Murders on the Edge

by Andie Alexander

  “At least you’re awake. I didn’t know you were allergic to bee stings. That’s not good, because if you were stung by a wasp or a scorpion, we’d be making regular trips to the hospital for treatment. When’s the last time you were stung?”

  “Let’s see…I was in my teens. I was in the hospital for almost three days with that one. It was a honeybee.”

  “Three days?”

  “Yeah. I think the doctor had the hots for me. He was young. I think I was seventeen.”

  “Oh, a doctor.”

  I grinned and turned toward him. “Yeah. Doctors are hot.”

  He chuckled while driving north toward Tucson, about an hour from the hospital. He took an exit and glanced at me while pulling into a diner’s parking lot. “Hungry?”

  “Sure. I can eat.” I looked down at my hand. “You know this hurts, right?”

  He parked the car and turned it off. “Yes, it’ll hurt for a few days. It went into your muscles and gave you some sort of weird reaction, including breathing problems, swelling and passing out. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that sort of reaction for a tarantula bite. We’ll keep an eye on it, and will probably have you undergo some sort of series of treatments.” He opened the door and got out, so I joined him. I did feel better, in some weird way, but it was almost as if my head was floating.

  “How many things did he give me?”

  “A few different things that seemed to work. I stocked up while I was at the hospital, so if you feel like you’re going to pass out, let me know.”

  “Works for me.” We went into the diner and sat down in a booth. He studied my face, and I was ready to slap him.

  “You’re very pale,” he said. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” I lowered my head. “Probably just the baby.”

  He chuckled and took my left hand, the good one. “That’s my Harley. Now, this is what’s going to happen. Since you were bitten by a tarantula, we’re going to say you were in Tucson. Your boyfriend wouldn’t take you to the hospital for your tarantula bite. You hitched a ride on I-10, and I picked you up and took you to the hospital.”

  “You?”

  He leaned closer. “That way, I can keep an eye on your wound. I was going to be a businessman, trying to drum up business in the southeast, but now, I think I was headed toward Señora Bonita to see if I can help the homeless or something. I’ll think of something. Anyway, I’m going to play a doctor and you’ve decided to hitch a ride with me to the town. You’re looking for any job, just to get away from the evil boyfriend.”

  “Nice scenario. A little kooky, but it works for me.”

  “We know each other, but not that well.”

  “Darn. So I don’t get to sleep with you?”

  He grinned and raised an eyebrow. “Not at first, but if you play your cards right, we might become an item in town.”

  The waitress brought us our breakfasts and for some reason, I was famished. Eating for two, possibly, had its bright side.

  “We’re going to check out the town and then bring Chris and the guys in, if necessary,” he said. “I’ll be keeping in touch with them, but you’re to be on the lookout for anything terroristic in nature.”

  “Is this the way it’s always done?”

  “Sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes, we just investigate like normal cops. Our guys are still needed in Arizona, so we’re the scouting party. They’ll probably join us, because they’re only about four or so hours away. This sounds like it could be huge. We need to stop it from the inside.” He grinned and took a sip of coffee. “Just like the good old days. I love working like this, playing a tourist or something else.” His cell phone rang and he answered it. “Yeah, Chris.” He ate some more, staring down at his plate. “Too bad. Okay, I think it’s time to start my own practice. Are there any open buildings that can be converted?”

  I ate what was on my plate and looked around for more.

  Jim kept talking over the phone. “I see. How about old guys who need to retire or sell their properties?”

  I signaled for the waitress and she came to our table. “Yes?” she said.

  “What else do you have on the menu?” I asked her.

  Jim lowered his eyebrows, looked at my plate, and up at the lady.

  “Well, we have Danishes and muffins. Or maybe pie?”

  “I’m really hungry,” I said. “How about two Danishes and a cup of tea?”

  Jim was more than confused. As soon as the lady walked away, I grinned at him and lifted my coffee to my lips.

