Monday mornings always went by fast for Greg Tenorly. It was his only weekday morning off from his part-time job as music minister at First Baptist Church, Coreyville. Afternoons and three evenings were spent teaching private music lessons at his little studio in a strip mall near town square.
Wednesday night he had church choir rehearsal and Friday nights he was off. Nobody wanted to take music lessons on Friday nights. And now that he and Cynthia were dating, he was glad to have the night available.
His first lesson on Monday was at 1:30 PM, so he had plenty of time for an easygoing lunch at Jane’s Diner, which was just a few yards down the sidewalk from his studio. He ordered the Chicken Fried Steak Special.
While waiting for his food, he surveyed the lunch crowd. Same old faces. Coreyville didn’t get many tourists. His cell rang. It was Cynthia.
“Hi, Honey. What are you doing—eating lunch at Jane’s?”
“Am I that predictable?”
“Yes, you are. But it’s one of the things I like about you.”
“I’m glad you think it’s a plus.”
“Well, I’m sure your lunch will be tastier than mine. I’m eating a sandwich at my desk. I’ll be leaving a little early so I can get over to Mom’s to help her pack.”
“Good. I’ll get there as soon as I can. I should be done by 7:00 tonight.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you there. Have a good afternoon.”
“You too. Bye, Sweetie.”
Jane brought Greg his food. He ate at her restaurant nearly every day.
“Looks delicious, Jane.”
“Thanks. Enjoy. By the way, how’s it going with your banker girlfriend?”
“Great. But you can quit calling her my banker girlfriend. Yeah, she’s a bank vice president. Get over it.”
Jane laughed. “I’m sorry, Greg. But I just never thought of you as the kind of guy who would be dating a banker.”
“Me either, I guess. And I’m amazed every day when I get up in the morning and look in the mirror. How could a beautiful woman like Cynthia go for a guy like me?”
“I shouldn’t say it, because it’s just gonna make your head swell, but you’re a great catch, Greg.”
“But what about this?” He pointed to his receding hairline. “I’m losing it fast. And this?” He patted his protruding stomach.
“Yeah, but you can lose that. That extra weight doesn’t have to be permanent. And a full head of hair is not that important to a lot of woman. Especially as they get older. I can tell you it’s way low on my wish list.”
Jane Appletree was the sole owner of the diner, and had run it by herself since her husband died a few years earlier. At age 60, she was still a very attractive woman. She took pride in her appearance, and the long days on her feet helped keep her thin. She would love to have had Greg for herself if she was a few years younger. Actually, many years younger, since Greg was only 34.
“Yeah, things have been going great, but—”
“—what happened?” Jane frowned.
“Her mother is moving in with her.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry, Greg.”
“No. I think it’s going to be fine. She’s a very nice lady. We had lunch at her house on Saturday, and I really liked her.”
“Well, I wish you luck. I’m afraid you’re gonna need it.”
*
“I won’t hold you for long, Ernie. I know you have lunch plans. But I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
It was Dr. E.J. Edwards’ first day in the office with Elmo. He had relocated to Coreyville a few months earlier, but still had only a handful of patients. He knew that moving into the office with the popular pediatrician would help bring many new patients to his practice.
“What’s going on?”
“I think my mother has Alzheimer’s.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. How old is she?”
“She’s 75. And I don’t know for sure yet. I sent her over to a geriatric specialist in Dallas today. He’s an old friend of mine.”
“What are her symptoms?”
Elmo described what he had seen Mallie Mae doing with the hairbrush and the toothpaste.
“Yeah, definitely some type of dementia. Might not be AD though. Could be something treatable.”
“Well, of course, I’m hoping for that. But I’m preparing for the worst. And here’s the thing. If it is Alzheimer’s, I’m probably going to want to take a leave of absence.”
“I see.”
“You think you could handle all of our patients for a while?”
“Well, considering how few I have right now, I’d say ‘yes.’”
“Good.”
“But if it is Alzheimer’s there’s really nothing you can do for her.”
“I know. There’s no cure. Only medicines to slow down the process of deterioration.”
“But I can understand that you’d want to spend some extra time with her for a while.”
“Actually, I haven’t spent any time with her in years.”
