Free Disrobed for Death by Sylvia Rochester Page A

anything this time, like she did on the highway with A. K., but she had to admit the fantasizing made her worry. What if she had not disrupted her train of thought? Would she have had another glimpse of the future? She sure hoped not.
    And if her fall did result in psychic ability, would she only foresee something bad? Why not lottery numbers or football scores? That would be nice.
    Nah, she couldn’t cash in on that. Cheating was not in her nature. She wondered if there was a doctor who could treat such a condition, undo what was done. While some might consider her ability a gift, she didn’t. More than anything, she wanted her normal life back.
    That night, she ate leftovers, watched a movie, and tried not to dwell on what she would say to Jack tomorrow. As she used to say, she’d just wing it. At ten o’clock, she woke to find that Avatar had ended, and the DVD was cycling on a segment of the soundtrack. She turned off the receiver and moved from the sofa to her bed, where she had no problem getting back to sleep.
     

Chapter 7
    The sunrise woke Susan before the alarm clock. She climbed out of bed refreshed and ready to face the doctor. After showering, she slipped into a magenta sheath dress and put on a pair of onyx and gold earrings. Not wanting to overdress, she left the matching necklace in the jewelry box and chose a pair of plain back pumps. Since the weather decided to play like winter again, she brought along a fingertip, black coat.
    Before she could get out of the apartment, A. K. called. “How are you feeling?”
    “Great, ready to get this appointment behind me.”
    “Don’t be too disappointed if you don’t get anywhere with him. At least you would have tried.”
    “I’m leaving in a few minutes. I’ll see you as soon as I can. I’m so ready to get back into a routine. Regardless of what happens with Jack, at least Wesley’s onboard. That’s a real plus. Oh, and by the way, Edward was quite taken with you. He said he was going to stop by the boutique and see you. Did he?”
    “I was surprised, but glad to see him. He’s quite a charmer.”
    “Did y’all make any plans to get together?”
    “You know he’s in Lafayette, but he said he’s taking some vacation time next month and asked if I’d be interested in going out with him. Don’t know if he mentioned anything to you, but I think he plans on crashing at your place.”
    “That’s fine with me. Did you say you’d take him up on his offer?”
    “What do you think? I’m not in the habit of turning down good looking guys.”
    “Well, a month is a long ways away. Lots can happen between now and then. But keep me posted. Whatever you two do, it should be adventurous.” Susan laughed. “Phooey, I’m letting the time get away from me. I don’t want to be late. We’ll talk more when I get to the boutique.”
    The drive into Hammond didn’t take long, and Jack’s office was easy to find. The red brick building with white shudders was located behind the hospital and on a street lined with doctors’ offices. Susan parked and walked past a bed of pansies on her way to the entrance. Inside, tall ceilings and lots of glass allowed the sun to brighten and warm the place. A receptionist sat behind a desk to the right. Behind her on the wall were the names of two other doctors.
    “I’m Susan Griffin. I have an appointment with Doctor Evans.”
    “Is this your first visit?”
    Susan nodded.
    “I’ll need to copy your insurance card, and you’ll have to complete this form.”
    When Susan finished filling in the information, the receptionist removed the paper and handed it back, along with her insurance card. “Please give the form to the nurse when you’re called.”
    There were several patients in the waiting room. One in particular caught her attention, a young man, perhaps in his late teens. He had a full head of hair, so she guessed his surgery was long behind him. Whatever his injury, it had affected the right side of his