Mercy & Mayhem

A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery

By Ava Mallory

Copyright @2015 Ava Mallory. All Rights Reserved

http://writeravamallory.wix.com/avamallory

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

Cover Design & Image Credits: Danger Zone; http://studiostoks/; https://www.dollarphotoclub.com/

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Table of Contents

Chapter One              4

Chapter Two              19

Chapter Three              36

Chapter Four              52

Chapter Five              66

Chapter Six              84

Chapter Seven              100

Chapter Eight              112

Chapter Nine              130

Chapter Ten              143

Chapter Eleven              159

Chapter Twelve              175

Chapter Thirteen              193

Chapter Fourteen              211

Chapter Fifteen              225

Chapter Sixteen              239

Chapter Seventeen              251

Epilogue              280

About Ava Mallory              287

Other Ava Mallory Titles              288

Acknowledgements              289

Chapter One

Some people get to settle in and learn the lay of the land before they start a new job, but I guess, I'm not like some people. I'd rather take the bull by the horns, but when the bull happens to be a large, elderly gentleman brandishing a cane as a weapon, then, all bets are off. It's time for a serious intervention.

"Hi! I'm Mercedes Mares. I'm the traveling nurse. I'm supposed to..."

The charge nurse waved her hand in my face. "Not now! This guy is going nuts!"

It's not like I didn't see him. He was the first person I saw as soon as I stepped into the unit. He's hardly the kind of man you'd miss at about six feet tall, around two hundred pounds, and swinging a three foot cane, but I just wasn't quite expecting to battle so early on in the game. Mind you, no one back at the agency prepared me for arctic temperatures and/or the obvious self-defense classes I was going to have to take, if I was going to survive the next three months in the panhandle of Nebraska.

Amused by the obvious lack of training received in regards to unruly patients, I had half a mind to pop a squat and watch the show in action, but figured making a bad impression before I was officially trained for the job I'd spent the last twenty years practically doing in my sleep, wouldn't have made me look good. Instead, I sprung into action, tossing the paper thin coat that I purchased at the last truck stop before I'd officially left civilization on the floor, and bags of supplies I might need, depending on how well stocked this nursing home was, and kindly asked the gentleman to step down off the lift and tell me what was wrong.

He must have known I meant business because after a moment of stunned silence, he obliged, handing me his cane as he proceeded to tell me all of his woes.

Together, we walked arm in arm to a nearby common area on the dementia unit and sat down to chat like a couple of old pals. The flustered staff members were both mesmerized and perturbed and I knew my plan to come in and quietly introduce myself had completely flown out the window, along with my sensibilities.

I lost count of how many times I'd been asked to not come charging in with my take no prisoners attitude and my 'I got this' stance?

While the staff huffed and puffed and put the unit back in order, I kept the aforementioned patient occupied. We reveled in stories of his days on the farm and delighted in each others company until the memory, he fought hard to maintain wilted away and he'd all but forgotten that I was the very same nurse that had escorted him off the lift and into the chair he now occupied.

"Alright, Mr. Schmeckpepper, the medication nurse is going to give you your pills now. Can you take them for me, hon?" I cringed as the nurse's aide asked. Over the years, I cannot tell you how many times I heard well-meaning medical staff refer to adult patients that way. Unless something changed since I'd graduated from nursing school, you were never supposed to address a patient that way.

"I don't need pills." Mr. Schmeckpepper quipped. "And, don't call me 'hon'. I don't like it."

The nurse's aide backed away, deferring to the medication aide, holding a medicine cup, filled to the brim with an assortment of pills. I knew exactly what they were trying to do. Despite my own personal feelings about the use of pills to control behavior, I didn't say a word. I needed to get started on the right foot or the next three months would feel like years.

I stood up and looked in the direction of the one I assumed was the charge nurse, but her eyes glossed over me as she watched to ensure Mr. Schmeckpepper took his happy pills. I needed a do-over, but to be clear, I walked into the mess, I didn't bring it with me, but as the newbie every time I accepted a new placement, I knew the drill. They weren't kidding when they said that nurses eat their young. There was a pecking order, no matter what facility or hospital you found yourself employed in. I always seemed to find myself at the bottom of that pecking order.

Veteran nurses ran the roost and new, fresh out of school nurses, just tried to survive. Sad, but true fact. Eventually, it all evened out, if you were lucky, but as someone who took a liking to being a traveling nurse, I didn't often find myself brimming with a heaping spoonful of luck. It didn't matter that I'd been around since long before people were charting on computers or tablets. I'm old school and that's how I liked it. Give me a Pyxis and a clipboard and I'm happy.

I cleared my throat and stood up to get the charge nurse's attention. "Excuse me? Are you the Charge Nurse?"

I saw the eye roll from across the room, but thought it was better not to mention it until I'd at least formerly introduced myself first.

As I approached her, donning my best smile, I said, "Hi! I'm Mercedes Mares. I'm the traveling nurse. Are you Kathleen?"

She exhaled in my face and answered, "Kathy. Don't call me Kathleen. Only my mother calls me that and even then, just don't."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you, Kathy. Everyone calls me Mercy. I mean, everyone. Ever since I was a little girl, I don't think anyone really called me by my full name. Maybe it was just too long or too much. I don't know." I forced myself to stop talking. I had the tendency to talk really fast when I was feeling uncomfortable and, if ever there was a time to feel uncomfortable, this would be it.

Kathy stood with her arms crossed over her plump middle and was flanked by two equally uninterested nurse's aides. Looking at the scowls on their faces, I said a silent prayer, hoping they weren't the official Valley Retirement Estates Welcome Committee because they sure weren't making me feel at all welcome.

"Alright, well, follow me and make sure you bring your luggage or whatever that is with you." Kathy pointed to my small pile of belongings that sat on the floor.

"Sure thing. Thanks for reminding me." The niceties these lips were spewing were beginning to burn my tongue. I needed to figure out a way to turn things around and fast. Working in a hostile environment wasn't pleasant for anyone, especially me.

Kathy slammed the door behind me as I walked in. "Well, go ahead and sit down. Number one, there's not a lot of room in here for all that stuff, so you're going to have to get yourself a locker or leave that stuff at home. Next, try not to step on anyone's toes. We run a tight ship here and there are procedures in place to keep it that way."

I just had to interrupt. If I didn't, I was going to blow a fuse. "Excuse me, Kathy, but did I do something to offend you or are you this friendly with everyone?" I showed my brightest smile to soften the blow.

Kathy leaned back in her chair while I prepared myself for an unpleasant exchange, then, she responded, "Here's the deal. It has been a really bad day. I am the night nurse, but since you needed to be trained by someone who knows what they're doing, I'm forced to work a day shift with you. I'm tired. The snow is coming down hard. All these old farmers are getting antsy because they are worried about their crops. You see, on a dementia unit, there's no telling what era, they are living in and, unfortunately, we are the ones left to help them put the pieces back together or go along with whatever they are thinking just to keep the peace. So, I'm sorry, if your feelings are hurt, but I don't have time for pleasantries. I have a thirty-six bed unit to run and a bunch of support staff members to keep track of." Kathy clapped her hands and turned her back on me while I resisted the urge to walk right on out of there and beg to be reassigned, but I was no quitter and my old Honda really needed some major repairs, so it didn't take me long to figure out what I really needed to do.

"Kathy, I understand how frustrating this must be for you, but I think it would behoove you to at least try to practice a little kindness. I'm only here for three months. I'm more than willing to pitch in and do my part." I thought that sounded nice.

Apparently, Kathy did not and she quickly got up and walked out of the office, leaving me to bask in my brilliance. Truth be told, I had pressing matters that needed to be addressed and this assignment would ease my financial burden. Three months in the frozen tundra of a Nebraska winter was nothing, compared to some of the other assignments I'd been given in the past, but Nurse Ratchet was in no hurry to make my transition any easier and I was going to have to do something to mend fences or I was going to die trying.

I sat quietly, trying really hard to mind my own business, but it was hard, especially surrounded by paper thin walls and having an array of video screens capturing every move in the common areas of the unit and a smattering of high risk patients' rooms.

Kathy returned to the office and sat down. She didn't offer an apology, but instead, corrected my terminology. "We don't have patients here. We call them 'residents', just so you know. Today, you will be my shadow. Don't touch anyone or anything unless I tell you to. I'll get you acquainted with how things run and, then, hand some charts over to you so you can get familiar with residents and their care plans. And, another thing, this door is to remain closed at all times. No residents in here. The door will automatically lock behind you, if you close it right. Understood? "

Yes, Drill Sergeant, I thought, but my lips said, "Yes, of course. Thank you."

"Good. Then, come on, follow me. I haven't even had time to do morning rounds yet, so let's get to it. Have you ever worked in a dementia unit before?" She asked.

I didn't like to lie, but I figured a tiny fib might make her feel a little better. "No, not since I was in nursing clinicals."

"Do you know anything about dementia?" Her condescending tone was showing again, so naturally I had to oblige.

"Yes, I'm more than familiar. I've been a nurse for almost twenty-five years. I spent the last ten years as a traveling nurse. I've seen patients of all kinds. Before that, I worked in post-surgical, oncology, pediatrics, and in home health." This time, I added a wink with my smile. She didn't appreciate it.

Kathy barged right into the first room. No knock. No introduction. She startled the resident. I didn't see him, but I sure as sugar, heard him.

"Woman, get out of my room! I don't need no more of your shenanigans. Get out and take that one with you!"

I peered around the draw curtain, announcing my presence. "Hello, Mr. Schmeckpepper. We met just a few minutes ago. We sure did have a nice chat about your fields. How are you?"

"One foot in the grave and one foot ready to kick you right on out of here. That's how I am." Someone had given Mr. Schmeckpepper his cane back and he was doing a nice job of waving it like a sword in our faces.

Yep, he and I were going to get along just fine.

"Now, you know that I'm just here to check your vitals. I do this every shift. Doctor's orders." Kathy already had her stethoscope on his heart by the time she'd finished talking.

He immediately grabbed it and shouted into it, "Get out, you loon!"

I had to stifle a laugh. He had a lot of spunk. I could only imagine what he would have been like years earlier.

I had a soft spot for seniors. Although I didn't mention it too often, I'd grown up with my grandparents in my home and my grandfather was such a card. He's part of the reason I became a nurse. Before getting my degree, I'd spent some time as a nurse's aide in a nursing home back home in California. Back then, there was no term for this sad disease. We just called it memory loss or Old Timer's Disease. Now, it had an official title and the word dementia acts as an umbrella for any number of accompanying symptoms. No matter what you call it, anyone who suffered from it and those who care about them are a different breed. I firmly believe they are stronger than the rest of us.

Mr. Schmeckpepper here, from what I've already seen, falls into the category of someone that will keep me on my toes and I liked that about him already.

Kathy spoke over him, like he wasn't in the room. Nothing irritated me more than to see people do that. "After we take his vitals, we'll go next door to Betty's room. Prepare yourself, she's always having some kind of major issue." Kathy spoke as if she didn't have to worry about confidentiality. I couldn't believe my ears.

"Okay, then, Mr. Schmeck... " I began, but he stopped me.

"Will someone please just call me 'Nubbin'? Is that so hard to say. It is my name, you know?"

I loved this guy. I just wanted to hug him and tell him that he was officially one of my all time favorite patients, but unlike present company, I knew what the boundaries were and I especially liked having a job, so I refrained myself, but mentally, I squeezed the lovin' out of him.

Kathy brushed right past me as soon as she was done and marched into the next room, speaking like there was a freight train rolling in the hallway. Very loudly, she screamed, "Miss Betty, just settle down! No reason to get your britches in a bunch! I'm just trying to take your vitals! We do this every day."

I rolled my eyes, but refrained from entering without knocking first. I didn't care who was running the show here, I had morals and I had boundaries. No way was I walking into another room unannounced.

"Who is it?" A woman's voice yelled.

"I'm a nurse. May I come in?"

The resident didn't hear me over the commotion in the room. I hadn't realized that the room was full of people. Two nurse's aides were struggling to get a shirt over the poor resident's head. Kathy was huffing and puffing as she tapped her foot, waiting for the aides to finish up and the resident was resisting them at every turn. It was no wonder, no one was doing anything the way it should have been done. The one in charge was handling things all wrong.

Outside in the courtyard were a couple of maintenance men shoveling snow. I shouldn't have been able to see them, but given that not one of these fine caretakers bothered to draw the drapes or pull the privacy curtains shut, I had full view of far more than I was prepared to see this Monday morning. I had half a mind to chew them out, but first I had to get the situation under control and spare the poor resident any more humiliation.

I just couldn't help myself. When something got under my craw, I had to take care of it or I'd regret it. I knew it!

First, I drew the drapes shut, darkening the whole room. That flustered everyone long enough for me to grasp for the privacy curtain and pull it shut, then, turn a light on and worm my way in between Attila the Hun and her army of hooligans.

"Sorry. I'm Mercedes, but you can call me Mercy. I'm a traveling nurse and I'll be here while one of the staff members is on maternity leave." I introduced myself to the resident.

"Oh, Jennifer had her baby? What did she have?" The resident's whole face lit up when she heard.

Had no one bothered to tell the residents what happened?

"I believe she did, but Kathy here will have to confirm for me." I deferred to a seething Kathy.

She glared at me before yelling at decibel levels only dogs could hear. "Yes! Jennifer had a baby girl on Friday! That's why this one is here!" She pointed at me. I tried to ignore the 'this one' comment, believing it better not to get into an argument in front of the resident.

"A little girl? What did she name her?" Betty asked.

I had to admit, for someone who was supposedly in the throes of dementia and potentially violent, Miss Betty sure seemed to be able to follow a conversation with no problem whatsoever.

Again, I looked to Kathy, but she was already waving her stethoscope in the air.

"I'll find out the name and get back to you on that one. By the way, what would you like to be called?" I asked the resident.

"Betty, please, dear. Elizabeth is too formal. And, what did you say? You like to be called 'Mercy'? Well, isn't that pretty? I like it." Betty grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I nearly melted. She was such a kind woman.

"Thank you. Now, would you mind if we took your vitals this morning, Betty?" I asked. The nurse's aides watched in awe. In the short time it took me to make the room right and introduce myself, I'd managed to help get Betty properly clothed and made her feel secure.

It was then that Kathy made her exit without so much as a goodbye. I didn't know whether to applaud or pretend I didn't notice. Either way, it wasn't a battle that needed to be fought. I made my point and, hopefully, that would give her pause to slow down and remember what she'd been taught in nursing school.

As I took the vitals, the nurse's aides left the room and moved on to the next resident on their list to get dressed this morning. I stayed long enough to say a proper goodbye and assure Betty that I would see her in the dining room before I opened the drapes and said hello to the maintenance man who'd entered the room to fix a leaking sink in her bathroom.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the dining room?" I asked.

Betty waved me off as she checked the contents of her water pitcher, telling me to catch up with Kathy before she had a fit. I said my goodbyes and nearly ran into the maintenance man as he finished up and walked out of the room.

I muttered, "Does anyone say hello around here?"

Betty answered, "Only if you make them slow down and look at you. That's not true of everyone, just some of the girls that work here. He used to stop and chat with me all the time, but stopped all of a sudden a couple of weeks ago. I know how busy they must be, but sometimes it would be nice if they remembered that we have feelings too."

I wanted to cry. That was so sad to hear. I hoped that what she said wasn't true and that everyone was just having an off day.

"I'll see you in a few?" I asked.

"Sure will."

I stepped out of the room and listened to hear which direction to go. Across the common area, I could see Kathy standing in the office talking to a tall, older gentleman, pointing right at me.

Panic set in. Even though, I knew I'd done nothing wrong, I found myself retracing my steps to make sure I hadn't done anything at all offensive. I wrestled with the idea of going to the office to see what they were discussing, but opening up a whole other can of worms wasn't something I wanted to do so soon.

I lingered in the hallway, unsure of what to do. I'd already potentially made an enemy out of Kathy and didn't want to stir up any more problems with her. The nursing staff didn't offer any assistance. They floated around me, busy going through their daily chore list.

Rather than staring off into space, I took the opportunity to check my uniform and make sure it was up to par.

Finally, Kathy and the gentleman exited the office and made a beeline for me. By the looks of him, I didn't believe that he could have been the administrator or one of the doctors. His clothing had farmer written all over them and he was a tad bit older than someone who should or would be in charge of a nursing home or still practicing medicine.

I swallowed my fear as they approached and offered a smile and my hand.

He stopped cold, confusion in his eyes. "Who are you?" He asked.

"I'm a nurse." I answered, meekly. He didn't seem like he was a happy camper at all. If you asked me, he appeared to be under a considerable amount of stress. I wondered if he'd just gotten over a bout of the flu or something.

Kathy chimed in. "She's here while Jennifer is away, Mr. Knott."

He looked me up and down. I was glad I'd checked my uniform.

"Alright." He said and walked past me to go into Betty's room.

"Rowdy!" She called out. "You're here. You look like you need a drink. Have some lemonade, dear. I just finished making it."

He replied, "Yes, woman. I'm here every day. You know that and that's not lemonade. How many times do I have to tell you that it's water in that jug? Someone puts water in there every morning for you."

I looked at Kathy, but she didn't fill me in, so I asked, "Is that Betty's husband?"

Kathy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that's him. Do me a favor, will you? He wants to take her out for breakfast. Can you find the form and give it to him? There should be a pile of sign out forms on my desk."

I was more than happy to oblige. All of a sudden, she was asking for my help. I'd managed to redeem myself.

As I walked to the office, an aide screamed out from one of the rooms. "I need help in here. Now!"

I turned on my heels and ran toward her voice. Betty and her husband were in the doorway of her room, curious to see what the fuss was about.

Nubbin was sitting in his wheelchair just outside his room, yelling, "They killed another one, I bet you. Always happens. Never fails. Every time we are about to eat, they manage to off another one of us."

I didn't know whether to be horrified or embarrassed by his remark. All I knew was that the aide was still screaming and people weren't moving fast enough to offer their assistance and Kathy wanted that form.

Chapter Two

While Kathy went into the resident's room, she waved me off, telling me to stay away. I went into the office in search of the form. Kathy's desk was a mess. I couldn't see any rhyme or reason, but understood that some people preferred to work that way, so I left well enough alone.

Finally, I found the forms in a pile on the floor under the desk, buried under some plant like structure and discarded plastic food containers. I heard the office door open and I called up from under the desk to reassure Kathy that I'd found them.

"I'm okay. They were right here under my nose." I lied.

Just then, there was a loud crash on top of the desk and all the papers went flying into the air. I lifted my head, hitting it on the desk, and, then, heard a shrill scream and saw Rowdy lying face first on the floor.

"Rowdy!" Betty screamed.

I jumped up, holding my aching head, stunned by what I'd just witnessed.

"Rowdy?" I leaned over him and felt for a pulse.

Nothing.

I checked again. This time, grabbing his wrist.

No pulse.

"I need help in here." I called out, hoping someone could hear me through the door. I checked for breathing.

Nothing.

"Betty, go get Kathy please." I said. No one had answered my call.

I was accustomed to patients dying. It was the hardest part of the job, but never had I witnessed a visitor dying. I rolled him over and started chest compressions while I waited for the others to respond.

In the distance, I could hear voices, urging a resident to cooperate with them. Betty remained frozen in place. I looked up, hoping to see some emergency button or something, but the room was a mess and I had to focus on what I was doing.

In between compressions, I called out. "Help me! I need help!"

I didn't need to call out anymore because after another round of compressions, Betty was screaming at the top of her lungs. "She killed him! She killed him!"

What? Why did she think I had anything to do with this? I was under the desk!

Vicky, a nurse's aide came running to the door, asking, "Betty, what are you doing in there? You know you're not supposed to be in there. Who killed who, now?" She waited for me to open the door for her, but I was a little preoccupied and couldn't. Luckily, the maintenance man was nearby and used his key card to unlock the door for her.

She poked her head into the office. I was dripping in sweat as I continued trying to revive Rowdy.

"What happened?" Her eyes were wide.

"Get Kathy now. He collapsed and he's not breathing. Do we have a crash cart?" I asked firmly, knowing by the look in her eyes, she'd not witnessed death before.

Betty continued screaming, louder this time, alerting other residents. "She killed him! She killed Errol Flynn!"

What? Poor Betty. She was in shock and I was surrounded by a bunch of inept people who couldn't be bothered to lift a finger.

Soon, the room filled with people and, finally, Kathy made an appearance.

"Rowdy? What happened? Why was he in here?" She asked me.

I shrugged.

Kathy put her hand on her head. She clearly didn't know how to handle this situation. The aides escorted the residents away from the door. At least they had a clue as to what to do, because I sure didn't. The only thing I knew to do was try to revive him, but it wasn't working and his wife was standing right there, completely horrified.

"Call 911." I said to Kathy.

"I can't." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean, you can't?" I could feel my temperature rising.

What was she talking about?

"We don't have 911. We call the Sheriff's office." She answered.

I gritted my teeth. "Well, call them. Call them now, Kathy!"

My words must have brought her back to reality because she jumped into action and made the call. They assured her that the fire department would be on the way and to keep doing compressions. I was nearly worn out, but I didn't have complete confidence that anyone here was up for the task.

"I'll just keep going till they get here." I said.

Kathy stayed on the line with the operator. The minutes felt like hours. I wondered how far the firefighters had to travel to get there. A town without a 911 system just didn't seem plausible to me.

How do you function without 911?

Finally, I heard the sirens. Just a few more seconds passed before two firefighters appeared on the unit.

Yes, two firefighters. Nothing like calling in the cavalry.

They were led to the office by an aide. Each looked more terrified than the other. The fact that they were wearing jeans, T-shirts, and parkas didn't exactly build my confidence in them.

One of them asked, "Is that Rowdy?"

Of course, they all knew each other.

I explained as much as I could as they went through the motions. Sure enough, he was gone. I knew that the second I laid eyes on him, but was still shocked to hear it.

Nubbin rolled up to the office door and peeked in, saying, "Dead as a door nail. I knew it."

"Not now, Mr. Schmeckpepper." Kathy held her head in her hands.

The firefighter directed his questions toward me. "What happened? Did he have a heart attack?"

"Really? You're asking me? I don't know. I was under the desk." I answered.

"Under the desk? What were you doing under the desk?" Kathy asked.

I wanted to go home and forget I ever came here, but it was too late for that.

"What do we do now?" I looked at the firefighters.

"Um," the other one started, "call the Sheriff? I'll call it in."

I replayed all that happened in my mind. I walked into the office and closed the door behind me. I know I did.

As we waited for the Sheriff to arrive, I explained everything again. The look on Kathy's face told me she didn't believe me, but I couldn't for the life of me understand why not.

She repeatedly asked me who let Rowdy into the office, as if that was the most pressing question of all. The fact that the poor man sadly lost his life didn't matter. All she wanted was to place blame on someone, because it happened during her shift.

She placed a phone call to the administrator, who apparently lived some fifty miles from the facility and didn't want to risk the now ice covered roads to make the trip. This day was not going at all as planned. To make matters worse, Nubbin kept repeating the same refrain about how residents constantly died around here and Betty sat crying, while no one consoled her.

What kind of place was this? I needed to pull myself together before anything else went wrong.

"Shouldn't there be some kind of incident report or something?" I urged Kathy.

She stared at me stone faced and reached into her bag to pull out a form.

"You carry them in your purse?" I asked.

"We run out of supplies all the time. Fill it out. Don't leave anything out." She warned me.

"Why would I do that?" I was offended.

The only one who seemed to have any sympathy for my situation was the maintenance man who still floated around the unit, repairing all that needed to be repaired. He nodded in my direction as he passed by and even stopped to distract Nubbin and get him engaged in conversation. I made a mental note to get that maintenance man's name before the day was over, so I could thank him.

"You should probably call your employer. I'm sure they are going to want to hear your side of the story." Kathy said.

What was she implying? Why would I have a side? I had the truth. I walked in to find the form. Next thing I know, the door opens and I heard a loud crash before Rowdy hit the floor. What else was there to tell?

Finally, the Sheriff walked onto the unit. He too was in no real hurry. Things really did move slower in some parts of the world.

Nubbin stopped him as he neared the office. They chit chatted for a moment while I got my second wind and prepared to burst this sudden cloud of suspicion right here and now.

The Sheriff knocked on the office door. Kathy's hands shook as she opened it. He stepped in, his hands on his hips and asked, "Is that Rowdy?"

Really? What was it with these people?

Kathy nodded and pointed to me. His eyebrows quirked up. She kept her finger pointed at me. The firefighters stared at me. Their eyes were like daggers.

"What's wrong? Why is everyone looking at me?" I had to ask.

"You care to tell me what's going on here, Miss?" The Sheriff moved close enough to me, I could smell what kind of coffee he drank this morning.

Instinctively, I backed away, bumping right into the only other chair in the room, a tattered and broken chair from the resident's dining room, which proceeded to collapse to the ground, taking me and my state of shock with it.

I'd swear, no one wanted to help me up for a second. I could see them contemplating letting me sit there in a heap of trouble for something I had nothing - I mean, nothing - to do with. I just got here. I don't even know these people.

After a moment of me flailing on the ground, the Sheriff offered his hand and hoisted me up in one fell-swoop.

"Thank you," I muttered as I yanked my smock down over my exposed belly button and straightened out my pant legs.

"Okay, shall we try again?" The Sheriff didn't miss a beat.

As I struggled to clean up the mess I'd made with the broken chair, everyone in the room stood silently, while poor Mr. Knott remained on the floor in the exact same position I'd left him in after doing chest compressions.

I was no expert, but I'd seen enough crime dramas to know that someone - I don't know who - should have been securing the scene and, I'm pretty sure, we weren't supposed to be conducting interrogations while standing over the newly departed.

I pointed to Mr. Knott, asking, "Aren't you supposed to call someone or clear the scene or something, Sheriff?"

The look he gave me, told me loud and clear that he wasn't a man who took kindly to being told what to do and I was in trouble.

He stared at me coldly, then, asked everyone to leave the room and not touch anything. I readily obliged, but as luck would have it, the kind Sheriff wasn't about to let me exit stage left.

"Not you." He used his arm as a barricade.

"Okay." I sat down in Kathy's chair, my heart racing a mile a minute. I knew I wasn't normally prone to tachycardia, but I also wasn't prone to being accused of wrongdoing. "Just so you know, I didn't let him in here. I swear, I closed the door behind me. Maybe there's something wrong with the door latch or something. I don't know. I just got here."

He stood with his hands on his hips, staring at me with his beady, little brown eyes."You keep telling me that you just got here. Why? Why is that important?" He asked.

"I... Well, because it's true?" I hadn't meant for that to come out as a question, but the way he looked at me and the way that everyone else positioned themselves conveniently close to the door to get a look at what was going on in the office, was making me feel like I was on trial.

"Alright. Tell me what else happened. What did you do? Did Rowdy complain of any ailments or did he come asking for your assistance?" The Sheriff pulled a small notebook out of his breast pocket and licked the tip of his pen, just like every cop I'd ever seen on television did.

I hemmed and hawed for a moment, trying to refresh my memory and make sure I didn't miss one single detail of the morning's activities. I glanced at the Sheriff's watch, the ticking boomed like thunder in the room. My head started to spin. I couldn't think straight and my darn hands started to shake.

The Sheriff's eyes fell to my hands and the hint of a smile appeared on his thin mouth, making me more nervous than I was when the State Patrolman in Colorado pulled me over for going a tad bit over seventy miles per hour, just as I was about to enter the state of Wyoming on my way to this Podunk town.

I hadn't noticed the Sheriff's badge until beads of sweat formed on my brow. I tried to use his name badge as my center and focus. I knew I needed to say something quick or he was going to become even more suspicious than he already was, so I asked, "Why didn't you introduce yourself, Sheriff Wagner?"

He jerked his head back, surprised by my question. Following my gaze, he looked down at his name tag and said, "It's Wagner. I'm Sheriff Charlie Wagner."

"Well, Sheriff Wagner," I could hear my voice shaking as I spoke. "I'm Mercedes Mares."

He stopped me and asked me to spell my name. I obeyed, pausing to make sure he got it right, then, proceeded to tell him exactly what happened again. All the while, poor Mr. Knott remained dead as a door nail on the ground, only about a foot from where I sat.

I pointed to Mr. Knott. "Isn't someone going to come get him? This town has a morgue, doesn't it?"

"Don't worry about that. What you need to be worrying about is making sure you've told me everything." He said.

"You can't honestly think I had anything to do with this. Excuse me if I'm wrong, but people do die, right? I think its sad that he had to die here, in front of his wife, but explain to me how this is a crime, Sheriff."

Challenging him wasn't a bright idea. I could see the muscles in his neck tense up and deep frown lines creased his forehead as he leaned down closer to me, daring me to ask him another question."Who said anything about this being a crime, Miss Mares?"

I swallowed half the foot I managed to put in my mouth every time I spoke without thinking. I should really learn to control myself. I knew better than to think that my Nothern California temperament would be taken kindly here in Western Nebraska. It wouldn't be the first time someone didn't appreciate my glowing charm.

I learned a long time ago that the art of deflection can work in my favor. I needed to do something to distract him and force him to focus on what the real issue was here - the fact that a man died in front of his wife, in a nursing home, while visiting her. Surely, they had family members that should have been informed.

"Kathy had been in here with Mr. Knott just a few minutes before it happened. Maybe, he mentioned something to her about not feeling well or maybe she noticed something." It was all I could think of to say. In my panic, I completely forgot to mention that I wondered whether or not he'd been ill lately. His color seemed a little off when I met him.

The Sheriff's mouth hung open every time he stopped to think. I wondered how many flies found their way in between his narrow little lips when that happened. After a second, he opened the door and motioned for me to go.

"Thank you. I'll be in touch. Write down your phone number and address for me, please. And, how long are you in town for, Miss Mares?" He asked, before motioning for the maintenance man to come into the room.

I swallowed hard, answering, "Three months. I don't have an address here. The agency put me up at the hotel on M Street by the Civic Center."

"I know the place. Write down your room number and your employer's number for me." The Sheriff closed the door and shook the maintenance worker's hand. I hadn't noticed before, but Sheriff Wagner had a nice smile. He was speaking animatedly with the maintenance man, stopping to pat his back a few times.

What gives, I wondered. Why am I the bad guy?

I quickly jotted down the information he requested and slipped it under the door.

All eyes were on me in the dining room. Residents were eating breakfast. I'd only been here a little less than two hours and I'd managed to alienate a whole slew of my temporary coworkers, find a body, and end up as suspect numero uno in a case that by all accounts looked like death by natural causes.

I tried to act like I wasn't the least bit thrown by this morning's events and jumped in to help with the dining room activities, but the room hushed as I entered it. I'd somehow managed to lose trust that I hadn't even had a chance to build yet. If I kept this up, I'd be the most feared person in the county lock up soon.

"What can I help with?" I asked Kathy, who turned her back on me as soon as I was escorted out of the office.

She didn't budge. I'm sure she heard me. I could see her reflection in the window, she sat facing. She was looking my way.

"Kathy? I know you can hear me. Tell me what you would like me to do. I could go help with Mrs. Knott, if you want me to or I can get the paperwork started for you." I begged her to let me do something, but she never turned back to face me.

Defeated, I turned and looked at the aides. They all averted their eyes as soon as I looked at them. My only saving grace was the good old curmudgeon himself, Nubbin. He yelled across the dining room for me to "pop a squat" at his table. I was so relieved, I nearly cried.

"Here, sit down." He said, motioning for me to sit in the empty chair at his table.

I sat, emotion bubbling in my belly. I wanted nothing more than to start the day all over again.

"Why the long face? People die around here all the time, Mazarati." He said.

I had to chuckle. No one had ever called me that before. I replied, choosing not to correct him. "I know. Thank you."

I sat, rubbing my brow, trying to ease some of the tension I felt. Under the table, one of the gentlemen seated there decided this was as good a time as any to play footsie with me and started running his foot up my pant leg. It startled me and I let out a yelp, before jerking myself away from the table.

"Whoa! Who did that?" I looked at each of the men. Nubbin was busily chomping on his toast and apple butter. One man was fast asleep in his wheelchair and the other had his nose in that morning's newspaper. I assumed it was him, but didn't want to embarrass him, so I let it go and sat down, positioning my chair so it was pointed slightly outward. Then, I felt it again. Immediately, I dove my head under the table, hoping everyone would still be alive and breathing when I looked back up. Staring at me with big brown eyes was a chubby dog.

"That's the dog. He's locked up here too." Nubbin informed me. "He's fat, lazy, and good for nothing, but heck, so am I, so I like him. I think he likes you too."

At least someone liked me. I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I tried to hoist the dog up onto my lap. He was no help in that department, but didn't seem to mind that I disturbed him.

"What's his name?" I asked.

The man behind the newspaper answered, "Barney."

"Well, hello, Barney." I said, before Barney proceeded to belch in my face.

"He likes you, Chevrolet." Nubbin explained. “Believe me, that's a big deal because Barney only likes a few people in this world and you're looking right at them.”

I was touched by Nubbin's playfulness. It just proved that even here, where there was so much loss, there still too was so much life.

"You're funny." I patted Nubbin on the back.

Just then, the Sheriff came out of the office and looked around the dining room.

"Kathy?" He asked. "Can I have a minute, please?"

Good. He's done with me, I thought.

Nubbin cleared his throat and said, "What do you need her for, Wagner? You know just as well as I do that that old coot had one foot in the grave and the other one just needed Studebaker here to help him meet his maker."

There was a collective gasp in the room. None as loud as my own.

Did Nubbin just point the finger at me?

Chapter Three

After what felt like an eternity - I'm sure, I'd aged ten years, at least - someone in the room took pity on me and said something.

"Now, Mr. Schmeckpepper, that's not a very nice thing to say. Are you finished with your breakfast?"

I looked at the aide's name tag and added her to the very short list of people that I liked in Western Nebraska.

"Thank you, Tina." I made sure to say it low, so no one would fuss about her talking to me.

"No problem. You can help get the dining room straightened out, if you want? Or, help get the residents back to their rooms?" Tina was an angel. I just wanted to hug her for being so kind.

"Sure. I'd love to help." I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but it didn't matter. I now had a function and the day wasn't going to be a total bust for me after all.

"I'll take Mr. Schmeckpepper back to his room and be right back, okay?" Tina informed me before turning to the other aides and issuing each some duties to follow.

The others didn't balk at being told what to do and readily followed her lead, even helping me by telling me which resident to help with and which residents required two staff members.

Things were moving along smoothly for a bit, until the morgue finally showed up to retrieve Mr. Knott. My stomach turned as I watched them load him and lead him out through the dining room and into the hallway that led to the unit's locked entry doors.

Betty's door was closed. The staff social worker had gone in to console her. I felt so sorry for her. I wanted to go in there and offer my condolences, but knew that would do no good. I'd already done enough damage for the day and if she had dementia and had forgotten, I didn't want to be the one to have to remind her, so I watched and listened and waited for the right time to ask the questions that I had. I had a feeling that what happened this morning would not soon be forgotten and I would be the one to bear the brunt of the storm that was sure to follow.

Kathy emerged from the office, following the gurney and casually glanced my way as she and the Sheriff walked off the unit together. I'd swear she was gloating as she looked at me, but I talked myself out of it because I didn't want to make assumptions.

As soon as the unit doors closed, I made eye contact with Tina and she answered the question before I could bring myself to ask."We never had a visitor die here before. I've been here almost five years and I've never seen or heard about that happening here, so I guess, they'll have to figure out some kind of plan or procedure just in case this ever happens again. I sure do feel sorry for you, though. It kind of sucks that it happened to you on your first day as a nurse here."

Finally, someone understood me.

"Thanks for understanding. Guess, I leave quite the impression, but I swear I had no idea that he and Betty were in the office. I don't know how they got in there." I really needed her to understand where I was coming from. I needed an ally.

