My head was throbbing so hard I couldn’t see straight, and I didn’t have my car anyway, so I called Cheryl. “I need you to rescue me.” I explained what had happened and where I was. The abridged version, of course.
“Are you nuts?” she snapped. “You need to stay right in that hospital where they can watch you and keep you from doing anything stupid.” She paused. “More stupid.”
“If you don’t come pick me up, I’ll walk to the marina.” It was an idle threat. I’d be more likely to pass out before I’d taken a dozen steps, but Cheryl didn’t know that.
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Do not go anywhere.”
The last thing I wanted was for a nurse to catch me and force me back into one of those awful hospital gowns and into bed. I did not appreciate having my backside hanging in the wind. What I could use was coffee and lots of it. I collected my purse from the cupboard and poked my head out the door. There was a nurse at the end of the hall having a conversation with a doctor. They had their backs toward me, so I figured it was as good a time as any for a getaway.
I stepped into the hall, closing the door softly behind me, and walked calmly toward the exit like I had every right to be there. Or not there. Whatever. I pushed open one of the big double doors and exited the ward without anyone so much as glancing my way.
Once I’d escaped the ward, I found a map of the hospital on a wall near the elevators. There was a coffee shop on the ground floor. Perfect. I stepped into one of the open cars and pressed the button for the lobby.
My phone rang, and I dug it out of my purse. Lucas.
“Hello.” I tried for cheerful and chipper, but it came out a bit flat.
“What are you doing in the hospital?”
“Let me guess,” I said, leaning against the wall of the elevator as it slid toward the ground. “Cheryl.”
“You got it in one.”
The elevator pinged as it came to a stop. The bitter scent of burnt coffee grounds permeated the air as the doors slid open and I entered the lobby. I grimaced, but decided bad coffee was better than no coffee at this point. I was also in desperate need of a painkiller. “Listen, Lucas, I’m fine. It’s no big deal. Honestly.”
He sighed. “I’m surprised you didn’t get arrested. Or dead.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” I said, striding into the coffee shop. Well, more like staggering. I must have looked a fright.
The middle-aged woman behind the counter took my order with an air of boredom. I wondered if I would actually get the caramel latte I’d ordered. Unlikely.
“Melodramatic?” His tone was deadly calm. “I think that’s a little rich, don’t you?”
I sighed. “Okay, so investigating without backup probably wasn’t my brightest idea.”
“You think?” he said.
Pretty sure he was being sarcastic. I ignored it.
“But I’m fine. I really am. The doctor says I’m fine.”
“According to Cheryl, the doctor wanted you in overnight.”
“He was being overly cautious. I can’t stay in the hospital. I’ve got stuff to do.”
“Snooping, you mean.”
“That. And writing.” Not that I’d written anything in days.
He sighed. “I’ve got an appearance on the news tonight, but then I can be down there by ten.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re leaving for Phoenix in a few days. You do not need to babysit me.”
“You sure about that?” he said dryly.
The barista called my name. Or rather, she called out “Ebola,” which was probably not the brightest thing to do in a hospital.
“I’ve got to go, Lucas. I appreciate you worrying about me, but I’m fine. Honest.”
He grumbled a bit, but I’d convinced him. More or less. It was awfully sweet of him to worry, but I needed to focus on finding the killer. And getting rid of this headache.
I snagged my coffee from the counter and sat down at a table with a good view of the front door. Sure enough, my first sip told me there wasn’t a spot of caramel or any other syrup in the thing. Rather than get into it with the barista, I dumped in a crapload of sugar and called it good. Then I rooted around in my bag for painkillers. There were still two pills left in the bottle, thank goodness. I made a mental note to restock as soon as possible. I was going to need them. Apparently, crime solving involved a lot of bodily damage.
The minute Cheryl entered, I waved her down. She stomped toward me with a worried frown on her face.
“What are you doing down here? I thought I told you not to move.”
“Clearly I have a listening problem. Let’s go.” I all but dragged her from the hospital, still a little worried I’d be spotted and hauled back to bed.
“Are you sure you should be out of bed?” Cheryl asked as she put her car in gear and headed for the marina. She drove a rather boring import that was half a dozen years old. I kept telling her she should get a newer car, but she ignored me. “You don’t look so good.”
“Gee, thanks for your glowing report.” To be honest, I didn’t feel so good, but she didn’t need to know that. “Seriously, Viola, you look a little peaky.”
I raised an eyebrow which set my head to throbbing again. “Peaky?”
“It means—.”
“I know what it means,” I interrupted. “I just didn’t expect to be insulted after narrowly escaping a plot to murder me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
What was with people telling me I was dramatic lately? “Somebody bashed me over the head and stole The Louse’s secret journal detailing his nefarious shenanigans. If you don’t call that attempted murder, I don’t know what you call it.”
“I rest my case,” she said.
I gritted my teeth, but that made
