“Our list?” She smirked back at Susan who shrugged again.
“Hey, you’re down one member of the investigating team and you already asked me if I wanted to help, so I’m all in. Who’s next?”
“We have Gwen and Dorothy. What’s your pleasure?”
“I’ve always liked the name Gwen. Let’s start with her. Who is she, what does she do and where was she at the time of the murder?”
Maggie whistled. “That’s very good. You got the who-what-where going on!”
“Well, duh. I’m engaged to a U.S. Marshal, so I’ve picked up a thing or two.”
Maggie laughed. “Alright. Gwen is an oncology nurse. She was on duty at the time of Dr. Slade’s demise and she’s about the right age to catch his fancy.
“Let’s go check her out. Then I need food. I’m hungry.”
Gwen Abara was standing at the nurse’s station on the fifth floor. She was a short, trim black woman with light brown eyes and ebony hair. As they walked up to her, Maggie noticed her eyes were red and puffy.
“Hi, Gwen. My name is Maggie, and this is my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Susan. Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying.”
She sniffled and tried to smile, but instead, her lips trembled, and her chin wobbled. “I’m sorry. I just lost one of my favorite patients and it hit me pretty hard.” She grabbed a tissue from a box on the counter and dabbed at her eyes.
“I can’t imagine how hard it is to work in the cancer ward.” Susan shook her head. “I give you props; I don’t think I could do it.”
“Working any job in a hospital is tough. We all see way more death and suffering than a person should, but we also see recovery and health and,” she gestured at Maggie’s tummy, “birth. Normally I take it in stride, but this one was particularly difficult for me.”
“Well, we’re sorry for your loss.” Susan’s words seemed to help, as the nurse gave one last sniffle, then put on a genuine smile and tossed the tissue into the garbage can.
“How can I help you ladies?”
“Well, my husband was visiting a friend in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and he said he saw a nurse with a really pretty bracelet. He said it was gold and had a ring of diamonds around the edge. He’s been promising me a nice bracelet since we got married, but I can never find one I like.” Maggie chuckled and Susan rolled her eyes, making Gwen grin. “Anyway, I’m trying to find out who had that bracelet because he said he’d buy me one if I can find out where she got it.”
“Well, I wish I could help you, but I don’t wear jewelry. I’ve worked as a preschool teacher and a nurse: neither job is conducive to wearing jewelry. The one time I wore earrings at the hospital a patient went into a seizure and grabbed at me, ripping the earring right out of my ear.” She lifted her hair and sure enough, the lobe was torn.
“Can you think of anyone, maybe not even a nurse, who might wear that kind of bracelet?”
“Not off the top of my head. We’re all up to our elbows in bodily fluids and dirty linens all day, so . . .” Her voice trailed off, but Maggie could see she’d thought of something.
“What is it? Did you think of someone?”
“I wonder if he could’ve seen a patient wearing the bracelet.”
Maggie felt her heart drop. She’d told Ashanti it was unlikely the receipt was from a bracelet given to a patient, due to the expense, but maybe she’d been wrong to brush that aside.
Susan asked, “Why do you say that?”
“Well, I think I remember seeing someone wearing that kind of bracelet. It was really sparkly, so it stood out. But I can’t quite recall who it was. Hmm. It was the day before Dr. Slade, um . . .” her eyes widened, and she stopped abruptly.
“It’s okay, we know about Dr. Slade’s murder,” Maggie reassured her. “Could I give you my number? Then if you remember who had the bracelet you could text me.”
“Sure. I can’t promise anything, though. There are so many people in and out of here, I tend to lose track.”
“That’s fine. But just in case, here’s my cell phone number.”
A loud beeping filled the hallway and Gwen grimaced. “Duty calls, ladies. It was nice talking with you.” She waved as she walked away.
Chapter Twelve
After they ate lunch in the hospital cafeteria, Susan left, and Maggie returned to Ashanti’s room to check on her and the baby.
“Hey mama, how’s it going?” Maggie spoke quietly so as not to wake Jayla.