"Yeah, I don't know. The door must be broken or something because as far as I know the only ones that can get in there are people with that key card, just the Charge Nurse and managers. Are you sure you didn't accidentally leave the door open? Anyway, why does it matter that he was in there anyway? It isn't like it's the first time one of the residents or family members have gotten in there. As a matter of fact, I think, Kathy had to chase Betty out of there just the other day, if I remember correctly." I was liking Tina more and more every second. She would prove very useful in my plan to clear my name, if it came down to that.

“Thanks for that.” I figured since she was the only one willing to hold a conversation with me, I'd ask her some questions. “So, are you in nursing school?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Well, I was. I'm officially a nurse now. I'm an LPN, but I haven't taken my boards yet. I have to save some money. It's kind of complicated. You don't want to hear about it.”

I wanted more than anything to hear her story. I needed something to get my mind off things.

“No. Tell me. I'd love to hear about it and congratulations.” I said.

“Well, I got married about four years ago and I have a little boy. His name is Noah. He's three. Anyway, my husband and I got divorced last year and I'm just trying to keep things together. Hopefully, if I pick up enough hours, I can pay for the NCLEX with this next paycheck.” She explained.

“Oh, I remember those days. That exam is expensive. Won't the facility pay for it?” I asked.

She shook her head. "No. They reimburse you, if you pass, but they won't pay for it up front. Anyway, I don't know what to tell you about Betty's husband. Just do your job and things will blow over. Kathy is just worked up because she now has a lot of paperwork to do because I'm sure she hasn't had time to explain anything to you yet, right? So, you can't do the paperwork yet."

Tina reminded me a lot of myself back when I graduated from nursing school. I was still technically a newlywed, but I'd just filed for divorce and had a little girl to raise. Like Tina, I didn't have a lot of money. My family was more than willing to do what they could, but I wasn't comfortable with that. They'd come from humble beginnings in Mexico and worked long and hard to build a life for us here, so I was determined to make them proud and do things on my own. Now, my daughter is the same age I was when I had her, twenty-two, and she just graduated from Bristol University last Spring with a degree in finance and was currently studying for her MBA. I couldn't be prouder.

I so very much wanted to let Tina in on all the sorted details of my very bad morning, but didn't want to get her involved. Who is to say that she wasn't some kind of mole sent to gather intelligence on me and try to snare me in some big conspiracy or initiation to get the new girl?

The maintenance man called down the hallway from Nubbin's room, saying, "Tina, Mr. Schmeckpepper needs helps over here."

I finally remembered to get his name. "Hey, sir, what is your name?"

He looked at me, confused. "Me?"

"Yes." I answered, offering my widest smile, thinking, Please, don't be like the rest.

He looked at Tina, wide-eyed before looking back at me and said, "I'm Jeb."

“Well, hello, Jeb. Thank you for being so kind to me this morning.” He turned fifteen shades of red and nodded before turning in the other direction.

"Do you want me to help?" I asked Tina.

Tina looked toward the double doors and thought for a second. She understood how things ran in this field. Telling a nurse what to do probably didn't go over well with her coworkers, but I was so desperate and she was a friendly one, so she nodded signaling for me to follow her to Nubbin's room.

It wasn't until I stepped into the threshold of his room, did I remember that he all but threw me under the bus just a little while earlier. I hesitated, contemplating whether or not I wanted to add any more fuel to the fire, but it turns out I didn't have to. As soon as Tina walked in, properly I might add, he asked for me.

"Not you, dumpling. Where's my friend Chrysler?" I heard him ask.

I'm not much of a crier, but I felt all sorts of emotions well up in my throat. I fanned my eyes before I started blubbering and Tina came out into the hallway to get me.

"Mr. Schmeckpepper wants you. He's asking for you." Tina smiled.

"I'm right here, Nubbin." I called into the doorway.

"Good. Now, tell me something, Camaro. What do you make of all this snow? Where are you from again?" He asked.

I hadn't mentioned to him where I was from, but I was thrilled that he was asking me. That was more than any of the other people here had done, except for Officer Friendly and Tina, of course.

Tina left us alone to talk. I was so relieved. I needed this moment of peace to gather my strength to move on and I wanted to see if I could jar his memory enough to tell me what happened after I went into the office. I wasn't going to push too much, but there were so many unanswered questions swirling around in my mind.

I heard when Kathy returned to the unit. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that where some people had vocal chords, she had two megaphones installed. She spoke louder than anyone I'd ever met and for no good reason. It was mind-boggling, not to mention, highly unnecessary to say the least.

"Where's Mercedes?" Kathy yelled.

I let my head fall to my chest in defeat. There was no reason for me to feel defeated, but there were a million new reasons for me to not feel so happy to be here.

"Guess who?" Nubbin laughed.

"I guess, I'll see you in a bit. Don't get lost now." I teased Nubbin as I walked out to see what Kathy was bellyaching about.

"I'm right here." I tried to not sound annoyed, but as the day went along, I could feel my last nerve, begging for release. It needed a break from reality, just about as much as I did.

"I need to talk to you." She didn't even bother to lower her voice. I mean, I was only about fifteen inches from her, but maybe she thought I was hard of hearing. Hey, now there's an idea. Maybe in all the commotion, I hadn't noticed it, but maybe she was the one that was hard of hearing. Now that would explain everything. I felt a tinge of guilt for thinking badly of her. How could I have not noticed? It was my job to notice these things. Maybe I'd been at this job for too long and I needed a vacation.

"Follow me," she bellowed.

I nodded, making sure that she could see that I responded to her demand. I mean, request.

I was a little reluctant to walk back into the Charge Nurse's office. Things had already proven to not be working in my favor. The last thing I needed was something else to happen and for me to be the one to take the fall for it, especially where this not-so-friendly nurse was concerned.

"Okay, well, I called the family. They live about forty miles outside of town and with the snow and the road conditions, it might take them a bit to get here. This is what I need from you - when they do get here, I'm going to need you to stay clear of them. Let me handle this. They know me. We have a good relationship and you're new here. That won't look too good on your part."

Kathy wasn't kidding. I thought that she was for a moment, because she almost seemed a little happy, but then, I considered it and finally figured out that she was happy to be able to find a way to get rid of me for a little bit. The question was where did she expect me to go and wouldn't these people have plenty of questions for me?

I asked, "Where do you expect me to go?"

She exhaled deeply, clearly upset.

I gulped.

"You need to stay on the other side of the unit. The girls will keep you occupied. I've already talked to them and they know the drill. Just whatever you do, don't come waltzing back in here unless I come to get you myself. Do you understand? You have to wait for me to straighten this out. I will explain to them what I think happened."

I stood there completely dumbfounded. It wasn't so unusual to be asked not to communicate certain facts to families, but to be outright told to hide from a family had never ever happened in all of my years of nursing. It was like I was some sort of  common criminal.

I looked her right in her blue eyes and said, "But I didn't do anything wrong."

She sneered at me, as if I'd said something offensive and replied, "Well, until we know that for sure, you'll just have to remain under watch. The administrator and nurse manager aren't here and I am in charge. With the storm brewing, you'll just have to do what I tell you or you can go on back to where you came from and find a more suitable placement."

She was seriously enjoying this. What had I done to deserve this? I know I kept saying it, but I just got here.

I didn't have it in me to argue the point. I had a better idea. I would just deal with the managers or whoever was in charge. As of right now, no one other than the few people who were called in, had made any real threats or actually outright said that they thought I did anything, so as far as I was concerned, I didn't owe anyone or anything an explanation and I was going to do everything necessary to prove it. Now, I just had to figure out what exactly I could do to change her thinking about me and turn this case, if that's what it was, around.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Sheriff Wagner was back on the unit and watching our exchange from the dining room. I'm sure it wasn't too difficult to see that something was going on and, if I had to guess, he probably already knew what that something was and probably helped to craft this ludicrous idea with Kathy.

Kathy glanced over at him and quickly opened the door. "We're ready." she said.

Ready for what? She hadn't with consulted me about speaking to the Sheriff again.

"Good." He said and walked in, taking out his notebook again. "Miss Mares, do you wear a watch."

He was looking right at it. All nurses wore watches. He didn't have to ask. The evidence was right there.

He waited, so I showed it to him and said, "Yes."

He nodded and wrote something down in his notebook.

"What time did you come into the office to look for the, what was it again?" He asked.

"The form. I don't know exactly what time it was. I didn't look at my watch." I informed him.

"But you were wearing one, correct?" He asked.

I nodded again, pointing to the obvious.

"What time was it when you took Mrs. Knott's vitals, again?"

I probably shouldn't have hesitated to answer, but I did. I didn't remember telling him that I had taken Betty's vitals. All of a sudden, I couldn't remember anything. The whole day was starting to become a blur.

"I don't remember what time I took her vitals." I, for the life of me, couldn't remember.

“You did have your watch on at the time, didn't you? I mean, I'm no expert, but don't all nurses wear watches and don't you need your watch to take vitals?" His tone was accusatory.

I wanted to tell him that you didn't necessarily need a watch to take vitals  You just had to be proficient about keeping time while checking the pulse and respiration rates, but who was I to start getting technical right now? He already didn't like me and, if this went any further, I might be so inclined to not like him either.

"Yes, I had a watch on. I can remember her vitals. Do you want them?” I proceeded to rattle them off as if they had anything at all to do with the task at hand, but of course, they didn't. He was looking more and more perturbed as my nervous chatter continued. Why was I sweating so profusely all of a sudden? I needed air. I needed a nap. I needed anything that would get me out of this pickle and do it quickly because this wasn't going well at all.

The dog - I forgot his name already - was whimpering outside the office door. We were each a little stunned for a moment by the sudden noise and that gave us long enough to catch our breath before we moved on to the next pressing question that the Sheriff had for me.

"Can I let the dog in?" I don't know why I asked, but it seemed like the only thing I could ask that wouldn't land me in a whole heap of trouble.

Kathy must have felt sorry for me because she nodded and opened the door for the dog.

Thank goodness. I needed something to hold onto and this dog fit the bill.

"Okay, well, that's all I have for you now. If you remember anything that you may have forgotten to tell me, Miss Mares, here is my card, you call me and let me know, day or night. Anything at all. He moved to leave.

I followed, feeling like my job was on the line and asked him the most important question of all. "Am I in trouble here?"

"No, why would you think that? Anytime there is a death, it is my job to investigate. I wouldn't be doing my job right if I didn't at least get to the bottom of how a perfectly fine, relatively healthy man walks into the same facility, he comes in every morning to visit his ill wife and then has a small conversation with you, suddenly ends up dead in the office where he shouldn't have access to unless someone opened the door for him. You see, what I don't understand is what happened after you spoke to him in his wife's room?” The Sheriff sure didn't pull any punches.

"Number one, I never spoke to him in her room. And, you really believe I killed this man?” I felt my blood boiling.

"Well, did you?" His eyebrows quirked up.

I didn't say a word, partly because I didn't know what he wanted me to say and partly because there was nothing to say.

Was this a murder investigation? Did I miss the part where an autopsy was conducted and the scene was taped off while a crew checked for clues. What was going on? What didn't I see and why was I being treated like a suspect?

I turned around, surprised to see that each of my fellow employees was standing watching this whole thing unfold. The looks on their faces revealed what they were thinking. They were wondering the same thing I suspected the Sheriff was wondering: Did I have anything to do with Mr. Knott's death?

If I didn't know any better I'd think that I was in a very bad dream and I'd soon wake up. I'd worked too long and too hard to ever want to jeopardize everything just to kill some man I had just met and only briefly at that. Why would anyone think that I had any reason to murder him or anyone for that matter? I'm just a forty-four-year-old divorcee who lives in a double wide trailer that I purchased on my own with my hard-earned money and had no skeletons in my closet.

For the few hours I had left of this first shift, I kept quiet and did exactly as I was told, when I was told. After about three hours, Kathy didn't loosen up. She never showed me her softer, more charming side, but the grunts weren't as loud and the glares didn't last as long as they had in the beginning and, lucky for me, the family that I was ordered to stay away from never made it in on my shift. I guess, I should have been thankful for that, but it just didn't feel right. A man died with us and no one, including those that were supposed to be in charge handled any of the process right. I didn't like it and something smelled fishy about the whole situation, but I didn't want to dig a larger hole for myself, so I bit my tongue and made it through the rest of the day without going to jail. All I had to do was make it to the motel without causing a scene and I was home free or at least behind a locked door and out of this loony bin. A bed, a blanket, and one very big headache would seal the deal for me. Then, I could wake up refreshed tomorrow and all of this will be a thing of the past.

I quietly grabbed my gear and made a beeline for the door. No one seemed to notice and no one seemed to care and that's how I liked it, I had to admit. I just wanted to go, but as the door slowly closed behind me, I heard Kathy's now very familiar yell, "Mercedes!"

I wanted to die.

"Yes?" I poked my head back in the unit.

“The family wants to talk to you.” Kathy held the phone out to me.

What? I didn't see anyone walk in.

“They are on the phone. Get in here and deal with them.” She ordered.

I felt my heart flop into my stomach. I couldn't keep up with the constant mood swings from my trainer.

"Now, you want me to talk to them? I thought you said to stay away from them."

“Well, I can't tell them what happened because I was helping a resident. You were the only one with them, so you have to handle this, not me." Kathy explained.

I felt my jaw hit the ground. Who was this woman?

I tried to steady my shaky hands as she handed me the phone.

"Hello?" I answered.

Just then, Betty came running out of her room, screaming, "She killed him! She killed him!"

I quickly shut the door, hoping that the person on the other end of the phone hadn't heard her.

Chapter Four

"I'll tell you what you need to do is go in and hold your head up high and do your job to the best of your ability. You know how these things go. Every time someone new comes on board, the hens start clucking and everyone starts looking for something to blame on the new gal. Remember back in nursing school, everyone swore we took that wheelchair? Well, look what happened there. You'll be fine, Mercy. I promise." Ruby, my best friend in the whole world, always had a way of making me feel better. I'm so glad I called her, otherwise I never would have made it through the night.

"What if everything doesn't work out fine. I'm telling you these people are a whole other breed. They practically had me thrown in the clink for good. I didn't know what to do or say because it seemed like everything I said made me look guilty." I still couldn't get over how the day went.

"Guilty of what? Being there when a man was in distress? Honey, that's your job. You're one of the good guys, remember? We help people. Don't let them get to you, Mercy. Don't let them break your spirit. You're a good egg." Ruby reminded me of why I loved my job. It didn't matter how bad things got, she would always be there to tell me how great I was. She was like my own personal cheering squad and I loved her for it.

I hung up the phone, promising to update her on today's progress. She promised that she'd write, if I did end up going to prison for being in the room at the wrong time.

"There. I feel better now." I had a tendency to talk to myself. That was one of the perils of being alone most of the time. As long as I didn't hold both ends of the conversation, I knew I hadn't lost all of my marbles yet.

I checked my hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror to make sure I looked presentable. Normally, I wouldn't be much for makeup, but the stress of yesterday had me looking a little pale and the bags under my eyes were making the other bags under my eyes look pretty bad. I was just happy that I'd stopped and gotten my hair dyed back to my original color before I made the trip. At least, my grays haven't shown yet. Having jet black hair may have looked good in pictures, but in the real world, it tended to fade fast and gray like the skies during a summer storm. I did anything and everything to keep the gray hairs at bay. Recently, I was considering resorting to shoe polish just like my grandfather used to do, but that was only in case of dire emergency, like if I'd been offered a starring role in a new television series or I met a dapper Italian man, who wanted to whisk me away to his villa and show me what it was like to live in the lap of luxury. In that case, I'd buy stock in shoe polish and have a laboratory on standby in case a scientist found the cure to aging, because I was going to need that asap.

I had a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee and a doughnut before I had to prepare myself to go into work. If I remembered correctly, I'd seen a diner just around the corner. I'm sure they'd be open and, hopefully, none of the fascinating individuals I'd met yesterday would be there.

The place was quaint and quiet, just like I had hoped. I wanted to ease into my day, not have a repeat of yesterday. So, I walked in, pulling the squeaky door open, bells ringing, and stood in line between one nice older gentleman and a woman, holding a briefcase.

The waitress asked what I'd like and only slightly flinched when she realized that I was obviously new in town because I had no idea what was on the menu other than to say that I wanted a coffee and a doughnut. She helped me find the choices on a nearby menu and waited sort of patiently while I ordered. It's not like the place was busy, but she seemed to be a hurry to go on to do whatever it was she had to do.

I ordered and went in search of a table tucked away from the street. Not that it was busy, but I knew how small towns worked and figured all of the locals would be making their way in soon and I'd have to go through the motions of explaining who I was and what I was doing there, neither of which I really wanted to do.

The coffee was nice and hot, like I liked it. The doughnut was moist and delicious. At least, I could enjoy it in peace and quiet. That is until I noticed the front of a gentleman's newspaper as he read it: Mr. Rowdy Knott Dies at Valley Retirement Estates.

That's all I needed. Did nothing more exciting happen in this town? He made the front page. Who was he?

I tried to read, but my eyes weren't as good as they used to be and I didn't want to make it obvious that I was reading the poor man's newspaper. I squinted as I drank my coffee and still couldn't make out what the article said about him.

The waitress came over the to the table, holding a pot of fresh coffee and topped my cup off for me.

"Do you have a newspaper stand nearby?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I have a paper. Want one? It's fifty cents.

I nodded. "Please?"

She walked away. When she returned, she plopped a thin newspaper on the table in front of me. I read the headline again to make sure I'd seen it right. Sure enough, it was an article about Rowdy. Apparently, he and Betty were big farmers here in their day and owned a large farm that was still in operation now. Most of the story was about the farm and not so much about his death, other than to say the cause was unknown and pending autopsy. I almost choked on my coffee.

Why was I the only one that could see that his death was from natural causes?

The article clearly stated that Mr. Knott was seventy-seven years old, so why would the first thing that people latched onto be that his death had to have been caused by someone and not by something related to his age, an ailment, and something else?

"Are you finished?" The ultra friendly waitress was referring to my empty plate.

"Yes. Thank you." I lifted the newspaper, so that she could take my plate.

When I moved back, I caught a glimpse of the maintenance man from the nursing home.

Oh, what was his name again? Jeb!

I started to get up to go say hello, but then I noticed that he was seated across from a man. I assumed it was a man because of the large shoes he had on his feet. I didn't realize that farmers wore dress shoes. Again, I assumed he either lived on a farm or worked on a farm because his shoes were covered in dirt and twigs. I thought it better to leave them alone. Besides, interrupting a private conversation wasn't exactly kosher, no matter where you were from.

I was probably the last person he wanted to be seen speaking with in public anyway. I mean, he did witness the debacle of a day I had. No point in hashing up what I hoped was old news. Nope, I was determined to not make this day a repeat of the one before it.

I woke up feeling anxious, took a few minutes to chat with my friend and felt ready to start on a good foot and leave the past in the past.

*

I heard the screaming as soon as I walked out of the locker room. Not even fire doors could keep the noise contained. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that the noise was coming from the dementia unit. I just hoped my new favorite resident wasn't the one engaged in it.

Taking a deep breath before I slid my entry card into the slot, I willed myself to have a good day and to remain calm.

Before I even had the door partially opened, Betty came rushing at me, full force, carrying a suitcase, that she hadn't completely secured shut yet, with the contents streaming out of it behind her.

"Whoa! Hi, Betty. Are you leaving?" I tried to use my body to block her. Normally, that did the trick. At five feet three inches tall and a curvaceous, I'd like to think, one hundred and fifty pounds, give or take a pound or two, I could be pretty strong if I needed to be. In this case, I didn't have to be. The spunky senior didn't weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet, so I was feeling pretty confident that I could keep her from making a run for it.

Behind her was a red-faced Kathy and two of the nurse's aides, who were working when I made my first grand entrance. They readily grabbed Betty and tried to persuade her to come back onto the unit, but Betty was not having any of that. She had a plan and she was sticking to it.

"Let me go!" The veins in her neck were sticking out. "I am leaving. You can't keep me here."

I really didn't want to get in the middle of whatever this was, but I had to help. No reason to have Betty so distraught. She already had enough to deal with after watching Rowdy die.

"Betty, let me help you. I'll carry your suitcase for you. You don't want to leave that stuff here, do you?" The others looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but I knew what I was doing. Betty had a plan and fighting her wasn't going to work. She would resist every attempt to keep her on the unit, so why not oblige her and let her see for herself why she shouldn't leave? I'm sure she didn't intend to walk in the two feet of snow that had fallen overnight, and given that she was wearing a short sleeved, button up shirt and slacks with slippers, I didn't think this little foray was well planned in the first place. Something must have triggered her and I needed to get her away from whatever that something was and get her engaged in something else. Since it was obvious that no one else was going to do that for her.

I gathered her belongings, mostly photos from her walls and put them into the suitcase. One of the aides, Sarah, held the unit door open for us. Betty stood right at the door and didn't take off running, so my little plan must have been working. After I secured her suitcase shut, I winked at Kathy and escorted Betty off the unit and let her dictate which way she wanted to go.

Just as I thought, she had no real plan in mind. In fact, as soon as the unit doors closed behind us, she took a deep breath, straightened our her blouse, and took my arm.

"Shall we?" she asked.

"We shall." I answered.

We wandered aimlessly through the hallways, passing by other units and an array of locked doors. I actually appreciated having the time to get acquainted with the facility. Yesterday's events, didn't allow for a full tour of the facility, so I took the opportunity to become familiar with the area and learn my way around.

"Thank you." Betty said, tears in her eyes. "You really are a sweet woman." She squeezed my arm. "You wouldn't believe this, but I used to be chubby too."

I gasped. Did she just call me fat?

She continued on. "When I was expecting each  of my boys, I must have put on thirty pounds or more. Oh, sometimes, it was so hard to move with all that weight on me and, then, when I had another son, I would have to carry him and tend to him, while I was expecting. You know, back then, there was no nap time really. We had the farm and household chores and the boys and Rowdy's mother lived with us for a spell. Oh, that woman. Even after that, we ended up with a bigger brood to care for."

I was happy to hear her talk about the good times, even if it was to show me what it was like for her when she weighed twenty five pounds less than me. It never ceased to amaze me. They say, out of the mouths of babes, but I'll tell you what, seniors are pretty darn honest too. They just tell it like it is.

We found a seating area. Betty walked right in and found a pair of chairs for us to sit in and she kept talking like we were old girlfriends.

I let her talk. I got the feeling that's all she wanted to do. I didn't make mention of what had gotten her so upset and just let her dictate the conversation.

After learning that she and Rowdy had three boys and that he'd inherited a large plot of land from his family, she told me all about what their lives together were like. That's what she needed to do. She needed to have someone sit and listen to her talk about Rowdy. It broke my heart that she had to get that from me, a virtual stranger.

Finally, after several minutes of her telling me all that she could, she said, "Rowdy's dead."

My heart welled with pain for her. Death was hard. I waited for her to continue, but she didn't instead she put her head down and looked at her hands. On her ring finger sat a simple gold band and an antique diamond. Nothing fancy. It wasn't a large stone, just big enough to see if you were seated close.

Her shoulders started to shake, right before I saw a tear hit her hand,. I grabbed her and held her and let her cry on my shoulder. That's what she needed. I felt so sorry for her. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing and let her cry. She needed it.

Within a few minutes, I heard heavy footsteps rushing down the hall toward us. I didn't move until Betty was ready for me to move. Then, Kathy's loud voice, caused both of us to jump.

"What is going on here? We need to get her back on the unit. Her family will be here." Then, she looked at Betty, probably to scold her, but stopped herself, when she noticed the tear stained face.

I wanted to say something to her about her rude approach, but I bit my tongue, not anxious to get into another heated debate about my place in this facility and who was in charge.

Kathy took a deep breath and changed her tone, "What's wrong, honey?"

I cleared my throat. Kathy gave a sideways glance.

Betty didn't answer her. She addressed me. "Can you take me home now?"

I paused to see, unsure of whether or not she was oriented to now or another time, another place, then, she rephrased it.

"Can you take me back to my room, Mercy?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'd be delighted." I lifted her suitcase in one hand and took her hand with the other and we walked back to the unit. Slowly, but that was okay. If that's what Betty needed, then, that's what I was going to do for her. It was the least I could do.

Kathy on the other hand was in a heated rush to get back to the unit and she rudely rushed right passed us, huffing and puffing and left us in the hallway.

*

"Here's how today is going to work." Kathy started as soon as I got Betty settled in and went into the office to get report. "Betty's family will be in and out. She has a son that lives here. He should be here off and on today, while they await the results from the coroner. You can go through charts today and get familiar with care plans and do the rounds. I'll deal with the families and all the administrative work. I'll give you a list of patients to chart on later this afternoon."

I was in a state of shock. Kathy almost sounded nice. She wasn't condescending or particularly rude. Had the tides changed?

"Oh, and don't go anywhere near Betty's family. The facility administrator is in today too. She said something about wanting to talk to you after lunch." Then, Kathy got up and walked out of the office.

Yep, just when I thought she had turned a new leaf, she dropped a bomb on me.

I wasn't afraid to talk to the administrator. I just didn't like the tone of that little tidbit of information. Kathy spoke like I was in trouble and I'll swear till the day I die, I did nothing wrong.

I looked at the cart carrying residents' charts seated next to Kathy's desk. She had them clearly labeled. A note with my name indicated that three of those charts were for me and the others had sticky notes with her name splattered all over them. It was going to be that kind of day. I loved that she made sure not to give me Betty's chart.

I needed to take a deep breath before I dove into my first official duty. As I reached over to grab my first chart, Nubbin's, I noticed something under the desk.

That's odd. I didn't notice that yesterday. I sat up straight in my chair to see if anyone was coming my way. No one. Going under the desk, normally wouldn't have been a big deal, but I hadn't forgotten what happened last time I did that. I stood up and checked the door. It was closed, then, got on the floor, right about where I'd found Mr. Knott yesterday.

Under the desk, secured to the wall was a small camera.

What in the world?

I peeked up at the monitors above and didn't see any office view on them and got back down to get closer. A red light was blinking.

That thing was on, but what was it recording under a desk?

That's kind of creepy if you ask me, but no one was asking me, so I had to get to the bottom of it. I almost reached up to shut it off, but knew better than to touch it and stopped myself.

The door opened. I panicked and hit the top of my head on the desk as I was getting up.

"What are you doing?" Kathy asked.

I peeked up at her, wincing at the throbbing in my head. "I dropped my pen."

I threw myself down again and took the pen out of my smock and held it for her to see it.

"Okay, get out of there." Kathy tapped her foot. "Betty's son is on his way in. Why don't you go to the aide's desk and study the charts over there, so he won't see you."

"You don't want him to see me?" I asked, holding my frustration at bay.

She snorted. "No. Not yet. Hopefully, not ever. You see, you don't know these people. Rowdy isn't just some random guy. He has owned and operated his farm here forever and had a lot of clout in local politics. News of his death has spread like wildfire and, now, that there's an autopsy, well, that complicates things. Just stay away."

She turned on her heels and walked out, shaking her head at me as I rubbed the sore spot on the top of my head.

I sat staring at the camera. It didn't make sense. Why would someone put a camera there? I tried real hard to remember if I'd seen it yesterday, but was coming up empty. I'm sure I would have noticed it.

Just then, the phone rang. I looked out to see if the Queen Nurse would come running in to answer it, but she was nowhere in sight.

"I'll get it." I whispered.

I didn't even know what the proper greeting for this place was, so I just answered, "Memory Support Unit. This is Mercy."

"Mercy? Good. This is Sheriff Wagner. I'm going to need you to come pay me a visit as soon as possible." I could hear him smiling.

"Uh, okay. Why?" I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"The autopsy results are back. We need to talk." He hung up before I had a chance to ask any more questions.

What was he talking about? Why did he need to talk to me?

I sat with the phone still in my hand, trying to control my breathing. I felt like my world had come crashing down, but I didn't know why.

I didn't even notice Kathy coming in.

"Mercedes," she started. "Betty's son is here. He said the coroner says Rowdy was poisoned."

Chapter Five

“Well, this is awkward. Can't say this was on my 'do before I die' list.” The receptionist didn't see the humor in my comment, but I needed to say something to try and calm my nerves. Being asked to visit the Sheriff's office wasn't exactly high on my list of favorite things.

The receptionist's tired, brown eyes stared blankly at me. “Sit down over there. Sheriff Wagner will come and get you when he's ready for you.”

“Great! Thanks!” I turned around, disgusted by the state of the waiting room. It looked like something I'd seen grow in a petri dish. There wasn't a surface in sight that I felt comfortable enough to stand next to, let alone touch. “I'll stand, thank you.”

I'd seen my share of whodunit movies and, I had to admit, this place ranked right up there with dark, dank, and dingy police stations and I didn't like it one bit.

I heard heavy footsteps approach the security door. My heart started racing. Even though I'd done nothing wrong, my job – my career – were on the line.

“Mercy,” Sheriff Wagner nodded at me.

“Um... Hi?” I couldn't hide my fear. This was my worst nightmare come true. “How are you?” I extended my hand, the shaking clearly evident.

“Too much coffee today?” Sheriff Wagner asked, pointing to my trembling limb.

“This isn't exactly my idea of a fun time.” I answered, trying to sound funny, but failing miserably judging by the lack of laughter my comment elicited.

All eyes were on us as we walked through the small office area, filled with officers and support staff studying my every move, as if they had to commit my face to memory. I could see it now. My face would be plastered all over signs at the entrance of town, warning people to steer clear of me and my out-of-towner ways.

“Thanks for coming in to see me on such short notice,” Sheriff Wagner said, motioning for me to take a seat in his office.

“Well, you did sort of force my hand there, Sheriff.” There I went again, saying the wrong thing.

He took his seat, pulling himself snugly against the desk, and looked me directly in the eyes with a mixture of pity and disapproval. “So, Mrs. Mares, why did you choose this assignment?”

“Because I have bills to pay and I'm no fool,” I answered, quickly, not taking into consideration how bad that would sound.

His eyebrows quirked up as he began taking copious notes. I spent enough time trying to decipher a plethora of doctor's orders and make out what their scribbled notes said to have perfected the art of reading upside down and sideways. He jotted down my name and the words 'smart mouth' next to it.

I needed to redeem myself before this conversation went any further south. “I mean, I was assigned and there aren't too many jobs that I refuse. I signed up for this kind of job and I work really hard to do my best each and every day, so it is rare that I refuse an assignment.”

He wrote another couple of notes. By all accounts, it looked like he was making a grocery list.

“The job must be tough.” He said, looking back up at me.

When he didn't elaborate, I said what I could to break the silence. “Yes, it can be tough, but I love it.”

“What is the best part of your job?” He asked.

“Um... This kind of sounds like a job interview.” Why couldn't I just stop talking? “I love helping people. The best part is getting to know and work with new people all the time.”

“New people. A different town every week, right? No real connections with people. I get it. What a life, right?”

I didn't like where this line of questioning was going. He was twisting my words, making me sound like I had something to hide.

“No, that's not what I meant. I do it because...” I started, but he stopped me by placing his hands in the air.

“No, I'm just trying to make sure that I understand here. Isn't that what you said? You enjoy meeting new people every week?” Sheriff Wagner feigned a smile like we were just two folks having a friendly conversation and none of it mattered.

“No, it's not every week. Each location is different. Sometimes its a week, but sometimes it's much longer than that. I form relationships with people. That's what I like about the job. I love people. All people!” I was having heart palpitations. This interview wasn't going well for me.

Sheriff Wagner leaned forward on the desk, clasping his hands in front of his face, waiting for me to elaborate.

“I'm sorry. I'm nervous and I'm probably not explaining myself right.” I offered.

Grabbing the pen in his hand again, Sheriff Wagner started doodling on the page in front of him. Was I doing that badly?

After a moment of him focusing on the gibberish he was writing, he looked up at me again. This time, smiling, he said, “Look, just relax. This is easy. You haven't done anything wrong, right? We are just having a conversation. No big deal.”

Sure, no big deal for you maybe, I thought. It wasn't his job on the line.

“I'll get you out of here real soon. I just have a few more questions for you. Would that be alright?” Sheriff Wagner asked.

He sat back, locking his hands behind his head. “So, tell me what happened after you opened the office door for Rowdy and his wife.”

My defenses were up. “Whoa! I never said that. I didn't open the door for them. I told you. I was under the desk, looking for some forms.”

He nodded, leaning forward on the desk. “Oh yeah, that's right. Sorry, I forgot. Tell me what happened after that.”

“Can I just start from the beginning again? I get the feeling that you may have misunderstood me.” I said.

He listened quietly while I explained the whole story in its entirety again. This must have been the fourth time I've told the exact same story. Why didn't this man believe me?

“Sheriff Wagner, do you mind if I ask you a question?” I thought it was worth a shot, if I was going to get my name off the very short list of possible suspects.

He nodded, putting his hands down in front of him. “Sure, ask away.”

“If Mr. Knott was poisoned, wouldn't that mean that whatever happened didn't happen at the nursing home? I mean, he was there to pick his wife up for breakfast. He'd only been there a few minutes. No one had any time to have done anything to him.”

He considered for a moment. I thought my argument was sound, but as I watched his expression change, I realized that I wasn't doing myself any favors.

“Ms. Mares, how do you know Rowdy was poisoned?”

Was I not supposed to know yet? The question was, how did everyone else except me know that's how he died? Did you have to be in some special club in order to be privy to pertinent information.

“They were talking about it when you called me. They said that the autopsy report came back and that it said that Mr. Knott died of poisoning.”

Sheriff Wagner didn't seem at all surprised by the fact that others in town already knew the autopsy results. He was more disturbed by the fact that they'd informed me.

“Was I not supposed to know?” I asked, wondering what his angle was.

He took a deep breath while I began to sweat bullets, questioning whether or not I'd missed an important clue as to what happened.

“You know I couldn't have done this, don't you? You see that, right? I mean, what motive would I have?” Now, I was questioning what happened.

“Motives? You see, that's what all this reality television does to people. They all think they're the next great detective. They think they can solve cases with no problem. Is that what you think this is? Some reality show or some hoax? Mr. Knott is dead. You're telling me that you have no idea how he ended up that way?” Sheriff Wagner's eyebrows furrowed as he bore his eyes into mine.

We sat in silence for a few long seconds while I contemplated quitting my job altogether and finding another line of work.

Finally, the Sheriff stood up, offering his hand, “Well, thank you for the chat. Remind me again, how long you'll be with us.”

I saw my life flash before my eyes. This man seriously thought I had something to do with Rowdy's death. Now, it was up to me to solve this mystery before this small town pinned his murder on me.

*

Walking in the door for what would be my next shift at Valley took every last ounce of courage I could muster. After being pulled out of here for an interview with the Sheriff, I could guarantee that no one was going to be too thrilled to see my face again.

“You can do this.” I told myself, even though I didn't believe it one bit.

I hadn't noticed the receptionist when I'd arrived the other day, but now she sat front and center, looking me over like I'd just landed on Earth from somewhere unknown. Figuring she probably hadn't heard about me yet, I waved and offered a friendly smile.

“Hi! How are you this morning?” I asked her.

My attempt at charming the receptionist failed. No sooner had I gotten the words out of my mouth before she turned her seat completely around and grabbed a phone to make a call.

“Okay, then.” I knew when I wasn't wanted. I took a deep breath and proceeded to walk down the hall to the dementia unit. Thankfully, the hall was virtually empty. At this time of day, most residents weren't awake yet and staff would be busy finishing up their shift duties.

Opening the door to the dementia unit, I took a deep breath and stepped in as quickly as possible, hoping that this day would be vastly different from my first experience here.

“Well, Dodge Charger, where have you been? I've been waiting all day for you!” The sound of Nubbin's voice sent me nearly flying out of my skin. I hadn't seen him when I stepped onto the unit.

“Good Morning, Nubbin! How are you this morning?” I was glad for the distraction. It gave me enough time to assess the mood on the unit and to see where my illustrious leader was at the moment.

“Still breathing. I don't know for how much longer, but enough for now.” He answered, eyeing the bags I held in my hands.

“Well, you sound chipper this morning. Did you sleep well last night?” I asked, still seeing no sign of Kathy or any of the other staff members nearby. They must have been busy helping residents, I figured.