  “Get on that,” he said into the phone. “I want a job before I get into town, even if it means bringing the guy into the loop.” He looked up at me, as if he was trying to figure me out. “I have my hands full here. Harley just ordered dessert.”

  I laughed, reached over, and stroked his face.

  “I know. She thinks she could be pregnant, but it’s way too early for that. I wonder if the medication is having some sort of adverse effect on her.”

  He listened for a moment more, while I pulled out the menu and read it over again.

  “Yes,” he said. “Have everything in place in case we need to admit her.”

  “Admit?” I asked, looking up at him.

  He lowered his eyes. “Yeah. Thanks.” He ended the call and just stared at me. “Hungry?”

  “Yeah. Is that okay or not allowed? Why would you want to admit me and where?”

  “Into a hospital, in case you’re having a reaction.” He waved me off. “It’s fine, just a little unexpected.” He leaned closer with a grin. “Didn’t your boyfriend feed you enough?”

  “Nope. He was nasty. So what’s going on?”

  “There’s an old doctor who’s getting ready to retire, living just outside Señora Bonita. He was going to close his business this week and planned to put the whole thing up for sale. I might be able to convince him to give the practice to me, with everything included. He even has his house next to the place. We’re going to try to get everything.”

  “After we’re done there, then what? Will you keep that business?”

  “We cross that bridge when we get there. There isn’t another doctor in the town, so we might be able to have governmental intervention. Let’s find out what’s there, first, and then we’ll decide.”

  The waitress walked to the table, handing me two Danishes and a cup of tea.

  “Thanks,” I said, and she walked away. I picked up one of the sweet treats and stuck it in my mouth. “These are good.”

  “How good?” Jim asked.

  “Delicious.” I licked my fingers then looked at the other one. “Want it?”

  “Sure.” He picked it up and looked happy to have it. They were both cherry…the best there was.

  I sipped my tea. “Should my name change?”

  “Good question. I think we’ll keep our first names, but definitely change our last names.”

  “Why didn’t you do that with me, before?”

  “I did, but just to everyone else, remember? This time, I think I like the last name of Henry. A lot of last names are male first names, if you think about it. What do you like?”

  “I want to change my first name, too. It’s too obvious. I think I’ll be Jane Black.”

  “Fine with me. I’ll tell Chris, so he’ll know what’s going on. Are you sure you want your maiden name?”

  “Yeah.” I sipped my tea, he paid the bill, and we were off to Señora Bonita, a town close to Hachita, New Mexico, west of Las Cruces.

  We stopped in Hachita around one, parking in the lot for a diner. “Lunchtime,” he said.

  “Good. I’m hungry.”

  Jim rolled his eyes. “Oh, brother. Should I take out a second mortgage for your appetite?”

  “Start saving. It’s going to be a long nine months.”

  “I highly doubt you’re pregnant.”

  “As soon as I can find out, I’m buying the test. I want you to remember how ‘natural’ it felt and remind you every day till this kid is b
orn and for years afterward.”

  “I can only imagine.” We got out of the car, and he walked with me toward the front. “I’d help you inside with my hand on your butt feeling you out, but the undercover work starts right now. If any of the people from the town are up here for anything, it has to be legit. I’m Jim Henry and you’re Jane Black.”

  “I agree.”

  He held out his hand. “I need your rings. Your boyfriend didn’t even give you a nice big diamond like I gave you.”

  “In my hospital bed. You’re so thoughtful.” I shot him a grin and took off my rings. He stuffed them into his pocket, along with his ring. Time to become single again. This should be fun.

  Chapter 5

  Jim held the left door open for me, but I opened the right one and walked through, throwing him a knowing glance. I could tell he was trying not to laugh, but I wasn’t amused.

  “Two, nonsmoking?” he said to the hostess.

  I was single again. I could do as I pleased. “But I wanted to smoke.” I fished around in my purse, feeling his hand on my arm.

  “No smoking near me.” He leaned closer. “And no smoking at all. Think of the baby.”

