For a moment Carmel froze watching the police. But they paid no attention to Ryan’s shouts, thank goodness. She breathed a sigh of relief when the other policemen frog-marched Ryan out of the room.
Carmel could hear Ryan’s shouts as he was led down the hall. The stupid fool had taken everything too far; he was too greedy. If he’d listened to her he could have continued on. Her hand clutched her throat willing her heart to slow.
She was hardly aware that Amanda had stepped into the room but when the young woman hurried over to where Carmel sat, she looked up at her.
“Are you okay, Carmel? What the hell just happened?”
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a few seconds before she answered, “Ryan. I can’t believe that he would do this. I’ve known him a long time but I’d noticed a change in him.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Amanda looked at the door and back to Carmel. “Why is Dr. Stone being arrested?”
She shook her head from side to side, “I never suspected that he would assault a child.”
“What?”
Carmel shook her head sadly. “From what they just said, Dr. Stone’s a child molester! What a terrible thing! That poor boy.”
Amanda’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t understand. He wanted you to go with him? He said he had found a different nursing home? Why would he try to get you to go with him? And all the while he’s got some kid in his apartment?”
She could see the beginnings of suspicion in Amanda’s face. The more distance she could put between Ryan Stone and herself the better. “Like I said...Ryan changed since taking the job here. When he visited with me lately he had it in his mind that I would leave him money in my will.” Her voice dropped and she managed to look sad, “Who knows what was in his head at the last? Rather than escorting me to another home, he might have been planning something sinister. Maybe he wanted my money to run off with this boy.”
When Amanda’s face registered shock she delivered the coup de grâce, “I always wondered why he never married. She actually managed to squeeze a few tears from her eyes. “I mean…he was always a little odd, I suppose, but…” she covered her face in her hands. “I had no idea!”
“Maybe we should postpone Kelly’s visit. All of this is so upsetting. I can’t believe that this happened.” Amanda took a seat next to Carmel and put her arm over her shoulder to comfort her.
Carmel let out a soft sigh. “No. That’s exactly what I need right now. Seeing your daughter will give me relief from this nightmare. She’s the innocence I need to connect with after Ryan’s…” She patted Amanda’s hand, “Please don’t cancel this visit. It means so much to me.”
THIRTY SEVEN
KELLY GOT INTO THE CAR when her father showed up in front of the school. She threw her knapsack into the foot well and sighed. What kind of a Halloween would this be when Neil had disappeared after seeing his mother?
“Ready for the big night?” Her dad looked over at her and the smile fell from his lips, “What’s wrong Kelly? You look like you lost your best friend.”
Her forehead knotted as she pulled the seatbelt over her hips and snapped it shut. “Neil bailed on me at lunch.” She sneaked a peak at her father before admitting the next part. He might be angry but so what? Everything was ruined anyway.
“We went to the Goodwill store at lunch to pick up some stuff for my costume but he decided to slip into his mom’s store to see her. He never came back to school.”
Her father shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe he went home with her. He wants to go out trick or treating with you tonight. He could have decided to get a jump on getting ready?”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t explain why he never answered his phone. I tried three times and it kept going to voicemail.” After a few beats she continued, “Why don’t we stop at his house to see if he’s there?”
“If that will put your mind at ease, sure. But once we know he’s fine then you’d better get a move on. I’d like you to have something decent to eat before you go out and rot your teeth with candy. And remember you promised to pop in to see your Mom for a visit.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right about Neil. His phone is probably dead. Knowing him, he forgot to charge it.” She sunk lower into the seat, “I just wish I hadn’t agreed to go to the nursing home. I mean, I’d like to see Mom but I don’t want to hang around with some old lady I don’t even know.”
“I’ll give you a lift. It’ll give me a chance to see your mother when she walks you out.”
Kelly looked over at her father. This was hard on him running her around and keeping everything going while her mother worked. But instead of complaining he looked happy for the chance to see her mother, even if it was brief.