“I haven't had a good night's sleep in years. At least, not since I moved into this dump. No one lets people sleep around here, especially with all the murdering and other stuff we have going on here.”

“Murdering? Um... Nubbin, who said that anyone was murdered?” I asked, finally seeing one of the nurse's aides down the hall.

She looked up at me and immediately turned her head. I guess that made me persona non grata. The sinking feeling that I had from the moment I arrived in this town returned. My stay here wasn't going to end well. I just knew it.

Behind me, Kathy's voice startled me. “Are you working or visiting? I'd like to go home.”

“Hi, Kathy. You're going home?” I asked. No one informed me that I was supposed to have worked overnight.

“Yes, I'd like to go home. Now, are you working or not?” Kathy's attitude was just as charming as it had been when she and I first met. Exasperated, she added, “Look, I got called in to work last night and I can't tell you how grouchy I get when I haven't slept. Now, will you hurry up and get into the office for report, so I can go home?”

Nubbin started laughing heartily, amused by our not-so-friendly exchange. “Watch out, you'll end up leaving in a body bag just like Rowdy if you don't start playing nice.” He teased.

Kathy scoffed and marched off heading for the office. I took a moment to calm my nerves before I said something that would surely get me fired.

“I'll see you in a little bit, Nubbin.” I followed Kathy into the office, unsure whether to be relieved that she wouldn't be training me today or worried that I'd been reassigned because of what had happened. Either way, things weren't looking good for me again. I hoped this wasn't going to become a new custom for me.

Kathy didn't even give me a moment to settle before she started rattling off doctor's orders and a list of tasks that needed to be completed.

I stopped her. “Wait, am I alone today? No one is training me?” It was only her and I in the office and as far as I knew there weren't any other nurses nearby.

She rolled her eyes, becoming increasingly annoyed by the second. “You're alone today. I don't know where you're from, but did you see all that snow outside? That's not a dusting. That's what you call a blizzard. This is farm country. Roads don't get plowed like they do in big cities. People can't get out of their driveways, so you are flying solo.”

“Okay, but I haven't met all of the residents yet and I don't know their schedules. Do you have a list of daily duties?” Normally, I wouldn't be at all uncomfortable being left on my own, but given the circumstances, I wasn't exactly feeling all that confident that I would be allowed to do my job without being overly scrutinized at every turn.

Kathy sighed, before getting up to yell out the door. “Tina, Sarah, someone get in here!”

Now, I was the one becoming annoyed. “Why are you calling them in here? What's wrong?”

Tina rushed into the office, believing something was wrong. When she saw me, a look of confusion washed over her face, but she managed to offer me a kind smile.

Kathy spoke about me as if I wasn't there. That seemed to be just the way she chose to operate. “Can you keep an eye on this one? She's going to be in charge today and doesn't know what to do.”

That was it. I'd had enough. It was time to nip this in the bud and do it now. “I don't need a babysitter. I've been a nurse – a good nurse – for longer than Tina has been alive. I can handle the job just fine. My concern was that since I've not been officially trained or introduced to all of the residents that I may need someone to make the introductions. Is that a problem?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tina laugh, but I didn't say what I said to make anyone laugh. I was just trying to get my point across.

Kathy took a few minutes to glare at me as I sat trying my hardest not to be intimidated by her bullying behavior. Tina shuffled from foot to foot, waiting for Kathy to dismiss her.

The way things operated around here were beyond comprehension and I had no intention of allowing myself to be sucked into any of it. I didn't know how I was going to keep the negativity at bay, but if I intended to live in the not-so-glamorous lifestyle I'd become accustomed to living in, I was going to need to do something to maintain my sanity.

I decided it was high time I cut sweet Tina loose before she became just as jaded as her superior. “I'm fine, Tina. I'll call you if I need you.” I offered her a reassuring smile, watching Kathy's reaction in my periphery. By all accounts, she wasn't at all pleased, but was probably too tired to want to do anything about it.

*

Nubbin's yelling took me right out of my charting. For the most part, the day had been uneventful. I'd learned some names and became somewhat acquainted with routines and temperaments throughout the first half of my twelve hour shift. Nothing was at all out of the ordinary until Nubbin started yelling bloody murder.

“Help! Help! Someone get in here now!” Nubbin screamed.

I nearly tripped over Jeb as he pushed his cart down the walkway toward the exit doors.

Tina and Sarah ran into Nubbin's room behind me.

Nubbin stopped yelling as soon as he had all three of us in his view. “What took you so long, Nova?”

“Nova?” Tina looked at me, confusion in her eyes.

He clarified things for her. “I know her name. I just don't see the point in using it all the time. It's too long, if you ask me. I need something to eat. I'm losing weight here.”

I had to give him credit. Nubbin sure knew how to lure the ladies. As soon as my heart rate returned to a normal rate, I promised myself to laugh about this moment, but since I didn't see any chance of that happening soon, I had to make a quick mental note.

Tina asked, “Would you like some pudding, Nubbin? I think we have banana pudding in the kitchenette.”

“No, not pudding. I want a burrito. Run on down to Juanita's Cantina and get me a beef and bean burrito.” Nubbin started digging in his pocket for his wallet.

I had to intervene. “Nubbin, the roads are probably pretty difficult to get through with all the snow. Looks like we have a bonafide blizzard outside.” I opened the curtains to let him see. That was enough to cause a temporary distraction, while I sent Tina to the kitchenette to see if she could whip up a burrito for him with the items we had on hand.

Nubbin's focused turned to the snow storm. I sat down next to him to shoot the breeze for a few minutes, since I'd not had much opportunity to interact with him all day long.

After Tina cleared the room, Nubbin whispered, “He was murdered, you know?”

I thought that I hadn't heard him right. Clearly, we'd all been under a lot of stress. It was only natural that the residents would be suffering from symptoms of stress too.

Poor Betty spent the morning crying over her loss until I was finally able to get a doctor's order to give her something to help her sleep. She slept quietly in her room for the time being.

I hoped that by not responding to Nubbin's remark that he'd move on to another subject, but that didn't happen.

“Did you hear me? Someone murdered him. He didn't just die. He may not have been my favorite, but he sure as molasses didn't die of natural causes. If you ask me, she killed him. It's been a long time coming.”

My curiosity was piqued. “Who killed him, Nubbin?”

Tina returned to the room, holding an egg and cheese burrito on a plate in her hand.

“One burrito for one very special man.” Tina announced, placing the plate down on the nightstand next to Nubbin's wheelchair.

“What's this?” Nubbin examined the contents of the plate as if they were foreign objects. “Is this some kind of burrito?”

I answered, “Yes, just what you asked for.”

“I don't like burritos.” He shoved the plate away from him. “What are you doing? Trying to fatten me up?”

I wanted to ask Nubbin more questions, but his mind had already wandered and we had an audience. I liked Tina, but I wasn't quite sure if I could trust her yet. Right now, I was still a newbie that no one wanted around and I had no friend in sight.

“What's with the long face, Corsica? Someone put salt in your coffee?” Nubbin asked as I excused myself to return to my paperwork.

I turned my head back to answer. “No, I'm fine. I have to go finish up some things. You call me if you need anything, Nubbin. I'll be just right there.” I pointed to the nursing office, but Nubbin had already stopped paying attention and was nibbling on the burrito he claimed he didn't want. Satisfied that he'd be okay for a while, I walked back to the office, still thinking about what he'd said.

What did he mean by Rowdy being murdered?

Hopefully, the staff wouldn't have mentioned the findings of the autopsy. If they had that would be highly unprofessional to disclose that information to the other residents. Perhaps he overheard the conversation Betty's son and Kathy were having, but even then, it really wasn't the place to discuss it in front of impressionable folks like Nubbin.

Just as I was about to close the door behind me, Betty ran out of her room, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Help! Help!” She yelled.

Tina was still in Nubbin's room and came running out immediately to assist her. “What's wrong? Are you okay?” Tina asked.

Betty made a mad dash for me, still screaming as if she'd had the life scared out of her.

I ran out to meet her. She grabbed my shoulders, begging me to help her.

“What's wrong? Are you hurt?” I asked.

“It's gone. He took it. It's gone.” Betty cried.

“Who? Took what?” I motioned for Tina to check Betty's room. I hadn't seen any visitors enter the unit, but maybe one slipped passed me while I was in with Nubbin.

Tina called out from Betty's room. “There's no one in here.”

I lead Betty to a seat in the dining room, wrapping my arm around her frail shoulders. “There's no one there now. Who did you see? What did they take?”

“The watch. He took his pocket watch.” Betty answered.

I looked at Tina for clarification because I had no idea what Betty could be talking about.

Tina shrugged. “I don't know. I've never seen a watch.”

“Betty, can you tell me who you're talking about, so I can help you?” I asked, hoping that would help her to calm down. I figured she must have been delusional or thinking back to a time long ago. It could have been any number of reasons, given her dementia, but who was I to tell her that she was imagining it?

Chapter Six

“Welcome to the zoo.” Tina stood with her hands outstretched, waiting for Nubbin to hand her the cane he was swinging dangerously close to her head.

“Murderers! The whole lot of you are murderers and I don't want no part of it. Now, let me out of this prison and leave me be!” Nubbin shouted from the counter top in the kitchenette.

Good grief! Another day in paradise, I thought. I hadn't even had time to walk onto the unit fully before another crisis needed to be handled.

Tina, bless her heart, tried her best to cajole him down, but he was not in the mood to comply with requests or listen to reason. Not when he was this agitated.

I set my bags down next to the other aides, whom were enjoying the show and not the least bit interested in assisting Tina or Nubbin in any way.

I wracked my brain to come up with a creative way to convince Nubbin to climb down from the counter top. Given his agility, I had to question why he had a wheelchair to begin with. Judging by his latest death defying stunts, I'd hazard a guess that the chair was used as a restraint and not as an assistive device. The only person that wheelchair assisted was the lazy staff member who didn't want to deal with him and his penchant for mood swings.

I crossed my fingers and hoped this would work. “Mr. Schmeckpepper, that snow out there is something awful. I'm a California girl. I have no idea how you're supposed to drive in this mess. Do you think you could give me some driving lessons?”

Nubbin grumbled at first, ready for an argument, then, something in his mind clicked and he stopped himself. “Hyundai, you got no business trying to drive if you don't know what you're doing.” He scolded me, offering Tina his cane.

I offered him my hand and helped him to sit on the counter top, so Tina and I could ease him to the ground.

“Well, how else was I supposed to get to work today?” I teased. “You would have missed me.”

“You shouldn't drive when the weathers like this. Didn't they teach you that when you were growing up?” Nubbin continued with the scolding.

He was so engaged in conversation, he had no idea that we'd managed to get him down safely, secured his cane, and walked him back to his room without so much as a stern word.

After we had him settled in with the day's newspaper, I was finally able to go into the office and prepare for the day. To my surprise, Kathy was hard at work, finishing up her charting from the night before. All I could do was think some not-so-kind thoughts about the audacity of her to sit there and do nothing while her staff needed her help. Typical!

“Well, hello.” I couldn't bring myself to pretend I was thrilled to see her.

She kept her head down, continuing her charting.

“You had to work overnight again?” I asked, anxious to get what little conversation we were going to have started, so I could get on with my day.

She pretended not to notice that I was in the office with her and kept her eyes focused on the chart in front of her.

That was it. I was going to make this woman behave like a decent human being even if it killed me.

“Okay. You don't have to like me, but since I am going to be here for a few months, you might want to get over whatever your issue is and learn to practice kindness.” It had to be said. I knew that surviving three months with this incorrigible woman wouldn't be a possibility unless I confronted her now about her issues.

I watched her neck turn red. I knew I had gotten to her. She wrote the last of her nurse's notes with more force, digging her pen into the paper. I definitely touched a nerve.

“If you became a nurse to make friends, you're in the wrong profession, honey.” She said through clenched teeth.

Arguing with her or anyone was not my cup of tea, especially this early in the morning, so I bit my tongue – literally – to prevent myself from saying what I so badly wanted to say to this wretched woman.

She rolled her eyes, disappointed that I didn't respond in kind and said, “I just want to go home. This working overnight thing is for the birds, but there's no way that Marie would be able to drive into town safely. I recorded my report for you while you were out there playing jungle gym with Schmeckpepper. Be prepared to work overnight tonight because if we get as much snow as they claim we're going to get today, there's no way I'm even going to attempt to come in tonight.”

She might as well have slapped me with a bag of books, I felt like the rug had been pulled out from right under me. Why couldn't she have called me to warn me before I reported for duty today?

“Nice of you to give me a heads up before I came in here with my lone sandwich and juice box for lunch. It's not like I need food or drink to survive or anything.” I couldn't help myself. She needed to know how much I didn't appreciate being treated like a second class citizen.

Kathy smiled. “Yeah, sorry about that. Busy night and besides its not like you have a house or family in town that you have to tend to.”

I felt heat rise in my throat. This woman had officially crossed the line with me and there was no hope of redemption coming anytime soon.

Just as I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, Jeb tapped his knuckles on the door, making both Kathy and myself lurch out of our seats.

Kathy opened the door. “Jeb, you scared the living daylights out of me. What are you doing here so early today?”

His cheeks turned red. “Sorry, ladies. I've been working extra hours for a while now. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be installing new cameras today.”

Kathy's whole attitude changed. Suddenly she was this bright, cheery woman who wore a smile on her face. Without the attitude, she really was a handsome woman. She even sounded like a kind woman as she spoke to Jeb. I wouldn't have been able to pick this Kathy – the kinder, friendlier Kathy – out of a lineup.

I sat in stunned silence as I listened to the two chat back and forth with each other. I wouldn't have made Kathy for a good conversationalist had I not heard it myself.

When Jeb walked out, I thought it was time to make amends now that I'd seen the softer side of Kathy. I guess I'd jumped to conclusions and hadn't considered the amount of stress she must have been under. I mean, from her perspective, I showed up and within a couple of hours a snowstorm hit and a man dies on her unit during her shift. That couldn't have been how she intended her day to go either.

“So, are there any treatments I should know about that need to be done on the night shift?” I asked, feeling much better about the possibility of us being able to get along.

The smile that she'd plastered on her face for her discussion with Jeb vanished just as quickly as it had appeared and now she glared at me, her cheeks flushing.

“If you bothered to study their treatment plans, you'd know what the residents needed.” She hissed as she gathered her bags and made a point of securing a drawer with a key that she shoved into her smock pocket.

“Really? We're doing this again?” I asked, not expecting her to answer me.

She turned just as the door was about to close. “Before I forget, the administrator wants to talk to you today and Betty's family will be picking her up later this morning. Try not to kill anyone while they are here and feed that mutt, but don't let it in the office at all. Do you understand?.” She let the door slam behind her.

“Why can't I have just one normal day? Is that too much to ask for?” I watched Kathy walk off the unit, waving at the nurse's aides as she left.

As soon as the doors sealed shut behind her, I breathed a sigh of relief. At least, I wouldn't have to listen to her insensitive, condescending remarks all day long.

Knowing that she was no longer nearby to wreak havoc on my nerves, I took the opportunity to become familiar with the resident's care plans and medication lists. I figured getting a jump start before all of the patients were awake was the best thing I could do while listening to what I was sure would be a very informative report from Kathy.

No sooner had I started to get familiar with the resident's charts when I looked up to find a pair of baby blues looking right at me and they weren't happy eyes. I jumped up to open the door and was surprised by not one, but three sets of eyes staring back at me.

Now, what do they think I did?

I opened the door, tentatively, preparing for more devastating news. Barney nearly knocked the trio over by taking a flying leap into the office, knocking a chart right out of my hand.

“Hello. Mercedes, right?” The blue eyed woman asked, offering me a friendly smile and her hand.

The two women behind her weren't quite as friendly. They both stood with their arms folded over their chests, not one hint of a smile on either of their faces.

“Yes and you are?” I asked, looking for a name tag on her blazer.

“I'm Carol Higginbotham. I'm the administrator here. Do you have a few minutes, so we can get acquainted with each other?” She seemed friendly enough. Her eyes shined brightly as she smiled. Her tone was warm and relaxing. I had no reason to feel nervous, but that's exactly what I felt – nervous.

“I was just looking at treatment plans before I started rounds.” I pointed to the pile of charts on the desk and the one that the dog was trampling on.

“That's okay. It won't take too long. I'm going to have Trisha and Marie here cover for you while you and I talk. Why don't you let your staff know that you'll be stepping off the unit for a little bit and, then, we can take a walk down to my office.” She smiled again. This time, her eyes didn't light up. She meant business.

My throat went dry. By the looks of it, she wasn't in my corner either, otherwise she wouldn't have needed her two cohorts to assist in convincing me to speak with her privately. My day had just officially gotten worse. I worried that a recovery would not come soon enough.

*

Carol didn't hesitate to jump right into her questions. “So, how did your interview with Charlie go?”

“Charlie?” I asked.

“The Sheriff? You met with him, didn't you? How did it go?” Carol sat down in her leather club chair, but didn't offer me a seat.

I looked around nervously, not knowing whether I should grab a chair or remain standing.

She grinned, taking pleasure in my dilemma. “You are allowed to sit down, dear.”

Great! She was one of those with the fake terms of endearment. If I didn't have my back up against the wall, I'd spend an evening researching whether or not that was just the Nebraska way. Maybe, it's just how they spoke.

I tried to deflect by asking her a question. “Are the snowstorms always this bad around here? Kathy told me that I might have to stay over tonight.”

She sniffled. I got the feeling it was to allow herself a moment to think about how to respond and not because she had a cold.

After a moment, she leaned forward on her desk, clasping her hands in front of her face. “Mercedes, you didn't answer my question. How did your interview go?”

I shrugged, not knowing how one was supposed to answer that question. I say that anytime you've been asked to speak to the police isn't a time to reflect on whether or not it went well. I'd call that a pretty bad day, whichever side of the law you were on.

“Fine. He just had some follow up questions. Did you know that the autopsy came back?” I asked, figuring, given her familiarity with the Sheriff, she knew long before I arrived for work today.

She grimaced as if the words hurt to hear. “Yes, such a shame that someone would infiltrate our safe community and do such a thing. Rowdy may not have been the nicest man, but he was still a fine, upstanding member of our community.”

That was the second time someone had mentioned that Rowdy wasn't an all around kind man.

Who was the first one to say that? I couldn't remember.

“Why do you think it was someone from out of town? I'm sure other crimes occurred here before, haven't they?” I asked, feeling like she was trying to insinuate something by making that statement.

Her thin painted on eyebrows quirked up, almost touching her thinning hairline. “Gering is a safe community, filled with hard-working, humble people from good stock. Crime sprees aren't something we're used to.”

Crime sprees? Interesting choice of words there.

“I'd hardly call one murder a crime spree and I'm sure that Gering is a safe community. My question was why are you so quick to believe that some stranger just showed up in town to specifically poison an elderly farmer? Why would that happen? I'm no expert, but I think you can easily see that this must have been done by someone close to him, don't you think so?” I wasn't trying to start an argument, but her stranger theory didn't make any sense.

She stood up, indicating our little chat had come to an end. “Where are you from, Mercedes?”

I swallowed, knowing where this line of conversation was going. “California. Just a small California community, pretty much like the one you have here, except we smile.”

Her eyes narrowed.

Why did I have to add that final jab? What was wrong with me?

She stared at me, venom in her once friendly eyes. I waited a few moments, not wanting to be the one to cower and run, but a girl can only stand still for a few moments before her natural inclination is to say something. I didn't want to do that, so I turned to leave, biting my lip hard enough to make it go numb.

As I opened the door, Carol said, “I'll call your agency today to let them know about what is going on here. We should probably keep them informed and, until this matter is settled, we will have two staff members at a time covering each unit. Marie will be working side by side with you today.”

“Marie?” I asked.

She grinned, but didn't say another word as I walked out.

*

“What's wrong?” I asked as I walked through the doors. Staff members were huddled together outside of Betty's room.

Tina turned her head to look at me. “We had a break-in.”

Please, tell me this is some kind of a joke, I thought.

One of the two nurses who had accompanied Carol onto the unit earlier, explained. “Did you know that Betty's window was broken?”

I looked at her name tag. “Marie, I was with the administrator, remember? I haven't had a chance to do rounds yet.”

Betty walked out into the hallway, wailing, “He took it.”

I'd all but forgotten about her outburst the day before.

Putting my hand on my forehead, I said, “That's what she was talking about yesterday.” I looked at Tina and she nodded.

Marie sighed. “So, you knew about the break-in yesterday and didn't say anything to anyone? Did you write an incident report or let maintenance know?”

I felt like a failure. I knew better than to not report anything, but with all that had been going on, I forgot about it.

“Sorry, it slipped my mind. I didn't notice the window.” Just to make sure I was remembering correctly, I asked, “Was anything taken?”

Betty answered. “I told you already. He took it.” She took a step backwards, almost tripping over Jeb's tool bag. I grabbed her frail wrist and held her steady, feeling horrible for ignoring her complaint. She'd already been through so much.

Marie ordered the aides to get back to work and readily informed me that we'd be spending the rest of the shift working side by side.

“You are my one on one. We need to get Betty involved in an activity while you write the report and we'll have to notify her family about the missing watch.”

“So, there really was a watch?” I felt like a louse.

Marie exhaled her coffee scented breath in my face and answered, “Yes, she said it was Rowdy's watch. She's had it forever is what she told me. He gave it to her as a kind of security item, so she'd feel like he was always with her.”

“I didn't know. I thought she was hanging on to a memory. You know, with his passing and all...”

Marie interrupted. “You chose not to believe her. Well, let me tell you something - that's not how we operate around here. If a resident has a complaint, we acknowledge it and do something about it. I don't know what you do where you come from, but that behavior isn't acceptable here.”

If she wasn't scolding me like a child, I would have hugged her. She was the first person I met since I arrived, who knew what her priorities should be. But, since she was scolding me, all I could do was bite my tongue and accept my fate.

“I'm sorry. I should have known better. Being busy is not an excuse.” I looked at Betty's face. Her face showed the strain of the last few days she'd had. I just wished I could do something to make her pain go away.

“I'll have the aides help me look for that watch. We can search the unit. Maybe, she just misplaced it. I'm sure it will turn up.” I thought that was the least I could do.

“Right, but I already told the aides to be on the lookout while they are doing their regular duties today. In the meantime, the incident report.” She reminded me.

I left the room, while Marie assisted Betty out of the room and into the day room. Nubbin sat in the doorway of his room, locking and unlocking the wheels of his wheelchair. It surprised me that he didn't have anything to say about the incident. I thought I could count on him to have something to say.

He didn't seem at all interested in me or any of what had happened. His attention was entirely focused on the wheelchair gears.

“Okay. Looks like my ally is preoccupied.” I muttered, keeping my eyes peeled open for any sign of a discarded watch. As I thought about it, I had no idea what the watch looked like.

Marie was hot on my heels, catching the office door with her foot. “Are you going to start that incident report?”

“Well, yes, that's why I was coming in here. Kathy has some incident reports under the desk.” I didn't want to sound irritated, but the fact is, I was exceptionally irritated by everything going on around here, most notably the fact that everyone treated me like I was a suspect.

Wait a minute. Am I a suspect? I mean, I know that I was technically a witness, but I never considered myself a true suspect. I don't know how many times I have to say this, but I just got here.

“Pull out Betty's chart and let's see what that watch looks like. If I remember correctly, it...” Marie started, but was interrupted by a loud tapping on the door.

Nubbin banged on the glass with his cane. “Hey! Is anyone going to arrest that guy or are you going to wait until he kills us all?”

Chapter Seven

“See that wasn't so bad, was it?” Marie patted my shoulder. “Ready to chart and do report?”

I nodded, surprised that the day had gone surprisingly well, considering the way it began.

“Yes, let me help Milton here back to his room.” I placed my hand on Mr. Smelt's shoulder. He and I had just spent the dinner hour discussing life on his ranch. His property sat on the opposite side of the road from Rowdy and Betty Knott.

“Thanks for dinner, Milton. Let's get you to your room, so you won't miss that show you were telling me about.”

“Ah, yes. Haven't missed it one single night since it first came on television. All except that one night when Rowdy tried to sabotage my sugar beets.”

Another one who had a problem with Rowdy?

I couldn't let that comment go. “I didn't know the world of sugar beets could be so cut throat. What did he do to your sugar beets?”

Milton sat straighter in his seat, anxious to fill me in on the sorted details of what happened to his crops.

I wheeled him into his room and turned his television on while he readied himself to tell his story, but he surprised me by talking about something else altogether.

“What line of work is your husband in?” Milton asked me.

I inhaled quickly, surprised by the question. “Um... Well, um... I'm not married. I was married.”

“He died, huh? That's a tough battle. I've been there myself. My wife died and left me with three boys and a girl to raise. I was just glad my sister lived so close. She helped keep the family fed and handled the laundry for my brood, plus her own. I'm sure that was no easy task with her own family to cook for and those giant overalls Rowdy wore day in and day out. Ugliest things I ever saw.” Milton reflected back.

Since he'd completely forgotten what we were going to discuss, I figured I'd better hurry this conversation along and report back to the office to get my charting done before the end of the shift. We still hadn't heard anything about having to stay over for the night shift, so I'd already made plans to grab a bite to eat at the diner on my way back to the motel and to call Ruby to fill her in on my latest news. I'm sure she was waiting anxiously by the phone for me to give her an update.

“Well, I'm glad you had someone there for you...” I started before realizing what he'd actually said to me. “Wait, you said your sister did Rowdy's laundry? Why would she have done that?”

Milton shook his head at the television screen. “Don't buy vowels!” He shouted at the screen.

I sighed, figuring I'd missed another chance to learn more about the people in this small town.

“Yep, that old thief was my brother-in-law. I can't say that I'm unhappy he's gone now. I thought mean and greedy never died.” Milton quipped as I stepped out of the room.

I stopped quick. Looking back to see if he would elaborate, but he was back to yelling at the contestant on television.

“Mercy?” Marie stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot as she beckoned for me to go into the office. “I have some bad news.”

My heart jumped into my throat. My dream of having a relatively uneventful day had completely flown out the window and I didn't even know what she was referring to yet.

Without even realizing it, I was holding my breath.

Marie laughed, “Breathe. It's not that bad.”

I exhaled, relieved that I wasn't about to be arrested for Rowdy's murder.

She put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently, “No, Kathy can't make it in. Her road is a mess, so looks like you'll have to stay tonight.”

“Me? What about you? I thought you were supposed to be babysitting me?” I asked, wondering when exactly I'd drawn the short straw.

*

“Thanks for staying with me, but you didn't have to do that. What about your little boy?” I asked Tina, one of two aides that volunteered to stay for an extra shift with me.

She shrugged. “I need the money. He'll be fine tonight. He's with my babysitter. She loves him. So, why did Marie leave you hanging?”

“Oh, she's fine. She was worried about leaving her mother alone. She said that she doesn't live too far from here, so she'll be fine on the road.” I answered, hoping that Tina couldn't hear my stomach growling.

It didn't work.

“Have you eaten today?” Tina asked, handing me a package of crackers from the resident's snack cart.

“Hours ago. Thanks, but I'll just take a break and grab something from the vending machines.” I answered, putting the crackers back onto the snack cart.

“Go ahead. Take a break. We'll be fine here. Just make sure that you call one of the other units to let them know that you'll be off the unit for a bit, so they can cover.” Tina's kindness touched me.

“Thanks. I'll call them now. Don't let things fall apart while I'm gone.” I turned on my heels and walked back toward the office. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Nubbin standing in the hallway looking into Betty's room.

“Nubbin, how are you doing?” I asked.

He turned his head slowly with a vacant look in his eyes.

“Mr. Schmeckpepper?” Something seemed off about him. “Is everything alright?”

I walked up beside him, looking to see what he was looking at. Betty wasn't in there.

“What are we looking at, Nubbin?” I asked, confused as to why he was staring into her room. Betty was in the day room listening to music with some of the other residents.

Nubbin blinked a couple of times, then, answered, “Nothing, just looking.”

“At what? Anything interesting?” I asked.

He turned around to head back into his room. “Just trying to figure out why he had to break the window too.”

I knew that I had to continue gingerly or I'd risk not getting a plausible answer from him. “I never saw a broken window. I think someone fixed it already, but who broke it?”

Nubbin looked back over his shoulder. “The murderer, that's who.”

My heart stopped. Did he know who killed Rowdy? Could it be that what he was saying was an actual memory and not a dementia related delusion?

Tina's cry for help interrupted our discussion. “Mercy, I need you in Milton's room.”

Milton? What? Why?

As much as I wanted to ask Nubbin more questions, I couldn't leave Tina out on a limb by herself. I had to leave Nubbin so that I could answer her call.

“Okay. I'll be back, Nubbin.” I walked around him to get out into the hallway.

“Do what you want, Nova.” He quipped, laughing.

“I'm right here, Tina. What's the ma...” My voice caught. I felt like the life had been sucked right out of me as soon as I turned the corner and looked into Milton's room.

“Tina, could you get the dog out of here, please, and ask Sarah to keep an eye on the other residents?” I needed a moment to calm down. This place had me so paranoid, natural occurrences were throwing me for a loop. People died in nursing homes all the time. That didn't make it any less significant, but it also wasn't such an anomaly.

“Sure, no problem.” Tina answered, not a hint of discomfort in her voice. She was a true professional and I was glad that she had volunteered to work this shift with me. To the dog, she said, “Come on, Barney. Let's go, boy.”

Barney followed her out the door. I took a deep breath and began my assessment of Milton. Hard to believe that just a little while earlier, he and I had been engaged in conversation while I helped to feed him. I didn't know him well, but I liked him.

“Farewell, Mr. Smelt, be well. May the angels guide your way.” I said, feeling a lump of sadness form in my throat.

Tina returned to the room to help me. We moved Milton from his wheelchair to his bed.

“I hate when this happens.” She said, tears brimming in her eyes. “It makes me sad each and every time. And, poor Betty, she's already so sad.”

“So, Betty really is his sister?” I asked, finally putting the pieces together.

Tina answered, “Yes, around here everyone is pretty much related in one way or another. Milton was Betty's older brother. She helped raise his kids after his wife died. My understanding is that his kids considered her their mother. Isn't that sweet?”

“Yes, that's very sweet. He was telling me something about Rowdy. It didn't sound like they got along very well.” I didn't want to seem like I was prying, but it seemed to me that not too many people were fond of Rowdy and I could understand why. He had appeared to be a little rough around the edges. I just wondered if there was another side to him that I didn't have the opportunity to see.

“Mr. Knott?” She cringed. “Well, he was different. I never had any problems with him. Basically, I just stayed out of his way when he came around, but Kathy...” She paused, shaking her head.

Interesting. Kathy never mentioned anything about an incident with Rowdy.

“What happened?” I asked, hoping she wouldn't shut down on me.

Tina smiled. “Well, you know Kathy. She's not exactly easy to get along with, but with Mr. Knott it was worse, if you can believe that. I guess, Kathy's husband used to work on the Knott's farm and they had a falling out years ago. She used to say that Mr. Knott owed her husband for earnings he never received. Now, I don't know if that's true or not, but the way she acted when he was around did make me wonder if she could be telling the truth.”

“Really? Wow, that must have been tough, especially since Betty was one of her patients. I mean, residents.” I answered, thinking I may have just found a motive for murder.

“Yeah, well, Betty moved in here a little less than a year ago, so that irritated Kathy and Milton more than anything. Not because of her, though, because Betty is so sweet, but just having to see Rowdy every day after what they both said he did to them. Anyway, that's life in a small town, I guess.” Tina followed me out of the room. “I wonder what the family will want us to do.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, letting the fact that I'd have to contact Betty's family sink in. “Thanks for your help. Please, make sure that this door remains closed and let's keep the other residents out of here. I'm going to make some phone calls and let his doctor and his family know, then, I'll have to figure out what to do about Betty.”

“Excuse me, Mercy?” I turned to follow the voice.

“Oh, Jeb. Hi.” I answered.

“I have the new camera up all over both sides of the unit. I'll need to be in your office to test the feeds, if that's okay?” Jeb asked.

I didn't understand the legality of putting cameras up everywhere, but I already had too much on my plate. I couldn't worry about that just yet.

*

Tina knocked on the office door. “Milton's family is here.”

I peeked out the door at them. His children were considerably younger than Betty's son. I hadn't expected that. A woman, I believed to be Milton's daughter, nodded at me, her sorrow visible in her eyes.

“Okay, thanks, Tina. Can you listen for the phone for me? I left a message for Betty's son. If he calls back, please, let me know right away.” I walked out to greet the family and express my condolences, just as Milton's daughter walked into Betty's room.

“Mama Betty, how are you?” She asked, hugging Betty warmly.

Betty recognized her right away. Other than the outburst when Rowdy died, I'd not seen any concrete evidence of Betty's supposed dementia. I was beginning to question why she was placed in this unit.

Betty sensed what was going on. She asked, “He's gone, isn't he, Darlene? My brother is gone?”

“Yes, Mama, he's gone.” Darlene began to sob. Betty cried quietly, smoothing her hand over Darlene's blonde hair.

The brother's introduced themselves. The older looking one, acted as spokesman for the group. “What time did it happen?”

I filled him in on the sequence of events right before Milton passed.

“So, he had a good day today?” Darlene asked, her arms draped around Betty's shoulders.

“He did.” I answered, touched by how concerned they were that he died without any indication of pain.

Alton, the oldest, said, “Thank you for all you've done for our dad.”

A lump formed in my throat. “He was a kind man. Did you want to go into the room?”

The siblings looked at each other, then, looked at Betty to see if she was ready. She nodded.

Alton answered, “Yes, I think so.” His lips quivered as he spoke. These children truly loved their father.

I opened the door and allowed them to pass to say goodbye to their father. Emotions took over and the group cried, consoling each other as best they could. I remained for a few moments, feeling like a voyeur in moments like this.

Within a few minutes, their preacher arrived and I made a quiet exit to let them grieve in privacy.

As I stepped out onto the unit, Carol was standing with her arms crossed. I hadn't realized that she was still in the building.

“Hi, Carol. I thought you had gone home.” I said.

Her eyes narrowed. “You made the family drive through a snowstorm to get here?”

I was stunned. Wasn't it protocol to notify the families?

“Yes, Mr. Smelt passed away. Aren't we supposed to notify the family?” I asked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by screaming, coming out of Nubbin's room.

“They murdered another one! Help before they kill us all!” Nubbin screamed.

Chapter Eight

Carol barged in, carrying her briefcase and a mountain of paperwork in her hands.

“What's all this?” I asked, looking up from my charting.

She replied coldly. “Get up. You can work the floor. I'll take over here.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “What? What do you mean you're taking over?”

Exasperation in her voice, she answered, “I'm a nurse. I've been a licensed nurse for over forty years. Now, go work the floor. I'm taking over.”

I'd never been demoted before. I had no idea what sparked this and sure as pudding wasn't going to walk away with my tail between my legs without an explanation as to why I'd been removed.

“I haven't finished my charting yet. I'm a nurse, not an aide. I mean, if they need help on the floor, that's fine, but to just be thrown out with no explanation is rude, frankly.” I wasn't someone they could just push around.

“I'm the administrator here. That means, while you are here, you follow my rules. Now, go see if the girls need help.” She dismissed me without so much as a reason why. I wanted to cry, but I was too angry to cry.

She grabbed Milton's chart out of my hands and opened the door for me. “Give me your keys.”

“My keys? What's going on here? You can't just throw me out. I'm calling my agency. I'm being paid to be a nurse, not an aide. You can't treat me this way.” I grabbed my purse to get my cell phone out and call my supervisor.

Carol slammed the door shut behind me, leaving me in the dining room, shaking because I was so angry.

It was the end of the workday in California, but I knew the answering service would have someone available.

“Hi, this is Mercedes Mares calling from Nebraska. I have a problem here. Which supervisor is on call tonight?” I asked, watching Carol settle into what was supposed to be my office.

Behind me, Tina asked, “What's going on?”

Tears were burning my eyes, but I refused to cry. “I have no idea. She is taking over, I guess.”