“She’s so incredible.” Ashanti’s voice was full of wonder and love. “Look at her tiny little fingers.”
“She’s beautiful. And so sweet.”
They watched her as she stirred, pursing her tiny little lips, then relaxed back into sleep.
“How’s the investigatin’ going without me?
Maggie was startled by her question and, for a moment, couldn’t think of anything to say.
“It’s alright, Miss Maggie. I ain’t mad. I’ve kinda had my hands full, anyhow. I heard you was asking about my nurse.”
“Well, he seemed kind of off, and both Susan and I got a weird vibe from him.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t too sure at first, but he told me he and his wife have been havin’ issues. He said he loves his job but every time he sees someone holding their baby, it makes him miss his kids. Once he opened up, he didn’t seem so strange anymore. Just sad.”
“That makes sense. I’m assuming Nurse Jackson checked on you?”
“Yeah, she told me why she was here after I gave her the stink eye,” Ashanti laughed. “She thought she was bein’ sly, but I smelled a rat soon as she came into my room.”
“You be nice to her, Ashanti Jones. I’m going to be needing her care here shortly.”
“So? You never answered my question. How’s it going? Any new leads?”
Maggie sighed. “Well, we’ve pretty much cleared Anastasia and Gwen. When we spoke with Gwen, she remembered seeing someone with a bracelet like Mrs. Slade’s, but she couldn’t remember who it was.” She paused to rub her belly and stretch her back. “I wanted to check on you before I head home for a spell. This baby’s been kicking like crazy and I’m worn out. Speaking of out, did they say when you get to go home?”
“Well, first off, I ain’t got no home.” She held up a hand as Maggie started to protest. “I know you let me stay while I was pregnant, but now I’ve got Jayla. I can’t ask you to put us both up.”
“You don’t have to ask. It’s a given.” Maggie sat down on the hospital bed facing Ashanti. “Both Garrett and I want you to stay with us. That’s gospel. You’d break my heart if you didn’t come home with us.”
“But it’s too much,” Ashanti’s eyes filled with tears.
“No, it’s really not. We have the space, we like you, and I want to hold the baby, so, it’s settled.” She patted her friend’s hand and carefully stood up, trying not to tip over, her belly knocking her off balance. Once she was situated, she turned and asked, “Sorry, I interrupted. You said first off, so what’s second off?”
“Well, I don’t rightly know. I figured the first off would suffice.”
By the time Maggie got home, she was ready for a nap. And a snack. Maybe not in that order. She headed into the kitchen and was surprised to see Reed standing at the stove, stirring a pot of steaming stew.
“What are you doing here?” She gave him a hug and he looked at her, his eyebrows drawn together.
“You look tired, partner. Have a seat and I’ll dish you up a bowl of this here beef stew.”
“Yum! It smells wonderful.” He set the bowl down in front of her.
“Careful. It’s hot.”
“I can see that by the steam risin’ off the top,” she sassed. “By the way, you didn’t answer my question. Why are you here?”
Reed dished up a bowl for himself and sat down next to her. “The sergeant got a report that you’ve been asking questions and showing up places you shouldn’t even know about. I guess the woman at the jewelry store told San
tiago about the two pregnant women who were asking about the same bracelet he was asking about.”
Maggie felt her face flame, not sure if it was from embarrassment at getting caught or irritation that Santiago ratted her out.
“I know that look,” he told her. “Santiago didn’t spill the beans, it was his temporary partner, Josh McShane. Santiago hadn’t warned him, so he didn’t know it was something he should keep to himself.”
“I see. So, what are you tryin’ to tell me?”
“I’ve been ordered to keep an eye on you, since we all know you won’t listen and stay out of the investigation.”
“Oh, that’s all? So what. It just means I get my partner back.” Maggie took a bite of stew and moaned. “Oh man, this is so good! Maybe I can get the sergeant to order you to cook for me, full time.” she chuckled.
“You’re supposed to be resting, missy; you’re about to drop that bun in your oven. I’m here to keep you off the streets and out of the way of the detectives.”
