JC: Ed Biggers
Part 5: Stasis
Chapter 13
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

"I pay them. They should put my needs ahead of theirs," said Nora 
as she looked at Ed expecting him to agree with her. She sat there 
wearing designer jeans, a stylish shirt, and boots that cost five 
hundred dollars. The boots weren't any good for real use, only for 
show in a Hollywood store. After two days, they were already 
showing signs that they would fail.

Chipping away at the rock face with his rock hammer, Ed didn't 
answer. The medallion on his chest flared with heat and then 
subsided. As he worked on extracting the sample, he thought about 
the past two days. Nora had been demanding, treating him as 
though he were her servant. They had to drive rather than ride 
because she had a movie coming up with a nude scene and she 
didn't want to risk any injury that would show up on the film. 
Rather than working on extracting samples, she was busy 
slathering sun block over her skin as she chattered about how the 
sun would cause wrinkles and they would kill her movie career. 

"I don't understand why you didn't erect the umbrella here. This 
sun is just murder on my skin," she said repeating a complaint that 
she had made several times a day. She took a sip of her imported 
bottled water.

With a well-placed strike of the hammer, the sample came loose. 
He removed it from the rock face and examined it before storing it 
in his saddlebag. This was the third from this site and he looked 
around, listening to the sounds of the desert while ignoring the 
rambling stream of complaints from Nora. He packed his 
equipment with care expecting to hear the sound of a helicopter 
any moment. 

Nora, taking a moment away from her mirror, said, "Why are you 
packing up? There are still more samples to collect here."

Looking over at her, Ed smiled and said, "I'm expecting company."

"Who? I thought we came out here to be alone." 

"Something has come up." Ed looked at the horizon expecting to 
see the helicopter appear any moment. A smile crossed his face 
when a speck appeared over the horizon. He ordered, "Pack up 
your stuff, right now."

Confused and bordering on angry at being ordered around, she put 
her gear in the backpack moving with deliberate slowness. The 
helicopter was close enough for her to hear by the time she 
finished. Turning, she stared at the helicopter fearing that it was 
Paparazzi trying to get pictures of her. The military insignia on it 
became clear as the helicopter approached for a landing. Turning 
to Ed she asked, "What?"

Smiling, he said, "Your next movie involves terrorists, right?"

Uncertain, she answered, "Yes."

With a grin that went from ear to ear, Ed said, "The Gods and 
Goddesses have arranged a chance for you to meet a real live 
terrorist."

The idea of actually meeting a terrorist thrilled her, but one look at 
the smile on Ed's face quashed her excitement. This was the first 
time that he had smiled since they had come out to the desert. 
There was an unsettling look to the smile that dampened her 
enthusiasm. Still, it was an opportunity that most actors never had. 
Smiling, she said, "Great."

Colonel Grey came running out of the helicopter, bent over in the 
posture all people took when leaving a helicopter. The fear that the 
blades would decapitate them over shadowed the rational 
knowledge that the blades were five feet above their heads. Away 
from the helicopter, the Colonel straightened up and walked to Ed. 
Exchanging nods, he said, "We've got a real nasty one."

"I'll help you if she can come along," replied Ed knowing that the 
Colonel would put up a fight. 

"She's a fucking movie star," replied the Colonel as he stared at 
Nora. "She doesn't have clearance."

As Nora bristled in anger at the comment, Ed turned and squatted 
next to his saddlebag. Opening it, he removed the rock hammer 
and examined the face of the rock wall. The Colonel swore and 
then shouted, "This is a matter of national security."

Ed didn't reply as he ran a finger over the rock face. Irritated at 
being ignored and knowing that Ed could basically demand 
anything that he wanted, the Colonel said, "She can go there, but 
she can't see the prisoner."

"She sits in the room with me while I work," replied Ed. 

"She'll blab everything she sees to the press! She's a fucking movie 
star!" The Colonel was ready to explode.

The attitude of the Colonel was irritating Nora. How dare this man 
completely dismiss her? As visions of giving interviews in which 
she told how she had actually sat in on the interrogation of a real 
terrorist flashed through her mind, she became determined that she 
would go. Stroking the medallion on his chest, Ed said, "My 
service to the Two-Sided One demands it."