“Carol is? Are you kidding me? Carol has no clue what goes on around here. She was a dialysis nurse for crying out loud. Before that, she was a school nurse. She doesn't know how to do anything here. She's afraid of our residents. This can't be good. Are you sick or something?” Tina looked me over, assessing my well-being.

“No, but I feel an illness coming on real soon.” I didn't want to tell her that this place was beginning to make me sick, but that was the truth. I felt more and more nauseous with every passing second.

“Are you calling your agency?” Tina whispered, pulling me out of Carol's line of vision.

I nodded. “I'm on hold.”

“Don't let her see you talking on your cell phone. They fire people for that. Come, help me do the rounds. Sarah is on her break.”

I realized that Tina was just trying to help, but I'm afraid, I couldn't ignore this passive-aggressive behavior any longer. I needed my job. I had a house and my daughter's education to think about.

The girl from the answering service finally answered my question. “Ruby's the on call supervisor tonight. I asked her to give you a call.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone who would be willing to listen to me.

I looked up at Tina. “Do you mind if I step off the unit for a few minutes? I need to talk to my supervisor.”

Tina waved me off. “Go. No problem. Use that door, so you won't have to pass the office.” She pointed to the doors that led to the other side of the dementia unit. I hadn't spent too much time over there. Most of those patients were bedridden and relatively quiet, the complete opposite of the more active bunch I had on this side.

“Good idea, thanks.” I rushed off the unit, virtually undetected. It didn't occur to me that there were cameras installed everywhere and the monitors were directly in front of Carol's face.

“Hi, Toots! Are you okay? I don't need to come bail you out of jail, do I?” Ruby teased.

The sound of her comforting voice brought me to tears immediately. I cried like a baby, telling her all that had happened since the last time we spoke.

“So, she just threw you out with no explanation as to why? Doesn't she know that death is a natural part of life in a nursing home? What planet are these people from again?” Ruby asked, feeling just as annoyed as I did.

“I never wanted to go home so badly in all my life. My divorce proceedings were more pleasant than this place.” I wasn't kidding either. At this point, I would have rather been hog tied and rolled down a hill stark naked.

Ruby has always been my voice of reason, in life and in work. She said, “Mercy, where is the administrator now? Let me speak to her.”

“She's in the office.” I scrubbed the tears from my face. “I'll get fired for being on my cell phone.”

“Okay, honey. Go back to work. I'll call her right now. Just hang tight. Things are going to get better, I promise. Try not to let anyone else die on your shift, okay?” Ruby was teasing, but I wasn't yet ready to laugh about my situation.

“Sorry, was that too soon?” Ruby asked. “Look, you know how things go. Deaths always happen in threes, especially in nursing homes. If they don't know that, then, hopefully, they will figure it out soon. All you can do is do your job to the best of your ability and my job is to make sure that you have all the tools and resources you need to perform your duties. Now, relax. I'll talk some sense into this Carol lady, so you can do what you're getting paid to do.”

I hung up, not entirely convinced that even someone as aggressive as Ruby could help ease the tension around here. I just had the sinking feeling that I was doomed. Western Nebraska didn't like me and I was really beginning to question whether or not I liked it.

*

Tina pointed down the hallway. “I think someone wants to talk to you.”

“Great.” I groaned. “Well, it was nice meeting you. You're going to be a wonderful nurse.” I took a deep breath to go meet my fate, my entire career flashing before my eyes. Every life I touched. Every hand I held. Everything that I loved almost as much as I loved my daughter was for nothing. It all came down to this.

The smile on Carol's face didn't match the cold stare in her eyes. The strained words that came out of her mouth were more in line with her real feelings. Ruby must have read her the riot act. On one hand, I wanted to thank Ruby for having my back, but the other hand wanted to strangle her for making things worse.

“This is how this is going to work. You're scheduled to work tomorrow night. You'll show up on time without your luggage and you'll work one on one with Marie until we straighten all of this out.” She turned and walked back into the office, letting the door close behind her.

I grasped a chair and took a long, deep breath. This place was going to be the death of me. I could feel it in my bones, but at least I still had a job. For tonight, I'd suck it up and do whatever she told me, but first I needed to find a way to get my charts back so I could finish my charting.

My hands shook as I knocked on the office door.

Carol growled at me. “Why don't you use your key?”

I reminded her. “You took my keys, remember? I need to finish my charting. I assume that's a rule around here?”

So much for laying low and staying out of her way, but I had a job to do.

She propped the door open with her leg and let me back into the office, tossing my facility issued keys and attached key card on the desk.

“The snowstorm may have just saved your career. I wanted to ask you to clock out.” She said.

I didn't say a word, fearing that I'd shoot myself in the foot if I spoke again.

“Here's the thing, I've been here for fifteen years and do you know how many visitors we've had die in our facility?” She asked.

I had a pretty good idea as to how many, but I stayed quiet to let her finish.

“None. That's how many. We've never once lost a resident's spouse, then, you show up and look what happened.” Her blue eyes bore into mine, making me uncomfortable.

“For the record, that's the first time I've had a patient's spouse die on me too. Why is everyone around here so quick to place blame? Didn't it occur to anyone that he was an elderly gentleman and it may have just been his time? Why does someone have to be to blame?” I knew what she was going to say. There was no avoiding it.

“He was poisoned, so yes, someone is to blame. Nothing like this ever happened before.” She answered.

“So, that means I have to be the one responsible?” I fought to keep more tears at bay.

“Ask Betty. She has plenty to say on the matter.” She walked out of the office and pulled a chair out for her to sit, facing me.

Please, let this night end. I'm calling the agency first thing tomorrow morning and heading home. This place is a nut house.

*

“I swear, this dog is the most neglected dog in town.” Marie hoisted Barney in her arms.

I smiled back, relieved that she didn't see me as a pariah. “Hi, Marie. I was wondering who was supposed to be in charge of Barney.”

Marie rolled her eyes. “He used to be Kathy's, but after her husband lost his job, she had to get rid of him. One of the aides suggested she bring Barney here and let the residents take care of him. She figured it would have been good for everyone involved, but as the resident's have deteriorated, Barney has been getting less and less attention.”

“He's Kathy's dog?” I sat down behind the desk.

“You wouldn't know it by the way she treats him. It's like she stopped caring altogether. Seems like her whole focus is on her crazy husband and her aging mother. She has a lot of stress. That's part of her issue. I can't account for the other stuff.” Marie motioned out the door. Kathy was walking toward the office, a chart in her hands.

Kathy nodded at Marie, but just motioned for me to get out of her seat. “I didn't have time to finish report. I got stuck doing all the stuff that you didn't finish last night.”

I didn't bother to argue. I figured she knew how my night went. Everyone probably knew and I was prepared to field questions or discerning looks from each of the other staff members.

Marie broke the tension with a question. “Did the husband make you mad again, Kathy?”

I wanted to laugh, but held it back. This wasn't the time or the place for that. I already had too many strikes against me, so it was far better to be safe than sorry and I managed to contain myself.

“Funny, but no. I just don't appreciate having to pick up someone's slack. I have my own job to do. Next time they decide to hire a temp, they might want to find one who is actually qualified and willing to do the job they are being paid to do, you know what I mean?” If Kathy was expecting that Marie would back up her statement, she was sadly mistaken because Marie walked away without acknowledging her rude statement, leaving me alone with Kathy.

She huffed and sat down in her chair. I took the opportunity to do morning rounds. I knocked on Nubbin's door, anxious to see him again. He could at least bring a smile to my face.

“You better have a darn good reason to be visiting at this hour, Monte Carlo.” Nubbin said by way of a welcome.

“Hello, Nubbin. How are you doing today?” I asked, surprised to find Marie seated in his room with Barney on her lap.

She answered, “He did. I'll take care of vitals today. Why don't you get charts ready for the new month? Can you believe Christmas is only a week away?”

I was confused. Why was she asking me to get the charts ready for next month when I was supposed to be doing rounds?

“Do you always get charts ready this far in advance?” I asked.

She excused herself and guided me out of Nubbin's earshot. “No, not usually, but since there's two of us today, we can get a head start on the first of the year stuff. I'll take care of the residents, while you pull old charts and get things in order for next month, okay?”

“I don't understand. Who told you to keep me away from the residents?” Heat rose in my face. I could feel my face flushing. This was yet another blow to my very fragile ego.

Marie smiled, patting me on the arm. “No one. I just think it would be safer for both of us if I took care of the residents and you took the time to get familiar with the charts and sorting things out. I mean, if you are going to be with us for a while, you'll have to know how to do that, won't you?”

“If?” I asked.

Nubbin cleared his throat. “Looks like they pulled the wool over your eyes too, Fiat.”

I glanced over Marie's shoulder at him. He nodded back at me, acknowledging that he was talking to me.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked Marie.

She shook her head. “No, of course not. This is just a precaution. Just so you know, I am on your side. I don't believe that you did anything, but you have to understand, I work here full-time and have for a long time. I follow orders just like everyone else here. Sorry. Really, I am.”

I couldn't speak. My belief that she was actually on my side floated away. She wasn't any different than the rest of them. Just because her word choice was different, didn't mean that the meaning behind her words were any different from any of the other people around here.

*

I spent the rest of the evening doing menial tasks and being kept as far away from residents and their families as possible. Luckily, we didn't have many visitors because of the storm or who knew how many spouses I could have potentially murdered?

By the time snacks were passed, I was ready to gouge my eyes out. I hadn't been this bored since college and even then at least I was learning something. Right now, all I was doing was taking up space. This was a total waste of my time and my talents. If I didn't have bills to pay, I would have jumped in my car and taken off, but that would have left me without a job and I couldn't risk that. Not at this stage in my life.

“I'm going to go to dinner, if that's okay with you.” I found Marie standing next to the medication cart getting ready to give nighttime medications.

“Sure thing. See you in an hour.” Marie acted as if this was all in a day's work for her, while my whole world was falling apart. I didn't care that there was nearly two feet of snow on the ground. I just had to get out of there and do it quickly or I was going to shatter into a million ugly little pieces.

I rushed off the unit, trying to be as nonchalant as I could muster given my fragile state of mind and walked right outside the employee back entrance. I trudged through the snow, remembering that I hadn't stopped to grab my coat and sat down in my car. I don't know how long I cried, but however long it was, it wasn't long enough. I'd never been so miserable in all of my forty plus years.

If my calculations were right, my daughter wouldn't have been in class. Her Christmas break would begin soon. I just needed to hear her voice. I needed to speak to someone, anyone, who would listen and not judge.

“Hi, Mom!” Diana answered. “How are the boondocks treating you? Did you find a hot cowboy yet?”

“Hi, Sweetheart! I'm so happy to hear your voice. Is this a good time?” I hoped she didn't notice that I didn't answer either of her questions.

“Sure. Mom, you know you can call me anytime. How is everything? What state are you in again? Kansas?”

As hard as I tried, I couldn't keep my voice steady. “I... No, I'm in... Honey, how is school going?”

“Mom, what's wrong? Did something happen?” Diana had always been able to read me like a book. When she was a small girl, she could always tell when something wasn't quite right.

We'd gone through some lean years after her father and I divorced. We didn't have much,  but we had each other. Her father did what he could, but it wasn't the same as being what society called a nuclear family and our individual stubbornness didn't do anything to help our situation either.

Diana always knew when her dad, James, and I were at odds. We may not have been able to stay married, but we were at least able to be friends and as friends we would disagree. Diana could tell right away when we were in disagreement about something.

“Is it Dad?” I could hear the panic in her voice.

“No, Honey. Your dad is fine. Its... Well, it's this place. I'm in Nebraska and, let's just say that they don't like me very much around here.” I said.

“Well, they suck. Why do you care if they like you? You're not going to be there that long anyway. I think they're probably just jealous, Mom. Let that negativity slide right off your back.” Oh, how I love my level-headed girl, but she had no idea just how bad things were and I didn't want to tell her. She didn't need to worry about me.

“Yeah, you're right. I wonder what fabulous human being raised you.” I teased, feeling better already. I knew calling her would be a good idea.

I could hear the apprehension in Diana's voice. “Mom?”

“Yes, Sweetheart.” I answered.

“Aunt Ruby called me.”

I wanted to bang my head up against the steering wheel. I didn't want her to find out this way.

“Diana, I'm okay. Really. Things will blow over. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to worry.” All of the horrible feelings I had earlier, hit me like a ton of bricks.

“They really think you're capable of murder? What is wrong with them? They obviously don't know how much of a soft spot you have for elderly people. Did you tell them about your grandparents, Mom? And, what motive would you have to kill some old farmer from the middle of nowhere?” Diana sounded just as irritated as I felt about the whole thing.

“It will go away. They are just being extra cautious. They never had someone that wasn't a resident die in their facility before and, since I happened to be the one with him at the time, they have questions for me. It doesn't mean anything. Right now, they have a nurse working with me until this all blows over.” I explained.

“You're being monitored? Are you kidding me right now?” Her voice grew shrill.

I tried to explain why, even though I didn't really know why myself. “Well, that's only because a resident died during my shift. It will all be okay.”

She was practically screaming now. “A resident died? You mean, a patient? What is going on there? They are just dying all over the place.”

“Diana, don't say that. You know how this job is. Sometimes you lose people.” I reminded her.

“Yeah, but what happens when the third person dies? Are they going to lock you up?” She sounded genuinely scared now.

I had to laugh. The ridiculousness of the whole situation was finally coming to light. Why was I being targeted as some kind of murderer? What was wrong with these people?

“Why are you laughing, Mom?” I could almost feel her pouting.

“Honey, you really do pay attention to me, don't you?” I laughed again. This time a full belly laugh.

Confused, she asked, “What are you talking about? Of course, I listen to you. Sometimes.”

“No, you know that people in nursing homes die in threes. I've seen that happen so often over the years. I'm glad at least someone else besides me knows that. I was beginning to think that I made that theory up.” I wiped my moist eyes. “Thanks for the talk. I'm so glad I got to hear your voice.”

“I love you, Mom.” Diana said. “Try not to go to prison.”

She was teasing, but she had no idea how much I was trying to escape that fate. I had to do something to clear my name and remove the suspicion or I could very well end up in prison for a crime I didn't commit.

*

“Mercy, have you seen Betty's chart?” Marie asked.

“No, I thought you had it. It wasn't on the cart with the other charts.” I answered.

“Really? I have no idea where it is and the girl from Medical Records is looking for it. You know, didn't Kathy have a chart in her hands when we got here earlier?” Marie asked.

I thought back. I did remember seeing Kathy with a chart in her arms, but I honestly didn't recall noticing whose chart it was.

“Maybe it was Betty's.” I answered, secretly hoping Kathy would get in trouble for misplacing a chart.

Marie's eyebrows quirked up. She was thinking something, but didn't say anything.

Why would Kathy walk away with Betty's chart, I wondered.

Chapter Nine

“Are you working with me tonight? I thought they would have forbidden you to speak to me by now?” I asked Tina as she walked onto the unit, her coat and hat covered in snow. “You didn't have to drive far, did you?”

“It took me an hour to get across town. It has never taken me that long to get anywhere around here, but I really need the money, so I agreed to cover the shift.” Tina answered, brushing snow off of her coat. “They sure have you bouncing from shift to shift, don't they?”

I was chilled to the bone. The snow and cold was wreaking havoc on me. It was bad enough that my driving skills weren't exactly stellar, but throw in mountains of snow, slick roads, and extreme temperatures and I was all but helpless.

“You know, Jennifer never would have let them switch days and nights like that. You should say something to the nurse manager. They are going to run you ragged.” Tina warned.

“I think that's the plan.” I answered, knowing full well that they were trying to break me, hoping I'd confess to poisoning Rowdy, but since I had absolutely nothing to do with that, it looked like I was just going to have to tolerate their antics until the real murderer was caught.

I looked around the unit. From what I could tell, it looked like Tina and I were the only ones around. I wondered where Marie was. I figured that she was still on babysitting duty and would show up soon.

Tina was thinking the same thing because, she said, “I wonder if Marie is okay. She lives pretty far out and she has two kids, so she would have had to drop them off at the sitters. I don't think there's another aide coming in, though. Kathy told me that no one was answering their phones. I don't blame them, though. If I didn't need to save money for my test, I wouldn't have answered either.”

I felt bad for Tina. She was a smart girl. I remember all too well what it was like to raise a child alone. James had always been a good father, but the fact that we lived separately, sometimes in different parts of the country, meant I spent the majority of the time alone with Diana. He did what he could, but I got the feeling that Tina didn't have someone like James in her life. I could see the telltale signs of a young mother, who was under an enormous amount of stress. I wished there was something I could do for her.

“Do you plan on working here after you get your license?” I asked.

She grimaced, answering, “I really don't have much choice, so probably.”

“Tell me, is that what you want? Is this place your dream? I mean, if it is, great, but if not, why not pursue what it is that you want?” I asked.

Tina's eyes moistened with tears. She turned her head, answering, “Maybe, someday.”

I touched my hand to her arm. She flinched in response. What had I done? “I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to upset you. I'm so sorry, Tina.”

She took a step back, pulling her long, chestnut colored hair into a tight ponytail. “No, I'm sorry. I don't know why I got emotional about that. You're absolutely right. I should pursue my dreams and right now my dream is to earn enough money to take my boards.” She smiled, but I could still see the sadness in her eyes. There was something bigger going on with her, but I didn't want to pry. I'd already made enough enemies. I didn't need to alienate her too.

I tried again. “Tina, I didn't mean to upset you. Can we start all over again, like that conversation never took place?”

She blinked back tears, fanning her face with her hands. “No worries. I'm good. I better get ready for report.” She turned and pointed to a nurse I didn't recognize, walking out of Betty's room, pushing an IV stand.

“An IV?” I looked back at Tina. She was as surprised as I was. We both rushed down to Betty's room to see what happened.

The nurse greeted Tina and looked at me, saying, “Are you Mercy?”

I answered, “Yes, what happened to Betty?”

She looked back into the room. “She had a bad night. She was incoherent, lethargic, and just not herself. I had to call for an ambulance. The doctor said she was dehydrated.” Both Tina and I gasped.

“Why didn't they keep her?” An elderly woman with dehydration surely should have been monitored overnight at the hospital.

“She refused and Randy threw a fit about her being taken to the hospital in the first place. It was a mess, so she's here. We hardly ever use IV's here, but for some reason this stand won't stay upright, so I had to borrow another one from the rehabilitation unit.”

I looked up at the stand and pointed to the bag. “You removed her IV to change stands?”

She realized her error. Her cheeks reddened. “I... I...” She turned and went back into the room, dragging the stand with her.

I looked at Tina. We were thinking the same thing.

She said, “I'll go get the other stand. By the way, that's Stacy, the nurse manager.”

“Of course, she is.” It's the blind leading the blind around here.

Stacy yelled out from the room, “The other stand is in the office.”

I walked into Betty's room to help and to assess Betty for myself. She lay in bed, her color drained from her body, her lips were parched and raw, nothing at all like the woman I'd spent the last few days providing care for. What could have happened that caused this?

I spoke to her, touching her arm. Her skin was cold. “Betty? Betty, you're going to be okay. Those fluids are going to perk you right up. You'll be fine.” I figured no one would have explained any of what had happened to her. They weren't exactly the kind of people to do much of anything, unless it made them look good.

“She's asleep,” Stacy groaned.

Tina returned with the IV stand. “Here you go.” She waited for Stacy to set up and reinsert the IV into Betty's port. Looking at me she whispered, “Marie can't make it in and the nurse in Rehab has to get home to her kids.”

Great! Another day drastically short staffed and barricaded in a snowstorm.

Stacy stomped her foot on the ground. “Unbelievable! Now, that means I'm stuck here for another twelve hours. Why can't anyone do their jobs?”

“Because there's a blizzard outside maybe.” What was it with these people? Everything had to revolve around them!

She scowled at me, not appreciating my remark. “So, do you want to work on the rehab unit or stay here because I think it's just me and you tonight and I'll mandatory someone on the other hall to stay.”

I glanced down at Betty. No way was I going to leave her in Stacy's hands. Who knows what more would happen if I wasn't monitoring!

Tina suggested, “Since there will only be a few aides on duty, maybe we can help each other with rounds and baths, if that's alright?”

Stacy shrugged, “Fine, whatever.”

Tina bit her lip. I could see her forcing herself to not reply with a snide remark. I stifled a laugh. What I wouldn't give to have someone besides me say what I was thinking.

*

Stacy gave me report while I started my rounds. If we were going to be understaffed, a night shift was about as good a time as any. Most residents were asleep on the other units. I was prepared for a number of residents in my unit to be sundowning and agitated because of the blizzard, but I was confident that it wasn't more than Tina and I could handle.

Before Stacy walked off the unit, she stopped to say, “Carol's not going to be happy that you are on your own tonight. Call me the second anything happens, but more importantly, please, don't let anything happen.” Our eyes met for a moment.

I had nothing to say. What could I say?

The first couple of hours went by without incident. Tina ran around, ensuring that she completed every task on her to-do list and managed to escort weary residents back to bed or to the dining room for a late night snack or whatever it is they needed to help calm their frayed nerves.

I attended to many of the duties left for me to complete. The office was a disaster zone. Papers had been strewn about and a medication delivery had not yet been counted and checked in. That in itself meant hours of work, but I managed to get through it within the first couple of hours.

The charts, on the other hand, were a mess. No one had bothered to chart anything since early this morning and Betty's chart was still nowhere to be found. I didn't have time for this. Why hadn't someone asked Kathy to return the chart? It was a violation of privacy laws to remove private medical information from the facility. I had to call Stacy and ask her about it.

I dialed the Rehab unit. An aide answered.

“This is Mercy. Is Stacy around?” I asked.

The aide said, “She's busy.”

“So am I. Have her call me, please.” I hung up and looked out at my unit. Things were peaceful. If it wasn't the middle of the night, I'd jump for joy.

On the monitors, I saw a light come on inside Betty's room.

“What was that? No, Betty!” She walked across the room, the IV was teetering on one side.

I ran out of the office and made an attempt of hurdling over a chair that had been left in the middle of the dining room. I failed, pulling my hamstring and fell face first on the carpet.

As I grunted and groaned, trying to get to my feet, I heard the IV stand come crashing to the ground and Betty with it.

Tina ran out of the room she was in. “What was that?”

I was still struggling to get up. Tina gasped before running and leaping over tables and chairs to get to me.

I hoisted myself up, yelling, “Not me. Betty. I think Betty fell down.”

*

“Nubbin, it's three o'clock in the morning and there's a blizzard outside. I don't think you should go outside right now.” I'd spent twenty minutes trying to convince Nubbin to go back to bed. The commotion with Betty had woken him up and he was agitated as all get out.

“I need to let the dog out!” Nubbin yelled. “Come here, Spike.”

Tina tried to intervene. “That's Barney, Mr. Schmeckpepper, not Spike.”

I shook my head, telling her to let it go.

She nodded, saying, “Why don't I get you a glass of warm milk?”

“Why don't you get my boots and let me take care of my own pooch?” Nubbin responded quickly. I had to hand it to him, he never missed a beat.

“Subaru, I'm getting out of here and you're not going to stop me.” He responded. At least, he still recognized who I was. I thought that might work in my favor and help me to calm him down.

“You know what? Why don't you come with me? We can let the dog out together.” I suggested.

He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, agreeing to let me accompany him. I figured a moment out in the courtyard might do all of us some good. I needed air and he needed to feel like he was doing something, so there was no harm in me opening the door to let him and the dog out in the secure courtyard. There was no way he could elope. Every door led right back onto the unit.

“I could take him,” Tina offered. “That way you could finish charting, if you want.”

My shoulders relaxed. “I could hug you right now.” I said to her.

“No one is hugging anyone around here. I got a dog to let out.” Nubbin quipped.

A short jaunt outside was exactly what Nubbin needed. He went back to bed without incident.

Betty slept comfortably after her fall. The only injury was to my credibility as a good nurse. Once again, I found myself writing an incident report. By the time Stacy had a free moment, she was running ragged and infuriated. I had to bear the brunt of her wrath.

“I told you not to let anything happen, didn't I? What is it with you? I don't know what people do where you come from, but here, we take care of our residents and try to do everything we can to ensure that they don't fall down.”

I was at my tipping point. I was so tired of people berating me and the nerve of this one – the nurse who had removed an IV bag without an order just to change a stand – really got under my skin. I lashed out without thinking about the consequences.

“Excuse me, but I'm not the one who discontinued an IV without an order. I think that was you or is your memory failing you?” I looked at Tina, who stood with her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open. “And, wasn't Betty rushed to the hospital because neither you nor your staff noticed she was dehydrated?”

“Now, wait a minute!” She screamed.

Just then, the unit doors opened and Sheriff Wagner walked through.

“Ms. Mares?” He called my name, throwing me completely off balance. I lost my footing and fell to the floor.

Stacy gasped, but didn't move to help me to my feet. The Sheriff lunged forward, jerking me up by the arm.

“Watch out there, Ms. Mares. Are you alright?”

Tina stepped in between us, acting as a human barrier. “Stacy, what did you do? Sheriff Wagner, are you arresting her because a resident fell? Well, arrest everyone because residents fall a lot around here.”

On a normal day, I would have stopped everything to thank her, but I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a normal day. Instead, I addressed the more pressing issues.

“Am I under arrest, Sheriff Wagner?” My heart pounded loudly, drowning out the ever-present humming of the heating system in the facility.

He smiled briefly, hiding it by bringing his hand to his chin. “Now, slow down. No one said anything about anyone getting arrested. I'm just here to make sure everything is nice and safe.”

My defenses were on high alert. I asked, “Nice and safe? You mean from the storm?” I looked at Stacy. “She didn't call you?”

He pretended to have no idea what I was talking about. “Call me? Why would she call me? Has something happened?”

I couldn't help myself. “Well, it's the middle of the night and you're here. Doesn't that mean that someone has asked you to come?”

He snorted.

Stacy became defensive. “I asked him to come down and check on things.”

The Sheriff looked around the room. The tables and chairs that Tina and I jumped over were lying on the ground upside down.

He peeked into Betty's room. Betty's IV was still on the ground, but Betty was now lying peacefully in bed. How did she get back in bed?

Tina cringed. I shut my eyes, realizing what all of this must have looked like to the Sheriff. My life was over. I knew it.

The Sheriff looked up at the cameras and said to Stacy. “I'm going to need to see that footage now.”

Chapter Ten

“The roads are treacherous,” Kathy announced as she arrived two hours late for her day shift. “You better leave the motel early tonight to get here on time because I'm not staying one minute past six o'clock. I have to get to my kids.”

I was numb. I didn't have the energy to argue with her. All I wanted was to get as far away from her as I could.

Kathy looked around, a frown on her face. “Who worked with you last night?”

I shrugged, not interested in explaining how it was that I ended up without a babysitter and how very much I wished that I'd had someone with me, then none of the events of last night would have taken place.

Kathy threw her bags down in exasperation. “You were by yourself?”

“Yes,” I mumbled in response. “The whole building was short staffed.”

“Great. So, what mess of yours do I have to clean up now? Who died?” She was trying to be sarcastic, but all I felt was judgment. She was judging me and my abilities as a nurse.

“I'm a good nurse,” I answered, my voice shaking. “Do you treat all of your fellow employees like this or was this nastiness reserved for just me?”

Kathy took a step back, folding her arms over her plump midsection. “Quit being so dramatic.”

I went through the motions, giving her report and filling her in on only the details that concerned her. I didn't allow her to demean me anymore than she already had. I'd had enough of her and this place and I didn't care that the roads were dangerous and that I hadn't been paid yet. All that mattered was that I was no longer here and no one would be able to make me feel any worse than I already felt. I needed to get out of here and do so now.

“Bye.” Kathy caught the door before it closed.

I know my behavior was beyond rude, but so was theirs. They'd done nothing but berate me and make me feel small.

I'd never been in this situation before and wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to behave or react. All I knew was that I accepted a position that was about to make my life spin out of control.

I heard her mutter something under her breath as I rounded the corner, leading down the exit hallway. I immediately turned around, prepared to confront her and her constant snide remarks, but the unit doors had already closed.

Saved by the security doors, I thought, glancing up and noticing the camera, hanging over the entry doors.

“Camera?” I couldn't believe it. “I wonder if Sheriff Wagner collected the footage from this camera. If Rowdy was poisoned, maybe there were some clues that something was wrong. I missed them. I was busy. I was just trying to settle in and everyone else had their jobs to do. Perhaps there's some evidence of something going awry on the security footage from that day.

“Excuse me.” I jumped, surprised by the sudden presence of Jeb behind me. He smiled at me. “Heading home? The roads are horrible. Do you have snow tires?”

I took a couple of deep breaths as I tried to recover from my scare. Jeb awaited my answer while he fidgeted with the tools in his hands.

“Sorry.” I answered. “It was a bad night. You scared me. Um... No, I don't have snow tires. I didn't know I'd need them.”

“That's funny. My wife thinks the same thing and she grew up here. Of course, she's not driving much these days.” He said, smiling as if he let me in on a little secret.

I took the bait, seeing a means to an end, if I obliged him. “Oh, is your wife sick?”

His nose scrunched up. “No. She's the whole reason they brought you in. She just had a baby.”

For a moment, I had no idea how to respond. I didn't really want to hear about his wife, but I didn't want to appear rude. I asked another probing question, hoping I could convince him to let me see the surveillance tape after our little chat. “Your wife is a nurse here? She just had the baby. Oh, well, congratulations! How is she doing? Do you have any pictures of the baby?”

His cheeks reddened. I wondered if I'd asked too many questions. I hoped he wouldn't shut down. Considering he and I had seen each other daily since I arrived, this was the first official conversation we'd had and he looked like we'd crossed some sort of invisible line.

I needed to try another angle. “I hope your wife and the baby are doing well.”

He raked his hand through his sandy brown hair. “They're good. We are just trying to get adjusted. It's our first baby.”

Good. Good. Keep him talking, I thought. “That's so sweet. Hey, speaking of pictures, I was wondering if you had access to the footage from the cameras in here?”

Jeb's expression changed. The happy new dad face he wore changed to a look of confusion. His eyebrows quirked up. He bit on his lip. I could see his lips quivering a little as if my question made him nervous.

He glanced down the hallway, pausing to watch the snow fall out the windows. “The snow is really coming down hard.” I followed his gaze, wondering why he was avoiding an answer to my question. “You might want to get going before you're stuck here for days.”

And, there went my opportunity. Right out the window it went.

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” I turned back to face him, but Jeb had already walked into the unit. “Well, that's just great. Now how am I supposed to see that footage?”

*

The waitress glared at me as I walked into the diner.

She yelled to the cook as she stomped to the register. “Of course, you would be the one person in town that had to come in here.”

I gave her my best death stare. “I'm fine. How are you?”

She rolled her eyes before slamming her order pad on the counter top in front of me. “What are you eating?”

I quickly ordered my food and marched to the nearest booth and put my head down while I waited for my food. There was something remarkably soothing about listening to the banging of pots and pans and the sound of the waitress shuffling around as she waited for a fresh cup of coffee to brew.

“Coffee?” The waitress held the pot dangerously close to my head. I shot my head up, nearly slamming my face on the side of it.

“I'd like it in a cup, not my hair, thank you.” What was her problem?

It took her several seconds before my words registered with her, then, she filled my cup to the rim with steaming hot house blend coffee. “Is that enough for you?”

I stood up, startling her while simultaneously irritating my already injured hamstring. “What is wrong with you? Having a bad day?”

The cook, an older gentleman with a pinched face, peeked over the counter top at us. “Sissy? What's all the racket about?”

The waitress shouted over her shoulder, “Nothing, Grandpa. I'm just taking her order.”

Ah, so the rotten waitress had a name – Sissy.

I spoke up, speaking to the cook. “Sissy is just showing me some good old Western Nebraska hospitality.”

He scowled at me, unappreciative of my sarcasm. I smiled in return. That was enough to send him back to his work. Sissy, on the other hand, was still standing with the coffee pot dangling in her right hand and her left firmly planted on her hip. Why didn't I just go back to the motel? The last thing I needed to worry about was food.

I ordered my food and waited impatiently to be served. Outside, the snow kept falling. Very few cars were out on the roads. I'd heard on the radio that the state police were asking people to stay off the roads and highways.

As I drove from work, I noticed that local businesses and the schools were closed too. That was probably for the better. If I didn't have to be outside, I wouldn't be either. If I didn't have to be here, I wouldn't be.

I missed home more than ever right now. I missed my daughter and my fairly simple life before I jumped at the chance to take this job. I couldn't even remember exactly why I'd agreed to come here in the first place. Whatever the reason, I'm sure it wasn't worth all of the trouble I've had since I arrived.

“Your food's ready.” Sissy slammed my plate down on the table in front of me. I bit my tongue, pretending not to be bothered by yet another round of rude behavior.

“You know people in town have been talking about you?” She didn't have to tell me. I figured as much. I sipped my coffee, waiting for her to elaborate. “They say that Rowdy was poisoned and that you might have had something to do with that.”

I had to give her points for bravery. If I believed that someone murdered a man that I knew, I'm not so sure I'd be pouring them coffee or serving them a meal.

“Aren't you gonna say nothin' about that?” She asked, cocking her hip out to one side.

I shrugged. “I guess people don't know me very well then.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing, opting instead to stomp away. I don't know if my breakfast was any good or not. In fact, I don't recall eating it at all. The only thing I could focus on was why the people of this town were so set on making me out to be a villain.

Although she didn't deserve it, I threw a tip on the table for Sissy and walked out of the diner, feeling worse than I had when I entered.

The snow continued to pile on the ground and every surface available. Again, I was reminded that I had no snow scraper and had to use the sleeve of my coat to wipe the freshly fallen snow from my car.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Surprised to know that there was another not-so-cautious soul roaming quaint downtown Gering, I donned my friendliest smile, in spite of how awful I felt inside, and waved.

The man quickly lowered his head, shielding his face from the rapidly falling snow with his briefcase and ran inside the diner. I wanted to warn him that they weren't the nicest folks in town, but figured it wouldn't matter in the end.

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't noticed the Sheriff stop his car behind mine.

“Are you alright, Ms. Mares,” he yelled from his car. “You shouldn't be out in this storm. Bad things could happen.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” I muttered under my breath.

He left his car idling, getting out to speak with me. “Ms. Mares?” He asked. “Is everything okay?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but gave it a second thought because it seemed to me that every time I opened my mouth, I got accused of something. I didn't need that again.

Sheriff Wagner smiled, crossing his arms in front of him. “Alright, I understand that you might be a little upset with some of us around here, but no need to be rude.”

I sighed. “I'm not rude. I'm tired. I'm cold and I want to go home.” I wasn't lying. That was what I wanted more than anything.

He must have been just as exhausted as I was. Rather than stand there and debate the issue with me, he took the time to grab a window scraper out of the trunk of his car and wiped the snow from my car windows and climbed back into his car and drove off, waving as he pulled away.

*

I stared at the ceiling, counting tiles for the thousandth time in the last few hours. Normally, sleep would come easily for me, but today I couldn't shake the suspicion that someone was blatantly trying to frame me for murder.

I just couldn't make the pieces of this incredibly convoluted mystery fit together. As far as I could tell everyone had a reason to not like him, but who had a reason to kill him? Something was missing. Some part of the puzzle didn't fit no matter which way I tried to make it fit.

I'd already discovered that Rowdy had supposedly ruined his brother-in-law Milton's crops, and that he owed Kathy's husband for wages he never paid. Why anyone would think I'd have any motive to murder him was beyond me. What did I possibly have to gain from his death and why was everyone so quick to want to blame me? Something very strange was going on in this town and, if I intended to keep my job, I was going to have to get to the bottom of whatever it was and do so fast.

I needed to talk this out and get some feedback on all that I'd learned. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, I decided it was as good a time as any to call Ruby and get her up to speed.

“Hey, Sugar! Do you need bail money yet?” Ruby teased.

“I need the first snowplow out of here. Can you arrange that? I'm thinking these people will lock me up and throw away the key without any concern about evidence or motive or anything that most courts of law require to prosecute.” I answered, fully aware of how dramatic I sounded.

“I'll write to you,” Ruby joked.

