The Hanging Hill

94

“This way, ladies!” snarled one of the thugs, waggling his pistol at the three mothers. “Into the vault!”

The other giant had his weapon trained on Meghan and Derek.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Judy demanded.

The big man snorted a laugh. “Locking you three inside Dracula’s tomb. Hurry up. It’s nice ‘n’ cozy.”

“Forget it,” said Judy.

“Silence, infidel!” screamed Grimes. “Do not dare to interfere with my destiny! You are nothing! Nobody! I am the high priest of Ba’al Hammon!” He roughly grabbed hold of Meghan’s shoulders. Hakeem snatched Derek.

“Mom?” Derek cried.

Mrs. Stone fainted and fell to the floor.

She wasn’t going to be much help, Judy realized.

“Into the box!” The swarthy man jabbed the muzzle of his pistol into Judy’s back.

“No!” said Meghan’s mom. “Let go of my daughter!”

The other thug thumbed back the hammer on his revolver. Aimed it at Meghan’s head. “Do what my friend Jamal says or I blow out this one’s pretty little brains.”

“Come on, Mary,” said Judy. “They mean business.”

“Indeed we do!” said Grimes. “Tie them up! Blindfold them! Put them inside Dracula’s tomb!”

Ropes wrapped tight around her hands and ankles, a thick cloth covering her eyes, Judy was forced into the set piece that had been Dracula’s sealed tomb in the show. She figured it was a version of a magician’s substitution box, a classic magic trick she’d learned about while researching one of her books.

Judy heard Mrs. McKenna crying as she was shoved into the dark box.

“Grab hold of this other one’s legs,” snarled the thug named Jamal. “I’ll take the arms.”

Mrs. Stone’s limp body was dumped between Judy and Mary McKenna.

Someone slammed the tomb door shut.

Judy heard heavy chains being wrapped around and around the box. Locks snapping into place. Yep. Just like in the magic trick.

Now she just hoped she could remember how the trick worked.

How the magician escaped!