“Ppfftth.” Maggie blew a raspberry at Reed, who laughed.
“I know, I know. Trying to keep you out of trouble is like puttin’ a screen door on a submarine.”
“Doomed to fail,” they said at the same time.
“Jinx, poke, you owe me a coke.” Maggie giggled and Reed groaned.
“Seriously? They’re letting you have a kid?”
“Darn tootin’ they are. I’ll be a great mom. I can teach my kid about jinxing and slug bug and how to go a larking.”
“Maggie, I’d like to believe you’re just pullin’ my leg, but with you, I never know.”
“Just keepin’ the mystery alive,” Maggie laughed. She set down her fork and sobered up. “For reals, partner, I think we’re getting somewhere. We’re down to one suspect right now. Dorothy Huerta.”
“Yeah, the assistant or orderly or whatever,” Reed mused. “I was reading her case file this morning. It looks like she might fit the profile, at least as far as liking nice things and being a bit of a hussy. She’s been married three times and cheated every . . .single. . . time.”
Maggie whistled. “That’s some good intel, brother-in-law. I thought Santiago caught this case.”
“He did. But as you reminded him, the blood fell on you, and you’re my partner, ergo, I’m not sittin’ this one out.”
“Ergo? Really? You know I love you, Reed, but don’t ever say that again; it sounds creepy.”
“Sho ‘nuff then,” he grinned. “Now eat your stew, take a nap and we’ll talk afterwards.”
Maggie started to argue but a yawn caught her by surprise, so she gave up, ate her stew and headed off to take a nap.
Maggie woke to the sound of a baby crying and for a moment, she panicked. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her heart racing. Looking around the room, she realized she was home, in her own bedroom. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then stood up slowly, stiff from her afternoon nap.
She opened her door and walked into the hallway. The sound of Ashanti’s voice made her eyes widen with surprise.
Maggie made her way to the kitchen where she found Ashanti and Reed sitting at the table drinking lemonade. “Ashanti? What are you doing here?” she asked, wrapping her arms around her friend.
“What kinda greetin’ is that, Miss Maggie? You’re the one who convinced me I should come stay with y’all.”
“I know that. I mean, when did you get discharged from the hospital, and how did you get here? Can I hold Jayla?” Maggie’s words came out in a rush and she turned, looking for the baby. “Speaking of which, where’s your baby?”
A deep chuckle sounded from behind her and she spun around to see Adam holding Jayla upside down, face down on his arm.
“What are doing? You’re going to drop her!” Maggie went into full on panic mode and made a move to grab the baby from his arms, but he easily side-stepped out of her reach.
“Whoa there, Maggie. This here baby’s got colic. The nurse at the hospital said to hold her this way when she gets fussy. It helps her digest better.”
The fact that Adam sounded so smart annoyed her, so she looked to Ashanti, who nodded her agreement. “That’s what Nurse Jackson told us.”
“What’s this ‘us’ nonsense?” Maggie muttered.
“Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or what?” Adam’s face was all scrunched up as he looked at her and she had the strongest urge to punch him. She felt her fists clench and had to remind herself she was a lady and he was holding a baby.
“Hey Maggie, are you ready to talk about that other suspect?” Reed skillfully took her by the arm and maneuvered her away from his brother, who didn’t realize how close he’d come to being clobbered. Once they were in the office with the door closed, she let loose.
“What’s up with Adam being a baby expert all of a sudden? And when did you find out Ashanti was coming home today? Why didn’t you wake me? I should have been there.”
“Slow your roll, sister-in-law. She called about an hour after you went to sleep. I checked on you and you were snoring to beat the band. Adam was in town, so Garrett made a call and asked him if he’d mind picking her up.”
“How did all this happen so quickly? I only slept for an hour or so.”
“Actually, you were asleep for five hours.” Reed paused to let that sink in. “I wanted to wake you, but Garrett said to let you sleep. Since Adam was already in town and Ashanti and the baby are staying here, he thought it was better for you to get your rest.”