I wanted to laugh, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not yet. First, I needed Ruby to hear me out and help me to get myself out of this mess I found myself embroiled in.

Ruby cleared her throat, recognizing that laughter wasn't going to be the best medicine in this particular situation. “Honey, tell me what you need me to do. How can I help?”

I explained all that I'd learned from the moment Rowdy died one foot away from me, only a few short days ago, yet it felt like I'd been trapped in this nightmare for a lifetime.

I could hear Ruby taking notes as I spoke. She loved a good riddle. From as far back as I could remember, she was always trying to find the underlying causes for anything and everything in life. It was in her nature to analyze every situation she approached.

Unlike me, she'd managed to keep a husband and he was a good one at that. He didn't mind her constant barrage of questions and psychoanalysis of everyone around her. He found it to be an endearing quality in her because that's how she came to find him.

Hank and Ruby met when they were in college. He was her roommate's brother and was smitten with her from the first moment he saw her. She was hard to ignore with long, flowing red hair and radiant green eyes the size of saucers. She lit up every room she walked into and kept audiences captivated with her infectious smile and quick wit.

Ruby would deny it, but she was head over heels in love with Henry 'Hank' Nickles or Dr. Hank, as most people called him, from the moment she first laid eyes on him. He was a doctoral candidate at the time and Ruby was more than interested in analyzing every word that came out of his mouth. The fact that he was to receive his doctorate in psychiatry was just icing on the cake of love for her.

After their marriage, he often found himself trying to talk Ruby and I down from whatever had us spinning our wheels in life. He almost never complained, even if the vein in the middle of his forehead popped out from the amount of stress he was under because of his hectic work schedule. He indulged us and our proclivities for tangled messes.

“Hank says to keep your cool and don't let them see you sweat.” Ruby said.

“How am I supposed to stay calm when people are accusing me of murder? Nothing about this is normal. I don't know how to explain all that's been done here. It's like I am a pariah and they are an angry mob, preparing to hang me by the stake.” I said.

“You sure that you're not being a bit over dramatic, Mercy? You know, sometimes you have a tendency to over think things. Remember the clerk at the grocery store? You swore he was up to something because of his shifty eyes and...”

I interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say next. “He had a lazy eye and came back the following week wearing glasses. I remember, but for the record, I wasn't wrong. His eyes had been dilated, just not dilated for the reason I thought, so I was only partially wrong on that one.” Make one mistake and the whole world uses it against you.

“I'm just saying, don't jump to conclusions. They had a murder in their facility. You can't very well expect them to not point fingers. That's just what people do, but on another note, you had just gotten into town, so why you would be a suspect just doesn't make sense.” Ruby had the same doubts that I had.

I could hear Hank speaking in the background. Knowing him, he was trying to apply logic to an illogical situation.

Ruby's attention turned to him, while I waited on the other end of the line, trying to distinguish dust particles from the crumbling popcorn ceiling flakes that cascaded to the floor every time the wind blew.

“Sorry, hon, I was just listening to Hank and I have to agree with him...” she started, “you can't let these people get to you. Just keep doing your job and finish this assignment. If you opt to leave, you'll give them more reason to suspect you of wrongdoing.”

They were right. Leaving town with my tail between my legs would make me seem guilty. I couldn't do that. Who knows what people would say if I suddenly hightailed it back to California. They'd have me in a firing squad by the time I hit Colorado, I'm sure.

“You two are right. I can't leave.” My voice quivered as I said it. I was officially stuck in this town. Under different circumstances, I'm sure I would have liked this place. Small town life appealed to me. I'd always dreamed of meeting a handsome cowboy and living out in the country, but this experience may have soured that dream for good.

Ruby said in her mock formal voice, “Mercy, the good doctor wants to have a word with you.”

“Okay.” I answered, wishing that they'd advised that I weather the storm and get home as soon as possible.  “There may be a way out of this. I just have to figure out a way to get it done though. It's not like anyone around here is really keen on lending me a helping hand.”

“Good. Good.” Hank said. “What is it? If there's anything we can do, let us know.”

I took a much needed deep breath. I could feel myself teetering on the edge of hysteria and the last thing I needed was to go there while simultaneously speaking to a psychiatrist. “This place is full of cameras. I'm telling you that they have cameras absolutely everywhere. The Sheriff took the footage from the office, but there's a camera right outside the unit doors that was just installed that morning. He may not have noticed the camera there. I asked the maintenance guy about footage from that day.”

“Oh, good!” Hank exclaimed. “Well, there's your proof that you didn't do anything. It will show that you had just arrived.”

I shook my head, saying, “No, I'm hoping it will show more than that. I'm hoping it will have footage proving that Mr. Knott arrived under the influence of something that morning. That, I hope, will prove that it couldn't have been me.”

*

I don't remember falling asleep, but I sure remember waking up to the sound of Kathy's voice screaming in my ear. Startled, I lunged off the bed and plopped onto the floor, sending my cell phone slamming into the wall.

“What in the world?” I grabbed the back of my head, checking for any signs of swelling.   I glanced up at the alarm clock on the nightstand next to me. It was five o'clock. I had to report to work in an hour.

I could still hear the sound of Kathy's voice coming from my cell phone. Hoisting myself up, I reached for the phone and clumsily put it to my ear.

“Hello! Hello!” She shouted. “Answer me!”

I cleared the sleep from my throat and said, “I'm right here. I was asleep. Why are you screaming at me?”

She didn't apologize. Instead, she yelled, “Do you have it?”

“Have what?” I asked, trying my best to use my inside voice with her.

“Betty's ring. Her diamond solitaire ring is gone. She said that you took it off her finger when you were in her room last night.” Kathy's words were laced with seething anger.

“I did no such thing. Why would she say that?” My brain was still in a fog. I had no memory of answering the phone. Who knows what I could have said to incriminate myself before realizing that I was on the phone?

“You need to get down here now. Her son has called the Sheriff and I'm sure he's going to want to talk to you. Make sure you bring her ring back. You know, since you'll be here anyway.” Kathy hissed.

Sarcasm was my forte and I didn't appreciate her using it at my expense. I hung up, not bothering to close the call properly. It didn't matter. Anything I would have said, wouldn't have been nice.

Chapter Eleven

I went in prepared for battle, but was instead met with a friendly smile from Tina.

“Hi! Looks like it's me and you again tonight. Marie can't make it in. The roads by her house haven't been plowed yet. Stacy has to stay to cover one of the other units and, I believe, the day nurse had to stay on her unit too.” Tina explained, looking refreshed from her night off.

“They're going to let me stay? I thought for sure they'd fire me by now.” I said, looking around for the cavalry to come in and whisk me off to jail.

Tina's eyebrows furrowed. “Why? What happened?”

“No one told you?” I asked, surprised.

She shook her head. “No? Why are you getting fired?”

Kathy interrupted our conversation. “Mercedes! Hurry up! I want to go home.” She stood with her hand on her hip, tapping her foot.

“She says jump, I should jump.” I muttered under my breath, turning to follow her into the office. I didn't see the Sheriff anywhere around. “I didn't punch in.”

Rolling her eyes, she spoke through clenched teeth. “Why not? I told you that I wanted to leave at exactly six o'clock. Was that so hard to understand?”

I feigned a smile, figuring that the cameras were aimed at me and, if this impossible woman should ever come up missing, I was going to need proof that I tolerated her without any issues. “No, Kathleen.” I started, just to irritate her. “I understood, but weren't you the one who told me that Sheriff Wagner was going to want to talk to me? Why would I punch in if I was going to be escorted out the door right away?”

She grabbed her bags and draped them over her shoulder, holding her coat in her hand. “I don't have time for this. I don't know what you're talking about and I don't really care right now. I'm back in the morning. Try to get all of your work done for a change.” She turned on her heels and walked off the unit, not bothering to say a word to any of the residents that were milling about in the day room.

Tina watched her storm out, then, looked at me and started laughing. “She's a piece of work, isn't she?”

I heard Betty respond, but hadn't yet seen her face yet. “She's always been an impossible spawn of the you-know-who.”

Tina laughed a heartier laugh. I poked my head out of the office, looking for Betty. She sat with a book in her hand and Barney on her lap. She must have seen me in her peripheral and said, “I'm not kidding. That woman has always been a pain in the patoot. I can't tell you how many times my Rowdy wanted to give her a piece of his mind, but I always held him back. She wasn't worth it.”

I was hesitant to say anything because I worried that anything I said or did would be misconstrued and I'd be accused of something else, but Betty had other ideas.

“Mercy, I'd like to speak to you.” Betty said, still not looking in my direction.

I looked at Tina, but she didn't flinch. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her.

“Sure, Betty. What can I do for you?” I asked, feeling my palms get sweaty.

“He's gone, you know?” Betty said, a distant look in her eyes.

My heart skipped a beat. She wanted to speak to me about Rowdy. I didn't think that sounded like a good idea, so I deflected by talking about the book she was reading, but Betty was determined to be heard.

She tried again. “I need to talk to you about my Rowdy.”

I loved how she referred to Rowdy as hers. That was sweet. I imagined that they must have been together for quite a long time. Her pain must have been excruciating.

“His funeral will be tomorrow.” She said, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Yes, I know. I'm so sorry for your loss.” I'd said it before, but wanted to make sure she truly knew how I felt about it.

“You're probably the only one who is. No one. I mean, no one, liked Rowdy. He was a difficult, ornery old man.” She sighed, adding, “ But, I loved him.”

I looked at her ring finger. There was no ring there. I wracked my brain trying to recall if I'd noticed a ring on her finger any of the other times I'd been with her.

Most medical facilities requested that valuables not be brought in and, if they were, they were cataloged or kept in a secure space. What I needed to do was get a hold of her chart and see if there was an itemized list of her belongings. The only problem was that I hadn't seen her chart since the day after Rowdy died and I kept forgetting to ask Kathy about it, since she was the last one I'd seen with the chart.

Betty's eyes welled with tears as she turned her head to look me in the eyes. “Why,” she asked.

I swallowed hard, saddened by her devastating loss. “I don't know. I'm so sorry,” I answered.

She put her head down and cried quietly. I placed my hand over hers, but she pulled her hand away. I had to take a couple of deep breaths to keep myself from sobbing. I understood not wanting human contact just yet. I'd experienced that before when I lost my parents.

We sat side by side in silence for a few minutes more until the familiar sound of movement approaching us, broke our silence. The humming of the wheels on Nubbin's wheelchair caused us both to look up.

Nubbin cleared his throat, asking, “Which one of us are they killing today?”

I cringed at his words. Leave it to Nubbin to say something crude in the middle of a tense moment.

“Nubbin, how are you doing?” I asked, hoping to provide a distraction.

“Not dead yet, so as good as it gets, I guess.” He answered, eyeing Betty as she tried to discreetly wipe the tears from her face.

“How was dinner?” I asked, standing up.

“Not much worse than lunch,” he answered, still watching Betty. To her, he said, “Crying won't bring him back. What you need to do now is fight and get the evil fool who did this.”

I panicked at the sound of his words and grabbed the handles to his wheelchair and started carting him away from Betty as fast as I could.

“Nubbin, you sure are a sweet talker, aren't you?” I was scolding him, but Nubbin took it as a compliment and chuckled. “I'm serious. Betty is going through a rough time right now and we have to be mindful of what we say to her. Words can easily be misconstrued and we don't want to upset her anymore than she already is.”

Nubbin's eyes were fixed on a spot just beyond my face. I didn't want to make him feel like he was a child, but I did need him to understand that there are boundaries not to be crossed and one of those was making mention of murder and suspects repeatedly. It wasn't good for Betty or anyone else around the facility.

“I know it!” Nubbin said finally. “I'll keep my trap shut, but only if you get this scumbag. We don't need no more deaths around here. We do fine all by ourselves, thank you very much.”

The more time I spent with the residents of this unit, the more I questioned everything I'd ever learned about dementia and the typical symptoms. It seemed to me that this particular group was far more lucid than any of the other folks with dementia I'd had the pleasure to get to know over the years.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Nubbin started screaming at the top of his lungs, “Murderers! They are killing us and no one will help us!”

Tina ran in the room, expecting to find him alone and in hysterics. When she saw me, she came to a screeching halt, grabbing the top of Nubbin's dresser to steady herself and catch her breath.

She addressed Nubbin. “Mr. Schmeckpepper, why are you yelling?”

“I'm not!” Nubbin snapped back. “I'm just talking to Monte Carlo here. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?”

I left Tina to calm Nubbin down while I began tending to my work. I couldn't let another night go by without making sure that I checked every item off my list, including finding out where Betty's chart was and confirming that she had a ring in her possession to begin with.

As I walked through the day room, I noticed that Betty was no longer sitting in there. Barney lie asleep by the patio doors. All was quiet. There were no residents milling about and no fires to put out.

I shouldn't have been surprised to find the office in total disarray, but I was. The room looked like it had been ransacked.

“Don't worry, I'll clean it up,” I mumbled, suspecting that Kathy left the room like this on purpose. She was determined to make me look bad at every turn.

No matter how much work I did manage to get done during a shift, the more work I still had left to do by the time my shift ended. I just couldn't catch a break in this place.

At one time, right before I arrived here in the middle of nowhere, I'd prided myself on how proficient and efficient of a nurse I was. Now, after having been exposed to the infectious virus that was the seed of doubt in a small town, I didn't know who or what I was anymore.

Ruby would tell me to suck it up and move forward. I could practically hear her saying it all day long, but I couldn't yet bring myself to follow that advice. It was like I was losing more and more of myself with each passing minute and I had no idea how to get myself back. Inside, I felt like shattered shards of glass with no hope of ever getting pieced back together.

As I began the daunting task of searching for the desk under the massive piles of paperwork and discarded trash, I thought back to everything that made me who I was. I missed my life. I missed that part of me that made me feel whole and worthwhile. I wasn't perfect. I could admit that, but I also wasn't as completely and utterly flawed as some of the people I'd encountered in life, but I was beginning to think I was wrong.

While my my wondered, I'd somehow miraculously managed to clear off a good portion of the desk and chair. Most of what was strewn about were the chart inserts for the new month and more remnants of a plant that must have met its death in this cramped office.

I believe it was Kathy's way of telling me to get the charts together before the holidays. Technically, it wasn't my job, but I did welcome the distraction. My frayed nerves needed busy work. Doing something with my hands would give my brain some time to process all that had gone horribly wrong. While I hadn't actually been accused of a crime, I sure felt like I was a suspect. I guess I didn't really need to hear anyone, aside from Betty, say it to know that there wasn't a soul for thousands of miles who was on my side in this very mixed up case of whodunit.

With the new month's paperwork stacked neatly in one corner for me to tend to later, I directed my attention to the huge collection of debris that was piled under the desk.

The oddly placed camera was gone. Truth be told, I was glad to see that it had been removed. I had visions of some creepy man sitting behind closed doors, staring at unsuspecting laps all day long. It gave me chills to think about. What could someone possibly be watching for under the desk?

I slid my chair back to get a better view of where the camera once hung and noticed that there were no unsightly holes in the wall from the screws that held the tiny camera in place. Someone, probably the maintenance man, had taken the time to patch up the wall.

Now, crawling on the floor wasn't something I ever really cared to do again, but I had no other choice in this situation. I had to get the heap of garbage out of the office or I'd be blamed for it.

Remembering that the last time I crawled under the desk, someone ended up dead, I stood up to check the locks on the door. Yep, no way was anyone getting in here without a key. I took a peek outside into the day room and dining room just to make sure that there was no one waiting to off someone and frame me for it and lowered myself as fast as my protesting knees and back would let me to the floor.

From my new angle, I could see layers of who-knows-what just waiting to sully my crisp white scrubs. Since I'd been here, I'd not had a chance to find a Laundromat and, with the storm in full swing, I doubted one would be open anyway.

Resigning myself to the fact that I'd probably have to hand wash all of my clothes over the next few days while I was off, I allowed my knees to touch the ground and crawled under the desk, hoping critters hadn't made their nest underneath the piles of papers and more branches.

I quickly sifted through the papers. Most of it was the forms that belonged inside the cabinets that stood behind me. I would imagine that they were moved for use and whoever used them just cast them aside to do something else. It happened. Nurses were busy people. They were the heart of any medical facility. Doctors may have held the fancy degrees and made the big bucks, but nurses were the ones who did the real work.

Under the desk, I could hear the muffled sounds of a conversation taking place in the kitchenette, just on the other side of the wall. I held still, waiting to hear for any signs of distress, but there was none. Instead, I heard Tina's soothing voice, speaking to my favorite curmudgeon, who must have been in dire need of a snack.

I really liked Tina. She was a jewel. She was everything that a good nurse should be. It was a pity that she had to wait and save money before she could take her boards. If my car wasn't in such need of a decent, reliable engine, I'd be willing to give her the money.

Nubbin's voice became louder. I held my breath, ready for what I was sure would be another one of his episodes, but Tina kept her voice even and kept their conversation on track.

“She really is amazing.” I whispered, feeling like a proud mama, even though she wasn't mine. I'd grown to be really fond of her.

I gathered as big a load of papers as I could carry and began the daunting task of crawling out from under the desk, when I heard a soft knock on the door.

“Just a second!” I said loud enough for someone on the other side of the door to hear.

I perked up as I crawled out from under the table and saw Tina standing side by side with Nubbin and Betty. The three of them waved oatmeal raisin cookies at me, giggling as they chewed theirs.

I opened the door, pretending to pout about the fact that I'd not been invited to their cookie exchange.

Tina laughed and handed me a cookie. “Here's one for you.”

Nubbin chimed in. “This nurse bakes. What do you do?”

Tina blushed as we all shared a laugh. She explained, “I baked at home today and brought some for everyone. I hope that's okay?”

I just wanted to hug her, she was such a sweet gal. “Cookies are always A-Okay with me. I didn't know you baked.” I said, enjoying the delicious cookie.

“I like to bake, but I wouldn't say that I'm very good at it.” She answered. “I'm teaching myself to do a lot of things. I want my son to have a real mom and have good memories.” A hint of sadness flashed across her face. She'd been through something. I didn't know what exactly, but I could see it in her eyes. Her life had not been easy.

As if Betty was thinking the same thing I was, Betty said, “Your little boy is lucky to have you. I bet you are a wonderful mom. I could just tell. Some women are just naturals.”

Tina looked down, her eyes moistening with tears. “Thanks, but I really don't know what I'm doing most of the time. I'm really good at faking it though.”

My heart ached for her in that moment. She and my daughter were the same age and I hated to think that Diana could ever feel that way about herself. I'd spent her whole life telling her that she could be anything she wanted to be in life. Thinking that she was inferior to anyone or anything would break my heart.

“Honey, you are a beautiful person, inside and out. And, you are a wonderful nurse.” I knew that she needed to hear that and hear it often, until the words finally sunk in and she no longer held her sweet head in shame.

Tina sniffled before she burst out laughing. The rest of us giggled tentatively, waiting to see if her laughter was true or just the calm before the storm. It didn't take us long to discover that her laughter rang true and we joined in, laughing until tears flowed from our eyes.

We were so distracted, none of us noticed when an aide from another unit walked in and stood behind us.

She cleared her throat. “Excuse me!” We all jumped at the sound of her voice. “The nurse needs Mercy's help. We called, but no one answered.” She looked in the office.

I followed her gaze. “The phone didn't ring over here.” I said. She frowned. “What has happened? What does she need me for?”

She sighed and answered. “Harry Lemons died.”

Betty clutched her chest. Tina and Nubbin gasped. Apparently I was the only one who had no idea who Harry was and why she was requesting my presence.

I stammered. “Uh... Okay... I don't know who that is, but I'll go see what I could do.”

Tina said, “Be careful.”

I thought that was a sweet thing to say, but completely unnecessary. At least, this time I was nowhere near the dying resident.

I left Tina to monitor the unit for a few minutes while I went to see why I was needed. The aide didn't bother waiting for me. She practically ran back to her unit, leaving me trailing far behind.

“What is it with these people?” I walked through the long, low lit hallways with a sense of doom washing over me, but I couldn't figure out why. I'd not left my unit once since I arrived. There had been no incidents on my unit.

When I reached the unit doors, I was greeted by Sheriff Wagner, Carol, and two deputies.

“What is this?” I asked, feeling every limb in my body begin to shake.

Sheriff Wagner stepped forward first, extending his hand. I looked at it, confused by the gesture. My confusion was short-lived because the deputies moved to either side of me and placed handcuffs on my wrists.

“What is this? What are you doing?” I couldn't believe this was happening. I'd done nothing wrong. “Are you kidding me? What is this?”

*

“Wait. What? What are you talking about?” Diana's voice cracked as she spoke. “Mom, what's going on?”

I didn't want to call Diana, but hers was the only number I could remember by heart. “Honey, calm down. It will be okay. I need you to call your Aunt Ruby and Uncle Hank and tell them exactly what I told you. Can you do that?”

“But, Mom, how could they do this to you? Why?” Diana began to cry and it was all I could do to not fall apart.

“Diana Elise, listen to me. I am okay. I need you to make that phone call for me. Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself.” I hoped she believed me. I didn't believe myself, but I needed her to truly believe that things would be fine.

Diana sniffled as she spoke. “I'm calling them now, Mom. Stay on the line, okay?”

“How are you calling them?” I asked, watching the clock. I wasn't under arrest, but Sheriff Wagner asked me to make the phone call quickly.

“Cell phone, Mom. I'm using my cell phone to call them.” There she was. My girl who found every reason to roll her eyes at her out of touch mother.

The deputy cleared his throat behind me, indicating that my time was almost up. I glanced back at him, trying to be as friendly as I could. “I'm calling my daughter. Just one more minute, please.”

I heard Ruby's voice mail pick up. My heart sank. Now, what am I going to do?

*

“Well, Ms. Mares, it seems to me that you have plenty to tell me.” Sheriff Wagner sat down in the chair opposite mine and laid his hands on the table.

“I have no idea what you're talking about? Why am I here? You can't honestly believe I did this.” I wanted to sound strong and confident, but all I heard was fear in my voice. This was unbelievable.

The Sheriff sat back in his seat, the corners of his thin lips quirking up. “At first, no, I didn't believe you had anything to do with Rowdy's death, but my feelings have since changed.”

My breath caught. I couldn't move. Our eyes met, but he wouldn't clue me in on what changed his mind. A tiny fleck of light shone in his eyes. He was enjoying watching me panic.

After a couple of agonizing minutes, he finally broke the uncomfortable silence between us and said, “You see, ma'am, we have video footage. I can't prove it yet, but believe me, I will get to the bottom of this. Rowdy and Miss Betty deserve justice and I aim to give it to them.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and studied my face as the information sank into my brain.

Chapter Twelve

I wiped another round of fresh tears from my face as we made the slow trip through on the slick, snow covered roads to my motel.

“I don't know how to thank you. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please let me know. I'd hate to think that you're going to be out of a job for coming to pick me up.” My voice broke as I spoke. I'd swear, I felt my last ounce of courage, leap right out of my body as soon as the ill-fitting handcuffs were placed on my wrists. I thought for sure that I'd be locked away forever.

“Don't worry about it right now. It's fine. I just told them that I had an emergency with my little boy.  What's important is that you're not in that nasty place. I can't believe the nerve of Sheriff Wagner. Where does he get off dragging you into the Sheriff's office for something we all know you didn't do?” Angry tears spilled from Tina's eyes. I had no idea that all of this mattered so much to her or that I mattered at all.

I placed my hand on top of her thin thigh and patted it gently. “Thank you so much. I thought I was all alone out here.”

She answered, “Well, you're not. This place is full of busy bodies and nosy folks. They'd swear that no one ever did anything wrong around here. I'll tell you what. There are plenty of people around here who have done their share of wrong. They aren't fooling me. Believe me, when I got pregnant, my first worry was about raising a Knott child in this town of the haves and the have nots. These people have no accountability. They walk around through life like they are better than everyone else. Well, they're not.”

“Knott child? I thought your last name was...”

Tina answered before I could get the words out of my mouth. “Rowdy and Betty are my grandparents. My father is one of Milton's sons, so technically Milton is my biological grandfather, but Betty helped raise my father.”

“Wait a minute. You are related to both Milton and Betty? That makes Rowdy family too. Wow! Is everyone around here related? Jeb told me that his wife is the nurse I'm working for too.” There was still so much yet to learn about this place. No wonder everyone was so quick to suspect me of wrongdoing. They were all related, but as far as I was concerned, that didn't mean that they were immune from suspicion.

She pulled her car into the parking lot and parked next to my car.

“What are you doing? I'm sure they don't want me here. I'm pretty sure that I've been fired all the way around by now.” I felt my heart beating out of my chest. This was bad, really bad.

“Oh yeah, I definitely wouldn't try walking in here anytime soon, but you will need your car if you plan on getting home.” Tina reminded me.

“I wish I could go home, but I can't. The Sheriff says that I should stay in town. I suppose now that I'll have the pleasure of being charged with murder and who knows what else.” My sobbing began again. “I'm going to lose everything. With no job, I'll have no income, no home, no anything. They'll pull my license.”

Tina put her car in park, jumped out, and ran around to my side of the car, opened my door and gave me a hug. The show of affection was enough to put me over the edge. I sobbed for what felt like hours, until there were no more tears left in my body.

Tina let me cry it out. She must have sensed how badly I needed to cry. In a short span of time, my entire life had run amok for no reason whatsoever.

When Tina thought I'd exhausted every tear, she pulled away gently. “Are you ready?” She asked, searching for tissues in her pockets. “You were held for questioning and they let you go. That has to mean something. If they had any real evidence that you did something wrong, you wouldn't have been allowed to leave.”

I scrubbed the tears from my face, noticing for the first time that Tina wasn't wearing a coat. She shivered in the cold. “I'm so sorry. Get in the car. You're going to freeze to death out there.”

Tina rushed back into the car, her teeth chattering. I turned the heater on to full strength, but it hissed in resistance. She shook her head, changing the setting back to low.

“It only works on low,” Tina said. “And, the air conditioning button will turn the interior lights on.”

Poor girl. Her car was in worse condition than mine. Her ability to be so kind and giving despite her own struggles, touched me. What a wonderful young woman she was!

“Are you ready to go back to the motel?” She asked me, eyeing my car.

I sighed, knowing that I'd have to cough up my own money to foot the bill for the rest of my stay here because there was no way that the agency would continue paying for my motel while I waited for the outcome of the investigation against me.

Tina grabbed my hand, squeezing it. “This will work out. I know it will.”

“I hope you're right.” I grabbed the door handle. “Again, thank you for everything.”

She grinned. “You're welcome. I have to get home. Call me and let me know what happens.” She waited for me to get my car started and followed me out of the parking lot until we hit the main road and she turned off in the direction of her home.

What am I going to do now, I thought. I'm stuck here.

After securing my motel room door, I phoned my daughter to let her know I'd survived my interrogation. I'd never been so humiliated in all of my life. My poor daughter was terrified. Having no point of reference, Diana had conjured up images of me in stripes, banging a tin cup against bars, sinking into a major depression. I had to reassure her that only one of those components was partially true.

“Mom!” Diana scolded me. “This is serious!”

“Yes, believe me, I know how incredibly serious this is. No one has to explain that to me.” I answered.

“Aunt Ruby called.” Diana said. “They are on their way to get you.”

I wanted to cry. I'd almost forgotten that there were people in the world who actually knew me and cared about me. I hated the idea of knowing that Ruby and Hank were driving through some treacherous roads just to get to me, but I took comfort at the same time. I needed some connection to who I was.

“Did she say where they were?” I asked.

“She said they were heading into Colorado. The highway traffic was going pretty slowly and Uncle Hank doesn't want to rush it, but Aunt Ruby is hysterical. She wanted him to gun it and get there already. So, how did you finally talk your way out of questioning? Did they figure out that you're innocent?”

“No, honey. I think the Sheriff was just trying to intimidate me. He wanted to see if I would crack under pressure. After a while, he let me call someone to pick me up. One of my coworkers – the young nurse that I was telling you about –  volunteered to get me. I can't tell you how humbling this is. She is just a young mom, trying to save money to take her boards so she can give her son a good life. Heck, her car, runs worse than mine and she left work before her shift was over to get me. Hey, did Ruby happen to mention how much time the agency is giving me to clear out my locker?” I swallowed back my emotions. I loved my job. I loved everything about it and now I was going to have to say goodbye to it forever.

“They fired you?” Diana sounded genuinely surprised. She probably hadn't thought that far ahead, but quite honestly, that's the first thing I thought about. Losing my license and ruining my career was never on my radar until the day I arrived here.

“Diana, they have to fire me. If I get convicted of murder or conspiracy or what have you, there will be a disciplinary hearing and my license will be revoked. That's the way this works.” I hated hearing those words coming out of my mouth. I'd known a couple of nurses who had their licenses revoked, but never for the same reason I'd lose mine.

“We have to do something!” Diana protested. “You didn't do anything wrong. I just don't understand how they could think you're capable of murder. This doesn't make any sense at all.”

She had no idea how right she was, but having her carry the burden wouldn't do either of us any good, so my first task was to calm her down. I cannot even imagine how difficult and surreal this must have seemed to her. I'd spent years trying to teach her right from wrong and telling her to speak up for herself and never let anyone break her spirit, but now, unfortunately, I was experiencing just that. Being blamed for having anything to do with Rowdy's murder was breaking me.

“Technically, they didn't arrest me for murder. They took me in for questioning. That's all.” I really had no idea why I'd been taken in handcuffs and questioned. One minute, I'm asked to help a nurse on another unit. The next, I'm led out of the facility in handcuffs and a police escort.

Diana must have sensed what I was thinking, because, she said, “Mom, keep your chin up. It is going to be okay. Don't let them break you. Please, don't let them break you.”

“I won't. You can count on that. I know exactly what I have to do. This little town is in for a rude awakening.” I was determined to do everything I could do to find the real murderer and clear my name, even if it killed me.

*

“Do you want me to go with you?” Ruby pulled her coat over her shoulders, studying my face. I must have looked a mess after another round of sobbing and explaining all that I'd been through to her and Hank.

“Yes. No. Oh, I don't know. I don't even want to go there myself. The last time I'd been summoned by that place, I got handcuffed and not in a good way.” I was feeling more confused than a polar bear in the Sahara.

“Well, I'm going with you whether you want me to or not. Technically, I am your supervisor and I am entitled to hear the claims against you.” She sighed, adding, “So, I can throw their words in their faces when we prove them wrong.” She patted my back to reassure me, but I wasn't yet ready to tell myself that this would be a good move at this point.

Hank chimed in. “I think Ruby is right. You can't go in alone. You'll need a witness. I just wish our attorney was here. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you with your situation.”

A lawyer? I hadn't considered that I'd need to hire an attorney. I couldn't afford an attorney. When I got divorced, I learned the hard way how much an attorney feels his or her time is worth and I exhausted my savings account to prove it.

Ruby sat down next to me on the bed and draped her arm over my shoulders. “You're going to be alright, you know? They can't convict an innocent person.”

I nodded my head to agree with her, but still had the sinking feeling that there would be more trouble ahead. According to Sheriff Wagner, they practically had me pouring poison down Rowdy's throat.

I opened the door, surprised by the amount of snow that had fallen on the already snow packed sidewalk.

Behind us, Hank grabbed his coat, announcing, “I'll drive.”

I pointed to the no longer visible road and asked, “In this?”

The corners of his mouth quirked up. He answered, “Yes, I thought I'd never see snow again. This is phenomenal!”

Ruby furrowed her brow at him, teasing, “I married you for your intelligence. I'm beginning to question my decision.”

Pretending to be hurt, Hank responded, “What? I thought you loved me for my rock hard abs and my chiseled cheekbones.”

I loved the way the two of them pretended to bicker back and forth. They were the quintessential perfect couple. I envied them sometimes, but I couldn't be happier to bear witness to their epic love affair.

I stepped outside into the snow, commenting on their exchange. “When you two are done fawning over each other, I'll be in the car.”

It took us forty-five minutes to get from the motel parking lot to the nursing home just five minutes away on a clearer day.

The gravity of the situation became heavier and heavier as Hank tried to plow through the roads. Other than comments regarding the hazards of the road and the weather, none of us spoke of the impending doom. I think both Ruby and Hank understood just how much trouble I was in and chose not to mention it.

Hank chose a space as close to the front entrance as we could get. Since it was obvious that I could no longer be employed here, the front door was much more appropriate.

Jeb and his maintenance crew were actively clearing the snow from the walkways as we trudged through the snow toward the front doors.

My first instinct was to wave to them, but the immediate turn of their heads at the sight of me, told me my instincts were wrong.

Ruby and Hank walked in first. They were warmly greeted by the receptionist.

“Hello! How can I help you on this snowy day?” She asked, smiling at the two of them. Her expression changed the moment she caught a glimpse of me. “Oh, hold on. Did Carol get a hold of you?” I watched as the horror on her face turned into panic.

Although I wasn't expecting her to jump over the desk and hug me, I had to admit I was disappointed that she didn't at least pretend to be welcoming to me.

“No, she didn't. They confiscated my cell phone when they placed me in handcuffs, so I guess I didn't get the message.” I know I wasn't helping myself by being sarcastic with her, but I couldn't help myself.

I asked Hank and Ruby to follow me and wait in the lobby while I made my way to the employee's locker room to retrieve the few items I'd left in my locker. Before I got out of the line of sight, I heard someone yell my name.

Great! All I needed was Kathy gloating!

I hadn't realized that I'd been holding my breath, until I turned and immediately flew into a coughing fit from lack of oxygen.

Kathy stood dumbfounded, looking at me as if I'd grown another head. Exasperated by Kathy's lack of sympathy and her obvious lack of proper medical training, Ruby whisked passed her, with Hank hot on her heels.

“Mercy!” Ruby grabbed me and patted my back while giving Hank directions to have the receptionist get me a glass of water.

“Breathe, Mercy. Just breathe.” Ruby spoke to me in a low, calming voice. I knew the tactic. Remain calm, so your patient will follow suit.

It took me several minutes to regain my composure, but not before the receptionist summoned Carol and Stacy to witness my attack.

When I was finally able to breathe, Carol spoke first. “Are you okay now?”

I nodded in response, afraid to speak for fear of falling apart again.

She stepped closer to me, close enough for me to see the whites of her eyes.

“I'm going to need you to work tonight. I know its your night off, but we are short handed and Mr. Schmeckpepper has refused to eat or take his medications until you return to the unit. Do you think you can handle that?” She asked, her eyes boring into mine, ignoring the exhalations of disgust emanating from both Kathy and Stacy.

I opened my mouth to respond but nothing remotely intelligible would come out. I was dumbfounded. They wanted me to work. This couldn't be real, but the smile on Ruby's lips told me that it was true.

Carol clapped her hands together and said, “Okay, good. Be here at the normal time then.” She turned to Kathy, asking, “Didn't you say something about some work that was left behind?”

Kathy's sulking pout brought me out of my fog. I was glad to see that this new arrangement didn't sit well with her because I had no doubt that she would have rather seen me thrown out on my behind to never be seen again.

After finding my words, I asked, just to make sure, “So, you're not firing me?”

Carol gave her three cohorts a sideways glance and answered, “Of course not. Why? Have you done something wrong?”

Ruby interjected before I put my foot in my mouth by asking another question. “Hello. We haven't been introduced yet, but I'm Ruby Nickles, MSN and Mercy's immediate supervisor.”

Carol blinked wildly for a moment, taken aback by this surprise. I had to wonder what that was about. I glanced over at the others and the receptionist immediately retreated back to her desk, looking back and scowling at me over her shoulder. Kathy stood with her lips pursed and her fists clenched at her side. Stacy was the only one not showing any visible signs of distress. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she almost seemed pleasantly surprised to meet Ruby, but her eyes really lit up at the sight of Hank.

Because I'd known him for so long, I sometimes forgot how strikingly handsome he was in an alpha nerd kind of way. His once dark brown hair had turned into a sexy salt and pepper combo that only a man could pull off. Adding to his allure were his dreamy gray eyes. I always used to tease him that he walked the Earth looking like he'd just stepped off the pages of GQ Magazine. Ruby always said that he could give George Clooney a run for his money, but Hank was so resistant to being objectified that he intentionally did whatever he could to sabotage his assets, even going so far as to shave his head, leaving a cornucopia of scars acquired after years of playing football, rugby and competing in triathlons.

