“Sit down and have a cup of tea with us, Ma,” Paul said.
She poured tea into her cup and took a seat, smiled widely at Harry. “So I’ve got this awful pain in my neck for the last two months. What do you think it is?”
Harry reached over and touched her neck. “Is it here?”
“Nope. It’s sitting in that chair right next to you. The man’s become impossible since he went on disability.”
“Can I help it if I got bashed with a container?” Ike glared at Dorothy. “Your picking on me isn’t funny. Don’t you think I wanna go back to work?”
“Leave him alone, Ma,” Paul said.
They all quietly sipped their tea for a few moments.
“So, how’s our little nursie doing?” Ike said, letting one wrist drop.
“You’re pathetic, Pop,” Harry said. “I’m a fully licensed registered nurse. And a damn good one. You should be proud of me instead of giving me all this girlie-girlie shit. Do I have to carry things on my back before you think I’m a man?”
Ike just smiled.
“Where’s the little Catholic girl?” Mrs. Lucke said. “The one you were supposed to marry?”
“Yeah, I wanna hear what he has to say about that, too,” Paul said.
Harry refused to answer. He scratched a fingernail on the wooden table, mainly to irritate his mother.
She reached out and pinned his finger.
The chair screeched as Harry stood. “She’s not Catholic anymore – and who gives a damn if she is or isn’t?” He leaned over the table and glared at his mother and father. “And you wonder why I don’t come around more often?” He turned and headed for the door, Paul right behind him.
Their mother yelled at their backs:
“The way you boys get rid of your women, we’re never going to have any grandchildren!”
₪ CHAPTER 22
Lexie Alexandros was sitting in the Advice Center when Gina arrived for work Monday morning. Tina looked smug and Chelsea was buried in paperwork at Shelly’s desk.
Still no sign of the missing nurse. Now even her personal belongings were gone, taken away from the room.
Like she never existed.
“Right on time,” the manager said.
“Aren’t I always?”
Alexandros stood and motioned for Gina to follow her. When they were out of earshot, she said, “Alan Vasquez wants to see you at ten in Administration.”
“What could he possibly want?”
“You tell me,” Alexandros said.
“I haven’t done anything.”
“So you have no idea why he’d want to see you?”
“Not a clue,” Gina said
The manager was jumpy, tugged at the usual loose strand of hair as she talked. “You haven’t been going around scaring people with more talk about those calls, have you?”
“Lexie, we both know you have no faith in me or believe anything I say about this whole business. But at least treat me like a professional. I do know how to talk or not talk to people.”
The manager’s face flushed. “Haven’t I always been fair with you, Gina?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “But scaring staff–”
“And just whom have I frightened?”
“Tina, for one.”
”You’ve got to be kidding. Tina complained about me scaring her?”
“She didn’t use that particular word, but she asked for a transfer. You seem to be the reason.”
Gina’s hands waved around in the air as she talked. “I can’t believe it. She wants out because of me? Did it occur to you that maybe Shelly’s disappearance is what has her all upset?”
“The thought crossed my mind. But that’s not what she said.”
“That woman thrives on bushwhacking people. Didn’t even have the stones to talk to me before running like some little kid to mommy.” Gina hugged herself in frustration. “Would you tell that poor frightened thing that even the police don’t believe me? Maybe that’ll be enough to calm her fractured nerves.”
Alexandros’ piercing eyes made Gina uncomfortable as though she had broken some golden rule of behavior that she wasn’t privy to.
“Anyway, the administrator will see you around ten. Do you want me to go with you?”
“Thanks, mom, but I’m a big girl. I can handle this all by myself. It’s not like I haven’t confronted the great Alan Vasquez before.” Her stomach was doing flip-flops, but she’d be damned if she’d let anyone else know that.
Hell, they need me more than I need them. If I have to get another job, no problem.
The manager placed a hand softly on her shoulder. “If you want to talk, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, Ms. Alexandros, but I need to stand on my own two feet. And it’s important for you to know that I’m not taking any crap from him, or anyone else in Ridgewood.”
The manager flipped the tortured strand of hair out of her eyes and moved in the direction of her office. “Call me. I’ll be here.”
When Gina returned to her desk, she said nothing to Tina, who averted her eyes.
Maybe I’ll be the one to go first, you sneaky little bitch. Try anticipating that!
* * *
When one of the inside lines rang at two minutes after ten, Gina was certain it was the call. She’d searched her mind since Lexie had told her about the pending meeting, but for the life of her she couldn’t think of a single reason why the administrator would want to see her.
“Ms. Mazzio, this is Brianna in Administration. Mr. Vasquez is ready to see you.”
Gina left the clinic building and used her favorite short cuts to crisscross through several of the Ridgewood departments. Her inner antennae tuned in to the pace of the hospital unit nurses as they rushed around performing their duties. The vibrations were exciting, much different from the Clinic.
She couldn’t help thinking about Oncology and how she missed working with her friend Helen. She also missed the nurse-patient relationships she’d enjoyed on that unit, and a sense that every procedure, every single moment was vital.
