Terry Elston stepped front and center. "That's not a very good joke. I knew Nancy. Hell of a way to die, killed by some maniac."
"Terry, I'm Nancy. Don't you recognize me?"
Elston squinted. "You look familiar. You look a little like Nancy. But you can't be her, because she's dead."
"I'm here, and I tell you I'm not dead."
"Nancy's dead," Elston repeated mechanically. "Say, what are you trying to pull?"
"Terry, behind you. A maniac!"
"Sure," Elston said. "Sure. There's a maniac behind me."
Collins stepped forward and hit Elston behind the ear. He fell silently.
Nancy stared down at him.
"He refused to recognize me. He acted like I was crazy, pretending to be Nancy Comstock."