who had murdered Nancie Jo Gristel. He told her about the crazy neighbor and the b.u.mper sticker and the copy shop and the clinical trial doc.u.ment. Then he explained his theory that it was all somehow connected to the Mobley family.

"You're not implying that Elmo is a kidnapper and a murderer, are you?" said Mary.

"No. Not at all," said Greg.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know anything that will help you," said Mary as she turned to leave.

"Wait," said Greg. "You know something. I could see it in your eyes the other day."

"Look, we don't have a clue where to look next," said Cynthia. "You never know what might help us."

"Okay. But I don't see how this will help. And I've never told anybody," she said. "In the early '80s I worked in the Emergency Room. And Morford Mobley, Elmo's father, was an Emergency Room doc. We had worked together for several years.

"One night two men came in. They were fairly new in town, and had moved here from San Francisco. I don't really know why they moved to Coreyville. I think they chose our town at random. But one of the men looked terrible. He was coughing uncontrollably and spitting up blood. The other man was not in much better shape.

"So, Morford spent an unusually long time examining the men and asking them questions. Then he prescribed some drugs and sent them on their way. Afterwards, he told me in private that he believed the man and his friend both had a new disease called AIDS. Back then, some people were calling it 'Gay Cancer.' Everybody was scared to death of it. They thought you could get it just by being in the room with somebody who had it.

"But Morford was the most compa.s.sionate doctor I've ever known. He wanted to help the men somehow. And in the days and weeks that followed it was on his mind constantly. Finally, he decided to build his own little clinic to care for them. And he would try to develop better medicines and other types of treatment for their disease.

"But as he listened to other doctors and nurses talking about AIDS, he knew it would be extremely difficult to do such a thing. n.o.body would want a clinic like that near their home or business. So, he came up with the idea of building the clinic on his own property."

"But it didn't work out," said Greg.

"Actually, it did," said Mary.

Greg and Cynthia looked at each other.

Cynthia said, "I've never heard anything about it."

"That's because it's underground," said Mary. "I can see by the look on your faces you think I'm a nut. But it's true. He waited until Mallie Mae was away on a tour of Europe with her sister. They were gone for over a month. And Elmo was practicing medicine in Dallas. The black men who built it were sworn to secrecy."

"Wow. I can't believe n.o.body ever told thatsecret," said Greg.

"Mallie Mae knew about the lab. But she didn't know about the secret door to the clinic. And there was a long hallway that led to the barn.

"Morford quit his job at the hospital to do experiments and run the clinic. They had plenty of money, so he didn't need the income. Mallie Mae thought it was a little weird, but she didn't mind as long as he was happy.

"He offered me a job, and I gladly took his offer. I was very much in love with him, but I never told him. He was always faithful to Mallie Mae.

"After a couple of months, the first two men told us about another couple they knew who also had AIDS. Morford agreed to take them as well. So then, all four of the beds in his little clinic were occupied. Most days Hadley, Morford's manservant, would help me walk them through the long pa.s.sageway and out behind the barn to sit for a while in the open air. And Hadley prepared meals for them. I don't know how he did without Mallie Mae finding out, but as far as I could tell, she never knew about the clinic.

"We worked so hard to save them. And the thing I remember most is how much those men appreciated what we were trying to do for them. They would break down in tears just talking about it. And that would make me start crying.

"But it really got tough when they began to give up, and just wanted to die. They were happy that somebody in this world had cared enough to work so hard to save their lives. But they knew the end was near, and they were ready to go.

"But Morford didn't want to letthem go. He kept working frantically for a breakthrough. He was only sleeping about two hours a night. Mallie Mae begged him to get more rest.

"Finally one day, he told me to go back to work at the hospital. And when I refused, he became angry, and told me he could no longer stand to have me around."

"Oh, no," said Cynthia.

"I was deeply hurt. And then two days later he died in a car crash," said Mary.