THE
MIND ALTERING
ADVENTURE

Chapter Thirty-Two

The scene is Maxie's Halloween birthday party, with children and adults alike. Over in one corner is a large purple dinosaur, patiently filling helium balloons, a small red dachshund crouched protectively at his feet. TC was perched atop Barny's shoulder, batting at balloons.

"Nice party," says Sonny Corinthos as he is greeted at the door by Felicia. She can't recall having invited him, but she isn't exactly comfortable with asking him to leave, either.

"Please come in."

"Thanks. I was in the neighborhood-I wanted to ask about Bobbie, but Luke's out of town, and Dr. Jones is unavailable." He hands her a gift-wrapped package. "You're a lucky woman, Ms. Jones," he comments, his eyes lingering over the children enjoying the festivities, and Felicia realizes that he's thinking about what might have been.

"Thanks." He walks into the room, and as Felicia is about to turn away from the door, another visitor approaches, carrying another package.

"Hi Felicia. Thought I'd drop in and bring Maxie's gift."

"Thanks. Come on in, Mac."

"I can't stay long-I'm sort of swamped."

"I understand," Felicia tells him, her mind suddenly going back to the days when they'd been together, to the days when Mac had come to think of Maxie as his own. "It's good to see you," she says, realizing that she really means it.

Hearing something different in her tone, Mac asks, "Is everything okay?? How is Lucas?"

"Doing as well as can be expected, under the circumstances. Any news of Kevin or Bobbie?"

"Not a bit. Bobbie is still comatose, and Kevin is still missing."

"Is he still the only suspect?"

Mac's expression darkens, and he answers, "Felicia, you want my gut instinct, or the PCPD line?"

"You know I don't care about conventional wisdom," she tells him. "Think like a PI and talk to me."

Mac grins wryly at her. You know, you're more like yourself than you've been in months."

"I've been feeling better," she says. "So what do you think?"

Before Mac can answer, Tom approaches. Mac bristles. "Tom."

"Mac." Tom looks a bit distracted, but he makes an effort. "Any closer to solving the murders?"

Mac, playing a hunch, says, "Let's just say that certain facts have recently come to light opening up new avenues for investigation."

"Maybe I could offer you my assistance," Tom says. "As a consultant. I am free at present."

"Insurance problems," Felicia injects as Tom's expression sours.

"Only for a day or so, but perhaps I could assist you?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," Mac says, taking a grim satisfaction in turning him down. Hmmmmmmm





"I think that I'd better sedate her," Dr. Gail Baldwin says as Laura begins screaming. This time, however, there is no mention of Luke, nor of Scotty. This time, Laura, eyes wide and staring, is clearly horrified, seeing some horror, some nightmare from her past.

"No!' She screams again. "Oh, please, no....no..." She's sobbing, begging, pleading with someone. "You can't do that!! It's inhuman!! He's just a little boy!" She's struggling, and suddenly, pulls free of Gail who calls for help. "No," Laura cries out. "No!! Please, dear god, No!!!"

Moments later, sedated and restrained, Laura lays back down, tears flowing from her eyes, sobbing quietly as the visions are temporarily held at bay by the medication. Gail walks from the room, and talks with Scotty who has come when Gail called.

"Scotty, this is highly irregular, but considering that you were her husband, and that she called for you earlier, I thought that we need to talk."

"Anything, Gail," he tells her. "I heard her scream. What in the name of God happened to her? If it's Luke's fault, I'll kill that SOB myself."

Gail shakes her head. "No. I don't think she's there. Scotty, Tom is supposed to be treating her, but he's been barred temporarily because of insurance problems, and Laura's in grave danger, mentally."

"Then do what you have to do, and I'll handle Luke if he objects."

Scotty is grim, his mind going back to the days when he and Laura had been married. "Trust me, Gail. Do whatever you have to in order to give her some peace." His eyes are watery, and he asks, "Can I go in? Maybe it would give her some peace of mind to know that I don't hold any of this against her."

"You can try," Gail says. "In fact, it might do her a little good. She's been through such hell, and has managed to walk away from much of it by repressing it."

"And now that the dam's broke..."

"Exactly." Scotty pushes the door open, his heart torn as he sees Laura, restrained, moaning softly. Hmmmmmm





"Cassadine," Luke says to Frisco. "Victor-apparently he was behind Kevin's disappearance some months back-we say disappearance as there apparently was no twin study nor was there a Dr. V. Cassidy."

"That tracks with the rumors about a Dr. V. Cassidy we've been hearing from a remote site in Transylvania," Frisco says.

"Transylvania?" Lucy asks, "Like in vampires and bats?"

"That's gotta be a Cassadine stronghold," Luke comments. "Laura once mentioned something about a castle in the Carpathians that she was forced to visit. Gave her nightmares for years."

"Nightmares?" Lucy asks. "For years?"

"Carpathians?" Frisco questions. "Do you remember anything she might have said?"

Luke thinks back carefully. "Bats-she's scared to death of bats and she won't even watch vampire movies."

"At all?"

"Not at all. And, water. She mentioned water-had dreams where she nearly drowns. It was years before she'd get into a tub of water."

Lucy is watching, listening carefully, as Frisco and Luke talk. "There's this tunnel, or hallway," Luke continues. "She has nightmares about that, even today. There's someone waiting for her at the end of the hallway-and it's weird, but she said something about jasmine, too."

That's too much for Lucy, who jumps right in. "Luke, this is so similar to what Kevin said about his dreams that it scares me." She briefs them, adding, "but his demon was his mother."

"Are you sure, Lucy?"

"I need names," Frisco says, picking up the phone. "I need the name of Kevin's mother, and anything else that you can recall about his past memories."

"Melanie Chamberlain," Lucy supplies. "I don't know her maiden name, though."

"It's a start." Hmmmmmmm





Stay tuned!! Dare we hazard a guess as to the identity of the individual in the purple dinosaur costume?? Have Felicia and Kevin joined forces?? What was Sonny doing at Felicia's apartment? They aren't really close friends, now, are they?? And, what was Tom's motive in offering to assist Mac in the investigation? What old horror was Laura reliving? Are things worse than we thought?? (Bet on it!) And, how is it that Laura and Kevin shared similar nightmares??? Hmmmmmmmmmm

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