When they were in front of Neil’s house, Kelly’s face tightened once more. “His mom’s car isn’t there. That’s weird.” She got out of the car and raced up the walkway to bang on his door. But the only answer was silence. After trying a couple more times she slumped walking back to the car. Where could he have gone? It had been his idea to go out for Halloween one last time but now he was a no show?
When she got in the car her father tried to cheer her up.
“He’d probably with his mother buying some last minute candies. He’ll call, don’t worry.”
But Kelly didn’t share his optimism. This was totally unlike Neil. He was always so dependable. Their last Halloween was going to be a total bust.
***
When Kelly walked into the kitchen, her father chuckled when he got a look at her. She’d taken liberties with her mother’s make-up rimming her eyes with dark kohl while a red bandanna topped her locks of black hair. She wore a blue dress that looked more like a nightgown but the tan suede vest and leather boots pulled it all together in a swashbuckling way. She’d even found a plastic sword that she’d secured with one of her father’s leather belts.
“Ahar! Mistress Kelly of the high seas. Avast and shiver me timbers.” Her father laughed and tugged on her bandanna till it was at a jaunty angle.
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile. She’d done a good job even if she did say so herself and all without her mother’s help! “Neil is Jack Sparrow. But he still hasn’t called me, Dad.” Shit! All this trouble for the best costume ever and the only stop might be with some old lady at a nursing home! How pathetic was that!
She pulled out her phone and let out a huff. He still hadn’t responded to her texts!
“Are you ready? It’s just about time to go see your Mom. She’s gonna be so surprised with what you’ve done.” Her father handed a heavy jute shopping bag to her. “We can’t forget your loot bag.”
She snatched it from his hand and did a theatrical roll of her eyes once more. “Let’s go and get this over with.” When she was in the car she dashed off a text to her mother that they were on their way.
The night was definitely off to a bad start.
THIRTY EIGHT
AMANDA HELPED CARMEL GET COMFORTABLE in the chair by the window, settling a blanket over her shoulders. The room had gotten chilly since that scene with Ryan Stone and the police bursting in to arrest him. For some strange reason Carmel wasn’t as bothered by that as she would have expected. She and Stone had been friends for years but she carried on as if nothing was wrong. He’d been the one she counted on to get placed in another home. What about that now?
She stood in front of Carmel and gently squeezed the old woman’s shoulder, “You’ll be examined by another doctor, Carmel. We’ll still work on getting you into another long term care facility. Maybe it will be easier with Stone gone. With all we now know about him, he may have never really tried all that hard to make that happen.”
“I can’t wait. The sooner I’m gone from this place the better.” The old woman shivered and then tugged the blanket higher onto her neck. She gazed over the room before turning back to Amanda. “Right now seems like the calm before the storm. All day long it’s been too quiet. I don’t li
ke it.”
Amanda couldn’t help agreeing with the old woman’s assessment. She felt nervous as a cat right before a thunderstorm struck. The air felt charged with some kind of weird electrical current. When her cell phone beeped with a text message she grabbed it from her purse. A quick glance at the screen showed the time as six twenty.
On my way. Be there in ten”
She looked over at Carmel. “Kelly’s on her way.” If she had it to do over, she would postpone this visit despite Carmel’s insistence. She didn’t want her daughter there, especially after the whole Stone incident. It still didn’t sit right despite Carmel’s attempt at describing how he’d changed recently.
Stone and Carmel had been close. If Carmel had this second sight gift why hadn’t she picked up on what was going on in Stone’s life—that he was some kind of predator? In fact…she turned to Carmel to ask just that.
Before she could, Carmel spoke. “I’m looking forward to meeting your daughter.” The old woman smiled and then her eyes flashed wider. “Oh dear. Where are my manners? We should have something here for her to drink. Maybe a glass of juice? Does she like juice? Or soda? Would you run and get whatever it is that you both like?”