The comment brought a chill to the Colonel and Nora. It wasn't 
what he said, but the tone of voice in which he said it. There was 
an iron present in his words that Nora had never heard before. It 
was like a hammer hitting an anvil and he was the anvil that rang 
when struck but didn't demonstrate any damage. The Colonel 
replied, "Okay."

Ed packed the hammer and picked up his saddlebag. Turning to 
Nora, he said, "Come, we have to fly to the house and pick up 
something."

The leer jet, provided by the CIA, landed at the airbase. Inside the 
jet, the windows were closed so that the passengers wouldn't know 
where they were. The precaution was taken because Nora did not 
have the clearance to even know where the prisoner was being 
held. They were lead directly to the interrogation center for Ed to 
direct what changes he wanted made to the room. 

Nora followed Ed, overwhelmed by the grim looks on the men that 
she encountered. Unlike the movies, the men didn't look like suave 
heroes that could seduce a woman with just a glance. These men 
were hard with eyes that judged people in terms of the threat that 
they represented. The young soldiers, standing at attention, 
watched everything with suspicion. The only woman that she saw 
was in her fifties with gray hair, overweight with a second chin, 
and glasses.

The interrogation room was plain with yellowed walls and no 
carpet. Ed looked at the florescent lights and said, "We need to 
reduce the lighting in here. Remove all of the bulbs except for two 
of them."

The Colonel went to the wall and flipped a switch. All of the 
lights, except for two, went out. Grinning, he said, "We knew that 
you would ask for that."

"Do you have the Korans?"

"They will arrive in the morning. The Ayatollah is bringing them," 
replied the Colonel. He looked around the room and then at Ed. He 
said, "If there are no further changes you want to suggest, they are 
ready to brief you, now."

Ed and Nora followed the Colonel to a conference room. Ed took a 
seat at the head of the table and gestured for Nora to sit beside him. 
Nervous, she sat in the chair looking around the room. For the first 
time in ages, she didn't feel like a celebrity. Colonel Grey sat on 
the other side of Ed and examined Nora as she fidgeted in her 
chair. It was clear that she felt nervous and lost. 

At the far end of the table, a deputy director of the CIA said, "The 
subject is a very dangerous man. We don't know much about his 
past. In fact, we aren't even sure what his real name is. We are 
pretty sure that he is a Saudi, but we caught him traveling under a 
Sudanese passport."

Ed asked, "Where did you capture him?"

There was a long moment of silence before a nondescript man 
answered, "I took him in front of a Mosque in a country that 
borders the US."

After staring at the man for a minute, Ed asked, "Bounty hunter?"

"Yes, I am," replied the man as Nora's visions of a massive CIA 
raid fell apart. 

"Were you after him specifically?"

"No. I was after a man that embezzled money from the company in 
which he was a partner."

Shaking his head with a smile, Ed sensed the hand of the God in 
the capture. "How did you take him?"

"I hired a couple of mercs. The bastard shot his own security guy 
when he surrendered," replied the man as he shook his head.

"So what can you tell me about the man?" asked Ed disturbed by 
the news.

The Deputy Director pointed to the woman and said, "Debbie, tell 
him."

This was the woman that Nora had seen earlier. Debbie looked 
down at her briefing notes and said, "The guy is a total sociopath. 
We don't know what conditions produced him, but he's entirely 
focused on destroying the United States. He doesn't even care 
about Israel, but uses that whole issue to motivate people to his 
will."

Nora leaned forward finding the report of the woman fascinating. 
Debbie continued, "We know that he has sent suicide bombers into 
Israel, but the targets had significant American involvement. In 
other parts of the world, he has paid for assassinations of American 
businessmen. I must warn you that he feels no guilt about his 
actions."

Ed shook his head as he realized the magnitude of the problem in 
front of him. He asked, "Give me a better insight into his 
character."

"He doesn't care about the people who follow him. He uses their 
beliefs for his purposes, talking young kids into blowing 
themselves up with promises of virgin women in the afterlife. As 
far as we can tell, he doesn't even believe in Allah. He will kill on 
the drop of a hat. I'm not surprised that he killed his own security 
person for surrendering when he was captured. Failure of any kind 
is punished by death."

Nora shook at the description realizing that she was going to be 
meeting a very scary person. She looked over at Ed for assurance. 
He smiled and asked, "What can you tell me about being a user?"

The question came as a surprise that set her back in her chair. The 
worst thing was that he was asking her with the expectation that 
she could answer. "Huh?"

