Sam filled the dishwasher with the dinner plates and closed it. He couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer. It was time to tend to Molly. He leaned over the couch back and patted his mother’s shoulder. “I’ll be back in a half hour, Mom. I have to check on the ladies.”
He pushed the coffee table closer to the couch so Adeline wouldn’t have to reach for anything. With his mother temporarily situated, Sam passed through the laundry room and entered the garage, where he loaded the syringe with succinylcholine. The sterile jugs, needles, and tubes used for blood draining sat to his right. He’d take them into the workroom after he injected Molly. By that time it would be too late for her to tense up. She’d be paralyzed long enough for him to get the job done. With Molly unable to react, his job would go much smoother.
Sam fished the key to the workroom out of his front pants pocket and unlocked the door. He crossed the room and stood next to her.
“I have to go to the bathroom,” she said. “Can I get up?”
“Sure, I’ll give you a hand.” Sam released the straps across her chest. “Sit up and get your bearings for a minute so you won’t be dizzy.” He thumbed the syringe in his pocket, popped off the cover, then walked around to her left side. “I’ll hold you upright.”
“Thank you.” She sat up slowly.
With the syringe cupped in his right hand, Sam jammed it into the back of her neck and pressed the plunger until it wouldn’t go any farther. The succinylcholine was released into her muscle and began to take effect within seconds. He pushed her back down and ran out to get the equipment he needed. He’d have to drain her blood fast before she died of asphyxia. With a needle and drain tube placed in her carotid artery and one in her femoral artery, the blood flowed into the jugs beneath the gurney.
“Sorry, Molly, but this is something I have to do. It isn’t personal. I promise it will be over soon.” Sam heard moaning from the other side of the draped sheets. He was certain Kristen and Bethany had heard what he’d said. He checked the jugs to make sure they were still filling then walked around the makeshift room divider. “Is there something you ladies need?”
When Kristen nodded, Sam pulled the tape off her mouth.
She screamed Molly’s name and was quickly silenced with a violent slap across the face.
“We use our indoor voices here. The sooner you realize that, the sooner I may let you go without the tape. Got it? That goes for both of you.” He gave Bethany a threatening glare.
“What did you do to her? Why isn’t she responding?” Kristen asked.
“That isn’t your concern.” He placed the tape back over Kristen’s mouth and dipped under the wall of sheets. “I’ll get your dinners.” Sam checked his watch. Ten minutes had passed, and Molly was likely nearing death. Quickly glancing at the jugs before exiting the room, he saw they were almost half full. He’d bring food back for the girls and, afterward, remove Molly’s tubes. He needed to think of a place to dump her—somewhere remote where she wouldn’t be found.