While the elevator made its slow rise to the Administration floor, Gina tried to compose her thoughts:
Why don’t I just leave? I wouldn’t need to deal with that bastard Vasquez. Just stop the elevator. Press the down button and walk out the door. Never look back.
“Not on your life,” she muttered. Unfinished business was part of her past, not her future.
Brianna’s desk was the first thing she saw when she stepped out onto the eighth floor. On one polished corner was a large bouquet of pink roses in an elegant cut-crystal vase. The flowers looked so fresh and beautiful it made Gina believe that summer really would return to the Bay Area. Brianna nodded as she read Gina’s security tag.
“Let me take you into Mr. Vasquez’s office,” she said, moving toward an intricately carved oak door. She knocked, and without waiting for a response, ushered Gina inside.
When the door closed, Alan Vasquez stood and offered Gina a seat. He did not sit until she was in her chair.
“How are you today, Ms. Mazzio?”
She kept her gaze steady, taking in both him and the exacting cut of his very expensive suit. “I’m holding my own, thank you.”
Vasquez steepled his fingers under his chin as he leaned back into his chair.
Gina was totally stymied. The man across from her bore no resemblance to the miserable person who had hounded her in the past. This man was ill at ease, almost humble.
“I have a problem, Ms. Mazzio. I’m hoping you can be of assistance.”
What?
She’d been prepared for anything but that. She straightened in her chair. “If I can.”
Vasquez turned away for a moment and stood to view the incredible cityscape from the expanse of his windows. Even though Gina was distracted, she couldn’t help but notice how beautiful San Francisco was across the bay, even in the pouring rain.
As he turned to face her, his body language broadcast its own stor
y: head slightly bent forward, shoulders drooping, fingers slowly flexing, eyes avoiding her. He remained silent until he slipped back into his chair.
“I’m a bachelor, Ms. Mazzio.” He finally looked at her, seemed to be searching for the right words. “I’m not necessarily sorry about that … I’m married to my job and that’s good enough for me.”
“Does your being a bachelor have something to do with my job, or me personally?”
“No, no. Not at all. But this meeting, the situation at hand, is very difficult for me.” He looked quickly at the ceiling, then directly at her. “Our relationship … yours and mine … has been rather contentious in the past.”
“To say the least.”
“Yes, yes. And for that reason I want you to understand why I need to ask a special favor of you.”
If he asks me for a date I’ll scream.
“I have very little family left,” Vasquez continued. “There’s only my sister, her husband, and two nieces, Lupe and Arina. That’s it. That’s all the family I have.”
“I see,” Gina said, although she didn’t.
A flash of anger crossed his face. “No, you don’t see!” He held up a hand before she could respond. “Excuse me. I didn’t mean to be harsh. I’m very, very stressed at the moment.”
“Just tell me what you need from me,” Gina said.
“I need your help.”
“How I could possibly help you, Mr. Vasquez?”
He leaned forward, rested his chin on his hands. “My niece, Arina, is missing.”
“Arina?”
“Yes, Arina Diaz.”
“Arina Diaz is your niece?”
Vasquez raised bleak eyes to stare back at her. “Yes.”
“My God! We were just talking in the cafeteria a few days ago. I had no idea she was related to you. I mean, she certainly never said anything about it.”
“My sister talked me into secretly placing her in the hospital so I could keep an eye on her. I tried to tell her Arina was a grown woman, that we shouldn’t try to direct her life. But my sister and brother-in-law insisted. I eventually agreed, provided none of us ever mentioned the fact to anyone within Ridgewood.”
“Wise move,” Gina said softly. “If people knew, it could have made things difficult for her.”
“Exactly.” After a long moment, he took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “She was supposed to attend a family dinner at my sister’s house on Sunday. She neither showed up nor called to explain her absence. My sister hasn’t been able to reach her by telephone, and there’s no one at home at her apartment.”
“Maybe she went out of town with Jorge, her boyfriend, for the weekend.”
“I suggested that, but my sister didn’t believe it. She said Arina would never do anything like that without first telling her. I wasn’t convinced. But when my niece didn’t show up for her regular shift this morning, I had to agree something was wrong.”
He looked directly at Gina. “Now she’s gone, disappeared.”
“Do you think she might have run away?”
“There was no hint of anything bothering her.” His thoughts seemed to drift for a moment. “She did mention that work was tiring, but there was a sparkle in her eyes. I could tell she was happy.”
“Has anyone talked to Jorge?”
“My sister called him. He has no idea where she could be. He hadn’t seen her for several days.”
“Have you noticed any changes in her lately?"
“Not really. Well, since graduation from nursing school and going to work for Ridgewood, she may have become a little less communicative, doesn’t seem to share everything that’s going on in her life. But she’s still devoted to her parents, and very close to her sister. ”
Butterflies fluttered in Gina’s stomach; the fear that had been with her since that first phone call returned with a jolt. Was Arina one of the caller’s victims?
“Have you gone to the police?” she said, thinking of her own useless experiences.
“Of course. Her parents did that Sunday evening. We aren’t stupid.” He became the Administrator Gina knew from the past: superior, disdainful, and dismissive. But it was an ember, not a fire. His eyes moistened, looked sad. “The idea of her running away makes no sense whatsoever.”