Amanda glanced around the room. All day, there’d been no sign of anything out of the normal, no shadow people or anything creepy at all. It was so peaceful that it was hard to believe that Carmel had been attacked repeatedly by those things.
“I’ll get some juice from the pantry. But don’t feel you have to play hostess to Kelly. It’s just a quick visit. She’ll be anxious to get out trick or treating. Actually, I wouldn’t bother—”
“I insist! Please Amanda, indulge me on this. It’s been a hard day and now, night as well. We both need this normalcy right now. Maybe you should have milk. For the baby, you know.” Carmel’s voice wheedled while her face seemed kind of desperate.
“Okay, okay!” Shaking her head with a smile, Amanda headed for the door.
Like a chameleon, Carmel’s face brightened, “Bring the refreshments in so they’ll be here when she arrives.” She looked excited as a kid planning a birthday party.
“I’ll just be a minute.” Amanda’s forehead tightened as she left the room. The whole thing was weird. Carmel had put all thoughts of Stone and the shadow things completely out of her mind. Sure, some people were better at compartmentalizing than others but this was beyond odd. She’d be glad when Kelly was out of there and on her way home with Will.
The thought of her husband and their secret—the baby she carried—lightened her worries for a few moments as she got the milk, juice and some glasses from the small pantry near the nurses’ station.
She jumped when a hand rested on her shoulder, Turning, she saw that it was Courtney.
“That was something about Stone getting arrested! To think I actually flirted with that piece of shit! What a pervert! It’s all over Serenity what happened.”
“Yeah. Who would have guessed? I wonder if I’ll still be doing round the clock care with Carmel.” Amanda set the items on a tray. “Guess what? Kelly’s coming in to visit me and Carmel. Don’t make a fuss over her costume or you’ll embarrass her.”
Linda’s voice cut in from behind them. “Don’t you have residents to escort from the dining room, Courtney?”
Amanda’s eyes narrowed. Linda was there, glaring at Courtney, while ignoring Amanda entirely. She stood with her hands planted squarely on her generous hips.
Amanda bit back a sharp retort, as she watched the older nurse. For such a tank of a woman she could move silent as a ninja when she wanted.
But Linda wasn’t finished. It was probably the red flush in Courtney’s cheeks that made her more of a target for the big bully. “It isn’t very professional to stand around gossiping, although considering who you’re gossiping with, I’m not surprised.” She threw a sneer at Amanda, “Guess that’s the end of your private duty. You can go home anytime, you know.”
Amanda picked up the tray, brushing by Linda, “I’ll wait till someone with authority gives me that order. Till then, I’m staying.” She stopped and threw a pointed glance at Linda, “And Linda, keep away from my patient.”
She turned and walked stiffly down the hall. That old bitch! She was already acting like she’d got the supervisor job. But to make matters worse why did that evil old bag have to be working that night of all nights when her daughter was coming in.
Yeah, this visit would be short, not that Kelly would mind. There was no way she wanted her daughter anywhere near that old witch, Linda.
Amanda took a deep breath before pushing the door to Carmel’s room wide. Pausing at the entrance, her gaze flitted over the room, looking for anything unusual. “I got you an iced tea, Carmel.” Setting the tray down on the small bedside table she noticed Carmel get up to stare out the window.
“It’s already getting dark out. I can hardly make out the trees across the lawn there. Autumn is my favorite season.” Carmel’s voice was wistful.
When Amanda’s phone buzzed once more, her gut clenched into a tight knot. For a moment she paused. Why was she so nervous of Kelly coming in to see the old lady? Maybe seeing Dr. Stone get hauled away in handcuffs had affected her more than she thought. She shivered and once more her gaze did a once over about the room before murmuring, “I think Kelly is here, Carmel.”
A quick glance at the small screen confirmed it.
I’m in the waiting room, Mom
“I’ll go let her in. I won’t be long, Carmel.” She put her phone back into her bag and started across the room.
