Three days later, Sue Ellen and Carla returned to the United States, where Sue Ellen was moved into a room in the Elwood Memorial Hospital. As she lay in a hospital bed with her head bandaged and a full upper and lower cast on her left arm, some of her classmates came to pay a visit--specifically, Arthur, Muffy, Francine, Alan, Fern, and Binky. Arthur entered first, holding a batch of Get Well Soon balloons in one hand.
"Oh, hi, Arthur," said Sue Ellen groggily, as she was under the influence of painkillers. "Hi, Francine. Hi, guys."
"Well, look who's got a cast now," Francine quipped. "Can I sign it?"
"Not now." Sue Ellen spoke as if she was struggling to stay awake. "They'll just cut it off when they operate."
"The cast, or your arm?" asked Fern. The kids laughed.
"This won't get in the way of your tae kwon do, will it?" Binky asked Sue Ellen.
"I can still clobber you with one arm, Binky," the girl replied.
Alan began to interrogate her about her experience. "Tell me about the first hospital you stayed at."
"It was a rural hospital," Sue Ellen answered. "It wasn't very clean."
"What about transfusions?" Alan asked.
"Yeah, I had to get a transfusion. The bone came out through the skin. I lost a lot of blood."
"Where did the blood come from?"
"I don't know."
"What about the staff? How professional were they?"
"Uh...I can't really answer that."
"How many AIDS patients were being treated there?"
"I don't know."
"What's the capital of Russia?"
"Moscow."
"Who was the seventh President of the United States?"
"Andrew Jackson."
"Who is John Galt?"
"Stop asking her questions, Alan," Muffy interrupted. "Can't you see she's in a lot of pain right now?"
"You're too worried about her getting AIDS," Fern said to Alan. "It's highly unlikely."
As if to prove a point, Arthur leaved over the edge of Sue Ellen's bed and kissed the girl lightly on the lips. The other kids watched with expressions of mild shock.
"There." Arthur straightened up again. "If she has AIDS, then I've got it, too."
Sue Ellen giggled weakly. "Silly boy."
About half an hour later, the kids exited the hospital and found that the weather had become somewhat colder. Muffy pulled her gloves from the pockets of her coat and put them on her hands. As they walked toward the parking lot, they expressed their feelings about their friend Sue Ellen.
"I liked what I saw back there, Arthur," said Francine. "I'd like to see you two get back together. In fact, I think you two should get married."
"Great," Arthur murmured. "I'd have to kiss that pair of fuzzy lips every day for the rest of my life."
Alan walked along with his hands in his pockets, downcast and speechless. "What's eating you, Alan?" Binky asked him.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Alan replied.
Moments later, as Francine and Muffy belted themselves in the back seat of Muffy's limo, Muffy grabbed her cell phone and turned it on. "You have...one...voice message," it chimed at her.
"Who's this one from?" Francine asked.
"Probably one of my adoring fans," said Muffy, holding the phone to her ear. "No, wait. It's Marina."
----
"This is amazing!" Muffy analyzed the highly detailed charcoal portrait with wonder. "It looks just like him. But you couldn't have drawn this."
"But I did," insisted Marina, who sat in an easy chair at her house. Muffy and Francine sat on the couch opposite her.
"That's impossible," said Francine, who was also impressed by the picture. "You didn't see the kidnapper, and you can't see to begin with."
"You may find this hard to believe," said Marina, "but I've developed a sixth sense somehow. I can sense things without seeing them."
"Oh, yeah?" Muffy held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three," Marina replied. "And you're wearing white underpants with blue hearts on them."
Muffy suddenly blushed. Francine snickered.
"And Francine isn't wearing underpants at all," Marina added.
It was Francine's turn to blush and Muffy's to snicker.
"And Muffy's chauffeur is reading a book called 'Crime and Punishment'," Marina continued.
"I don't know how you're doing all this," said Muffy, "but I think we should go to the police with this sketch."
"And tell them what?" said Marina with concern. "That I pulled the image of the kidnapper's face from your mind?"
"Don't tell me you're telepathic, too," said Muffy incredulously.
"All right, I won't tell you. Sixty-eight, Francine."
"What number am I..." Francine started to say, but stopped in mid-sentence.
"And it doesn't stop there," said Marina. "Not only can I read minds, but I can make hypnotic suggestions."