  I crossed my arms and stared at him. He could be so mean when he wanted to be. I hadn’t had a cigarette in over six months, ever since I’d met him. He’d also taken away my alcohol and anything else he didn’t think was good for me. He made me eat meat, even though I’d been a vegetarian. How cruel could he be?

  The hostess took us to a small bright yellow vinyl booth with bright orange wallpaper. A table sat between the seats, which was covered in a plastic red-checked tablecloth. On the wall were pictures of dead celebrities, like they’d still be alive after they’d seen the clashing colors in the place.

  “My eyes, they burn,” I whispered. “Take the batteries out of this place. It’s turned too loudly to neon.”

  Jim nudged me and we both sat down across from each other.

  “So, explain your goals here,” he said, lifting the menu.

  “I’m going to eat.” I took a menu from where it had been stored between the salt and pepper shakers, and looked at all the food. “And I’m going to eat cheap.” If I was a drifter, I had to play the part.

  “Cheap? Why?”

  “I don’t have much cash. Don’t worry about it. I need to find a job.”

  “I’m headed for Señora Bonita, because this doctor down there is going out of business. I was looking for exactly that possibility, because I’m tired of big hospitals.”

  “What sort of medicine do you do?” I asked, leaning closer. “I never did ask you.”

  “General Practitioner, with a background in obstetrics. I just need one more course in obstetrics and gynecology, do a short residency, and apply for my OB/GYN license. Then I can take the board exams and do what I want to do.”

  That was news to me. I knew he’d been studying but didn’t know he was that close. “Wow. That’s good to know.”

  He leaned closer. “I’ve had six long months with time to train.” He’d been sidelined because of the threats against him. But at least he hadn’t been put in a room to hide out like they’d done to me.

  I raised my eyebrows and glared at his smile. I was sure he’d insist on being my personal doctor, which was a fate worse than death if I were pregnant.

  “I see,” I said. “So if I need to have my hand looked at in this town you’re heading toward, I’d have to see you.”

  “Yes. I insist on it. Now you’re sure you want to join me, right?”

  “Yep. You’re the only friend I have these days. And Señora Bonita seems like just the place to hide out.”

  The lady sitting across from our booth leaned over. “Did you say Señora Bonita?” She was older, with blue hair, while wearing a bright pink blouse. Against the backdrop of the restaurant, I had to squint because of the bright colors. A man sat across from her, dressed in dark brown pants and a tan shirt, looking like he’d been dead for three years, at least.

  “Yes,” I said, turning toward her. “We’re headed to Señora Bonita. I’m running away from a mean old boyfriend and hitched a ride with this guy.” I pointed at Jim. “He’s a doctor and wants to open a practice down there.”

  “Good for you, Sonny,” she said. “They need a doctor, or a few more psychologists. We just came from there, visiting my sister, and they’re all nuts in that town. Every last one of them.”

  “Why is that?” Jim asked.

  “They all do whatever they want. If they don’t want to work, they don’t. If they want to eat, they go to the extreme and eat everything.” She leaned closer. “And if they want to have sex, they do it right out in the open.” She nodded as if disgusted.

  The wheels were turning in Jim’s mind. I could smell it the whole way over to where I was sitting. “Why is that?” he asked.

  “I don’t know and my sister doesn’t know. She wants to leave but can’t sell her house, so she took it off the market.”

  “Have many other people left?” I asked.

  “Lots,” she said. “But over half the town is still there.” She pointed at the man sitting across from her. “My husband, Donny, and I wanted to take pictures to take it to the FBI, but this one man wouldn’t let us.” She lowered her voice again. “I think he’s with the government.”

  “What’s his name?” Jim asked. “If there is a problem, maybe he would know more and I can treat these people.”

  “Willy Nilly.”

  Jim leaned up closer. “You really can tell me his name.”

  “That’s his name, or what he says his name is. We call him Mr. Nilly, but I think it’s an alias.”