“But don’t you live in the same house with her?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
“I know it sounds awful. And I guess it is. But you don’t know what she’s put me through. Every time I get close to her, she starts trying to run my life. She tried to make me feel like a fool for wanting to be a pediatrician. She still thinks I was an idiot for not becoming a neurosurgeon. That was her plan for me. And she is always right.
“And she’s ruined every chance I’ve ever had with women. She always finds a way to run them off. Years ago, I was engaged to a wonderful woman. She was a nurse. But Mallie Mae didn’t like her for whatever reason. And you would never believe the horrible thing she did to break us up. She probably doesn’t approve of my current fiancé either. I don’t know, since I never talk to her.”
“But now you feel guilty. Now that she’s probably terminal.”
“Yeah. Big time.”
“But you have to consider your practice. Already, this morning, I’ve seen how the parents and the kids love you. Take a few days off if you need to. But don’t destroy what you’ve worked your whole life to build.”
*
Carsie and Carnie were finishing a lazy, late breakfast on the patio.
“Where did the old lady go with her nurse this morning?” said Carnie.
“I don’t know. Mallie Mae rarely goes anywhere,” said Carsie.
“Well, I saw them leave in a black limo.”
“Really? I can’t imagine where they went. And I wonder why Macy didn’t just drive the Mercedes. That’s weird.”
“Looks like it’s just the two of us here—alone in the house with Hadley.” Carnie raised one eyebrow mischievously. “And where is he, anyway? I wanted him to pour me some more orange juice.” She could get used to a life of luxury.
“I don’t know. But I’m gonna go take a very long bubble bath, Sis.”
Carsie got up from the table and walked away.
“You’ll turn into a prune.”
Carnie went downstairs to her bedroom. She had been up since 6:00 AM. The Exercise Room was right next to the Media Room, just a few yards from her bedroom. She had been working out on one of the machines when she heard a car drive up to the house. The rooms along the front of the basement were mostly underground, but had high windows facing the front yard. Carnie had looked out and seen Macy helping Mallie Mae into the black limo.
After exercising, she had taken a shower, made a pot of coffee in the nearby Pub Room, and plopped down in the Media Room to watch some TV while sipping her coffee. Later, Carsie had called her cell and invited her to come up for a late breakfast. The two had sat around in their robes, eating and talking for an hour or so. Now it was after noon—time to get dressed.
Carnie did a slow strip tease in the mirror. What a nice, tight body she had. Not bad for a 29-year-old, she thought. Any woman would be thrilled to have her body. Or any man.
She went to the closet, picked out a sexy outfit and carried it to the bed. But as she walked past the dresser, she accidentally knocked something off. It was her favorite perfume. She cringed as it hit the wood floor. But the bottle didn’t break. It just fell on its side and began to roll. She noticed that the rolling sound changed as the bottle went under the bed. As though the flooring under there was different.
She put her robe back on and knelt down to retrieve the expensive perfume, which was halfway under the bed. Once she had picked up the bottle, she ran her hand across the flooring. It felt the same as the rest of the floor. She knocked on it. It sounded hollow. Then she tested the floor where she was sitting. It sounded solid.
Carnie’s curiosity was revved up to a cat-like pitch. She didn’t know what she expected to find, but she could think of nothing else until she found it. She pushed with all her might until the heavy bed broke free and started to slide. She managed to move it over against the wall.
Carnie knocked on the floor in several place, identifying the hollow-sounding area. Then she went to her suitcase and pulled out a Bowie knife, and began to search for cracks in the seams of the flooring, near the edge of the hollow rectangle.
Finally, she found one. She dug the knife down into it and began to pry. She saw movement. Not much—but enough to convince her that she was looking at a secret door. Something was hidden down there. Something forbidden. She had to find out what it was.
After nearly an hour, she got the door opened just a crack and worked her fingers inside. She yanked on it with all her might, until every muscle in her well-toned body ached. Then she heard a ripping sound, as it flew up and open. The musty odor enveloped her body, and she fell away from the opening and started coughing. She grabbed a towel from the bathroom, covered her mouth and nose, and cautiously inched her way to the large hole in the floor.
All she could see was the top of a staircase, leading down into the creepy darkness.