Behind her Carmel’s voice sounded cheerful. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her words did little to reassure Amanda. It was tempting to heed Linda’s suggestion, that she could leave anytime. She could leave with Kelly and go home to safety, enjoying an evening with her husband shelling out candy.
As she walked up the hallway she saw Linda in the meds room, preparing for the evening round. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen many times before but for some reason she took in every detail, from the soft thud of a bottle being placed back into a cabinet to the small white paper cups containing a few pills lined up next to the resident roster. It was surreal, and for a moment she wondered if she’d ever see it again.
She gave her head a small shake as she opened the door to go down the hallway to the waiting room. What was wrong with her? She was being entirely too sensitive, almost melancholy in her outlook. Kelly would be in and out of the ward in about ten minutes flat. It wasn’t a big deal.
When she saw Kelly through the window of the visitor’s waiting room her mood lightened. Her daughter had done a wonderful job in putting a Halloween costume together. From the bandana to the pair of leather boots, Kelly had nailed the pirate queen image. She opened the door and her hands flew to her mouth suppressing the chuckle as she took in all the details.
“What do you think? I borrowed your winter boots and your eyeliner.” Kelly’s grin was almost ear to ear as she pirouetted for her mother.
“Wow! You did an awesome job. Where’d you get the dress?” Amanda held the door open gesturing for Kelly to follow.
“Goodwill. Which reminds me. I don’t know where Neil is. He took off at lunch and he’s not answering his phone. “The smile dropped from Kelly’s face as she stepped quickly beside her mother.
“What? That’s weird. But you know he’s terrible at keeping his phone charged. That has to be it.” Amanda looked over at her daughter as they entered the ward. “He’ll turn up. He wouldn’t want to miss this, I’m sure.”
Linda stuck her head out of the meds room and peered at Amanda and Kelly. Ignoring her, Amanda put her hand around Kelly as they headed to the opposite side of the building, back to Carmel’s room. She had to maneuver quickly when Mike Drogan popped out of Jane’s room, almost barging into them.
“Sorry.” She mumbled as she pulled Kelly by him.
“Nice bumping into you,” Mike quipped. He tilted his head
at Jane’s door. “I’m on a mission for a can of Diet Coke for Jane.” He looked Kelly up and down. “You celebrate Halloween here? That’s a new one on me.”
She paused for a beat and turning slightly to face him, she answered as much for his benefit as Linda’s, “No. Carmel wanted to see my daughter in her Halloween costume so she’s here for a short visit.”
“Mom. Can we—”
“Yes! Let’s get this over with.”
“Get this over with?” Kelly cocked an eyebrow. “You’re the one who asked me to come!” She shook her head smiling.
Amanda realized the slip and tried to recover, “I mean, you’re anxious to go out trick or treating and your dad’s waiting in the car. This won’t take long, hon.” Amanda picked up the pace moving her daughter along beside her. All the while her gut twisted into a tighter knot.
If only she hadn’t agreed to this. Even Jane’s brother looked surprised that she was dragging her daughter in to see an old lady on what had to be a pretty exciting night for a kid, especially her last time going out trick or treating. She’d cut this visit even shorter than what she’d thought earlier.
She entered the room and tugged her sweater tighter around her body rubbing her arms as she waited for Kelly to follow. The room was even colder than it had been five minutes ago. And it was dimly lit. Carmel must have turned the overhead lights off. Only the bedside lamp cast a faint beam illuminating Carmel in the chair next to the window. She’d even dragged the table and chairs across the room so that Kelly and she would sit across from her.
“Come in Kelly. This is Carmel Turner.” She made a move to the light switch to turn it on but Carmel’s voice stopped her.
“No, Amanda. Leave the light off. I thought this would add to the ambiance, given that it’s Halloween. Come in Kelly. Your mother has told me so much about you.”
Graveyard Shift Page 16