Hideaway Hospital Murders (31 page)

He hurried out the door where he had seen
the mystery woman standing.

No sooner than Greg had disappeared through
the door, Dr. Huff, Elmo, and Hadley walked out from the opposite
side near the organ, and stepped up on the platform. The groom was
very handsome in his tux. He was 56 years old, but he looked more
like 46—which was great, since his bride was only 37. Hadley looked
great too. He was still having some pain from Carnie’s gunshot, but
you would have never known it by looking at him.

The organist played the
familiar unison notes at the beginning of the Bridal Chorus and
over 300 people stood and turned around to see the beautiful bride,
ready to enter. Traditionally, the father walks his daughter down
the aisle. But since Macy’s dad had passed away, as well as her
mom, Mallie Mae offered to walk her down and give her away. After
all, she
was
giving away her nurse and best friend. But at least they would
still be living in the same house.

Macy’s eyes were filled
with tears of joy. She worried about ruining her makeup, but she
just couldn’t control her overwhelming emotions. Nor did
she
want
to.
It was just like in her dreams, she thought.

Although, she didn’t remember who was
walking her down the aisle in her dreams. What she remembered
vividly was Carsie standing in the congregation, staring at her as
she walked by.

Carsie had escaped, and the police had not
been able to find her. But surely she wouldn’t have the gall to
come to the wedding. Would she?

**********

The woman with the short, black hair could
see the bride at the front of the church when she came through the
main outdoor entrance into the foyer. She saw Mallie Mae lift the
veil and kiss Macy on the cheek.

A young, male usher closed the double doors
leading into the auditorium. When he turned and saw the woman, he
said, “I think there’s still a little room on the left side in the
back.” He eyed her tweed guitar case. “Cool. So, I guess you’re
playing for the reception.”

“
Yeah. Hey, I don’t want to
disturb anybody. I’ll just sit up in the balcony.”

“
Uh, Mrs. Mobley told us
not to let anybody go up there.”

“
Oh, Mallie Mae is so silly
about these things.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry—if she
gripes about it, I’ll take the blame. Like I always do.”

“
Well, okay.”

As she walked away, she could feel his eyes
checking her out. You’ve still got it, Baby, she thought.

When she stepped into the balcony, she
realized there might be a problem. Nobody in the building had a
clear view of the balcony—except the pastor. Why hadn’t she thought
of that? But then she realized that because the pastor was medium
height, she could avoid being seen by him if she hid behind the
6-foot-7 Elmo. So, she crept up to the railing, a little to the
right of center.

She laid her guitar case down on the carpet
and quietly opened the lid and admired her instrument of choice for
this special occasion. By tearing out the fitted padding and
replacing it with two sheets of foam rubber, she had created a
perfect carrying case for her $529.00 compound bow. It was a thing
of beauty. More beautiful than the bride.

It would have been easier to do it while
their backs were to her. But she would wait until the end of the
ceremony, when they turned to face the congregation and the
minister introduced the newly married couple to the crowd. Elmo
and Macy would be so caught up in their happiness that they
wouldn’t even notice her.

Family and friends would see Elmo and Macy
smiling broadly just before the arrow appeared from nowhere and
savagely ripped through the bride’s heart. Macy would look up into
the balcony as the blood began to flow down her lovely white gown.
She would see Carsie standing there proudly, bow in hand, and then
fall to the floor.

Afterwards, it would be impossible for
Carsie to escape. She would be taken into custody—but they would
never have the satisfaction of putting her behind bars. The little
poison capsule in her pocket would see to that.

Carsie listened to the vows
and thought about how different things
could
have been. If Mallie Mae
and Macy hadn’t interfered, it would have been
her
down there becoming the
doctor’s wife.

During the prayer that came right before the
kiss, Carsie picked up the arrow and got into position. Her
accuracy was back. There was no doubt that she would nail her
target.

She watched as the pastor pronounced them
husband and wife, and then said, “Elmo, you may kiss the
bride.”

The crowd ooh’ed and aah’ed as Elmo gave
Macy a long kiss. Then they turned to face the congregation, and
the pastor said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Dr. and Mrs.
Elmo Mobley.”

Carsie drew her bow. It would be a perfect
shot.

The congregation heard a loud crack and a
swoosh, and were terrified to see an arrow slice through the air
just above the heads of the happy couple, and fly into the choir
loft, piercing the drywall.

Greg stood over an unconscious Carsie with
the unlikely weapon still in his hand—a large print hymn book. He
had whacked her over the head just in time. He yelled to the
stunned couple, “It’s okay now. Everything’s under control.”

He flipped open his cell
phone, dialed 911, and reported the attempted murder. He hadn’t
recognized her at first because of the wig. He shivered when he
thought about the disaster that
could
have been.

Then he saw her waking up and wondered if
she had a knife or a gun.

“
Did I get her? Is she
dead?”

“
No. Everybody’s fine. You
missed.”

She tried to sit up, but
didn’t have the strength. “I’ve
got
to kill her.”

“
No. You’re not going to
kill her. The police will be here any minute.”

“
You don’t
understand.
She
was supposed to die
first
—then
I
would die.”

“
Well, I don’t think you’re
going to
die
. You’re probably going to have a big headache. And then
you’re going to spend a long time in prison, but—“

“—
no. I
am
going to die. I’m dying
right
now
.”

“
Oh, come on—I didn’t hit
you
that
hard.”