“I still don’t understand why you sent for me. What is it you think I can do?”
“Truthfully, I’m not sure. I’ve talked to her manager in Labor and Delivery, and the Director of Nursing. All they could tell me is that she has good nursing skills and an exemplary work record. But no one seems to know anything about her personal life.”
“The other nurses in her department?”
“Yes, well, I’m not at my best when dealing with the nursing staff.”
Gina wanted to shout Amen! But she remained silent and waited for Vasquez to continue.
“My thought was that because of your union leadership, you have a good rapport with the other nurses. I would appreciate it if you would talk to the Labor and Delivery staff, see if Arina might have said something, anything, to provide some clue as to what’s happened to her.”
Gina’s first instinct was to say, yes, that she would do what she could. But before she could open her mouth, her anger resurfaced.
“What about Shelly Wilton? She’s missing, too.”
Vasquez was obviously caught off-guard.
“Uh, yes, well, Ms. Alexandros did inform me about your concerns for Nurse Wilton … and the disturbing telephone calls you had here and at home.”
“And?”
“Please forgive me Ms. Mazzio. Initially, I let our past difficulties interfere with my better judgment. I shouldn’t have.”
“I know. Once a trouble-maker, always a trouble-maker.”
It was a moment before he answered. “You did this hospital a great service last year, Ms. Mazzio, by uncovering the perpetrators of the bone marrow scheme. And you probably saved many evolving services that would have been dropped without enlarging our RN staff. The number of new nurses who have joined Ridgewood as a result of the new contract and benefits is more than impressive. And for that I’m grateful. Perhaps you deserved greater recognition, better treatment. Please forgive me.”
Gina’s anger was defusing. “I can appreciate what you’re going through with respect to Arina,” she said softly. “But I think you need to know that the police have shown very little interest in Shelly Wilton’s disappearance. People seem to think she’s a foot-loose, fancy-free kind of woman. What that has to do with anything is beyond me.” Gina hesitated, then added, “I’m sure that isn’t the situation with Arina, but–”
“But what?”
“Perhaps if you reminded the police that a couple of Ridgewood nurses are missing, maybe they would pay more attention.”
“Do you really think it would make a difference?”
“Who did your sister talk to at the police station?”
“I don’t know. Whoever it was said they couldn’t do anything until Arina had been missing at least 48 hours. Or that there was evidence of a crime having been committed.”
“I’d suggest that you call a Detective Pepper Yee. Make a big deal out of your being the administrator here, and that you’re very concerned because two Ridgewood nurses are missing. Arina and Shelly Wilton.”
“And why call this particular detective?”
“Because she’s the one I spoke to about the man who called advice in the first place and scared the daylights out of me. She’s also investigating Shelley’s disappearance.”
“I’ll call immediately,” Vasquez said.
Gina stood. “I’m really sorry about Arina. I hope she shows up soon, I hope Shelly shows up soon, also.”
Vasquez came around his desk and walked with her to the door. “I would appreciate it if you could avoid revealing the relationship between Arina and me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you. I really do value your willingness to help.”
He reached
out to shake her hand. “I needed to talk to someone I thought would be one hundred percent straight with me, someone I knew would do the right thing, no matter what the consequences. Despite our past differences, I felt you were that person.”
“Mr. Vasquez, I promise that if I hear anything at all, I will tell you immediately.” Gina slipped her hand from his grip. “I hope Arina is all right. She’s a very nice person.”
The administrator opened the door. “Thank you for coming, Ms. Mazzio. I hope we hear from my niece, and Shelly Wilton, very soon.”
₪ CHAPTER 23
Pepper Yee was mesmerized by the fuzzy, patterned socks on her feet, which were propped up on the end of her desk.
If the captain came in, he would stare her down until she planted her scuffed half boots back on the floor. But he wasn’t there and with her charcoal gray slacks hiked up, her fuzzy socks were exposed to the world. She’d taken a lot of heat from her cohorts about the butterfly design crawling through the weave, but how anyone could see something sexual in insects crawling on your socks was beyond her. Leave it to a bunch of men – they could create some kind of sexual buzz about a half-croaked cricket on a stick, or a flattened frog on a tree stump.
It was almost noon and she was starving.
She zeroed in on a couple other detectives at the far end of the bullpen. They were arguing a case.
“Shoulda gone in, warrant or not.”
“You’re getting crazier by the year. Gonna find me a new partner. We ain’t…”
Their voices trailed off. At first she’d listened carefully, pretending disinterest. But soon her mind drifted away and the men were only an irritating noise in the background.
Point of fact: they were talking about some ordinary, everyday break-in that shouldn’t hold anyone’s attention for very long.
She rubbed hard at her neck. The muscles were bunched and sore, making the prospect of tackling the pile of paperwork in front of her that much more grueling. She groaned and wiggled her toes.
Papers and notes of different colors and sizes were smeared across her desk like cheap props for a sixth-grade school play: Here sits the busy, dedicated detective, who’s very productive and always on top of everything.
Sin & Bone: A Medical Thriller (The Gina Mazzio Series Book 2) Page 13