72: Larry was the first to the bathroom door. He jiggled the handle—locked. “Darlene?”
“Get back!” Clair shouted, her foot missing him by less than an inch as she kicked the door just below the lock. The frame protested but didn’t give.
Larry plowed into the door, shoulder first, hitting hard, and Clair heard the splinter of wood as the frame cracked.
Darlene was on the bathroom floor, her body spasming, a white foam dripping from her mouth down her cheeks and chin. Her eyes were open wide, all white, rolled back into her head.
Larry dropped down beside her, cradling her head against the tile floor. His hand was covered in blood, as was the tile beneath her head.
Darlene’s body shook. Her toothbrush snapped with a loud crack between her convulsing fingers.
“Turn her on her side! Make sure her tongue is clear, don’t let her choke!” Clair shouted out, scanning the room.
Toothbrush in two pieces.
Toothpaste tube open on the counter.
Mouthwash.
The white foam at Darlene’s mouth pooled on the floor as Larry turned her on her side.
Clair grabbed the liquid soap dispenser from the wall and tore it loose from the plastic mount, then dropped down beside Darlene. “She needs to drink this!”
Larry’s eyes went wide, and he pushed her away. “Hell no—that will kill her!”
Clair fought him, turning Darlene’s head. “She’s been poisoned, something fast-acting, like cyanide. Most poisons are acidic. Soap is a base. It will neutralize the poison, cause her to throw up.”
Before Larry could object, Clair had twisted the cap off the soap and poured the thick, pink liquid into Darlene’s open mouth. Then she held the woman’s mouth closed and pinched her nose, forcing her to swallow.
Darlene’s body jerked with a terrible force, and Clair lost her grip. The woman’s head twisted and her arms flailed out. She kicked at the air.
“You’re making her worse!” Larry shouted.
Clair forced more soap down her throat, forced her to swallow. It came back up a moment later with a gurgling cough, spewing over the wall and tile. Clair made her drink more. She threw up a second time, then a third. Her body finally stilled, and Clair checked her pulse.
Beside her, Larry’s face was white and long. “You killed her! Oh my God, you killed her!”
Clair tried to draw in a breath, but every muscle in her body fought her. “Go call 911.”