"You are a user who views the people that work for you as not 
having lives of their own. You think that your needs should come 
before theirs. What can you tell me about being a user?" Ed asked 
the question knowing that it was harsh and would hurt, but he had 
to protect the people that worked for her from further harm. The 
medallion, emitting a feeling of soft comfortable warmth, soothed 
his nerves.

Flushing a bright red, Nora didn't know what she felt. Anger, 
embarrassment, righteousness, and shame competed. She struggled 
to breathe, but her chest was so constricted that she couldn't draw a 
breath. Hand trembling as she moved it to cover her mouth, she 
stared at Ed feeling like her soul was being peeled back under his 
direct and unwavering gaze. 

Ed wasn't the only one interested in her answer. Debbie and the 
bounty hunter leaned forward as they studied her like an interesting 
specimen under a microscope. Colonel Grey and the Deputy Direct 
of the CIA watched Ed to see what he would do next. 

Time passed before Nora drew a ragged breath and tears rolled 
down her cheek. She answered, "You get to rely on people who do 
that little extra for you. After a while, you begin to expect it from 
them. You forget that they have feelings and needs beyond what 
you do for them, as they have become tools for you to use. One 
day, the tools become interchangeable. It happens so slow that you 
never know that you have turned into something ugly."

Nodding, Ed said, "Interesting."

Debbie sat back and thought about the answer. It captured a reality 
that was experienced by celebrities, but did it apply to terrorists? 
She knew that she would have to think about that for a long time. 
The bounty hunter sat back disappointed as he had hoped for a 
greater insight that would give him an advantage in his work. All 
of the people that he pursued were users.

Turning to the others with the kind of suddenness that was 
shocking, Ed asked, "So does anyone have more to tell me? For 
example, hints as to why he was just across the border from us."

One of the analysts in the room answered, "We don't know where 
he was staying so we couldn't search it for clues as to what he was 
doing there. It would be consistent with past trends to assume that 
he is going to try random acts of violence that targets American 
Businesses. He's not the type that goes for the big score, but chips 
away at his target over time."

Debbie commented, "The initial effect is small, but over time he 
can bring a very real sense of terror to a very large audience."

Everyone around the table nodded their heads at that news. Ed 
turned to Colonel Grey and asked, "Would you take Nora to her 
quarters so that she can rest before dinner?"

The shift in topic again left everyone off-balance. Recovering, the 
Colonel answered, "If you will come with me, Ms. Turner, I'll take 
you to your room."

He stood and waited for her to stand. Knees shaking, Nora finally 
stood to follow him out of the room. When they left, Ed said, "I 
thank you for your patience. To the matter at hand, I'm afraid that 
this is going to take some time. I shall have to change how I 
normally interview suspects for this particular individual."

"What do you mean?"

Ignoring the question, Ed said, "I'll need five interpreters. None of 
them is to work for more than two hours. Once I get him in a 
cooperative mood, I shall stop and continue the next day. I don't 
expect to get anything from him for a full day."

"Why?"

"It has been my experience that a sociopath will brag about past 
victories once you get them talking, but they won't open up about 
their future plans. We have to shake him to his core." The answer 
was the best that Ed could give to explain what he felt would 
happen.

The dimly lit room was occupied by Ed seated at one end of a 
table. In front of him was a Koran with his crystal ball set upon it. 
To the right of the first Koran was the second Koran with a jewel-
encrusted cover. The spine of the book faced the other end of the 
table. 

Behind Ed, Nora was seated in a chair fascinated by the care with 
which Ed had taken in arranging the room. She was exhausted, 
having spent the whole night crying alone in her quarters. This 
morning, her eyes were puffy and red. She didn't look or feel like a 
movie star. In front of her was a short table that contained glasses 
of iced tea and snacks.

The terrorist was brought into the room wearing arm and leg 
shackles. The short chains required him to shuffle into the room. 
The look he gave Ed and Nora was calculated and without 
emotion. Unlike others that had faced Ed, this man did not react to 
him being a Druid. The two guards guided him through the room 
to the chair. Helping him into the seat, they locked the chains to a 
post in the table. 

At a nod from Ed, the first interpreter entered the room and took 
the last remaining chair at the table. Situated between the two men, 
his role was to interpret what each man said. In the briefing, he had 
been told repeated to translate verbatim without interpretation. If 
the terrorist called Ed camel shit, then he was to translate it as 
camel shit.

