Previous chapters of the Vista Falls story:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

How should the story continue? Voting is open on the current chapter!

Last time, still trapped in the elevator, the teens, Mr. Dinello and Mr. Jaquith unrolled the canvas that TJ had dislodged from the elevator’s trapdoor. Mr. Dinello opened it first and tried to hide it from the others, however, Ward, too looked at the painting. “It’s Vera!” Ward exclaimed. Though they tried to keep Vera—who was already upset—from it, she looked at the painting anyway. The portrait showed Vera looking very ill—pale, gaunt and in pain. Overcome, Vera passed out just as the elevator began to move again. The elevator doors slid open. Further down the hallway, they saw Mr. and Mrs. DeLorca with Mia Duomo and a woman they had never seen before. What happened next? Here’s what you decided.

Chapter 8: A Scream
By Joseph Crisalli

Suddenly, the elevator started to move. They could hear the motor humming and felt the elevator lift them up to the next floor.

“Finally!” Ward said as the elevator doors opened.

Lucy knelt down next to her sister. “Help me lift her up so we can get her out of here.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t move her!” Delia said nervously.

“I see people over there.” Ward pointed to the end of the hallway.

“It’s Mr. and Mrs. DeLorca!” Mr. Jaquith said.

“And Miss Duomo and someone else. They look angry.” Rick said.

“Mrs. DeLorca is the museum’s curator. She’ll help us.”

“What should we do?” Kate began to cry.

“Call out to them!” Mr. Jaquith said excitedly.

“Help!” Ward shouted from the elevator. “Help us!”

Mr. and Mrs. DeLorca turned around and said something to one another. They were familiar with the teens, Mr. Jaquith and Mr. Dinello. The teens looked up to the DeLorcas who—despite their fame as art historians—were very down-to-earth people.

“Mr. and Mrs. DeLorca, we need your help.” Mr. Dinello shouted

The DeLorcas hurried over to the elevator. They were followed by their friend, Mia Duomo, a former runway model.

Mrs. DeLorca looked into the elevator and saw Vera lying on the floor. Lucy knelt next to her sister, holding her hand.

“My sister’s heart…” Lucy said with tears in her eyes.

Mrs. DeLorca nodded. She knew about Vera’s heart trouble.

“I say,” Mr. DeLorca said quickly. “We’ll need all of you to get out of there so we can give the poor girl some air.”

“Lucy, you stay in here with Vera,” Mrs. DeLorca added.

TJ, Rick, Ward, Delia and Kate exited the elevator. Mr. Jaquith followed them in his chair. Felling protective, Mr. Dinello stayed behind with Lucy and Vera.

Once all of the others were out of the elevator, Mr. DeLorca commented that they had been packed into the elevator like sardines in a can.

Lucy began to feel safer with Mrs. DeLorca there. Not only was Mrs. DeLorca the museum’s curator, she was also well known for her work in solving international crimes. Lucy knew that the DeLorcas would know how to help them.

Mrs. DeLorca knelt down next to Vera and checked her pulse. “Her heart rate is up. Joel, use your cell phone to call for an ambulance.”

“Of course, of course,” Mr. DeLorca said, taking his phone from his pocket. He quickly made the call.

“What happened?” Mrs. DeLorca asked. “Why are you even in the freight elevator? This is only used as a service elevator.”

“We found a strange painting.” Lucy sniffed, still holding her twins’ hand. “It was of Sam and Jenny Colbert.”

Mrs. DeLorca’s eyes widened. “So did we.”

“It’s right over there.” Mia Duomo pointed behind them, turning around. Mia gasped, “It WAS there.”

The teens in the corridor whispered to one another. Not only was the painting gone—again—but so was the woman they had seen arguing with Mia Duomo.

“It’s gone.” Mrs. DeLorca’s eyes widened.

“That’s what happened to us, too!” Mr. Dinello said. “It was there one minute and gone the next. We were looking for it. Following footprints left from someone walking through white paint.”

“I say, that’s what we were doing, too.” Mr. DeLorca nodded, hanging up his cell phone.

“We came in the elevator and it got stuck.” Lucy began to cry again. “Vera panicked. She doesn’t like close spaces. And, then…” Lucy became too emotional to continue.

“When TJ tried to open the trapdoor in the elevator’s ceiling, this fell out.” Mr. Dinello said. He handed Mrs. DeLorca a rolled up canvas. Mrs. DeLorca unrolled it and shuddered when she saw the painting on it.

“It’s horrible.” Mrs. DeLorca said.

“It was all too much for Vera. She saw it and passed out.” Mr. Dinello said.

“Poor thing.” Mr. DeLorca shook his head. “The ambulance is on its way. Perhaps Mia can wait downstairs for it. Mia?”

“Where’s Mia?” Mrs. DeLorca looked over her shoulder.

“I don’t see her.” Mr. DeLorca shook his head.

“Miss Duomo walked down the corridor.” Delia answered.

“She said she had something to take care of. Some unfinished business.” Mr. Jaquith shrugged.

Mrs. DeLorca took a deep breath. “I’m sure she’s fine. Right now, we have to make sure that Vera is safe. Her breathing sounds steady. When the ambulance arrives, we’ll find out for certain what happened. For now, would you like to call your mother?”

Lucy nodded.

“You can use my phone.” Mrs. DeLorca said.

However, before Mrs. DeLorca could hand the phone to Lucy, they heard a terrible scream coming from the floor below them.

“Oh!” Mrs. DeLorca exclaimed. “That’s Mia!”

“Something is jolly well wrong.” Mr. DeLorca took his wife’s arm in his hand.

Ward and Rick looked at one another.

“We have to help Miss Duomo.” Rick whispered.

“But, I don’t want to leave Vera.” Ward sighed. “Besides, Mr. Dinello would never let us go.”

“We can sneak off. He won’t know.” Rick argued.

What should they do?

Sneak off to go find Mia Duomo?
Ask Mr. Dinello if they can go?
Wait there?

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