Before Francine and Muffy knew what had happened, they were seated along with Marina in the back seat of Muffy's limo, with their belts fastened. Marina was clutching her cane, and neither Francine nor Muffy was holding Marina's sketch.
"What the..." cried the consternated Muffy. "What happened? I don't remember going back to the limo."
"Me, neither," said Francine. "What did you do, Marina?"
"I planted a suggestion in your minds that you should get in the limo," Marina answered. "Basically, I hypnotized you."
"This is really freaking me out," said Muffy, who started to unfasten her seat belt. "I'm getting out of here."
"No, you're not," said Marina.
"No, I'm not," said Muffy as she buckled her seat belt again. "Huh?"
"Bailey, I'd like you to drive toward the center of town," Marina ordered the chauffeur.
"Yes, Miss Muffy." Bailey replaced his book in the satchel and pulled the limo away from the curb.
"Turn around and go back, Bailey," Muffy commanded, but the chauffeur did not respond.
Marina gazed piercingly at Muffy. "Do you want to find Odette, or don't you?" she asked. "I believe she's being held somewhere in Elwood City. If we can get close enough to her, or the man who kidnapped her, then I can pick them up with my telepathy."
"But we'd have to drive around the whole city," Francine protested. "That could take hours."
"Just let me know if you need to make a pit stop," said Marina.
"All right, Marina," said Muffy, "we'll play your little game." She thought for a moment. "Did I say that of my own free will?"
A short while later, the limousine was driving along the main street through Elwood City.
"I've kept my powers a secret from my parents," said Marina. "Besides you, Prunella's the only one who knows about them, and she wants to turn me into a sideshow attraction."
As Marina spoke, Francine looked at her and noted with surprise that the blind girl's mouth was not moving.
The three girls drove around the city for half an hour, then stopped for a break at a fast-food restaurant.
As Francine and Marina chewed on their hamburgers, Muffy expressed her concerns about Marina's abilities. "Um...you're going to use your powers for good and not evil, right?"
Marina swallowed and spoke, moving her mouth. "By good, you mean more money in the Crosswire bank account."
"Well, yeah, why not?" said Muffy. "What's good for Crosswire Motors is good for America."
Marina took another bite and spoke telepathically. "Trickle-down economics. I thought they stopped teaching that in second grade. And I know it's impolite to talk with my mouth full, Muffy."
Shortly the girls were on the road again, and Francine and Muffy were becoming increasingly bored. "Are you picking up anything yet?" Francine asked Marina.
"Yeah, I'm picking up something," said Marina without moving her mouth. "Two impatient little girls sitting right next to me. Why don't you play a game or something?"
Another half-hour passed.
"I spy with my little eye something that starts with M," said Francine gleefully.
"Uh...Marina?" asked Muffy.
"Nope."
"Muffy?"
"Yup."
Muffy looked at Marina, who appeared to be absorbed in thought. "I hope we're not making too much noise and messing up your telepathy," she said.
"What?" said Marina.
About five minutes later, Marina suddenly gasped and pointed. "That hardware store," she said, moving her mouth. "Bailey, pull over."
"Yes, Miss Muffy." The chauffeur parked the limo next to the curb, and the three girls scrambled out. Tapping quickly with her cane, Marina led the girls in the direction of a nearby Mace Hardware store.
Marina pulled open the door, and the three girls stood in the doorway, Francine in the middle. About half a dozen patrons were milling around the store, including, in one corner, an aardvark man with a black beard who was examining the adjustable wrenches.
Muffy pointed. "That's him!" she cried loudly. "That's the kidnapper!"
Upon hearing Muffy's exclamation, the aardvark man turned and started to run toward the girls. Before they could move out of the way he plowed into them, sending them flying in all directions, and rushed down the sidewalk.
As Francine fell backwards, her head forcefully struck the edge of a brick planter. She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Muffy and Marina pulled themselves to their feet, and Marina grabbed her cane. "He's getting away!" shouted Muffy, pointing at the fleeing man.
"Don't worry, Muffy," said Marina. "I read his mind. I know where Odette is."
Muffy then looked down at Francine...and nearly fainted.
Sprawled on the sidewalk in front of the planter, the girl showed no sign of life. Blood trickled from the side of her mouth.
(To be continued...)