Smiling, Ed asked, "Do you have any questions?"

The terrorist retorted, "No!"

The globe turned a bright red as Ed signaled that the man had told 
a lie. The jeweled Koran glowed with a pale red as well. 
Shrugging, Ed said, "We will have plenty of time for your 
questions later on."

"I don't have any questions," replied the man as he eyed the crystal 
ball with suspicion. The thing was clearly a lie detector of some 
sort, but he didn't know how it worked.

"What is your name?"

"Mohammed Ali."

The globe glowed with a red light once again. Ed rubbed his chin 
and looked at the Koran as he asked, "What is your name?"

"I told you, it is Mohammed Ali."

A small ray of red light reached out from a jewel on the spine of 
the Koran towards the terrorist. Ed stared at the ray of light and 
nodded his head as he felt other forces at work here. He asked, 
"What is your religion?"

"Islam."

A red glow settled over the globe as Ed activated the switch. More 
surprising to him was that the ray of light from the Koran 
thickened and reached closer to the terrorist. The man stared at the 
ray and said, "I tell you, I'm a Muslim."

As the line thickened and extended its reach, Ed shook his head. 
With an eyebrow raised, he said, "It appears that Allah does not 
agree with you. What is your name?"

"I've answered your question."

The light from the Koran changed to green with washes of red 
through it. Reaching over to the small table, Ed picked up a glass 
of iced tea and took a sip. Setting the glass down, he said, "You 
answered my question with a lie. What is your name?"

Angry, the man answered, "I am Mohammed Ali."

Ed continued to ask the same question for the next hour. The 
crystal ball remained red throughout the questioning.  Each time 
the terrorist answered with the lie, the beam from the Koran 
thickened and reached closer to him. When the beam was almost 
close enough to touch him, he was pressed back against his chair 
distancing himself as much as possible. Nora was leaning forward 
wondering what would happen when the beam touched the 
terrorist. She wasn't the only one that was interested. The observers 
behind the mirror were transfixed by what they were seeing. The 
camera recording the interrogation was not showing the beam.

Looking at the beam, Ed smiled at the terrorist and sat back. He 
asked, "Are you ready for the next question?"

"Yes I am," snarled the terrorist. The beam extended at the lie and 
touched his hand. A gut wrenching scream was pulled out of the 
terrorist as the beam played over his body, wrapping it in red. 

Nora flew back in her seat. Her hand covered her mouth as her 
eyes stared wide open at the tortured expression on the man's face. 
She muttered, "Jesus!"

Ed leaned forward to watch the terrorist thrashing around on his 
chair. Leaning forward he shouted, "What is your name?"

As the terrorist started to answer with Mohammed Ali, the beam 
intensified and he screamed in pain. Panting, he said, "Qusay Abid 
Al Suad."

The beam immediately pulled back and the pain stopped. Qusay 
sat in his chair breathing heavily uncomfortable in his urine soaked 
clothes. Sweat rolled off his forehead as his eyes, wild and 
haunted, stared at the Koran. Not allowing him to get his breath, 
Ed asked, "Where were you born?"

"Palestine!" shouted the man. Before Ed had a chance to change 
the crystal ball from green to red, the beam from the Koran 
reached out and enveloped Quasay. It appeared as though every 
nerve in his body was being burned. Ed was amazed that the man 
didn't break his back as a result of his muscle spasms. 

Ed waited as the pain worked its way into the terrorist's soul. After 
a minute, Nora cried, "Enough. Ask him again!"

"Where were you born?"

"Saudi Arabia," cried the terrorist. The beam backed away as Ed 
changed the light on the crystal ball to green. 

Ed said, "Now we know two true things. Your name is Qusay Abid 
Al Suad and that you were born in Saudi Arabia. Let's see what 
other true things we can find out. When were you born?"

Qusay didn't answer, but sat there silent. If lying brought the beam 
to torture him, then he would use silence as a weapon. His strategy 
didn't work as the beam slowly began moving closer to him even 
though the globe was unlit. Before it reached him, he answered, 
"August 13, 1960."

Ed manipulated the globe so that it glowed with a green light as the 
beam from the Koran slowly retreated. For the next six hours, Ed 
slowly extracted enough background information to begin the 
questioning for the future plans. Whenever Qusay lied, the beam 
shot forward to fill his body with pain.

