AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jeannie Moffitt laughed.
“What was that? I don’t understand that,” Mother Moffitt said.
“A little joke, Grandma,” Matt said.
The nurse stuck her head through the door again.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave now,” she said.
“I just got here,” Mother Moffitt said indignantly.
“Doctor’s orders,” the nurse said, and walked to the side of Matt’s bed. “Mr. Payne needs rest.”
“Officer Payne, thank you,” Mother Moffitt said.
“Do you need anything, Matty?” Jeannie asked.
“Not a thing, thank you.”
“I’ll come back, of course, if Jeannie can find the time to bring me,” Mother Moffitt said.
“Of course, I will. You know that.”
“It’s a terrible thing when the only time I get to see him is in a hospital bed with a bullet in him,” Mother Moffitt said.
She bent and kissed his cheek and marched out of the room. The nurse went to the door and turned and smiled.
“Dr. Payne said to tell you, you owe her one,” she said.
“Thank both of you,” Matt said.
“There’s some other people out here to see you. You feel up to it?”
“Who?”
“A Highway Patrolman, some kind of a big-shot cop named Coughlin, and a man from the district attorney’s office. And his wife.”
“The district attorney?”
“I think he said assistant. And his wife. I can run them off.”
“No. I’m all right. Isn’t this thing supposed to hurt?”
“It will. When it starts to hurt, ring for a nurse.”
“I’m also hungry. Can I get something to eat?”
“I can probably arrange for something,” she said. “So you want to see them?”
“Please.”
Chief Inspector Dennis V. Coughlin, Officer Charles McFadden, and Assistant District Attorney and Mrs. Farnsworth Stillwell filed into the room.
“Hey, Charley,” Matt said. “Uncle Denny.”
“I’m Farnsworth Stillwell, Officer Payne,” the assistant district attorney said, walking up to the bed with his hand extended, “and this is Mrs. Stillwell.”
“How do you do?” Matt said politely. He