Yep, he was a true Renaissance man and women ogled him on a daily basis. I just didn't happen to be one of them anymore, not since the day Diana was born and poor Hank was forced to use MacGyver techniques to help me deliver her after James fainted.

Yes, fun times were had by all on the night I had to metaphorically separate the nether regions of my body from the upper half in order to deliver my daughter at Hank and Ruby's lake house, when Diana decided to arrive four weeks ahead of schedule during an earthquake. I suffered the most excruciating pain of my life, while Ruby tried to remember everything about labor, we learned in nursing school just a year earlier and tend to James at the same time. I believe that night was where the term 'hot mess' truly originated. Collectively, we were a hot mess.

Carol shook her head slightly before offering her hand and responding, “Oh, from the agency? Wow, you drove out during this snowstorm? That's dedication. Nice to meet you.”

I watched their exchange. Ruby was quite skilled at assessing people and their nuances without looking like she was. Her eyes floated from the top of Carol's perfectly coiffed hair to her thin lips that were covered in the fire engine red lipstick that seemed to be her signature shade.

“Well, when a member of my team and best friend of almost thirty years is falsely accused of murder, I will barrel through every obstacle in the universe to come to her aid.” Ruby looked at the three women with daggers in her eyes.

Hank grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently before he chimed in. “I grew up in upstate New York. I'm not afraid of a little snow.”

I stifled a laugh at his attempt to show his alpha side. Carol and Kathy blushed, while Stacy watched with amusement in her eyes.

I cleared my throat to remind everyone that I was still there. “I don't understand what's going on here. I arrive and everyone treats me like a pariah. A man dies and all of your fingers start pointing at me. I did everything I was supposed to do, but you wouldn't cut me some slack. Then, you fake a man's death and have me arrested. Now, you want me to work another shift? Really?”

Carol blinked back tears as she spoke. “I had no idea you'd been treated badly when you arrived. I'm sure the staff was just feeling stressed. It probably had nothing to do with you, but the fact remains, a man did die in your presence. As far as faking anything, that's not quite how it happened. Harry Lemons is an emergency code that we use here to indicate that we have a situation. I'm sure it didn't look like we tricked you.”

“Enlighten me. Tell me what you think happened. Because from where I stood, it sure looked like you tricked me to leave the unit.” I wanted to scream, but just didn't have the energy to do it. After everything, this whole ordeal had worn me out.

Hank stepped forward, standing in between me and my supposed coworkers. “Surely, you must understand how traumatic all of this has been for Mercedes. She's a wonderful nurse and a beautiful person. I guess she doesn't... None of us do... Understand how it is that she was accused of anything, much less murder. It's my understanding that there's video footage and that was turned over to the police. What's on this footage and why has she not been allowed to see it for herself?”

Kathy gasped, looking at Carol. “There's footage? Rowdy's murder is on tape?”

Carol stood with her mouth gaping open. Everyone stood silently, watching as she composed herself. “I don't know anything about video footage.”

I sighed heavily.

Ruby nudged me, telling me to keep quiet, but this was my life on the line. I had to speak. “There are cameras all over the place here and you know it. Heck, there was even a camera under the nurse's desk.”

Stacy stepped forward and spoke directly to Carol. “We don't have a camera under the desk in our unit. Why would you have one installed there? What were you watching?”

Carol shook her head. “I had no idea there was a camera under the desk on the dementia unit. As far as the footage, no one ever showed it to me either. I don't know what's on it.”

I wanted to believe her, but I was still so angry, I couldn't.

“Okay. Okay. Let's not let ourselves get caught up in the details. Obviously the Sheriff has information we're not privy to. Whatever he thinks he has meant something to him. This isn't the place to debate that issue. For now, all of you need to stop the finger pointing and return to what it is you do best.”

I scoffed. He gave me a warning look in response.

“Mr. Nickles is right. I'm sure there is plenty we don't yet know and no one - none of us – should jump to conclusions or add more stress to anyone, especially Mercy.” She looked at me and for the first time I saw sympathy in her eyes. I think she believed that I was innocent.

Ruby interjected. “Okay, so it's settled for now then. Mercy can return to work, but tonight is not going to work. I'm sure you can understand.” She turned to Carol, intentionally leaving the other two out of the conversation. “Considering what she's been through, I think it'd be better for her to return to work on her scheduled date. How does that sound?” Ruby flashed her signature bright smile and took my hand, leading me out behind her.

Behind us, I could hear Hank say his goodbyes before jogging down the hallway to catch up with us. “You should have been an attorney, Ruby.”

“She is, just not licensed. She's been debating anything and everything for years.” I teased, squeezing her hand gently.

*

“Open up! We brought lunch.” Ruby knocked on my motel room door.

I slept the whole morning away. When I opened the door, Ruby shoved an aluminum container in my hands. “Eat. We brought extras so you can take it to work with you tonight too.”

I cringed as she mentioned returning to work. “Do I have to?”

“Eat?” Ruby asked. “Of course you have to eat. How do you expect to function, if you don't eat?”

“Yeah, I have to function. I know.” I answered.

Hank took the food out of our arms and set it on the small table by the window. “Mercy, do you want to go back?” Looking at Ruby, he asked, “Can't she be reassigned somewhere else or take some time off?”

I protested, wishing I didn't have to say any of it. “If I leave, I'll look guilty. I can't survive if I don't work. I'm stuck.”

Ruby and Hank looked at each other. I could tell they were struggling to understand how things could have gone so wrong so quickly.

We ate in silence for a few minutes as we each tried to come up with a better solution to my very big problem.

Ruby broke the silence. “Hey, what did you mean about faking a man's death?”

I lifted my eyes to meet hers. “Hold on. I just realized something. I have to make a call right now.”

Chapter Thirteen

I'd been at work almost an hour before I finally had time to start my rounds.

“Well, it's about time, Rolls Royce? Just where in the pickles have you been?” Nubbin scolded me as soon as I knocked on his door.

I peeked in. “Aw, you missed me.”

“Now, don't start that nonsense. I never said no such thing. All I'm saying is that if you keep letting them pull the wool over your eyes, you'll never be able to catch the serial killer.” Nubbin looked at me so seriously, I almost had half a mind to believe him, but as far as I knew, there was only one murder here.

“Serial killer? There's no serial killer.” I said.

Nubbin stood up out of his seat, yelling, “Yes, there is. Why do think there's so much death here? There's a serial killer living right under our noses!”

There was a knock on the door. Tina called out, “Everything okay in there, Mr. Schmeckpepper?”

I answered, “Hey, Tina. How's it going?”

She stepped in. “Oh, hi! I didn't know you were in here. Do you need any help?” She avoided eye contact with me. I'd noticed that earlier when she arrived for her shift. She seemed distracted and wasn't her usual friendly self.

“No, thank you. I'm just starting rounds. Are you okay?” I asked, moving my head to get into her line of vision.

She focused on Nubbin. “I'm good. I'll come back to get you in a little, Mr. Schmeckpepper. I'm getting the tub room ready for you now.” She turned to walk out of the room without saying anything else to me.

“What's gotten into her? See, the murders are even turning the good ones against us.” Nubbin was never at a loss for words. He was right though. This whole mess had taken its toll on everyone here.

After taking Nubbin's vitals, I started down the hallway to the tub room to talk to Tina and find out why she wasn't behaving like her usual friendly self, but not before Betty stopped me in my tracks.

“Welcome back, Mercy,” she said as she stepped out of her room.

“Hi, Betty!” I offered, deciding to let her take the lead because who knew what she'd been told about me.

“Did you find it?” She asked.

“Um,” I tried to hide my confusion, but I had no idea what she was referring to. “Not yet.” I added, hoping she'd elaborate.

She sighed in annoyance. “My Rowdy's watch? Did you find his watch?”

In light of all that had happened, I'd completely forgotten that I was going to see if I could find out anything about her husband's missing watch.

“I... I... Thank you for reminding me about that. I'll go check into that right now.” I glanced over at the tub room door and decided I'd speak to Tina after I'd looked into whether or not Betty ever had the watch in her possession. I was beginning to think I was delusional. First, I saw a ring on Betty's finger, then, it was gone. Now, Betty claimed a watch had been stolen and I had no memory of ever seeing a watch. I didn't know what I had or hadn't seen.

Betty called out a warning after me. “Well, you better find it before he gets home. You know how he feels about people touching his things.”

She's confused. Rowdy must have always worn a watch.

I walked into the office and pushed the door shut with my foot. Being alone in the office again made me nervous. This was the spot where everything I thought I knew changed.

It didn't make any sense to me that I'd been asked to return to work, especially on the same unit where my supposed victim's wife lived. Was this some kind of game? Were they trying to break me until I confessed? Why would they want me here?

Nubbin didn't appear to be acting out of character to me. Maybe they used him as a ploy to get me back in here, just so they could keep me nearby. Whatever the reason, I didn't like being used as a pawn in their demented game. I was innocent and no one seemed to care.

My paranoia was further fueled by the silence that followed. Tina continued to do her work as assigned, staying clear of me or the office, while I searched for Betty's chart. I knew it had to be in the facility. Someone had to have charted over the last several days. They'd be violating protocol if they weren't. While it wouldn't surprise me to find that they were openly neglecting another important matter, it did strike me as odd that I could never seem to find the chart. How was I suppose to chart the events of her day, if I hadn't seen the chart in days?

After several moments of searching everywhere I had access to, I gave up. Maybe it was better that I didn't see her chart. Who knows what kind of incriminating information I would find in there? I'm sure Kathy would have charted how I'd been the only reliable witness to Rowdy's death.

Wait! I'm the only reliable witness? If one set out to murder someone, wouldn't it make sense to do so in a place where it would be difficult to distinguish truth from fiction? Yes! Whoever did this, intended for his demise to take place here, but why? What would they have to gain, other than the opportunity to not have reliable witnesses? Perhaps, I'd thwarted their seemingly well thought out plans and, now, they were plotting against me? I shuddered at the thought of it. Had I inadvertently bore witness to a murder? None of this would have happened if I hadn't been sent to the office to retrieve forms. I would have been in another room, assisting Kathy and the aides with another resident and, chances are, Kathy or one of the aides would have discovered Rowdy's body instead of me. It was my dumb luck that landed me in this precarious position. Now, I just had to figure a way out of it.

I was transported out of my thoughts by a knock on the door. Tina stood peering in, a long look on her face. I opened the door, anxious to find out why she'd had the sudden attitude change. I wondered if she'd been instructed to stay away from me or if she'd taken it upon herself to distance herself from me and our budding friendship.

“Hi,” she started, not looking me in the eye, “I'm going to take a quick break, okay? Do you think you could answer call lights for me for a few minutes? I have to call home.”

“Sure, absolutely. Is everything okay at home?” I asked.

She nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. “Yes. I just have a lot going on right now. Thanks. I'll be right back.”

She left before I had an opportunity to probe further. Although she said things were fine, the look on her face said otherwise. I'd been so absorbed in myself and my own problems, I hadn't noticed that Tina was going through problems of her own. Some friend I turned out to be.

While Tina was away, I returned to my rounds, stopping once again to check in on Nubbin. He was fast asleep with his television blaring and both his nightstand light on and the overhead light shining directly on his face.

In that moment, I couldn't tear my eyes from him. He and Tina had grown on me. I especially loved Nubbin's curmudgeon tendencies. His bark was bigger than his bite. He may have been naughty at times and definitely gave the nursing staff a run for their money from time to time, but deep down, he was loving and relatively harmless.

I'd read a little bit about his background and, by all accounts, he was a fine, upstanding farmer with a loving family and a stellar reputation. It saddened me to see someone like him, who had worked hard their whole lives, to have ended up with a terrible disease that robbed him of what I was sure were precious memories and eventually normal everyday functionality.

I wondered how long he'd been spinning stories of residents being murdered one by one in the facility. If I didn't know any better, I'd be inclined to believe him, but I'd not seen or heard any evidence of any other murders taking place.

“Take a picture. It will last longer.” The sound of Nubbin's voice made me jump right out of my skin. He laughed at my reaction. “I always knew you were a chicken, Malibu.”

I took a couple of deep breaths to slow down my rapidly beating heart.

“I thought you were asleep,” I said, still clutching my heaving chest.

“I was.” He snapped back, adding, “But some people don't know how to quit all their yammering when the rest of us are trying to sleep.”

“Yammering? I didn't say anything.” I protested.

“Not you, Caprice. The serial killers.” He answered.

I started to laugh at the new name he called me. A few years back, I'd taken care of a young woman named Caprice. Her chosen profession was questionable at best, but I absolutely adored her. Hearing myself called Caprice, made me giggle until my brain computed that he'd also said something about serial killers yammering.

“What did you say?” I asked, hoping his short term memory was still intact.

“Stop your yammering,” he answered, pushing himself into a sitting position.

“Right, but who did you say was yammering?” I asked, every hair on my body suddenly standing on end in anticipation of his revelation.

To my disappointment, his whole facial expression changed. The moment of lucidity became one of confusion. He blinked wildly, acting surprised to see me standing only a few inches from his bedside.

He rubbed his eyes with his meaty, callous covered hands and asked, “Hey, what are you doing in here, Renault?”

The moment was gone and so was yet another chance for me to find out what he kept trying to tell me. I answered as if I'd just walked into his room. “Just checking on you, Nubbin. Sorry to wake you.”

“Ah, well, shut the lights off, will you?” He laid back down, pulling his comforter up to his chin.

“Will do.” I answered, feeling defeated, then, an idea came to mind. How did he remember that I was the one with the same name as a luxury vehicle? Why was he able to retain that information? I decided to ask him. “Nubbin, do you remember my name?”

He scowled at me, visibly annoyed by my question. “Why?” His eyebrows furrowed. “Is this some kind of test?”

I shook my head, answering, “No. No, it's not a test. I'm just curious.”

He considered for a moment, as if I'd asked him to explain evolution to me. While he rubbed the scruff on his chin, I waited with bated breath, hoping he was completely coherent and possibly capable of spilling his ever-present theory of mass murders in the facility.

When he finally cleared his throat to speak, he said, “If you are having trouble remembering your name, I could speak to my doctor about that and probably get some of those funny pills to help you. My wife used to take them all the time. I can't say that they actually worked, but they are worth a shot, don't you think?”

I don't think my jaw had ever dropped so much before in my life. I swear I could practically lick the floor. Did he just allude to the fact that I might possibly be suffering from dementia? Well, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?

I tread lightly with the next words out of my mouth. The last thing I needed was to be accused of appearing condescending to any of the residents, but in my not-so-humble opinion, Nubbin had a lot of nerve insinuating that there was something wrong with my faculties. Did no one else realize how much trouble I was in or was that too a figment of my wildly unreliable imagination?

“I don't know what you're getting all worked up about, Mercy. I'm just trying to help you out. Now, if you don't want help, then, that's your problem. I can't help you.” He waved me off and tried to make himself comfortable.

Stifling a laugh had never been so difficult in all of my life. It was either laugh or cry and, quite frankly, I'd done more crying over the last several days than I could remember ever doing in all my life.

“I'm sorry, but that's the second time that you called me by my name. I'm touched.” I smiled at him.

“You're touched alright.” Nubbin soon started laughing. Apparently, we'd found common ground. We both believed that the other was out of their gourd with little hope for redemption. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong with that, but it would mean that any hope of Nubbin helping me solve this conundrum had vanished right before my eyes. Again, I was back to unreliable witnesses. Someone had clearly done their homework. No matter what angle I attempted, I hit a big, fat brick wall.

By this point, I knew that this route was taking me nowhere. I should have known better than to pin hopes on one of the residents. What was I thinking?

Nubbin glared at me for a moment before a bout of laughter overcame him again. This round of laughter piqued the interest of a couple of other residents. They peeked into the room to see what we were laughing at. Not seeing anything that they found particularly funny, they shrugged, whispering to each other as they walked back to their respective rooms. Apparently, our brand of nonsensical laughter wasn't amusing to them and they went in search of something equally as stimulating. Soon, I heard the television in the room they shared. The volume was louder than a stampede of desperate Black Friday shoppers.

“That's my cue to go, Nubbin. Sleep well.” I patted his arm gently and walked out to find the source of the loud television.

I met Tina in the hallway. “What in the world is going on?” She asked, covering her ears from the booming sound of the game show the two residents were watching.

“Everything seems normal to me,” I joked, feeling a raging headache coming on.

“As long as no one dies, we're alright.” Tina was kidding, but we both knew that she spoke the absolute truth. As of late, we'd both been surrounded by death and, not that anyone is keeping track, I seemed to always find my way smack dab in the middle of it every time. Why was that?

*

It was five o'clock in the morning on Christmas Eve day and my charting was done – well, all except Betty's, of course – the disarray in the office had been organized, medications had been passed, treatments done, and everyone, including myself, had survived the night. All I had to do was record my report. It sounded easy enough, but as I soon learned, normal and quiet didn't go hand in hand with working here.

I stepped out of the office to help Tina get residents up and dressed, thinking I'd have plenty of time to tape report before the day nurse arrived.

It seemed Betty and Nubbin had other plans entirely. Both began yelling at exactly the same time.

Tina and I were assisting a bedridden resident. All had been going swimmingly well, until that moment. We glanced at each other, not uttering a word, but I'm sure both thinking the same thing – the near perfect night would not end well.

“I'll go.” I informed her and rushed out of the room, hoping that neither one had been injured during the five minutes I'd been helping Tina with the residents.

I broke out in a cold sweat as I made my way down what seemed to be a never-ending hallway toward Betty's room first, since it was the closest and I was probably already on some kind of government watch list where Betty was concerned. I mean, aside from the local authorities of course.

I huffed and puffed as I got closer, but still not close enough to Betty's room, admonishing myself for not following through with my yearly resolution to get fit and healthy again. All I needed to do was get there without keeling over from a heart attack en route, but my hips, the hips my grandmother used to affectionately call 'birthing hips', weren't doing much in the way of helping me to propel forward at an accelerated speed.

Betty and Nubbin continued to scream at the top of their lungs. The unit doors began to open just then and I just knew whoever was on the other side of those doors wasn't going to be altogether pleased that chaos had yet again graced the dementia unit under my watch.

The maintenance cart was pushed through the door, followed by Jeb. Oh good! I  thought I was toast!

I feigned a smile. He nodded, the corners of his lips quirking up as his ears caught the sound of the commotion. Finally, sweating like a turkey on Thanksgiving morning, I took a big breath, knocked on Betty's door and poked my head into her room.

She wasn't there.

“Betty?”

“Help! Help!” Betty screamed again. Her voice was coming from Nubbin's room. I closed my eyes for a second, knowing that wasn't a good sign at all. “Betty?” I stepped back out into the hallway.

Jeb stood outside Nubbin's room and said, “She's in there.”

Are you kidding me? What is she doing in there, I thought.

In my panic, I didn't knock on Nubbin's door before walking into his room. “What's wrong, Betty? What are you doing in here?”

“Hey, Cutlass, what took you so long?” Nubbin was sitting in his recliner, fully dressed and smiling.

I looked back over at Betty. She was seated at the foot of Nubbin's bed, completely dressed for the day too. Her clothes didn't quite match, but at least they were on. That was a good sign. I didn't see any indication that either was acutely injured.

“Betty, are you okay? Why were you two screaming?” I got the feeling that they were pulling my leg and, given that I'd about had a coronary while hightailing it from the furthest room on the unit, I wasn't at all amused.

Nubbin exploded in laughter, his ample belly bouncing up and down. Soon, Betty followed suit, giggling like a school girl. I stared at them in disbelief, noticing in my peripheral that Jeb was still standing in the hallway outside the door. He quickly pretended to be working on a spot outside the door, but I knew he was just curious to see the outcome of whatever it was that Betty and Nubbin were in cahoots about.

“I'm fine. I'm better than fine,” Betty stood up to hug me.

None of this was doing anything to lower my rising blood pressure. I accepted the hug, hesitantly, searching the room with my eyes, looking for any sign that something – I didn't know what – that seemed out of place, besides Betty.

“Yeah, Thunderbird, things are fine.” Nubbin chimed in.

I didn't get it. I looked each of them up and down again. Their color was good. There was no abnormal swelling anywhere that I could see. Their breathing was normal. What in the Jiminy were they screaming about then?

Betty walked over to Nubbin and patted his shoulder. “We sure got her, didn't we?

He blushed. I hadn't ever seen him do that before. I almost commented as such, but still wasn't fully recovered from the scare they'd given me.

“So, you both chose to scream just to mess with me? It was a prank?” I asked, feeling exasperated by their shenanigans.

Nubbin sat forward in his seat, saying, “No, we had our reasons.”

This game was getting old. I could practically feel the gray hairs growing as I waited for their explanation.

Betty must have finally felt sorry for me because she decided to try to explain what their intentions were. “Well, in light of the goings on around here as of late, we were testing a couple of theories.”

I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of her explanation, but her facial expression was quite serious. It begged a question.

“What are your theories?” I asked.

She deflected to Nubbin to further explain.

“Well, for one, we can't for the life of us figure out why it takes you people so long to answer when people are dying here. Do you know it took you practically three minutes to answer our hollering? What were you doing? Painting your nails or something?” Nubbin removed a pocket watch on a chain from his shirt pocket.

Pocket watch? I never noticed him wearing a pocket watch before.

“Wait a minute. Let me see that.” He handed the watch to me hesitantly, looking at Betty. I turned it over, reading the inscription: RK. Rowdy Knott 241612.

Betty gasped. “Um...We found it.” She offered.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Nubbin had the missing pocket watch and Betty seemed to be well aware of it.

“You knew he had the watch?” I asked Betty, trying my best not to screech at her.

She looked at Nubbin, who winked at her. “I suppose I did, but you see...”

Nubbin interjected, saying, “This here is one of our other theories. No one notices what's right under their noses around here. That's why they're getting away with murder. See, Betty gave me the pocket watch and the ring and not one person bothered to look in here for either one of them.” He reached into his top dresser drawer and pulled Betty's diamond solitaire ring out of one of his socks.

I had to sit down. Betty and Nubbin were going to be the death of me. Their ploy to test the sleuthing skills of local authorities had brought me a world of trouble.

I spoke through my clenched jaw. “Do you realize how much trouble I'm in? How was hiding the watch and the ring supposed to help solve Rowdy's murder?”

They both put their heads down, studying their laps. Neither of them answered my question. If I didn't already care about them so much, I would have been furious, but I knew they meant well, despite how much trouble their antics had caused.

I was afraid to ask more questions. For all I knew, Rowdy had faked his own death and was living in Nubbin's bathroom.

“Corsica, we are trying to help you here. Both Betty and I know you didn't kill that old coot. We are just trying to flesh out who did, so no harm, no foul.” He grinned a toothy, newly dentured grin at me, but I wasn't in the mood to smile back.

“Yes, there is foul. I was fouled. Fingers are pointing at me for everything that happens around here. Forgive me, but none of this is helping me in the least.” Now, I was yelling, but I didn't care.

Tina walked in. “Everything okay in here?” I watched as she too looked for any signs of injury, before her eyes finally found mine. “Why are you screaming, Mercy?”

I suddenly felt nauseous. I needed a few minutes alone. Without answering, I brushed passed Tina and ran into the office to sit for a few moments before I said or did anything I might have regretted.

Tina didn't chase me and I was thankful. I couldn't handle a conversation just yet. I could barely breathe. My head was spinning and the contents of my tummy were churning something awful. So much for an easy, event free shift.

Chapter Fourteen

“Welcome to Gering! What can I get you folks this morning?” Sissy had a beautiful smile and dimples. Too bad I hadn't seen them at all since I'd arrived in town.

As she turned her head to face me, the smile vanished from her face and was replaced by a raised eyebrow and smirk. “And, you, what are you eating today?”

Ruby choked on her glass of water, shaking the table between us. I kicked her under the table.

Hank had the presence of mind to intervene in the only way the little wench would soften to. “Wow, your eyes are just beautiful! So vibrant and large. I've never seen eyes so bright before.”

Sissy blushed in response, tilting her head to meet her right shoulder. “Thank you.” She answered.

“You are very welcome. Now, I think we'll take today's special with coffee.” He looked at me. “All three of us, please.”

She again offered him a smile, letting her eyes peruse his finely chiseled features a moment longer than either Ruby or myself were comfortable with. Ruby cleared her throat to bring 'Little Miss Sunshine' back to reality.

“Go now.” Ruby said.

The waitress scurried away quickly, shouting the order to the cook behind the counter, while the three of us at the table tried to hold in our laughter.

After Sissy returned with a pot of freshly brewed coffee, we resumed the conversation we'd started on the drive over from the motel.

Ruby asked, “So, these two patients, intentionally hid the watch and ring and claimed they were stolen to test their theory? What's their theory? What did that prove?”

I put my head in my hands, answering, “Nothing. I don't know what they were thinking and I didn't have the strength to stick around and hear anymore.”

After I'd finished my shift on Christmas Eve day, I left work as quickly as possible, glad that I had a day off before I had to return again. I needed the break to think things over and to strategize.

“I'm so sorry that you had to drive all the way out here. I know I've ruined your Christmas again.” I offered, feeling terrible about everything that happened.

“Again?” Ruby laughed. “Are you still stuck on that? It happened ten years ago for heaven's sake. I hardly call having your appendix rupture your fault. We're family. If something happens to you, it happens to all of us and there's no way I would leave you alone on Christmas.”

My throat filled with emotion as I looked across the table at them. I loved them so much. They were the best friends a girl could have.

“Thank you for everything,” I said, fighting tears.

I blinked wildly to force my tears away. Ruby and Hank's eyes had moistened too. Ruby fanned her face with her hands, while the always charming Hank let a lone tear trickle down his cheek.

I clapped my hands to alter the somber mood. “Okay, so let's strategize, shall we? How do we keep my behind out of the pokey?”

Sissy arrived with our food and napkins folded like origami. Cute, but that didn't negate the fact that Hank was most decidedly married and about twenty-five years her senior, so her attempts to impress him were pointless.

We focused on our breakfast until she was out of earshot before speaking. Christmas music played in the background of the otherwise empty diner, so the likelihood of being overheard was nonexistent.

Ruby checked over her shoulder. “You're innocent. I don't see how any footage they have could prove otherwise.”

I detailed the events of the day Rowdy died for them again. None of us could see how I could possibly be suspect given the fact that I'd only briefly met him and had absolutely no motive whatsoever.

Hank pulled a small notebook out of his breast pocket, so he could take notes as we talked. “Let's look at everyone that you know of who was there and can corroborate your story. Who could have seen or heard what? Who introduced you to Rowdy? What did they say about him? What was his mood, in your opinion? Did he speak to you directly?”

I answered each question to the best of my ability as I tried to put the pieces together yet again. As best as I could remember, Nubbin was in the middle of an outburst and was surrounded by all of the aides on duty and Kathy. I helped ease him down and was quickly admonished for stepping on Kathy's toes.

The aides? Who were the aides?

Ruby asked the same questions I was thinking. “Who were the aides? Have you spoken to them? What did they see?”

I tried to recall for a moment and answered, “With all the snow and the hazardous road conditions, hardly anyone has been able to get in to work, so I haven't seen much of anyone over the last few days.”

The dinging of the door distracted me for a moment. Who else would be out on Christmas Day? I watched as the man laid his briefcase down at a table in the far corner and walked over to the counter to speak with the waitress for a moment.

I don't know why I found his every move to be so interesting. He wasn't exactly my idea of handsome, but I did find him to be interesting enough to watch. I'd seen him before, but couldn't quite pinpoint where I'd seen him.

He turned in my direction briefly, turning his head away to say something else to the waitress. She poured a cup of coffee for him and handed him a slice of apple pie.

Ruby turned around to see what I was looking at. “Who is that? Do you know him?”

Hank glanced behind him. “He seems stressed.”

I'd noticed that too. His lips were pursed. Frown lines covered most of his face. He was not a happy man.

“Well, he is alone in a diner on Christmas.” I mused. “I've seen him before, I think, but I don't remember where exactly.” I watched him walk to his table. He didn't look back at me, so I let the matter go for the time being.

Between bites, Hank asked more questions. “Did you speak to Rowdy at all?”

I, for the life of me, couldn't remember if I'd spoken to him or not now. In between the screaming resident, a flustered Kathy, Nubbin spewing nonsense at me and the nervous feelings I had about being in unfamiliar territory, I couldn't actually recall if I'd really spoken to him or not.

“Mercy, you know what, let's drop it for now. You've been under a lot of stress too. Let's just relax, enjoy our meal, and get out of here.” Hank suggested, placing his hand over mine.

Ruby gave me a knowing look. “He's right. We don't need to do this now. Let's eat and go back to the motel. I'm sure they are showing some kind of classic movie marathon on television and I know how much you like old movies.”

She was right. I loved to watch the classics. My favorite actresses for as long as I could remember were Maureen O'hara and Katherine Hepburn. They were beautiful and strong. I adored them.

“You're right. Let's enjoy the day. I just want to call my baby girl, watch movies, and eat junk food.” I winked at Ruby. That was kind of our thing. We made it a point to have a classic movie night on a regular basis and, ever since Diana was born, she was included in that ritual. She was an old soul and the absolute love of my life.

*

“They're what?” I asked Tina to repeat what she said.

I could hear Tina jostle her phone around as she whispered, “They are testing her competency. There's two men in suits, the family attorney, and her son standing in the office now with Carol and Kathy. What do you think that means?”

I relayed the information to Ruby and Hank. They looked just as stunned by this sudden turn of events as I was.

Hank offered his insight. “They are testing her competency, so she can be interviewed or testify when this goes to trial.”

“Goes to trial? Who? Me? Are they prepping her to testify against me? How could they? She has dementia. That can't be a desirable quality for a witness, could it?” I asked.

Tina whispered, “I have to go.” She was hiding in the bathroom at work and didn't want anyone to see her on her cell phone.

I stared at my phone for a second. “She hung up. How am I going to know what else happens?”

Ruby quipped, “I'm sure the Sheriff will tell you when he arrests you, sweetie.”

Hank and I gasped.

She looked at us, wide-eyed, “What? Too soon?”

Hank nodded. “Yes, I believe it is.”

“Sorry.” Ruby offered. “I was just kidding.”

I raked my fingers through my hair as I tried to contemplate what good could possibly come from declaring Betty competent. In her hysteria, she'd accused me, but that couldn't possibly be then taken as gospel. She was under duress and I was an easy target. I couldn't fault her for that, but I did worry what a more lucid Betty would have to say about the matter.

I wasn't so much worried for myself because there was no evidence that I'd said or did anything wrong. Surely, no jury in their right minds would convict me of anything more than temporary insanity for agreeing to take this assignment because it happened to pay quite well and I happened to be in desperate need of critical auto repairs.

Hank handed the bag of microwave popcorn to me and said, “This could actually work in your favor, you know? If her memory doesn't fail her, she may know who the real culprit is and, then, all of this would be over and you'd be in the clear.”

He was right, but having spent a considerable amount of time caring for many people with dementia, I couldn't hold hope that she would remember things as they happened. Her imagination could very well get the best of her and I'd end up doing life in the clink.

Ruby added, “And, if she is declared incompetent, you'll still be cleared. Who would honestly take the word of someone with dementia? That would be absurd.”

It seemed to me, absurdity was the way of life in this little town. Just the fact that a horrific crime would automatically be blamed on the town's newest arrival was enough to convince me that they were the quintessential tight-knit, beware of strangers kind of town.

Although we'd rented a half dozen classic movies at a drive-up kiosk, I couldn't bring myself to focus and get into the movies I so loved. It was made even more difficult by the fact that I hadn't been able to get a hold of Diana at all.

I figured she must have chosen to spend time with friends or the new beau she still hadn't admitted to me she was dating yet.

Even though, Diana and I had no problem discussing any number of issues, she was still incredibly private about her relationships. I knew she dated, but she'd never once brought a boyfriend home. I always wondered why that was and would occasionally bring it up in conversation, but she would just shrug it off.

Now, there were plenty of boys that liked Diana. I'm not saying this just because I'm her mother, but she's absolutely stunning. Ever since she was a newborn, people always commented on how beautiful she was. What made her even more beautiful was the fact that she had absolutely no idea just how beautiful she was. Looks didn't matter to her and I'm glad. On top of everything, she was the most sincere, intelligent, caring human being I'd ever known and I couldn't be more humbled and proud to be her mother.

Ruby's phone rang, interrupting our thoughts. She smiled as she looked at the screen, handing me the phone. “It's for you.”

I looked up at her, confused by her statement. “What?”

“Answer it.” Hank said, smiling.

“Hello?”

I heard rustling, but no one said anything. I looked at the screen and saw my daughter's lovely face – Ruby had Diana's high school graduation photo as her avatar.

“Diana?” I asked, tears filling my eyes.

“Merry Christmas, Mama!” She said. “Put the phone on speaker, please.”

I did as she said and waited. My ex-husband's familiar baritone voice rang out, singing my favorite Christmas carol, Little Drummer Boy, with Diana jumping in on mezzo soprano. I cried like a baby as I listened to them sing in between their own tears.

*

“Whoa! What are you doing here? I thought you were off tonight?” Tina and I reached the time clock at the same time.

“I was supposed to be off, then, Stacy called me and said that someone called off, so here I am – no sleep and all. Merry Christmas!” I rolled my eyes.

“You can't work on no sleep. What are they trying to do – kill you?” Tina shook her head. “Well, after tonight, I'm off for two days, but I'm hoping someone calls off, so I can get the overtime hours.” Tina showed me her crossed fingers.

Having to come into work again made me more miserable than I already was. I missed my daughter. I missed my house. I missed my relatively quiet, yet utterly fulfilling life. I guess, working on the holidays will do that to someone. I'd spent my whole career working on holidays because in my profession, there's never truly a day off. There are just a few measly hours in between the shift you just survived and the next shift. That's just the way things worked and, quite frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way, except for I could do without the being accused of murder thing. Yeah, that wasn't working for me, but I digress.

“How was your Christmas?” I asked Tina as we paused to drop our snow gear off in our lockers.

Her eyes lit up as she told me about all of the cute things her little boy did. I could see the love in her eyes for him. Something told me that she was a fantastic mother. I could feel it in my bones. That little boy was lucky to have her.

Noticing that her standoffish behavior from the night we'd worked together previously had disappeared, I asked, “So, how are things with you? Are you doing okay? You just seemed a little off the other day.”

She paused for a second, her body going rigid. I swallowed hard, waiting to hear bad news, as a flicker of an emotion I didn't quite recognize shone on her face. She grinned and answered, “Yeah, sorry about that. I'm fine. Sometimes life just gets to me, you know. I didn't mean to be rude or anything. I'm better now.”

I understood how tough it must have been for her to be a young mom and trying to build a new, better life for herself and her child. I reached out to her, putting my hand on her arm and said, “Honey, if you ever need to talk or anything, you can call me. I don't know much. I don't have all the answers, but I'd be happy to listen. Sometimes, you just need to vent and that's okay.”

Tears welled in her eyes. My heart ached for her and whatever it was she wasn't ready to share with me. She blinked the tears away and thanked me before jumping onto the next subject. “I think Vicky will be working with us tonight. I saw her car in the parking lot. It will be nice to have some extra hands for a change.”

I wracked my brain trying to put a face to the name, but I couldn't remember which aide was Vicky. I must have made a funny face because Tina started laughing.

“I never said my memory was very good.” I nudged her gently. “She was working on my first day, right?” I hoped I had that right because I desperately wanted to speak to the aides from that day.

Tina nodded. “Yes, she was here. She was the reason that Nubbin got all riled up that day. She was trying to give him his medications and called him 'honey' and he got offended and went into a long, very loud speech about how much he hated to be called anything but handsome or Nubbin.”

I had to laugh. Nubbin was a character, indeed.

I asked, “How did he end up on top of the lift, swinging his cane at people?”