“
Tell Elmo I love him. He
was my only true love—ever.” Her eyes slowly closed.

“
Carsie?” He knelt beside
her. “Carsie?” Surely he hadn’t killed her. He felt for a pulse,
but couldn’t find one. So, he began to perform CPR.

Still no breathing. No
pulse. He had not meant to
kill
her.

Though unsuccessful, Carsie had followed her
plan—using one arrow. And one little capsule.

Chapter
40

Elmo studied himself in the bathroom mirror.
He could not remember ever being so excited about anything. But he
was 56 and she was only 37. He hoped she never regretted taking
vows with him.

For fifteen years he had wanted her. Every
night they spent watching movies, talking, and laughing he had
longed to hold her. They were best friends—so, why hadn’t he given
her an occasional friendly hug? Macy had probably wondered about
that, he thought. But he had always feared that the slightest touch
of her skin would ignite his pent-up desire for her.

But now they were married. And he was about
to make love to his beautiful wife. So, there was no longer
anything to fear—except the question of whether he could fully
satisfy her.

He sensed her expectations
were very high, and he hoped he could meet the challenge. Because,
with all his heart he wanted to please her in every way. He would
do
anything
for her. Perhaps his eagerness would compensate for any
deficiencies.

Elmo walked out of the bathroom into the
darkness and saw her standing at the full-length window, admiring
the Dallas skyline. They had come so close to losing it all. If
Carsie’s arrow had been just a few feet lower…

Greg Tenorly had saved both of their lives.
The death of his bride would have done irreparable damage to Elmo’s
heart, leaving him neither dead nor alive—a pitiful zombie,
wandering aimlessly through each meaningless day.

But all that ugliness was behind them
now.

The silhouette of Macy’s shapely hips
against the city lights made him pause and enjoy the view. She
turned to speak, which drew his eyes to the profile of her glorious
breasts.

“
It’s so beautiful,” she
said.

He walked toward her, still eying her chest.
“Yes, it is.”

She loved that he was in awe of her body.
“Elmo, I’ve dreamed of this night so many times.”

“
Me too, Baby.”

He began to kiss her.

She untied his robe and surveyed every inch
of his chest and stomach with her warm, soft hands.

He gently massaged both of her breasts and
felt the response of her nipples to his fingertips.

She journeyed lower and found him so
wonderfully firm, and sensed the rising heat and moisture within
herself.

“
Make love to me,
Elmo.”

“
Oh, Baby.” The stroke of
her fingers was driving him out of his mind.

He pulled away from her hands. “There’s just
one thing I’m a little worried about.”

“
What is it,
Sweetie?”

“
I’m a lot older than you.
What if I can’t satisfy you?”

“
Oh, Elmo. You’ve got
nothing to worry about.”

“
Well, I’m not so sure
about that.”

“
But, Baby, can’t you see?
The very fact that you’re concerned about satisfying me proves
that you
will
.”

“
Huh?”

“
Just do what I say,” she
said.

“
Okay. That sounds like
fun.”

She slipped the robe off his broad shoulders
and let it drop to the floor. Then she pulled off her silky-thin
gown, scooched onto the bed and began to spread her legs. “Come
here, Sweetie.”

After that, he didn’t
remember
doing
anything
. It was as though it
all just
happened
to him. To
them
. It was like a dream. His
best dream ever.

Her anticipation had grown to a fever pitch,
so it didn’t take long for her to go over the edge. And it was such
an enormous event that Elmo could only assume the night was
over—until she started up again. And she just kept coming back for
more.

It was the beginning of what would be a life
of loving and living together in the greatest joy either of them
could have ever imagined.

**********

He glanced down. In the
light from the TV, Greg could see the spot on his pants growing. It
was a natural response of the body, preparing for something
that…would
not
happen. Not tonight anyway, he thought. Not on Cynthia’s
couch.

She leaned in for another
kiss. It was even more of a turn-on when
she
initiated it. He ran his
left hand through her soft, red hair, which seemed to release the
faint, peach scent of her shampoo. He wanted to bury his nose in
it—to inhale her.

He placed his right hand on her knee and
began to work it upward and under her skirt.

She encouraged him by massaging his gums
with her tongue and filling his lungs with her sweet, hot
breath.

“
So, y’all are watching CSI
too, I see.” Beverly was standing behind them in the
doorway.

“
Uh, yeah, Mom.”

“
It’s a good one.” She
walked down the hall to her bedroom and closed the door.

“
That’s it.” Greg whispered
loudly as he stood up.

“
What?”

“
I can’t take this
anymore.”

Cynthia stood up. “It’s okay, Baby. It’s
gonna get better.”

“
But she’s fine. Why can’t
you leave her here alone while we go out? You leave her every day
to go to work.”

“
I know—but that’s
different. I’m afraid she’ll be scared at night.”

“
Well, I just can’t live
this way.”

“
What are you
saying?”

Greg dropped to one knee. “Cynthia
Blockerman, will you marry me?”

“
But, Honey, my mom will
still be living here, even if we get married.”

“
Yes, but then we can go
off to
our
bedroom.”

“
I see.”

“
And lock the
door.”

“
So, you want me to marry
you so you can have sex with me?”

“
Well…yeah!”

“
That’s
all
you’re interested in,” she
said demurely.

“
No, of course not. But
we’ve already got everything else. It’s the only thing
missing.”