As the tenth hour in the room approached, Ed asked, "Are you 
tired?"

"Yes," growled Qusay as he looked at Ed with hate. He stared at 
the crystal ball, as it remained green to indicate that he was telling 
the truth. The crystal ball was nothing, but the Koran was going to 
give him nightmares for the rest of his life.

Waving a hand, Ed said, "Take him away. We will start over 
tomorrow."

Two guards entered the room and unlocked the chain from the 
table. They helped Qusay stand up. As soon as he stood, the smell 
of feces assaulted the noses of everyone in the room. The urine 
stains on his clothes were obvious to everyone. The terrorist 
shuffled out of the room bent over as though defeated. Ed watched 
him leave while shaking his head. 

With the care that holy relics deserved, Ed wrapped the Korans in 
individual pieces of cloth. After packing his crystal ball, he turned 
to wait for the Ayatollah to take possession of the Korans. The 
Islamic holy man entered the room and bowed to Ed as he glanced 
at the cloth-covered books. Awed at what he had observed, he said, 
"I saw the Koran seek the truth."

"No one was more surprised than I," replied Ed as he slumped in 
his chair exhausted. 

Nora had watched Ed work throughout the day, but had left the 
room several times to eat, relax, and use the restroom. It was 
impossible for her to believe that Ed had sat there for almost ten 
hours concentrating on the terrorist and asking his questions. The 
story that emerged was one of absolute disregard for human life so 
long as his desires were satisfied. After listening to the man all 
day, she had come to the conclusion that he was an extreme 
example of what she was becoming. She said, "You need to eat."

As Colonel Grey entered the room, Ed asked, "Do they have any of 
that Chinese Barbecue here?"

It took him a minute to recall what Ed meant and then he 
answered, "I know a place not far from here that serves Mongolian 
Barbecue."

The next morning, Nora flopped into her chair exhausted from the 
past two days. The first night here was spent crying at the 
realization that Ed viewed her as a user and that, if honest with 
herself, she agreed with him. The second night here was filled with 
nightmares of terrorist acts. Her dreams starred her as the terrorist. 
She had dreamed of blowing up the car of her publicist. She had 
dreamed of sending a delivery boy to the set with a pizza box 
containing a bomb to blow up a young starlet who had stolen a role 
from her. She had woken for each nightmare feeling that she would 
have done that if she had thought she could have gotten away with 
it. She hated herself for those thoughts.

Taking his position at the table, Ed looked awake and alert. She 
wondered how he could push himself that hard and remain so 
energetic. Just listening to the horrible stories had drained her. 
Looking down at the little table, she double-checked that it was 
filled with iced tea and snacks.

Ed nodded at her and said, "Bring in Qusay."

The guards escorted the man into the room repeating the actions to 
secure the prisoner to the desk that were taken the previous day. 
Unlike the previous day when he had not shown any emotion, the 
prisoner stared at Ed with fear in his eyes.  Once seated, he had 
tested the bonds that held him in a desperate hope of escape. 
Smiling at the man across from him, Ed said, "Good morning, 
Qusay. Are you ready to begin?"

The prisoner stared at Ed and then at the Koran. Swallowing 
heavily, he answered, "No. I'm not."

The crystal ball glowed with a greenish light. Glancing down at the 
ball, Ed asked, "Would you like a sip of water before we begin?"

"Yes."

A guard brought over a cup of water in a paper cup. The prisoner 
took a sip and set the glass down. With a deep breath he prepared 
himself for the questioning to begin. Ed said, "Yesterday I asked 
you what religion you were and you answered Muslim. The Koran 
disagreed with you."

Qusay shivered as he remembered the reaction of the Koran. "I 
remember."

"I'm curious. Do you believe in Allah?" asked Ed looking Qusay in 
the eye.

Looking at the Koran, Qusay answered, "I do now."

Knowing that he had told the truth, the crystal ball continued to 
glow with a green light. Ed pointed to the Koran on which the 
crystal ball was placed and explained the history of the book. Nora 
listened, fascinated by what Ed was saying and the reverence with 
which he talked about the books. Everyone in the room knew that 
he was a Druid, but to hear him talk about Allah one would be 
convinced that Ed believed in Allah. Ed turned to the jewel 
encrusted Koran and told about its history. 