We'd reached the hallway leading to our unit and Tina stopped, saying, “Now, that was all Kathy. It was her fault. She can't seem to get along with too many people. First, there's the issue, she had with Rowdy and Betty. Next, she had issues with Milton, but of course, she blamed all of that on them because she can do no wrong. The thing with Nubbin happened because she's just plain rude and condescending and Nubbin has had enough of it. He eggs her on though. Have you seen the faces he makes when she walks by him?”

I shook my head. I'd seen him make plenty of faces, but never really considered that he only did that in front of certain audiences.

“He calls her a thief. I don't know what happened exactly, but the story is that after she got transferred to the dementia unit, things started coming up missing from the resident's rooms. At first, no one really paid too much attention because it is a dementia unit and memories are impaired, obviously, but then we had a unit meeting with the nurse manager and she reminded us that not everyone on the unit is completely impaired and some – the spouses – didn't have dementia at all. They were just here because the couples wanted to remain together. Well, when you take that into account...” Her voice trailed off as the revelation hit me. I started to pace to make sense of it all.

“Nubbin and Betty don't have dementia?” I couldn't believe it. If that were true, then, all that they'd been trying to tell me might actually be true.

Chapter Fifteen

I opened the doors to the dementia unit, only to be met with four sets of scowling eyes directed at me. Why did I agree to work tonight?

The corner's of Kathy's lips quirked up as I stared back at them, unable to move. Tina caught the doors with her foot so that they wouldn't slam in my face.

“They're here for you,” Kathy announced, a broad smile forming across her face.

I looked at the other three faces again, fighting the urge to run and never return here again, but somewhere in the back of my mind, a small fragment of my rational mind, reminded me that running away would make me look more guilty than they already believed I was. Instead, I remained frozen. Every last ounce of courage I had, seemed to drain away as I took in their faces.

Sheriff Wagner stepped forward, grasping my shoulder to usher me into the unit. The other two men followed behind us. I listened to the sounds of their feet hitting the ground as if my life depended on it and I think it did.

One footstep, hit the tile floor between the dining area and the office. I glanced down, noticing the white shoes. Such an odd color choice for a man's shoe, I thought. I couldn't recall anyone outside of preacher's and elderly men in Florida wearing white shoes. I fixated on his shoes. I don't know why. It seemed prudent at the time. If I just focused on his shoes, all of whatever else this was, wouldn't be real.

“Sit down, Mercy. You look like you've seen a ghost.” Sheriff Wagner said.

I took a seat at the desk, noticing a pair of nurse's shoes standing next to the gentleman with the white shoes.

Why was Kathy in here too? What did she have to do with any of this? If anything, someone should have been having this conversation with her. She was the one that seemed to have a grudge with everyone around here.

A voice I didn't recognize began to speak, his tone was gruff. “Do you always go around stealing from the people you're paid to care for?”

Stealing? What was he talking about? I thought this was another attempt to frame me for murder. Now, they think I'm a thief?

“I've never stolen anything in my life! What are you talking about?” I looked up and suddenly remembered where I'd seen the man with the white shoes before. “I know you. I mean, I've seen you before. You were at the diner a couple of days ago and...” A flood of recent memories came back to me. “Wait, you were the one with Jeb at the diner when I first arrived in town. I remember you and those shoes!” I pointed at the white shoes.

He shook his head. “I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm Pug Kale, the Knott family attorney.”

“Pug? Like a dog? Like Barney?” I pointed into the dining room at the ever-lazy dog.

He blushed, answering, “No, um... Paul. My name is Paul, but everyone calls me Pug because...” He stopped again, fidgeting with his tie nervously as beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.

What was he so nervous about? I was the one being accused of a crime – again.

The other man spoke up. I'd seen him before too, and had no trouble remembering where I'd seen him. He was the spitting image of his father, Rowdy. He had the same stocky build and the same deep, blue eyes under dark brows and thick lashes. “You stole my father's pocket watch and my mother's ring!”

I gasped, remembering that I'd taken the watch and ring from Betty and Nubbin the other night when they'd revealed that they had used them as a ploy to nab a murderer. If I remembered correctly, they were in my smock pocket. I nonchalantly slid my trembling hand into my pocket and nearly collapsed when I found them underneath my pen, notebook, and hard candy that I kept nearby in case I had a craving for something sweet, which was all the time.

Sheriff Wagner eyed my pocket. “What's in your pocket, Mercy?”

I threw my hands in the air in front of me. “Now, hold on, I didn't steal anything. Betty and Nubbin saw me take them. Well, I took them away from them.” I was so nervous, I had no idea what I was saying. The words just spilled out of me, making the situation worse. I needed air. I needed a sedative. I needed something, but I was trapped in a small office with four bigger than life people, whom all wanted to see me crumble under the pressure.

“You took them from my mother in front of her face?” Betty's son bellowed.

I cringed, his voice was so loud and angry.

Sheriff Wagner stepped in between us. “Wait, Randy. Let's not jump to conclusions here. Let Mercy finish.”

Oh, good heavens, someone had finally come to their senses.

The Sheriff's eyes softened, he leaned down to bring his face even with mine and whispered, “Mercy, tell Randy why you stole his father's pocket watch and his mother's ring.”

What? I thought he was supposed to be helping the situation!

I stammered, completely stymied by what this new allegation meant for me. "Now, Mercy, I think it's high time you tell us what's going on here," Sheriff Wagner remained in front of me, urging me to confess.

Behind him, Kathy beamed with excitement. This was probably the highlight of her miserable day. I knew from the very first moment I laid eyes on her that she was the kind of woman whom would take pleasure in the suffering of others. It was written all over her face.

I didn't dare look over at Rowdy's son. It would have done me no good. I could feel his threatening eyes burning right through me. He too wanted to see my demise and I couldn't blame him. If someone had been questioned not once, but twice for the murder of someone I loved, I would never be able to stand in the same space with them without giving them a piece of my mind too. I was, after all, the very same woman who witnessed his father's death. That darn pocket watch and ring wasn't helping circumvent the suspicion around me.

Why didn't I turn them in? What was wrong with me? It's like I lost my mind once I stepped foot in this backwards run, completely out of whack facility.

I had to speak up for myself because it was more than a little obvious that present company already had me tarred and feathered. "I didn't steal anything. If you would just let me explain and," I backed my head away from Sheriff Wagner's hot, coffee smelling breath and continued, "I didn't take that watch or ring in the first place. Did you bother to ask Betty how I came into possession of both items? I suppose not." I glared at Kathy and hoped her smug grin would burst into flames. "Nubbin had them."

Randy scoffed at the sound of Nubbin's name. "Nubbin? Schmeckpepper? Why would he have them? My father couldn't stand that loud mouth old fart."

I stood up, nervously adjusting my scrubs as I explained further, hoping the little sting Nubbin and Betty schemed up wouldn't incite a vicious reaction from my accusers. "Well, it seems Betty asked him to help her, so she gave them to him. They were trying to conduct their own investigation of sorts."

"That's ridiculous!" Kathy snorted. "Neither one of the two can remember their names, let alone be able to conduct some kind of investigation into anything. What were they trying to accomplish? It doesn't make any sense. The way Betty cried about that watch and what it meant to her, there's no way that she would hand it over to anyone, much less Nubbin Schmeckpepper. He doesn't have a kind bone in that big old body of his."

How dare she talk about Nubbin that way? Kathy really was a piece of work and had no business working with any of these fine people.

Pug, the attorney, spoke up, agreeing with Kathy." Yes, that makes absolutely no sense. Betty doesn't have the presence of mind to make any menial decisions, let alone make an elaborate decision to trap anyone. What would they have to accomplish?"

I put my hand to my head, feeling a headache in my near future. Were these people that thick? Rowdy was murdered. Why wouldn't Betty be desperate to find answers?

"You do realize that Betty lost her husband, do you not?" I directed my words to Pug. My senses were screaming at me that he was not to be trusted. I didn't yet know why, but I knew enough from past experiences to know that I should heed the warning. This man was no good.

His eyes turned cold for a moment as he looked at me. His delayed response allowed ample time for the others to turn to him, while he considered his next move. As their heads turned, the cold, dark stare transformed into something a tad bit lighter, but still firm.

I wondered what that was about. The only time I'd ever seen that look on a man's face was the time I inadvertently ran over my neighbor's begonias in a failed attempt to drive a moped I bought for my fortieth birthday, but that's a tale for another day.

"Do you realize that Betty's husband was murdered right in front of her eyes and no jury would ever believe that she'd give anything so precious away to a man she barely knows?" His eyes were locked on mine, but I wasn't frightened, if that was his intention.

After our momentary standoff, I answered, "Precisely, why she would be willing to do anything to find answers as to what happened. May I ask, why you're here? What does Mr. Knott's pocket watch and Betty's ring have to do with you?"

Because my senses were on alert, I paid special attention to every tic, every slight movement as we continued our quid pro quo conversation. I watched the involuntary muscle movement in the center of his broad forehead. I'd touched a nerve. His bulging vein remained front and center while our conversation continued.

"I've already told you. I'm the Knott family attorney and all of Mr. Knott's possessions are my concern, as is the safety and well-being of dear Mrs. Knott." He answered through clenched teeth. Unless he was experiencing acute pain somewhere in his body, I'd hazard a guess to say that he wasn't at all pleased that I questioned him. He'd soon find out that his nonverbal cues were only serving to pique my interest further. I'd seen my fair share of sleuth shows and read enough books in my day to think that I had a pretty good grasp of what to look for in a potential suspect and Pug Kale had just been awarded a not-so-coveted spot on my list of suspects.

I decided to throw another wrench into the conversation in hopes that the three other parties present would begin to question what his involvement was in the Knott's affairs because this man had 'bad guy' written all over him and I couldn't have been the only one around capable of seeing that, even in this town where strangers are deemed dangerous as soon as they pass the 'Welcome' sign on the highway. "Is Jeb Mickelson also concerned with Betty's safety and well being? Is that what you two were discussing at the diner?"

I heard Sheriff Wagner gasp slightly. His back straightened as he listened further. Kathy's eyes in the meantime, were wide, bouncing from my face up to Pug's face. She was having the time of her life. Randy, on the other hand, remained stone faced and angry. He didn't flinch. His eyes were fixated on a spot on the floor. The spot where his father took his last breath.

Interesting. Who showed him where his father died? My eyes shot to Kathy. It had to be her. I can't see any reason for the sheriff to have felt it necessary to do so. No one else in this room, as far as I knew, had known that Rowdy landed with his head between the printer and the small trash can, but then again, that could have been an educated guess on Randy's part. It's not like there were a whole lot of options in this small room to land face first.

Pug cleared his throat. "Who? Jeb? I don't know a Jeb."

Why was he lying? I saw him with Jeb. He was wearing the same shoes and carrying the same bag.

"You know it was you. Everyone knows everyone around here. You can't tell me that you have never heard of or have seen Jeb before. I don't live here and I've seen him at least a dozen times since I came into town. He works here, for crying out loud." My voice screeched as I spoke. I'd grown tired of the feigned ignorance of the whole lot of them. Just like Tina had mentioned, everyone walked around as if they were all that mattered and any small or large, in Rowdy's case, thing that happened was looked at as being a reflection of them. Why did no one care that Betty's poor husband, good or bad, lost his life and that someone - not me - should be held accountable for his death?

He shook his head and shrugged, looking at Sheriff Wagner. "I don't really see what any of this has to do with the fact that we caught her red-handed. By golly, she has the pocket watch and ring in her pocket as we speak! There are witnesses to her crime. Why are we still standing here?"

If smoke could actually come out of a person's ears, I can guarantee there would have been some escaping my ears at this point. Again, the blame fell right on me. Had no one heard a word that I said?

"Why would you lie about knowing Jeb? What's the big deal? Do you have something to hide?" I refused to back down now. I had too much at stake. Number one, the idea of jail didn't suit me. Orange wasn't my color and the thought of living with who knows how many women in such cramped quarters wasn't exactly what I would call my idea of rest and relaxation.

Sheriff Wagner waved his arm in between us, declaring a truce. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I told all of you," he addressed Pug and his cohorts, "that we were not going to come in here with guns blazing. We have to remain civil here and that's that." He sighed heavily, "Now, Mercy, let's be reasonable here. I know you're a smart woman. Let's say you have a patient with a fever. You take their temperature. The thermometer says that they have a fever, so you naturally assume that they do. Why wouldn't you? You have the evidence right in front of you."

I interrupted his long-winded tail. "We're not talking about a fever here. I'm being accused of being a thief and, not to mention, murder, so however you spin it, I still..."

He interjected, "No one is accusing anyone of anything, so just hold your horses there, Mercy."

"I will not, Sheriff! Ever since I arrived in this little town you call home, I've had people looking at me sideways, snickering as I walked past, and had fingers pointed at me in ways I never once thought possible." I hadn't realized I was holding my breath as I spoke until I couldn't get any more words out. They all waited for me to finish. "So, if you think that I'm being overly sensitive, well, you're darn right I am. When was the last time someone accused you of stealing their family heirlooms?"

No one said a word. I stared into Sheriff Wagner's eyes for a few moments until he turned away. The others averted their eyes from me. I'd like to think that they were ashamed of themselves for all that they'd said and done, but I sincerely doubted that they were.

After a few moments of awkward silence, the Sheriff cleared the room, telling me to stay so that he could speak with me privately. I began to panic on the inside. My heart rate shot up to levels I just knew would send me into some kind of cardiac episode. Beads of sweat formed on my brow and on the back of my neck, just under my hairline. I could feel that my face had flushed and knew it wasn't because I'd been feeling particularly happy. I'd had enough of this town and everyone in it, but it didn't appear that this town was yet ready to let me off the hook. They were out for blood and my Type B+ was just the ticket for them.

After he closed the door and made sure that the lock was engaged properly Sheriff Wagner turned to face me. "Your face is flushed. Did you want something to drink?"

Boy, did I ever, but knew admitting that would somehow be misinterpreted and I'd be put in front of a firing squad for partaking in libations, so I shook my head.

"Miss Mares," he started.

"Now, we're back to Miss Mares? Please, don't start this whole thing all over again." I groaned.

"Mercy!" Sheriff Wagner said a tad bit too loudly, startling me. "Stop this. No one has said you are guilty of anything. You know it wouldn't hurt if you let go of some of the attitude and just piped up and listened for a change."

Piped up? I'll tell you what, if I had a pipe, it would be awfully tempting to whack him over the head with it about now.

He shivered, saying, "Are you cold?"

"Apparently so," I grumbled. "Cold-blooded murderer is what everyone in town is saying."

He rolled his eyes and got down on one knee in front of me.

"Be careful. The last time a man did that, we ended up in a courtroom, arguing over who got the flat screen television we'd just purchased with our income tax refund." I wasn't really in the mood to joke, but sometimes I just couldn't stop myself.

"Believe me, the last thing I need is another ex-wife. The one I have already took half of what I owned, so no need to worry about me even mentioning the word 'marriage'." Sheriff Wagner quipped. It was the first light moment we'd shared together.

Our faces were only inches away from each other. As he looked into my eyes, I instinctively backed away from him. He hesitated for a moment, casting his eyes down on the front of his boot. I don't know what had suddenly come over us, but I didn't like it and no way was I going to allow myself to get friendly with the very same man who'd all but arrested me just a couple of days earlier. I wasn't that kind of woman.

He cleared his throat, turning his head to the side. "Things are getting a little heated and we don't need that. Everyone is just trying to get to the bottom of all this. I'm sure you can understand the frustration. These poor folks have lost a loved one. That's a traumatic experience. You're a nurse. I'm sure you've seen your fair share of traumatic events and you know what that does to people."

If he was trying to get me to empathize with them, he was wasting his breath. I already felt horrible for what happened to Rowdy. They had no idea how many hours I'd wracked my brain, trying to force myself to remember something - anything that would provide the answers that they so needed, but I just couldn't. For that, I will be forever sorry. It was my job to see the signs and I missed them.

Sheriff Wagner studied my face. "Now, don't go blaming yourself for anything. That's not what this is about."

I snorted. "No? Then, what is it about then? Because from where I'm sitting, it sure looks like everyone is blaming me for something. It's like they are grasping at straws to find something to convict me for."

He stood up, leaned down on the desk, his shoulder nearly touching mine and said lowly, "I don't believe you did this, but if you don't settle down, you just may change my mind."

I suppose I should have been relieved that he said that. I think that's the emotion he was going for with his confession, but I sure as pie wasn't ready to celebrate. I clenched my jaw and said as evenly as I could muster, "Then, why have I been questioned twice, dragged out of here in handcuffs, and interrogated by a room full of strangers?"

He stood up, rubbing the scruff under his chin as he looked at me. "I had questions."

"But, I didn't have any answers for you and, anyway, don't you have video footage implicating me in the crime?" I asked.

His eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about? Who told you that?"

"You did!" Again, my voice went shrill.

"No, ma'am, I did not. What I said to you is that I had video footage. I never said that I had any evidence that you did anything wrong. Where in the world did you get that idea?" His face reddened with what I could only assume was anger.

I zipped my lips. The last thing I needed was to talk myself into a jail cell. What I couldn't figure out was why my mentioning the video footage angered him so. I mean, he was the one that dragged me out of here in handcuffs to question me. He had to have some reason for that.

As I replayed our earlier conversations in my mind, Sheriff Wagner breathed heavily, shifting his weight from foot to foot as his mind wandered to someplace outside of the conversation at hand. I didn't interrupt him. Quietly, I waited, looking out the window into the dining room as the aides readied the residents for dinner. Kathy stood just beyond the dining room in the day room, checking her watch repeatedly. Randy and Pug were nowhere to be seen. I looked toward Betty's room, but couldn't see beyond the doorway. I assumed that's where they must have gone after the Sheriff asked them to leave the office.

Finally, the Sheriff spoke as he grabbed the doorknob to leave. "Give me the pocket watch and the ring." He held his hand out. I took them out of my pocket and handed them to him. "Meet me at the diner after your shift is over tomorrow morning. Come alone." With that, he walked out of the office, leaving me more confused than I was when I arrived for work nearly two hours earlier.

I watched as he motioned for Kathy to follow him. She pointed to the office and rushed in, grabbing her bags without saying a word and let the door shut behind her. Neither stopped to check in with Randy or the attorney. I found that to be odd, considering they were a united front just a few minutes earlier.

Chapter Sixteen

I stared straight ahead, barely able to keep my eyes open, but too nervous to allow myself to fall asleep. Every time I spoke with Sheriff Wagner I dug a deeper hole for myself. I didn't intend for that to happen again, but I wasn't feeling particularly confident that I could prevent it from getting that far either.

With no sleep, my nerves on edge, the voices of all of my accusers still ringing in my head, it was a wonder that I made it here at all. Although the drive from the nursing home to the diner was short, I couldn't account for exactly how I got here. The falling snow didn't do me any favors either. Now, that I remember.

A knock on the passenger side window catapulted me out of my thoughts and right back to reality. I would have to face the Sheriff and his questions again, only this time, I wasn't so sure how the conversation would go. He'd already told me that he didn't believe I was guilty of anything, so what in the world could there be left to talk about?

After the way he looked at me last night, I hoped this wasn't some kind of date because I'd retired that part of my life a long time ago. Yep, two dates with two equally odd men soon after my divorce was enough to make me write off the prospect of dating for good. I was not the kind of woman that could date. I'd look, but never - I mean, never - would I go anywhere near dating again, no matter how handsome he may be.

"Well, aren't you going to get out of the car or do I have to go in and get you?" Sheriff Wagner laughed.

I fumbled for my keys and purse and jumped out of the car, sliding on a thick patch of ice and tumbling to the ground, nearly decapitating myself on my driver's side window on the way down. The next thing I knew, my head was throbbing and good old Sheriff Wagner and his thin mustache were a mere two inches from my face, asking me questions I couldn't understand.

"Ouch!" I said, feeling for a knot on my head.

"Mercy, what are you trying to do?" Sheriff Wagner asked, hoisting me up and on my unsteady feet. He leaned me against my car and used his leg to hold me in place, grasping my shoulders with his gloved hands. "You okay there?"

I was so embarrassed and mad at the same time, I didn't know which way was up and didn't know how to respond.

I shifted uncomfortably, knowing that I'd have to nurse a few wounds before the day was over. Sheriff Wagner let me go slowly, just in case I landed flat on my back again.

"You really have to be careful. There's thick layers of ice under all this mess." He warned, but he was speaking to the choir. I'd spent the last several days warning myself to be mindful of the conditions. It's not like I'd never seen snow before or anything. I just never thought I'd see so much of it at once and up so close and personal.

"Thanks," I offered, grasping his arm for dear life as he closed my car door for me and led me to the ice rink. I mean, the sidewalk outside the diner.

The waitress turned around to greet us and the door chimed. After taking one look at me, her greeting never left her lips. Instead, her gaze began at the tousled mess atop my head that I called my signature do and skimmed down my snow covered body.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

"Snow happened," I answered, dusting the snow off my the back of my pants, while the sheriff tended to the snow on my upper back.

By way of explanation, Sheriff Wagner said, "She's from California."

The waitress nodded. "Okay, so what can I get for you, Charlie?"

She calls him Charlie? Well, isn't that special?

He looked at me, motioning for me to order. Sissy's eyes narrowed as she realized we were dining together.

What was that about? He was at least twice her age.

"Coffee black, no chaser." I said, wishing I had the stomach for something a little bit stronger.

"I'll take the same. Give us a few minutes to decide what we're eating, okay, hon?" Sheriff Wagner led me over to a table in the far corner of the diner, nodding at the small group of men already seated at a table.

I took my seat and waited, figuring he was about to drop more bad news in my lap, but he didn't. He handed me a few napkins from the dispenser. "You're all wet." He laughed.

"I know." What else could I say? My feet were squishing in my shoes. I was just glad I was inside of a warm building and not outside in wet clothes. What I wouldn't give to get back to the motel and get out of these wet clothes, though.

"So, I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to meet me here this morning. I know you must be tired, so I'll try not to keep you too long." He said as Sissy arrived to place menus on the table for us.

I waited for her to get out of earshot before I said anything. "What are you going to accuse me of now?" I knew I sounded angry, but I'd been through a lot and didn't see any hope of us being able to chat like old friends anytime soon.

He put his hands in the air, defensively. "Wait. I'm not blaming you for anything. I told you that last night." He'd raised his voice a little, causing heads to turn in our direction. Lowering his voice, he tried again, "Like I said, I don't believe you had anything to do with Rowdy's murder. I think that you're just a victim of circumstance in this whole mess."

Finally! If I wasn't so fed up with the whole situation and wasn't dripping like a sieve, I'd hug him, but I'm sure there was some sort of penalty for putting your hands on a police officer and I didn't need any more problems in this town.

I looked at my watch. I'd officially been awake for over forty-eight hours. If he didn't get to the point already, I'd fall fast asleep right where I sat.

He looked at his watch too. "I know you must be exhausted. Sorry about that, but I have some questions, if you don't mind."

Oh, here we go again. This is the part where his henchmen come in and put handcuffs on me and drag me right on out of here.

"Now, don't get that look on your face. These are just questions. No one is getting arrested here." He patted my hands.

"Well, excuse me for being a little paranoid, but that is how things work around here, isn't it?" My snarkiness surprised even me.

He smirked, looking down at his hands. "I suppose that's what it looks like, but I assure you that's not what it's like for me. This whole thing with Rowdy has thrown this town and the people in it for a loop. Murder isn't something we're used to around here. I know for you, it's just another day, but Gering doesn't really have murders."

I huffed. "Just where do you think I'm from? Murder isn't part of my daily routine either. I didn't become a nurse to kill people."

He laughed, his tense shoulders relaxing a bit. "I know where you're from. You live in a small California town. You own your own home. You're divorced with one child. I know that there's nothing in your history that indicates you've led a life of crime or have some secret past. Heck, you even get along well with your ex-husband. That alone, makes you some kind of saint."

My jaw dropped. He did a background check on me? That never even occurred to me. I suppose it made sense, but it still shocked me to know that. I didn't have anything to hide, per se, but there was something rather off putting about someone looking into your private affairs to find something to connect you to a crime.

He continued, noticing my reaction, "Don't worry. There's nothing in your background that indicates any connection to Rowdy or his holdings."

"His holdings?" I asked, not wanting to say too much yet.

"Well, yeah," he started as Sissy walked up to take our order. He looked up at her, "I'll have the pancake special, please." Looking at me, he asked, "Are you ready to order?"

I hadn't had a chance to look at the menu, but the way my stomach was turning, I was pretty sure eating wouldn't be a good idea. I shook my head.

"You have to eat something." He said. "Do you like pancakes? They're really good. How about an omelette? What kind would you like?"

I blinked a few times to clear my thoughts. "Um, I'll have biscuits and gravy." Normally, my mouth would water at the thought of sausage gravy and biscuits. That dish reminded me of Saturday mornings with my folks around the kitchen table in our former family home, but today the idea of any food was the equivalent of ordering cardboard for breakfast - unappetizing, to say the least.

"That sounds good. My mother used to make the best sausage gravy." Sheriff Wagner was trying to engage me in conversation. I had to applaud his efforts, but I'm afraid, without sleep and a ticket out of town, he wasn't going to get much of a reaction out of me. At least not the one he was gunning for.

I had to stop him before I heard the story of his life. He wanted answers, I needed to know the questions.

My cell phone vibrated in my purse, shaking the seat underneath me. I offered a quick apology and answered it right away.

"Hello?"

"Where are you? Is everything okay?" Ruby asked. "I just looked out the window and noticed that your car wasn't in the parking lot."

I looked up at the Sheriff and whispered, "I'm with Sheriff Wagner."

"Why? What happened now?" Ruby shouted into the phone.

Sheriff Wagner looked at me curiously as I tried to calm Ruby down.

"He's just asking me a few questions. We're at the diner. Things are okay. So far." I answered. I looked across the table at my breakfast companion.

"Charlie. Call me Charlie." He said.

I cleared my throat.

Ruby asked, "What did he say?"

"He said to call him by his first name." I answered dryly.

She hesitated a moment, then, said, "Oh. This is a friendly conversation, then?"

About as friendly as a bullfight, I thought.

"I guess so. We haven't really started yet." I answered, moving back as Sissy arrived with our food. "I need to go. I'll call you when I'm on my way."

After our food was placed in front of us, Charlie waited for the waitress to walk away before he asked more questions. "You mentioned something about seeing Pug with Jeb. What was that about?"

I thought back to Pug's reaction to me. I didn't like him. Something about him just made me uncomfortable.

"You're making a face again." Charlie said. "This is just a friendly conversation. Nothing to worry about."

If he thought I didn't notice that he hadn't answered my question, he was mistaken. Before answering his question, I reminded him of my question. "What kind of holdings were you talking about?"

Charlie explained that the Knotts, specifically Rowdy, had acquired a lot of land over the years and recently had been approached about selling off some of their land. A developer had his eye on the property where their ranch and fields were and had offered Rowdy and Betty a hefty payout to acquire the property.

"Land? How much land?" I asked. "Was there an issue?"

Charlie nodded, laughing. "Boy, was there ever. You see, around here, there are as many stories about how it is Rowdy acquired his land as there are people to tell them. Some say that Rowdy hijacked land and hoodwinked people into selling him their land at rock bottom prices."

I'd heard plenty of stories about people who had done the same thing. I remembered Milton mentioning that very subject before he died.

"Well, if the Knotts had a lot of land, why did they have issues paying their employees? Did they have financial problems?" I asked.

Charlie looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to our conversation. Satisfied that no one could hear us, he answered, "I can't say for sure what their financial situation is or was. What I do know is that Rowdy had been the lone holdout on a highway project just south of town. His land sits right where the highway should run, but he refused to sell it to the developer and a lot of people were pretty angry about that because that new highway project promised to be lucrative for our community."

I started to put the pieces together in my head. Rowdy may or may not have duped people out of their land, so that created enemies for him. Then, a developer wants to come into town and Rowdy refuses to sell, holding up the deal. That too would create enemies, but I still didn't get what that had to do with Pug or Jeb.

"I don't see where you're going with this? What am I missing?" I asked.

Charlie raked his hands through his hair, contemplating his answer. "Rowdy owed everyone some money. If he sold that property of his, the people he owed money to could collect the debt he owed them. That's my theory."

Money made people do crazy things. Not that I would know because I still drove a twenty year old car and had the furniture I bought when I got married, so I was no expert on what people with real money would do.

"Why are you asking me about the attorney? Did Rowdy owe him money too?" I asked.

"Not that I know of, but that doesn't mean anything right now. It's my understanding that Pug was instrumental in getting Rowdy released from the nursing home and keeping Betty there." Charlie explained.

Wait. What? Rowdy was a resident?

"About a year or so ago, Rowdy had gotten hurt. He was admitted to the nursing home for rehab while he recovered and Betty moved in with him. I really don't know much about what took place when they got there. All I know is that Rowdy went home and Betty didn't. There were rumors that she had dementia and became too difficult for Rowdy to care for alone, but I didn't know that for sure until Rowdy's death. I'd known her and Rowdy, my whole life and she's the last person I'd suspect of having dementia. She was always so active and so well put together." Charlie took a sip of his coffee, allowing the new information to sink in for me.

I took a bite of my biscuits and gravy as I tried to remember what it was I'd heard about Betty and her dementia. Then, it occurred to me. "Betty doesn't have dementia. I learned that yesterday. I can't say for sure because I haven't seen her chart since the day after Rowdy died, but someone told me yesterday that she doesn't have it."

We spent the next half an hour going over all of the information we'd gathered separately. Charlie believed that someone had killed Rowdy over money, but he didn't yet know who. There were a good number of people in town that had a reason to want him dead, but I didn't really see how that would do them any good and neither did Charlie.

After he finished his meal, Charlie asked, "When do you work again?"

I answered, "Tomorrow night. Why?"

"I would never tell you to conduct your own investigation or anything because that would be wrong, but hypothetically," he began, "if I were the kind of man that would ask you to do something like that, I'd ask you to find written proof that Betty doesn't have dementia and to find out how often Pug has visited Betty since Rowdy was released. Of course, that would be highly illegal, so if someone were to do that, they would make darn sure to cover their tracks."

Whoa! Did he just ask me to snoop around for him? Was this a setup? All I needed was to be charged with interfering with an investigation.

I thought for a moment, fighting with my instincts to stay clear of anything illegal, but my curiosity was piqued. I answered, "Hypothetically, I suppose one could do a little digging and may be able to find something that could be helpful to your investigation."

He smiled. I believe that was the first time I'd seen him genuinely smile at me. I hesitated to smile back, if we were being recorded. I didn't want to see my mug splashed across a television screen with the headline: Conspiring to Catch a Killer.

Charlie motioned for the waitress. She practically ran to the table. I rolled my eyes at her sudden eagerness to please.

"Ready?" Sissy asked.

"I think we're done here. Can you get me the check and we'll be on our way? This little lady needs to get her beauty sleep." Charlie said.

That would take a lifetime, but I was willing to give it a shot. Another hour and I'd be a walking zombie.

Chapter Seventeen

“I have to admit, I thought you were way off on this, but you've convinced me.” Hank patted me on the back. “Do you want us to go with you?”

With tears in my eyes, I answered, “No, I think I have to do this on my own.” I saw disappointment in Ruby's eyes. She was so loyal. She even wanted to be there when I risked everything to expose a murderer. I didn't have the heart to let her down, so I added, “But, you can wait outside for me.”

“Yes!” Ruby jumped up and hugged me. “Let's go nab a bad guy.” She looked at Hank and asked, “This is so exciting, isn't it? Our very own Mercy is a crime solver.”

I had to laugh. I was far from a true detective. What I did think I was, was a woman desperate to clear her name, save her reputation, and keep her job so she could feed her addiction to milk chocolate, hair dye, and vintage everything.

“You sure that you want to go in there alone, Mercy?” Hank asked again.

“I'm sure. Besides, I've already spoken to Charlie and he'll be there, of course.” Ruby and Hank exchanged knowing glances. They hadn't shared it with me, but I knew that they both believed that the Sheriff had a crush on me. I didn't believe it for a second, but arguing the point would only egg Ruby and her incessant need to get me hitched on.

“How are you going to guarantee that they'll all show up?” Ruby asked.

“Oh, well, Charlie has taken care of everything.” I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, I wished I hadn't sounded so chipper about it. I was only feeding the beast that was my best friend's wish to see me living happily-ever-after like she was. That just wasn't in the cards for me.

She and Hank exchanged glances again, smirking at each other.

When they looked back at me, I gave them the coldest look I could conjure up. “Are you done yet?”

Ruby pretended to be surprised by my reaction to them. “What? What did I do?”

I was thankful for the moment of laughter. My stomach was in knots and I needed an immediate release.

*

“I just want you to know that you are the kind of person that gives nurses a bad name.” Kathy was immediately in my ear before I even had a chance to walk into the room. Little did she know that the tables were about to be turned on her and everyone else in the room.

“Nice to see you again, too.” I quipped, refusing to engage in a heated exchange with her.

Charlie hadn't arrived yet, so I was left to face the others with no one to keep them from throwing another round of allegations at me. I opted not to sit down. I figured I had more leverage if I remained standing.

Randy gathered chairs from the room and brought enough together for all of the others to take a seat.

They all looked to be pretty proud of themselves. I'm sure they all believed that they were here to bear witness to my arrest and ultimate prosecution for a crime that at least a couple of them knew that I didn't do.

When Charlie arrived, our eyes met briefly. He nodded before turning his attention to the others in the room.

“Hello, everyone. I apologize for being late. Now, if you'll all follow me, we can get started.”

The group stood up, speaking lowly to each other. No one moved toward the door until after I'd walked through the doors. I guess, they figured that they'd be able to thwart any attempt I made to escape.

I took a seat at the end of the conference table because I wanted to have a clear view of their stunned faces when Charlie alerted them to what we'd uncovered.

I was so excited and nervous, I almost missed my seat entirely, but navigating ice and snow must have been good for me because I'd recovered quickly and saved myself from another fall.

Randy didn't wait for Charlie to explain why they'd been summoned. His anger was palpable as he spoke. “What are we waiting for? Arrest her. Why do we need the audience?” He nodded to the others around him.

Kathy chimed in, as if any of this had anything to do with her. “I, for one, am delighted that you asked me to witness her arrest. What she did to our quiet community is so appalling, I won't be able to rest until I see her carried away in handcuffs.”

I felt the heat rise in my body. She had some nerve.

“Now, settle down, everyone. Give me a minute. No one is arresting Mercy today.” I was thankful that he was sticking up for me, but I would rather had him not mention my name just yet.

Pug shot up out of his seat. “What do you mean that you're not arresting her? What are you doing, then? This has gone on for too long already.”

I had no words for him as he stared right at me, his nostrils flaring.

Charlie was careful not to look in my direction. His eyes were boring into Pug's. He'd expected outbursts. He'd warned me, but he thought they'd have sense enough to wait until he'd had his say.

Kathy slumped back in her chair. I could almost see the wheels in her head turning. She didn't know what to make of this impromptu meeting. I craved the opportunity to make her eat her words, but Charlie and I had agreed to let them dig bigger holes for themselves first. He said it would be important to his case.

A very loud discussion began between Randy and Pug. They spoke as if they were the only two in the room. I glanced over at Charlie, but he was just as mystified by their conversation as I was.

Their conversation ran the gamut between spelling out how I went about poisoning Rowdy to what I planned to do about Betty.

What they didn't know was that they were providing some much needed insight into the killer's motivations. My suspicions were proving to be right and, if I could have, I would have patted myself on the back.

When the sheriff had enough of their back and forth, he ordered them to sit down. Kathy jumped in her seat. She'd spent the last several minutes dumbfounded by what she was hearing. I was almost a little disappointed by her reaction. I think deep down I was hoping that she was just as guilty as the murderer was, but just like Charlie had told me, body language never lies. People lie. Like in the medical world, when someone has legitimate pain, facial expressions and body language will spell out exactly how that person feels. That explanation I understood well.

