“Wow. I didn’t realize it. Sorry, guys. Now let’s talk about something totally unrelated to bikers, Goldie, or Ryan.”
They laughed and talked well into the night, and when Hailey came home, she was in a better mood than she had been all week. After unlocking the four locks Goldie had installed on her front door several weeks before, she turned to lock her screen door when she saw the outline of a man standing across the street, his white shirt having caught her eye in the darkness. It seemed like he was looking at her. Slamming the door, she quickly locked it, then went around the house closing the curtains. Goldie and his buddies had secured all her windows and made her basement into Fort Knox, so she felt relatively safe in her home. But the mere fact that a stranger had been watching her made her legs buckle.
Stumbling to the couch, she sank down and called the police. She told them about the man, then about the man she’d seen a few weeks before coming out of the bushes. The deputy assured her it was probably nothing, that all the women living alone had been jumpy since news broke about the series of rapes in town. He promised he’d send over a patrol car to canvass her neighborhood.
For a long time, Hailey stayed on the couch, staring ahead of her at nothingness.Was the guy the same one who’d been watching me that night I was spooked? The one tonight looked like he was the same height, but I can’t be sure.Over and over her thoughts turned topsy-turvy in her head until she wanted to scream. With a tissue, she dabbed her damp hairline, then stood up. All she wanted to do was forget everything unpleasant.
After she switched off the lamps, she went over to the picture window and peeked out into the blackness. A police car cruised slowly by, then disappeared around the corner. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Exhausted to the core, her legs like lead, she slowly climbed the stairs, wishing she were already tucked under the cool sheets.
***
Vases full offlowers, Mylar balloons, and a volume of “get well” cards taped haphazardly on the wall facing the metal bed distracted Hailey while she waited for her aunt to return from physical therapy. A soft knock on the door made her heart leap in anticipation as she jerked her head toward it. Kevin stood there with a tray in his hands.
“It’s dinnertime,” he said as he came into the room and set the tray on the swivel table. “Where’s that pretty aunt of yours?”
The guy’s so weird.“At physical therapy. She loves burgers, so I was going to get some for her and me.”
Kevin frowned. “You didn’t tell the kitchen. You’re supposed to tell the kitchen so they don’t make a tray for her. It’s been that way since Patty has been here. You should know this.”
What the hell’s the big deal?“I do know the rule but I forgot. Sorry.”
For several seconds, he glared at her, and then he went over and picked up the tray. “You’re so flippant about it. None of you know what goes into caring for your loved one.”
“Here we go,” Nadine said as she walked into the room with Patty. She smiled at Hailey. “Your aunt did very well today. She keeps getting stronger all the time.”
“That’s good.” Hailey went over and gave Patty a quick hug, then helped her into a cushy chair. Kevin still hung by the door with the tray in his hands. “That’s all we need, Kevin. Thanks.” He smiled at Patty and glowered at Hailey, then left the room with Nadine on his heels. “That guy’s a creep,” Hailey said as she turned her attention back on her aunt.
“He is strange. Did he bring me a tray? I always build up an appetite after physical therapy.”
“I’m going to get us some burgers. I just wanted to wait for you to get back so they didn’t get cold. I saw the sheriff’s car here when I came in. It’s like the third time I’ve seen the cops here in the last couple of weeks. What’s up with that?”
“I’m not sure. No one around here is talking, but there’s been a flurry of activity the last few days. I think it has something to do with how many patients have died in a relatively short period of time.”
“Do they think something’s suspicious with the deaths?”
Patty shrugged. “Who knows, but it seems kind of suspicious to me that there’ve been so many deaths. I mean, Albert died last week, and he told me he was feeling so much better and looking forward to going home. He didn’t look like a dying man.”
“How old was he?”
“Eighty-three. I know that’s old, but the point I’m making is that he was feeling better. I even heard Dr. Rudman tell him that when I was taking one of my night strolls down the hall. And if Dr. Rudman says anything positive, you have to take him up on his word. Then Albert died the next night.” Patty pulled her cardigan tighter around her. “It gives me the chills thinking about how he died just like that.” She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.
“That does seem odd, but he was older. The cops must be looking into something. I’ll go get our dinner. Be back in a flash.”
After they’d eaten their dinner and watched a bit of TV, Hailey said goodbye to her aunt and walked down the hallway. She stopped at Mrs. Humphries’s doorway and saw her form on the bed, a blue blanket covering her.
“Looking for Goldie?” Shelly asked her from behind.
Hailey spun around. “No. I was just looking in on Mrs. Humphries. How’s she doing?”
“I can’t discuss her health with you. You’re not family. Goldie was here for a little over two hours. He just left fifteen minutes ago.” Shelly smirked.
Hailey knew the nurse was enjoying the fact that Goldie never went down to her aunt’s room to see her. Holding her head high, she said, “I’m glad he’s able to come often to visit his grandmother. I have to go.” She walked out to the parking lot, the realization that Goldie didn’t even walk the fifteen yards down the hall to see her crushing her heart.
He had to have seen my car. He knew I was visiting Aunt Patty. Just face it. He doesn’t want anything to do with you. He’s probably already hooked up with a woman. I hate him!But she didn’t; she couldn’t. Garth had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, and she couldn’t just turn off any feelings she had for him as easily as he apparently could with her.
Texting everyone she knew, she sighed in frustration: no one could hang that night. Gripping the steering wheel, she drove back to the flower shop. There was no way she could go home and spend the night in that big house, all alone and obsessing over him. Elated that there was a space right in front of the shop, she pulled in and took out the keys before she left the car.
Magenta and amethyst streaks painted the sky as the first twinkle of lights appeared in the eastern sky. The scent of sweet honeysuckle drifted in the air, and in the distance, she heard the lone wail of a train’s whistle. She breathed in deeply the sweetness of a summer night, wishing she were wrapped in Goldie’s arms, watching the sunset from Dolores Canyon. That was where the boys and girls used to make out when they were in the early stages of romance. She wondered if it was still the go-to place for teenagers.