“Five hours? How is that possible?” Maggie bit her lip as it hit her, and she looked at him with startled eyes. “Does that mean I missed dinner?”
He laughed and pulled her into his arms for a big hug. “And she’s back. You had me worried for a minute there.”
“Seriously, Reed. You’d better have saved me some dinner.”
“Seriously, Maggie, there’s a plate in the oven for you, so chill out.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for that. I’m still not happy that you didn’t wake me to go get Ashanti and Jayla, but I’ll discuss that with my husband.”
Reed raised his eyebrows and stuck in hands in his pockets. “On that note, I’ll go get your plate out of the oven. It’ll be on the table by the time you finish getting ready.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’ve got some serious bed head goin’ on.” He grinned and waved as he left the office.
Maggie walked over and looked at herself in the mirror. He wasn’t kidding; her hair was a mess. She walked to her bedroom to get a comb.
“She’s such an angel. I can’t believe she’s real; she looks so tiny and perfect.” Maggie cooed at Jayla who looked up at her with big brown eyes.
“She’s mighty pretty. And her name fits her perfectly.” Garrett was sitting on the arm of the wing chair where Maggie was holding her. He leaned over and stuck out his finger. Jayla grabbed at it and he laughed, delightedly.
“I think I’ll keep her,” Ashanti smiled tenderly at her baby.
Maggie looked up as Adam entered the room. She knew she owed him an apology, but she was struck speechless when she saw the way he looked at Ashanti. To her surprise, the woman looked back at him the same way. Maggie’s brain started spinning in high gear. Something was going on between those two and she was determined to figure out what it was.
“Speaking of mysteries to solve, I think I’ll set up an appointment to talk with Dorothy tomorrow. She’s our last suspect and I want to get this case figured out before I go into labor.” She noticed that everyone was looking at her, confusion on their faces. “What?”
“Nobody was talkin’ about mysteries, Mags,” Garrett responded.
She felt her cheeks get red, but she played it cool. “Sorry, I was having a conversation in my head.”
“I wish I could go with you, but Lord, I’m tired,” Ashanti said.
“That’s okay. Reed has been assigned to try to keep me out of trouble.
We’ll see how that goes.”
“Just be careful, okay?” Garrett’s soft voice, full of concern tugged at her heart. She reached up and stroked his face.
“I’ll try, Garrett. That’s all I can promise.”
Chapter Thirteen
Maggie called Dorothy the next morning and was surprised to find that she had an appointment available at 11:00. She called Reed the second she hung up. “Where are you? Aren’t you supposed to be watching me?”
“I’m on my way. The water pipes burst in Susan’s class at Sweet Grove Middle School, so I went over to help them move desks and things out of the classroom. I should be at the farmhouse in about 15 minutes. What’s up?”
“We have an appointment with a potential murderer at the hospital.”
“Of course, we do. I’m on my way.”
Maggie was ready and waiting when he arrived, and she filled him in on her plan as they drove to the hospital.
“Good morning Ms. Donahue, so nice to meet you. And this must be your handsome husband.” Dorothy’s eyes roamed over Reed from head to toe, an appreciative smile appearing on her lips. Reed raised an eyebrow, but Maggie played along.
“Yes, well, thank you for agreeing to meet us so quickly. I didn’t expect you to have an opening so soon.”
“I’m an OB/GYN orderly so I’m used to having to move quickly and adjust my schedule. Babies like to make their appearance at the least convenient times.” She frowned slightly, then pasted the smile back on her face. “What can I help you with, Ms. Donahue. You didn’t tell me when we spoke on the phone.”
“No, I didn’t. I guess I’m just feeling nervous and want some reassurance. Dr. Slade’s death has shaken me up a bit more like I’d like to let on.”
Dorothy frowned, her perfectly plucked eyebrows barely moving on her obviously Botoxed forehead. “I don’t understand. Dr. Slade wasn’t your doctor, was he?”
“Well, no, but his blood did fall on my head, you know.”
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