Finally, Charlie interrupted their discussion, ordering both of them to clam up and sit down for a spell. The vernacular around here made me chuckle or it was raw nerves getting the better of me, but I laughed out loud and for an extremely long time.

By the time I'd finished, a sea of furrowed eyebrows and cold stares were staring back at me. I may as well have grown another head. Their bewilderment was a bit off kilter if you asked me, but I chose not to press the issue. I mean, how did they expect me to react after all they'd put me through? They couldn't have really expected me to be calm, cool and collected. They probably weren't aware of it, but calmness was not one of strong suits. I tended to lend more for the dramatics. The kind of stuff that got your blood pumping and your heart racing.

The corners of Charlie's mouth quirked up into a grin as he waited for me to catch my breath and wipe the tears from my face. Hysteria wasn't a good look for me. I could only imagine what he was thinking about my fit of ill-timed laughter.

“Miss Mares,” he began. Apparently, we were back to formalities.

“Yes?” I asked, sounding breathless as I continued to try to regain my composure.

“I'm going to turn the floor to you.” He reminded me.

The looks on the faces of those around me hardened. I could practically taste their disdain and loathing in the air between us.

I swallowed my fear and proceeded in exactly the way Charlie had advised me to. “You've been called here so that we may solve this unfortunate event.” That wasn't the best choice of words, but we were in a pinch and neither of us could find a suitable replacement for what I was planning to convey. I continued, watching each of them shift uncomfortably in their seats. “I... We...” I looked at Charlie, continuing, “believe we have solved the case.”

There was a collective gasp around the room. Kathy leaned forward, intrigued by what she'd heard. I looked over at Charlie again. He nodded, encouraging me to keep speaking.

I cleared my throat. The next part would be difficult to say. I didn't know how they would react.

“I know that everyone believes I had something to do with Rowdy's murder.” They nodded. Figures! “You see, I have no motive. I'd only just met him and hadn't been in town long enough to know anything about anyone here.” I explained.

Kathy rolled her eyes. Randy and Pug remained stone faced. This information wasn't sitting well with them.

Charlie spoke. “Go on, Miss Mares.”

I sat down on my hands to keep them from shaking as I continued to relay what we'd learned. “Charlie... I mean, Sheriff Wagner and I have put our heads together and have eliminated a number of factors concerning this mystery because they weren't prudent to the investigation.”

Randy stood up, yelling, “Wait a minute. You had a suspect investigating my father's murder? What has gotten into you, Wagner? Have you lost your mind?”

“Sit down, Randy. Let her finish.” Charlie ordered him.

Reluctantly, after a few choice words and pounding his fists on the conference table, Randy sat down, his nostrils flared as he looked up at me with anger fuming from him. His emotions were real and palpable in the room. I wished that Charlie would not have required that he be present for any of this, but it wasn't my decision to make.

My whole body began to shake. I had to move or the table would shake with me. I stood up and moved as far away from Randy and the others as I could in the small conference room. Every step I took felt like a step closer to my final breath. Surely, Randy had no intention of letting me walk away from any of this. In his mind, I was guilty and nothing anyone said or did would change that. He'd been tainted by the stories and assumptions made by people I'd never met or ever so much as had a conversation with.

Charlie slid his chair back, blocking me. “Go on. Tell them what you found out.”

What I found out? Now, he was putting this all on me?

Pug started snickering. He tried to hide it with a cough, but it was too late. We'd all heard it.

“Is something funny, Kale?” Charlie asked him.

“This whole thing. It's ridiculous, if you ask me.” Pug laughed again.

“No one is asking you.” Charlie reminded him. To me, he said, “Keep going.”

My mouth went dry. I'd never done anything like this before in my life. I wasn't even sure how one did something like this. I'd seen it in movies, but I was no movie star and this was reality, unfortunately.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. I'd never been so relieved to have an interruption. I just hoped it wasn't deputies waiting to arrest me.

Charlie tried to camouflage a smile by beginning his own coughing bout. I took that to mean that I would come out of this meeting relatively unscathed, for a change, but I still didn't have a clue as to who or what was on the other side of the door.

He stepped outside for a moment, leaving me in uncomfortable silence with the town's welcome committee triplets. That's a name Ruby and I came up with overnight. It fits.

When the door opened again, we were all surprised to see Carol, the administrator, walk in, followed by Tina, Stacy, and Betty. I looked at Charlie. He winked before contorting his face back into the no nonsense look he'd had just a few minutes earlier.

Betty nodded in my direction, mouthing the words, “Hi, dear.”

I could feel Randy's eyes boring into me when he saw his mother's friendly gesture. I decided it best not to look at him just yet.

Charlie introduced the group. “Everyone, I'm sure you know Ms. Higginbotham.” She nodded, not making eye contact with any of us. “This is Stacy. She's a nurse manager for Valley and this is Tina. She's a nurse?” He asked her to clarify.

She blushed. “I'm an aide, but I just graduated from nursing school.”

I wanted to clap. I was so proud of her, but first I needed to know why she had been dragged into this.

Betty spoke up, not allowing Charlie to explain why she was there. “You all better know who I am, considering most of you have seen me in my skivvies.”

I laughed nervously. She was such a card.

“Why is my mother here?” Randy asked.

Pug spoke up. “I'm not understanding what this is all about. Would someone care to explain to me what good it would do to drag Rowdy's poor widow out of the convalescent home for this?”

She looked at him, her eyes narrowing, “You don't tell me where I can and can't go. Do you understand me? You work for me. You do what I tell you to.”

Wow! She was a feisty one, wasn't she?

“Mother,” Randy started, but she put her hand up to stop him.

“Randall Orwin Knott, don't you say another word. I have every right to be here. Rowdy was mine long before he was yours and I deserve to know what happened to him. I'm not a fool, so please just stop treating me like one.” She warned him.

Randy threw his hands in the air and sat back in his seat. Betty game me a satisfied smile.

“Let's cut to the chase, shall we?” Charlie asked, nodding at Carol to speak. “Tell them what you discovered.”

She put her hand to her throat, swallowing before speaking. “Mercy, I... We owe you an apology. On behalf of everyone, I want to say that we deeply regret how you were treated and, if there's anything I can do to ease any of the troubles we've caused you, please, don't hesitate to ask. You're an excellent nurse and I'm glad you could join us.”

Was I dreaming? Did she just apologize?

Carol continued, “Our records indicate that Rowdy arrived to see his wife at eight o'clock in the morning. He was greeted by our receptionist, who noted the time because she'd just come on duty and hadn't yet turned on any lights. She turned her computer on just as Rowdy entered through the front doors with Mr. Kale. We also have them on camera. Mr. Kale met Rowdy in the parking lot in front of our facility at seven-thirty in the morning and they sat in Rowdy's truck for several minutes before entering.”

I wanted to cry. They had video footage of this the whole time?

Charlie looked at me and asked, “When Mr. Knott arrived on the unit, was Pug with him?”

I shook my head. I had no idea. I was in the room with Betty when he arrived. I looked at Kathy. Her eyes were wide, as she tried to remember.

“I never saw him arrive. Kathy might have.” I explained.

She shook her head, looking at Pug. “No, no, Rowdy was alone.”

“Don't you have footage of that?” I asked Carol.

She shrugged. “The camera wasn't activated. There's no footage outside of the unit doors.”

“Wait. Are you sure? If that's true, then, why wouldn't Jeb let me see the footage? Why didn't he just tell me that the camera wasn't on?” I asked.

Charlie answered. “You were a suspect. It wouldn't make sense to allow you access to anything.”

Pug stood up. “That never happened. I wasn't there!”

Stacy spoke up, looking him directly in the eyes. “Yes, you were. I forgot my key card that day, so I had to park in front. I saw you when you drove in and I saw you get into Rowdy's truck and walk in with him. I'm on the footage too.”

Good golly, he was busted!

“You people are sick. I don't have to sit here and listen to this.” Pug pushed his chair back and moved to stand up, but Betty stood in front of him.

“What did you do, Paul? What did you do to my Rowdy?” She asked.

Pug tried to stand up anyway, nearly sending Betty to the ground, but Randy caught her arm and stopped her fall, before lunging for Pug. “You killed my father!”

Everyone in the room, except for Charlie backed away. Charlie grabbed Randy by his shirt collar and pulled him off of Pug, yelling for someone to get the deputies. I ran to the door and yelled before I saw the two deputies that were stationed right outside the door.

It didn't take long for the men to calm down. They were separated by a guard standing next to each of them as our conversation continued. Charlie warned both that they would be arrested if there was another outburst.

Charlie asked me to reveal everything that I'd learned. There was so much new information, I didn't know where to begin. I looked around at everyone, wishing that I didn't have to do this and told them what I knew. “First, I want to express my deepest condolences to Betty and Randy. I can't imagine what this whole ordeal has done to you.” Betty nodded at me. “I can't speak to what Carol or Stacy just said. That's news to me too, but I can tell you what I saw with my own eyes and what I've discovered after doing a little... Well, a lot of digging. At the time it didn't seem so significant, but knowing what I know now, I see how incredibly significant it was.” I paused to gauge their reactions, but they offered me nothing more than hardened looks and the occasional grimace.

Charlie nodded his approval at me.

I took a deep breath, suddenly second guessing myself. Standing in front of the people I was about to accuse of a heinous crime made my stomach turn. My hands still twitched and my heart rate would give Nascar a run for their money.

Pug spoke in frustration. “What is this? I didn't come here to be lectured by the likes of her. Arrest her, Wagner. What are you waiting for?”

The vein in the center of Charlie's forehead protruded. He'd had enough of Pug. We all waited with bated breath to see how he'd respond to yet another outburst from the Knott family attorney.

Randy said through clenched teeth. “Be quiet and let her speak.” He looked at me with his steely blue eyes and said, “Go on. Say what you have to say.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Betty smile slightly. She too saw that her son was beginning to see things for what they were.

I continued, hesitantly. “When I first saw Rowdy, he was in the office with Kathy. I was introduced, but we had no real conversation between us. Betty, on the other hand, was quite pleased to see him. They said their hellos and Betty offered him a glass of lemonade.”

Kathy sighed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

I cleared my throat and answered, “Everything. Excuse me if I'm wrong, but do your water pitchers always contain fresh lemonade in the morning for the residents?”

She stammered to answer, saying, “No, but she has dementia. She was confused, so what?”

“I thought that too.” I said. “Then, when I found out that she didn't have dementia, I did a little digging to see why she was housed in that unit.” Pug began to squirm uncomfortably in his seat, but I didn't let that stop me. I continued on because I was just getting to the good part. “Yeah, she doesn't have dementia. Perhaps, if someone had taken the time to read the chart that they stole, they would have seen the documentation on that.”

Carol interrupted, surprised by that little factoid. “Her chart was stolen? How come I wasn't made aware of that and how long has it been gone?”

Kathy's faced turned red. I anticipated an angry outburst from her, but she didn't offer one. Instead, she kept her head down and confessed. “I didn't steal it. I... Well, you know how you asked me to stop eating in the nurse's office because of the critter problem we had in the fall?” She hesitated, waiting for Carol's response.

“Yes, go on.” Carol prompted her.

“Well, the unit is so busy. There's never a dull moment and I just don't have time to take a lunch break, let alone get a moment to breathe.” Kathy explained, looking up through her curly lashes at Carol.

“And?” Tina asked, covering her mouth with her hands in embarrassment. “Sorry. Carry on.”

There was my girl. I had to laugh. She was enjoying this as much as I was beginning to.

Kathy sat straighter in her chair to defend her error. “Well, I have to eat. I spend ninety percent of my time at work and I get hungry and thirsty sometimes, so you can't fault me for it.”

“For what?” Carol asked, her eyebrows quirking up.

Kathy's shoulders slumped as she finished explaining what happened to Betty's chart. “I was eating my French dip sandwich. I had the sandwich in one hand, the Au Jus sauce sitting on the other side of the desk, and a chocolate shake in my other hand.” She stopped as if there was nothing more she needed to say.

Carol asked, “So, what happened to the chart, Kathleen?”

I stifled a laugh.

“That dumb dog that no one ever remembers to feed, came running in the office and hopped right up on my lap. He knocked the shake out of my hand and took a bite out of my sandwich. How was I supposed to react? I jumped up and my elbow hit the sauce and spilled all over Betty's chart. It was a mess. That dog freaked out and made it even worse by jumping on the desk and tearing things apart by walking on them.” Kathy was practically crying by the time she'd finished her story.

I couldn't help myself. I had to ask. “How did the dog get into the office? I thought the rule was to keep the door closed and locked at all times.”

She scowled at me, answering, “I already explained. I never get a moment to myself, so I missed my lunch break. I propped the door open so I could grab a bite to eat before I died of malnutrition and that mutt came storming in out of nowhere.”

That's it, I couldn't hold it anymore. I was ready to burst. I had to laugh.

The only other person who found it the least bit amusing was Betty. She laughed with me, while Kathy glared back and forth at us.

“So, you spilled food on Betty's chart and then you took it home with you? Why would you do that?” Carol asked, confused by her nonsensical reaction to a problem that could have been easily solved.

“I panicked.” Kathy shrugged. “But, in my defense, I'd worked a lot of hours, I was starving, you gave me a trainee, and Rowdy died on my shift!”

Yeah, let's make this all about you, Kathleen, I thought.

Carol shook her head and looked over at me. “Okay, well, that's solved, I guess. What does that have to do with Rowdy's murder?”

“Nothing.” I said, smiling. “I just wanted to make sure everyone understood that I had nothing to do with that nonsense.”

I could see their patience was wearing thin. They all squirmed in their seats or shuffled their feet where they stood, waiting for me to get to the point, but now that Kathy had put her feet to the fire, I was rather enjoying this and wasn't feeling so inclined to stop the fun.

Charlie cleared his throat, noticing how much pleasure I was taking in Kathy's calamity. In spite of my own reasons for wanting to watch Kathy be held accountable for something, I understood that this was neither the time nor the place to point out her flaws or shortcomings.

“Okay,” I clapped my hands to signal that I was ready to continue. “Initially, I believed that the missing chart had to do with keeping pertinent information out of my reach or was yet another attempt to make me look bad, but after long hours of trying to figure out why Kathy deemed it necessary to keep the chart in her possession, I tried to find a reasonable explanation or whatever her idea of reasonable was.” I smiled widely at her. “I found that explanation in the form of a menial task I was asked to do one night on shift. I'd been ordered to clean the office and, I hate to have to say this, but the place was a pigsty. There were candy wrappers, discarded cups, dried flowers, and the remnants of some very hearty meals, hidden in corners and behind drawers in the office. Naturally, I wondered what the inside of my fellow nurses' homes must have looked like, if this is how they kept their office. And, who keeps dried flowers at work? Then, it occurred to me that it wasn't in such disarray because they were slobs, but because they weren't supposed to eat in there, so they'd hide their snacks and whatever else they were doing in there. I imagine, it was easier to throw things under the desk when administrators or any of the doctors made an appearance. Right?” I turned my attention to Kathy, who was studying her short fingernails as if she'd never seen them before.

She grimaced, then, realized I was speaking to her. “Yeah, I guess, but how did you know there had been an accident? All I'm hearing is a lot of blah, blah, blah from you.”

I continued, “Like I said, I'd been assigned to clean up the mess. Underneath layers of what I'd call petri dish contents, were forms, receipts, folders, among other items. Well, on several of them were paw prints. If you'd seen them, you may have worried that they belonged to a raccoon or other animal who had gone in there foraging for high fat snacks, but our friend Barney proved me wrong. I'd seen him eating table scraps the day I arrived. He was out in the dining room. I'd figured, since he didn't suffer any reaction to the food, that he was used to feasting on human food, so I put two and two together. Paw prints where a virtual grocery store existed under the nurse's desk and on quite a few important documents told me all I needed to know about what may have happened to Betty's chart.”

Kathy crossed her arms in front of her. “Okay, so now what?”

I deferred to Charlie.

He asked, “Did you or anyone that you know of provide lemonade in the water pitchers on the morning that Rowdy was murdered?”

She shook her head immediately. “No, of course not. I didn't even realize that she had lemonade. I don't handle that. The nurse's aides refill the pitchers in the morning.”

Tina gasped.

“Good. Thank you. You're free to go, Kathy.” Charlie said, indicating the door.

“I can go?” Kathy asked.

“Sure can. Thank you.” Charlie stood up and held the door open for her, while the others watched in bewilderment.

“Are we done here?” Pug asked.

Charlie and I looked at each other, then, at him.

“Why? Do you have somewhere you need to be, Paul?” Charlie asked as he walked passed him and sat back down in his seat.

I took the opportunity to move on to the next revelation. “Stacy, when you saw Mr. Knott and Mr. Kale arrive, did you notice if either of them were carrying anything in their hands?”

Stacy squinted as she tried to bring up that day in her mind's eye. After a moment, she answered, “Yes. Pug... Mr. Kale was holding a briefcase and a thermos.” She inhaled slightly as Charlie and I exchanged glances.

Charlie asked her, “Did you happen to notice if either of them poured themselves a cup form that thermos?”

She shook her head. “No, I'm sorry, I didn't.”

“Okay, thank you, Stacy. You're free to go.” Charlie said, smiling at her.

“That's it?” She looked from me to him and back again.

Charlie answered, “Yes.”

After she let herself out, I noticed that the others started looking at each other more. I wondered if they were finally beginning to suspect each other.

Betty sat completely still, seeming to contemplate every word that we said, while Randy continued to fume as he listened. I was just glad that he didn't allow his anger to get the best of him again.

“Carol,” Charlie began, “tell me about the cameras.”

She put her hand to her neck. “I don't understand.”

I decided to give it a try. “Why were there cameras installed under the desk? Who were you watching and why?”

She pursed her lips, carefully contemplating how she would respond. I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say.

“I didn't... I wasn't...” She sighed, closing her eyes briefly. “The maintenance crew had informed me that they continued to find food and other items under the desk on the dementia unit. I'd repeatedly asked the nursing staff not to eat in there and they all swore that they weren't. I thought the issue had been put to bed, until Jeb and his team continued to complain. They refused to clean it up anymore, so I installed a camera to find out who the culprit was.” She put her hand on her head. “I'd totally forgotten about the camera until you mentioned it that day in my office, so I asked Jeb to remove it and destroy the footage.”

“Why destroy it?” I asked.

“I felt bad and it wouldn't have been kind to make a spectacle of someone who devoted so much time and dedication to her job.” She answered.

“I understand. Thank you for your time, Carol.” Charlie said before ushering her toward the door.

“You don't want me to stay? I'm the administrator.” She protested.

“You can wait in the lobby for us. If we need you, I'll let you know.” He closed the door behind her and addressed those of us left in the room. “Anyone care for something to drink?”

They looked dumbfounded for a moment. I don't think anyone expected to be offered a beverage.

Charlie pulled out an empty seat for Tina. Her eyes met mine. I could feel how frightened she was by what was going on, but this needed to be done. Betty and her son deserved to know the truth.

Pug asked, “What about me? Are you going to get this guard dog off me?” He pointed to the officer standing next to him.

“No.” Charlie answered, turning his attention back to the drinks he'd offered. “Thirsty, anyone?”

Betty answered, “I'd like a glass of water, please.”

“Sure. Absolutely. Randy? Pug? Tina?” Charlie asked.

Tina shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Randy and Pug answered at the same time. “Coffee.”

We'd already discussed this, so I wasn't doing anything out of line. I said, “Lemonade, please.” I looked at the others to gauge their reactions.

Tina started coughing uncontrollably. Charlie ran out of the room and came back with a cup of water from the dispenser for her.

“Here you go. Take a drink.” He said, handing her the cup.

I felt sorry for her. I'd been in her shoes. I knew what it felt like to feel like everyone in the room was conspiring against me. I wished things could have been done differently, but this is the way Charlie wanted it to happen and, unfortunately, that meant making some people very uncomfortable.

We waited for Tina to compose herself. No one said a word. Charlie's phone beeped and he excused himself, looking back at me before leaving the room.

He returned a few minutes later, followed by Jeb. I bit my lip as I watched how the others reacted to his presence. Just as we'd expected someone was not thrilled to see him.

“What are we doing here? First, you call in the cavalry, then, you send them home. Now, what? Are we getting a new round of people here?” Pug's face was red with anger.

“Nope. Just Jeb. Does that make you uncomfortable, Pug?” Charlie asked, a smug grin on his face.

Jeb sat down next to me. The others looked at each other, trying to figure out what that meant, but neither Charlie nor I had asked him to do that, so we were just as surprised as they were.

“Hello.” He nodded at everyone in the room.

Betty began to whimper. I feared this may have been too much for her to bear.

“I'm okay,” she offered, shaking her head. “Please, go on.” She looked up at me with her tear stained face. I wanted to hug her and comfort her in some way. Her son grabbed her hand. That seemed to calm her momentarily.

“Can we get this over with? My mother is exhausted. She should be in her bed, not here.” Randy voice boomed around the room.

Betty spoke up. “I am fine. Quit trying to control what I do and where I go and when. That's not your concern.”

“Mom, you're just tired. I can see it on your face.” Randy protested.

“No, what you see is anguish. I lost my husband. You should be more concerned with that, then, hanging around with the likes of him.” She pointed at Pug. “You know all he wants is the property, so he can get rid of it and profit from it.”

Pug snapped back. “No, I don't. I was very fond of Rowdy too. I want what's best for you.”

I looked to see if Charlie was going to stop their argument, but he just sat back and listened as they each blamed each other for being unsympathetic.

Jeb whispered to me, “Why am I here?”

I shrugged. I thought it was obvious why he'd been asked to attend, but I didn't have the energy to point that out to him.

Charlie let them go back and forth until they began to shout at each other. “Enough. Now is not the time or the place to do this. Handle this on your own time.”

Randy and Betty immediately stopped. She placed her hand on Randy's arm, patting it gently. “I apologize,” she said.

Pug breathed heavily, but didn't argue the point further.

“I'll go get those drinks now. Do you think you can use your inside voices while I do that?” Charlie took a moment to make eye contact with each of them before he stepped out of the room again.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Tina leaned forward and asked, “How much longer do we have to be here?”

I shrugged. “I'm not sure. Who has your son?” It occurred to me that she would have had to find a sitter to watch her son while she was here.

She answered, “My neighbor.”

Randy immediately chimed in. “The neighbor? You can't be bothered to let the family see him for a few minutes, but you'll let some stranger watch him? I just don't understand you. I told everyone that you were no good.”

I could handle a lot of things, but insulting a decent human being wasn't one of them. I had to say something.

“You apologize right now. I don't know the situation, but I do know that Tina is a wonderful gal and she loves that little boy, so don't you go judging something you don't know anything about.”

His nostrils flared as his anger took on a new form. He shouted, “You don't know anything! Everything was fine until you got here! My father died. Do you get that? I don't care what you and Charlie have going on, you're guilty, in my eyes, and no amount of talking and shenanigans that you or him come up with is going to make me think any differently!”

The deputy didn't intervene. I assumed he was told not to unless things got physical or he had some sort of vendetta against me too. Whatever the case, no one told Randy to pipe down.

“You killed my father!” Randy stood up and tried to walk out of the room, but Charlie was standing on the other side of the door with the drinks in his hands.

“Going somewhere?” Charlie asked, pretending that he hadn't just heard the yelling.

“I refuse to sit here with a murderer.” Randy answered, looking back at me.

Charlie stood his ground, without saying a word. Randy sighed heavily and stomped back over to his seat. “Fine. I'll stay, but someone needs to hurry this up. I can't promise that I won't explode soon.”

Setting the drinks down on the table, Charlie began passing them around, stopping at Jeb. “Oh, sorry. Did you want something to drink? The air is a little stale in here.”

Jeb nodded, saying, “Yes, lemonade, if you have any.”

The collective gasp in the room, sucked the life right out of Jeb. He realized his faux paux, but it was a minute too late. The moment had finally arrived and it was even better than Charlie and I had hoped for.

“How do you take your lemonade, Jeb? With a dash of oleander nectar just to sweeten it up a little more for you?” Charlie asked as Jeb broke out in a cold sweat.

“What? No. I don't know what you're talking about.” Jeb offered as he wiped his brow with a handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket.

“You don't?” I asked, anxious to back him into a corner with his own words. “So, how did you poison Rowdy then?”

He scooted his chair back. “I didn't!”

“Then, how did Rowdy die? Maybe you have a theory?” I couldn't wait to hear him talk his way out of this and I hadn't even gotten to the best part yet.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his words weren't coherent.

Betty sat forward, leaning on the table. “Speak up. Tell me what you did to my Rowdy.”

He looked at her, then, back at me, still unable to speak clearly. “I... No... I...”

Pug whispered, “You killed him? Is that why you asked me so many questions about his life and what kind of friend he was? You were just trying to get information from me?”

“No!” Jeb yelled. “I didn't know I was going to do it. I wasn't planning to kill him. I swear. I just wanted him to tell me... To answer my questions.” Jeb began to sob.

Tina spoke up as she realized what had happened. “That's what Jennifer was trying to tell me.”

We turned in her direction, anxious to hear the rest of her story.

She was lost in thought, recalling events. This was new information to me. I had never heard her mention much of anything about a peculiar conversation with Jennifer. I just assumed they knew each other because they obviously worked together. That wasn't so out of the ordinary.

She continued, looking at her hands as she spoke. “Right before Jennifer left for maternity leave, she was worried about how they'd survive. Jeb would be the only one working and she worried that her medical leave stipend wouldn't be enough to sustain them for an extended period of time.” She looked at Jeb, sadness in her eyes. “Sorry. She told me that you had come home with good news and that you worked out some kind of deal with Rowdy and Randy about doing some work for them.”

Jeb's facial expression didn't change, but his ears reddened, indicating he didn't like what he was hearing. He probably had no idea that Jennifer had so freely divulged intimate tales of their lives to anyone.

Tina looked at Charlie and said, “I'm sorry. I didn't know that had anything to do with this.”

Randy said, “I don't understand. I never made a deal about anything and there's no way that my father did. I'm in charge of the crew at the ranch. Ever since Dad had his accident, I've handled the business affairs.”

With everyone focused on Jeb, no one noticed Pug's reaction to what was being said until there was sudden movement by the door and he tried to run out of the conference room, shoving the officer that had been standing guard next to him.

Charlie leaped over the table, tackling him, and knocking him to the ground. “Hold on right there.” He said.

Next to me, Jeb climbed over the table and trampled over Tina to get out the door too, but the officer quickly thwarted his efforts and sent him flying against the wall.

Betty screamed, clutching her son's arm.

I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath until I became light headed and Tina had to keep me steady.

Both men were handcuffed and escorted away while those remaining tried to make sense of it all. I knew I'd discovered something big, but wasn't prepared for how it would make me feel to expose a killer and his accomplice.

We sat in stunned silence for several minutes before Charlie returned to inform Betty and Randy that Jeb and Pug were being charged with Rowdy's murder and that the Sheriff's Deputies had already brought Jeb's wife, Jennifer, in for questioning as a witness.

Epilogue

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that Sissy didn't greet me with a smile, but it sure would have been nice to get one. I did just help solve a major crime and I was able to save Betty's property and finances from being destroyed, but I suppose that really didn't matter to everyone, even in this supposed tight-knit community.

“What are you having?” She asked me, but her eyes were definitely on Hank.

“I'd like coffee and sausage and gravy, please.” I said, smiling across the table at Charlie.

He told her, “I'll have what she's having.”

Ruby nudged me with her elbow, while Tina giggled from the far end of the row of tables we'd moved together, saying, “We'll all have what she's having.”

Sissy rolled her eyes and walked away.

The bells chimed over the door. I looked up, relieved to see that Randy had picked her up after all. “Hi, Betty!” I waved in her direction.

She waved back, in between blowing kisses in the air at me.

I looked down at Tina and asked, “How is she doing?”

Tina sighed, answering, “Ornery as ever, but good. She misses you.”

I chuckled. “It's only been a week. I'll be back tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but she still misses you and Nubbin is beside himself with anticipation. He can't wait to tell you how he helped you solve the case.” Tina laughed. “Oh, and he is chomping at the bit to find out if you had that new engine installed yet. He's been calling his grandson every day to find out if you dropped your car off at his shop yet.”

My heart welled. The last thing I expected was that I'd be gifted a new engine. Nubbin volunteered his grandson, a mechanic, to do the work and some of the staff took up a collection to pay for it.

Randy nodded at me as he walked his mother to the table. “Hello, Mercy.” He said.

“Hello, how are you doing?” I asked.

He took a seat near me after he helped Betty into the seat next to Hank. “I'm okay, I suppose. After the preliminary hearing, I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep things together. I never in a million years would have believed that Pug was stealing money from my family and in cahoots with the land developer to make my father sell the land right out from under our noses.”

“Yeah, I can't imagine that would have been something you would have been looking out for. How long have you known Pug?” I asked.

“Most of my life. He and I went to school together. Our kids played together. We belong to the same church. Heck, his father used to work for my father. I suppose that's how this all got started. I know my father wasn't the nicest man, but he sure didn't deserve to lose his life over some property.” He said, fighting back the tears that had moistened his eyes.

“No, he didn't. I'm sorry.” I offered, not knowing what else to say.

He continued, “And, Jeb, well, technically, I guess he's just another victim in all this. He got caught up in the whole idea of needing fast money and Pug took advantage of him, offering to pay him a hefty sum if he did exactly what he told him to do. I just wish Jennifer had said something sooner.”

Charlie answered to that part. “The whole thing was a big mess. Jennifer didn't know what Jeb was up to. I'm not even sure Jeb understood what could happen. He had tunnel vision and was just looking for a quick fix to his impending financial problems. Now, his wife and baby will have to do without him.”

“But, they poisoned him? I just don't understand it. Do they realize that my mother could have been arrested for that?” Randy looked across the table at his mom.

“Yeah, but what neither of them knew was that Betty didn't have dementia. She remembered seeing something and she knew things weren't right. Actually, she helped solve this case.” I said.

Randy contemplated for a minute. “Who tries to set up an elderly woman and frame her for murder?”

“Someone who is desperate.” I answered. “The only thing is good old Nubbin and Betty weren't so easily fooled and they alerted everyone right away that there were killers among us. They just didn't know who.”

Ruby said, “I just don't understand how the suspicion landed on you, though.”

Charlie blushed. “I'm afraid that was my fault. She was new in town and I didn't want to believe that people I'd known my whole life could have been involved. Besides, it would have never occurred to me to look at Jeb or Pug. Jeb existed in plain site, but went virtually unseen through all of this and Pug didn't become an issue for me until he started panicking and bellyaching when he realized that I no longer believed it was Mercy.”

Tina looked as confused as most of us felt while we were searching for answers. “But, I don't get it. You're saying that Pug convinced Jeb to kill Rowdy for money? They poisoned him with lemonade? How did they know he'd drink it?”

To our surprise, Betty answered those questions. “Because we were creatures of habit, that's why. I always offered Rowdy a refreshing drink when he came to visit me because he never drank enough, not even when we were both living at home. He'd go all day without drinking or eating a thing. Jeb spent so much time fixing that sink that seemed to always be broken in my room, he had to have heard me ask Rowdy every morning.”

“Your sink isn't broken, is it?” I asked.

“Nope. Never has been. I used to take it apart or dismantle the faucet just so Rowdy would come in and fix it for me. It made him feel good and feel useful again after the accident, but that busy body, Kathy, finally started noticing it and asked Jeb to fix it all the time. After a while, we started having regular conversations, until a few weeks ago, when he suddenly acted like he didn't know me. Remember how I told you that you had to stop people to get them to talk to you, Mercy?” Betty looked at me.

“I do. The morning I met you that's one of the first things you said to me and, as a matter of fact, I do remember Jeb fixing the sink in your room, but why were you still dismantling it if he stopped talking to you?” I asked. She sighed. “It was because of Rowdy, wasn't it? Because he still came by every morning?”

“Is that true, Mom?” Randy asked Betty.

Tina asked, “But what was that whole thing about the pocket watch and the ring? Why did you give them to Nubbin to hide?”

Betty blushed. “Well, that was his idea. I'd told him that I thought whoever hurt my Rowdy did it for money because nothing else made sense.”

“Are they valuable?” I asked.

Randy answered, “Not very, but...” He looked at his mother.

She pulled the watch out of her bag and handed it to me. “Open it up.”

I pulled it open, exposing the watch face. I didn't understand what she was trying to show me. She pulled it out of my hand, turning the inside cover in my direction.

“The inscription?” I asked.

Randy grabbed it from my hand, saying, “That's the combination to the safe. Really? That's where you kept it?”

She giggled. “Yep. That way I'd never forget it. At least no one would be able to get anything out of there. They can take some of our stuff, but not all of it.”

“What's in it?” I asked.

Betty used her fingers to count as she listed the items. “The deed to the house, the deed to the land, some money we saved for safe keeping, some jewelry, lists and pictures of all of our valuables.”

Charlie asked her, “Did Pug have access to any of this?”

Betty laughed. “Not unless he was willing to get hit over the head with a cane by Nubbin.”

We all laughed. Nubbin was the best kind of security to have.

Betty's eyes misted as she spoke. “All of the real money is in that safe. No one could have taken that from us. They took my Rowdy, but they'll never be able to take my memories or our land.”

The table quieted down, knowing that the realization would soon hit her. Rowdy wasn't ever coming back.

Randy asked, “So, did they think that by killing my dad, Mom would give everything up?”

Charlie shook his head. “No, Pug thought she'd be declared incompetent and, in your grief, you'd want to be rid of the land and everything else. He'd made it so that he'd get a hefty amount of the proceeds from the sales and he'd give a smidgen of that to Jeb in return for replacing water from the faucet with his deadly concoction of lemonade and oleander pulp.”

I mused. “Now, they'll both rot in a cell somewhere and have to live with the fact that the took a man's life and nearly ruined mine in the process.”

Betty clapped her hands together. “That's it. We are not going to wallow in sadness. You nabbed them, Mercy, and I will be forever grateful. Thank you for believing me when I tried to tell you that something was wrong.”

“But, I didn't really, Betty.” I started.

“You did. I may not have had all my facts straight and my memory may be failing me, but you treated me with dignity and respect and that's more than a person could ask for. Sometimes, in between all the mayhem there should be a little Mercy.” Betty looked at me with tears in her eyes.

The End

About Ava Mallory

Ava Mallory spends her life chasing stories and eavesdropping on the world. Always having been much more comfortable observing the nuances of those around her, Ava developed the ability to craft stories filled with habits and quirks that remind the reader of themselves or someone they know.

She developed a love of mystery and intrigue with a slice of hijinks after devouring every Nancy Drew book she could find. That interest soon led her to beloved classic television shows like Murder, She Wrote, The Sherlock Holmes series, The Hardy Boys, Charlie Chan and many more. Now, she crafts stories of her own to share with the world.

Ava writes under many pen names and offers tales in several genres for readers to enjoy.

Always happy to connect with fans, Ava can be reached via these links:

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writeravamallory@gmail.com

Other Ava Mallory Titles

A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery Series

Coughing & Donuts: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery (Book Two): http://amzn.to/1JxrPX1

Fever Rich: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery (Book Three): http://amzn.to/1PHfMrq

Along Came A Needle: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery (Book Four): http://amzn.to/1PHfMYA

Nubbin But Trouble: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery (Book Five): http://amzn.to/1JxshV8

All titles available here for Kindle Unlimited: http://amzn.to/1PHfS2s

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I want to thank the four loves of my life ~ my children. Many hours have been sacrificed in order to foster my writing career and I cannot express how very much each of you mean to me and how incredibly grateful and humbled I am to have been blessed with all of you. You give me strength. You bring me joy and you make me want to be a better human being.

Thank you to my street team members. Your guidance, your encouragement, your willingness to tag along on this wild adventure with me is greatly appreciated. I couldn't do this without each and every one of you! My teams rock!

Thank you to my dear friends and staunch supporters, Pam Rodman, Karie Deegan & Cat Elliot! You make me laugh. You give me hope. You tell me like it is and you always have my back. I will be forever grateful for your friendship. Without the three of you, some days would have been impossible and every day would feel empty. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

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