  I made a mental note as the waitress approached our table. She was wearing neon blue. With the yellow seats, the orange walls, the old woman’s pink blouse, and the red-checked tablecloth, my eyes were ready to go blind.

  She cracked her huge wad of bright green gum. “What’ll it be?”

  I looked down at the menu, trying to avoid the light illuminating the colors of the restaurant. Maybe this pregnancy thing had my eyes oversensitive to color or something.

  While staring at the menu, I realized I really wasn’t hungry. Even though I had a few hundred bucks on me, I had to play the part of someone poor. “I’ll have a plain burger and a glass of water.” I lifted my gaze to her face. “How much is that with tax?”

  “Seven-sixty,” she said, looking rather annoyed. “The kid’s meal is less, if you’re pinching your pennies.”

  I grinned. “I’ll have the kid’s meal, then.”

  “I can get this for you,” Jim said.

  I waved him off. “No. You’ve done more than enough. Once I get a job, I’ll have more cash.”

  He studied my face, probably looking for deceit, because he had to know I was loaded. “Do you have a credit card?”

  “Yes, but I don’t want to use it. I have to make a clean break from Johnny and can’t let him find me.” I forced tears into my eyes. “He was just so mean, and to think I wanted to have his baby.”

  Jim sat back and faced the waitress. “I’ll have a burger and a cola.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And separate checks,” I said, wiping my tears. “I don’t want to owe any man any money, because they’re scummy when you do that.”

  “I know what you mean,” the waitress said.

  Jim sat up, looking like he almost wanted to laugh at me. “So, Jane, what are your skills for a job?”

  I almost said I was a linguist, but the old pink-bloused woman in the table beside us was still glowing…I mean listening. “I took secretary classes in high school and was working for a car dealership in Tucson. I hope that can land me some sort of job.”

  “I think you can get a job,” the old woman said. She took a piece of paper from her purse along with a pen and wrote something. “Call my sister, Pearl, and ask her for help. She’ll get you a job the first day.”

  “Thank you, but I can’t impose.”

 
“It’s no imposition,” she said. “My sister would love to know someone normal in that town. Tell her Edith sent you and where you met me.” She turned toward Jim. “You’ll have your hands full with that town. I’m telling you, they’re all nuts.”

  “Where should I start?” he asked. “If there’s a problem, I need to know how to stop it before I can call any authorities.”

  “My sister thinks it’s in some sort of everyday food, but we can’t figure out what it is. She uses everything normal people use in her house. When I was there, we made a list of what we ate and looked at things on diner menus. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”

  “Where does your sister live?” he asked.

  “She’s outside of Señora Bonita by about a mile. Do you think it’s in the air?”

  He shook his head as if trying to figure it out. “I don’t know. Does she visit town much?”

  “Every day. It’s her exercise. She walks into town and I used to join her. Do you think it’s the exercise? The townspeople are really fat. I don’t think they exercise.”

  Jim looked over at me. “Do you really want to go to that town?”

  “I’m rethinking it.” I looked out the window. “Is Hachita a nice place?”

  “Oh, you’ll love Señora Bonita,” she said. “Don’t rule them out just yet. They need both of you, and I mean it.”

  I nodded and the waitress brought us our meals. Edith and Donny paid for their meals and stood up. But they didn’t leave right away, moving closer to our table. “Find the problem with that town,” Edith said. “Call the military, because they ignored us when we called.”

  “You called the military?” Jim asked.

  “Yep. I spoke with Lance Corporal Clark, in Fort Hood, near Austin, Texas. He thought I was crazy and said he’d get to it when he had time.”

  “Why did he think you were crazy?”

  “I don’t think he thought I was listening, because he said, ‘hold on.’ Then the phone moved away and he said, ‘this crazy old broad wants me to check out a looney bin in even crazier New Mexico.’ He even laughed. It ticked me off so I hung up.”

  Jim appeared to be stumped, but I could see the wheels moving in his brain. “Did you call the Department of Homeland Security, or the FBI?”