Free Hideaway Hospital Murders by Robert Burton Robinson Page B

absence. So we’ll have to see
some new doctor.”
    “ Wonder why Elmo’s taking a
leave?”
    “ Hope it’s not AIDS,” said
the sister.
    That statement jolted Greg from his magazine
article. And he noticed that the nurse standing in the Nurses
Station perked up too.
    “ What? Why would you think
that?” said the wife.
    “ Well, he’s in his 50s and
he’s never been married…”
    “ But I heard he was getting
married,” said the wife.
    “ He backed out.”
    “ No. Really?”
    Greg butted in. “Actually,
he postponed the wedding.”
    “ Yeah. Indefinitely , I’ll bet,” said
the sister.
    The wife looked at Greg. “Do you know why he
postponed it?”
    “ He just found out that his
mother has Alzheimer’s disease.”
    “ That awful,” said the
wife. “My aunt had that. And there wasn’t anything the doctor could
do for her. All we could do was watch her go downhill until she
finally died. She suffered with it for years.”
    Greg noticed that the nurse seemed to be
straining to hear the conversation. But when she saw Greg looking
at her, she quickly went back to work at the computer. He got up
and walked over to her. Her name badge identified her as Mary
Magdely.
    Greg spoke to her in a confidential manner
that could not be heard by the wife and sister. “Do you know the
Mobleys, Mrs. Magdely?”
    She didn’t look up from the computer.
“Uh…yes. Sort of.”
    “ Well, I just want to
apologize. I don’t usually participate in gossip. But I had to
speak up and set the record straight.”
    Greg figured her to be about 60. She was
attractive, and looked very professional.
    “ I understand. Don’t worry
about it.”
    She had kind eyes, and a caring face. Just
what you’d want from a nurse, thought Greg. But there was something
else in her facial expression.
    Something she wasn’t saying.

    Chapter 13

    “ Our clever deception is
working like a charm,” said Mallie Mae.
    “ I can’t believe he fell
for it. You’re such a good actor—it’s scary,” said Macy.
    “ I do what I have to
do.”
    “ But they’ve only postponed the
wedding. They didn’t cancel it.”
    “ Give it time, my
dear.”
    “ When I went down for a
glass of milk last night, Elmo was still in his study. It was after
midnight.”
    “ That’s good. The more time
he spends on the computer, the less time he spends with her .”
    “ Well, I just feel sorry
for him. He’s doing all that work to help you because he thinks
you’re sick.”
    “ Don’t feel sorry for him.
He brought this on himself. He should have had the good sense to
steer clear of that money grubber.”
    They both heard the car driving alongside
the house. Somebody was leaving. Macy rushed to the window.
    “ It’s Carsie. Looks like
she’s alone.”
    “ Good. Now we just need to
lose the sister.”
    “ Oh, I’m sure she’s coming
back,” said Macy.
    “ Not
necessarily…”
    “ I’ll find out what’s going
on.”
    Macy went down to the kitchen and poured
coffee into one of Elmo’s favorite cups. Then she put a few of
Hadley’s chewy chocolate chip cookies on a plate. They were still
warm.
    She peeked into the study. “How about a
little snack.”
    Without looking away from the monitor, Elmo
said, “Not right now, Macy. I’m very busy.” Then he caught a whiff
of the coffee and the freshly baked Hadley’s. He smiled at her. “On
second thought, sure, that would be great.”
    Elmo took a big bite of a cookie. “Mmm.
Nobody makes them like Hadley.” He washed it down with a sip of
coffee.
    “ Yeah, they’re
irresistible,” said Macy. “By the way, uh, I just saw Carsie
leaving in her car.”
    “ She’s going to Jefferson.
Gonna spend a few days with her grandmother.”
    “ Oh.”
    “ It’ll be good for her. I
just can’t spend any time with her right now, and I know she’s
feeling neglected.”
    “ I see. Any idea how long
she’s staying?”
    “ Not really. Probably a
week or two. Why?”
    “ Just wondering. Well, if
you