Listening, Qusay was reminded of Imams and Ayatollahs that he 
had known as a child. He asked, "Do you believe in Allah?"

The question took Ed by surprise, but he answered, "Of course. I 
may not serve him, but I acknowledge him and respect him. He is a 
God of good as are the Gods and Goddesses that I serve."

The light had remained green through the entire exchange. Ed sat 
back in his chair and in a kindly voice said, "I would like you to 
tell me about your current operations."

Eyes flicking between Ed, the crystal ball, and the Koran, Qusay 
was in a dilemma between his fears and his desire to inflict harm 
upon the United States. The longer he waited, the more the Koran 
glowed. Licking his lips, he stared as a beam started extending 
towards him. He reached for the paper cup, but his hands were 
shaking so hard that he spilled it. After a minute, he screamed, 
"Okay! I'll tell you."

For the next four hours he laid out every plot that was in progress 
against the United States. Ed probed for names and places, giving 
those that were listening enough details to capture all of the people 
involved. With questions asked in a soft voice, Ed led Qusay into 
reveling plots that originated in other organizations. As the man 
spoke, the Koran began to glow with a green light that slowly 
extended to engulf him in a loving embrace.

Once that happened, Ed stopped asking questions and allowed the 
man to talk, spilling everything that he had done. Nora listened in 
horror as the man revealed how he had killed people, manipulated 
others into killing, and the blackmail used to fund his activities. 
The man used people without remorse through his entire life. 
When he had described raping the wife and children of one of the 
men that had opposed him, she nearly threw up. This was not a 
Hollywood script, it was reality and she knew it.

Once the man wound down, Ed said, "Thank you very much. 
Would you like a chance to hold the Koran?"

"Yes," replied Qusay.

Ed handed the jewel-encrusted book to the prisoner and watched as 
he held it to his chest with eyes closed and a slight smile on his 
face. After a minute, he held the book out for Ed to take. Ed took 
the book as Qusay said, "Thank you and may Allah bless you."

"You're welcome," replied Ed. The guards came into the room and 
led the man away. Once the man was out of the room, Ed sat back 
and relaxed. Nora came up from behind and started to rub his 
muscles to work some of the tension from them. Ed leaned his 
head forward smelling her perfume and feeling the caring in her 
touch. She wasn't thinking about herself.

Grasping one of her hands, he said, "Let's go someplace more 
comfortable."

In his room, he led her to the bed and slowly kissed her. With the 
events of the past few days, she was vulnerable in her need for 
love. She responded to his kiss, not concerned with receiving 
pleasure, but in sharing pleasure.  Kisses were exchanged as hands 
roamed over each other's bodies. It was a slow easy passionate 
buildup that led to Ed mounting her.

Body naked, her soul was bare for him to touch and touch it he did. 
The shell of celebrity had been shattered and he made love to the 
woman that had been hidden inside. Her orgasms surprised her. 
She had not pursued them with the relentless that had been 
characteristic of her in the past. 

Her attention was focused on Ed and his pleasure. She ran her 
fingernails along his back, gentle so as not to scratch but to excite. 
She ran her hands over his nipples, sensing the pleasure that it 
brought him. With soft kisses, she gave herself to him for his 
pleasure.

Ed groaned as he reached the point of no return. Speeding his 
thrusts, he buried himself deep within her as she enveloped him to 
accept him fully. In tune with him, she could feel his cock flex as 
he ejected his come into her. A small orgasm triggered just by the 
knowledge that she had given him pleasure spread slowly over her 
body. 

Sated, satisfied, and happy, Nora lay with her head on his chest 
tracing small patterns on his body. Tears cascaded from her eyes, 
expressing the deep emotional impact that their love making 
session had upon her. She said, "I've been a horrible person for 
such a long time."

"I'm sorry that I had to be so rough on you," replied Ed.

"Don't be. I saw myself in him. It was only a difference in degree, 
not in attitude," commented Nora. Her dreams of hunting rock had 
returned to her, destroying the glamour of Hollywood. She hadn't 
been happy, but had worked hard to present a façade to the world 
that she had come to believe was real. The façade was gone.

"Will you talk about what you saw in there?" asked Ed.

A shudder of horror at the evil that she had seen went through her 
body. She said, "Never. No one would believe it."