Mysteries from the Keys : A Collection of Short Stories (9781927899410)

by Cushnie-mansour, Mary M. ; Jamieson, Bethany (EDT); Tanguay, Danielle (EDT)

  “So, where do I fit into all of this?” she asked.

  “I need a few days to get my stuff together and prepare my exit from the country. Before I leave, I will give you the key to a safe-deposit box at a bank here in town. Inside that box is everything you will need to have Doctor Mona convicted of the crimes she has been committing over the past five years. As for me, I will be long gone—no trace of me whatsoever.”

  “What makes you think I won’t tell the authorities about you? They have their ways of tracking people down you know.”

  “I think you are a person who rewards one good deed with another. I saved your life; now I am asking you to turn and look the other way while I save mine. Doctor Mona is the actual mastermind behind this. I believe she has just used me to get the deals through, and, like I said before, she has a lot more cash than I do. For that matter, probably more than any other person she may have dragged into this. I am not stupid enough to think I am the only player in her game; I just don’t know who else is in on it.”

  “I’ll need some time to think about this.” Stella pulled the blanket up to her chin. She was cold.

  “Don’t take too long, Stella; I’d like to be gone by the end of the week.”

  “And if I decide not to help you?”

  “You’ll help me. You are a nurse. You like to help people. In that safety-deposit box is a list of the names of all the victims, some of who are still in the hospital where you work.”

  “I see.”

  “I’ll check in on you later,” Joe said as he turned to leave. “Anything I can get you?”

  “A key to the door.” Stella forced a smile.

  phone, called the hospital to say she wouldn’t be in again, and then called her doctor. She could not shake whatever had overcome her. Nothing she ate stayed down. Her head was spinning unmercifully, and not just from the illness. She was beginning to worry about the situation she was finding herself in. Meagan’s apparent exodus was a problem Doctor Mona hadn’t expected to have to contend with. What kind of a deal was she making with Kevin? And how could she do that without incriminating herself? Doctor Mona was also no longer sure of where Joe stood. He had become whiny of late, just wanting to pack up and go to that island she had dangled in front of him. The man was clueless. She had never had any intention of going anywhere with him!

  in the room Meagan had shown him into. “What do I have to lose?” he muttered to himself. “Doctor Mona has destroyed my life for no reason other than greed. I wonder how many others she has destroyed. But, do I trust Meagan? I don’t really know her. Maybe it’s better to trust the devil I know more of than the one I know less of.”

  Kevin lay down on the bed and waited for the dreams to come. He slept.

  arrived by special courier. There was no return address. Brian Ritchie, the hospital administrator, opened the letter and began to read. With each sentence, his frown deepened. When he was finished, he sat for a moment, pondering his next step. Should he call Doctor Mona and confront her with these allegations, or should he inform the Board first? Doctor Mona had come highly recommended, and she had been with the hospital for six years. On the other hand, Stella had been with the hospital for 30 years. Brian knew her well and could not fathom her making up a story like this. He picked up the phone to call Stella and ask her why she hadn’t come directly to him. Then, he would pay a visit to the hospital and drop in on Doctor Mona.

  for blood tests to investigate what her problem might be. He advised her to take a couple of days off work, eat light foods, and get plenty of rest. She left his office and headed to work. She couldn’t afford to take any more time off, regardless of how ill she felt. Her patients needed her care, and she had some issues that needed to be dealt with—Joe and Meagan being two of them. And, Kevin, if she could get to him, being the third.

  had slept so well. He walked over to the door and tried to open it. Why would Meagan lock him in? He walked over to the window and looked out. There was a black SUV in the driveway. He glanced around the neighbourhood—not a soul in sight. He jiggled the window to see if it would open. Finally, it gave way. He removed the screen and looked down. There was a flower bed under the window. He began to crawl through the opening. It wasn’t that far to the ground.

  few things he was taking with him. He double-checked his personal papers and then drove to the office to draw up the offer on Kevin’s house. He didn’t want Doctor Mona to suspect anything. From the office, he returned home, called the airport and booked his flight. Then Joe sat down at his desk and began writing. When he finished, he sealed the letter in an envelope, addressed it to Stella, and headed to the bank to put it in his safe-deposit box. He also closed all his bank accounts. Two more days and he would be long gone from this place. Joe took out his cellphone and dialled the hospital.

  “Doctor Mona, please.”

  “I am sorry, the doctor is busy, sir. Would you like her voicemail?”

  “Sure.” Joe was actually relieved he wouldn’t have to talk directly to Doctor Mona. He waited for the beep. “Hey there, Mona, the offer is drawn up and waiting for you at the office. I instructed Cindy on what you have to do. I have to show some properties down by the lake today. Talk to you when I get back.”

  at Stella’s house. “Of course,” he mumbled to himself, “she’d be at work. I’ll touch base with her there before I speak to Doctor Mona.”

  When Brian talked to the nurses, he was surprised to learn that Stella hadn’t shown up to work for three days. It was so unlike her, they told him. One of the nurses said that she was going to stop by Stella’s house after her shift. Brian told her he would do that now. As he was leaving the wing, Doctor Mona stepped out of her office. She walked over to the nurses’ station.

  “What was Mr. Ritchie doing here?” she asked.

  “Looking for Stella.”

  “Where is Stella, anyway?”

  “We don’t know; she hasn’t been in for three days—hasn’t even called.”

  Doctor Mona attempted a show of concern. “That is so unlike, Stella.”

  “Sure is. Mr. Ritchie is going to stop by her house and check on her. She’s no spring chicken, maybe she had an accident.”

  “Well, if she has abandoned her job, we will have to find a replacement.” As Doctor Mona turned and walked back to her office, she heard one of the nurses say, “cold one, that doctor is.” As she shut her office door, Doctor Mona wondered what the Chairman of the Board wanted with Stella.

  window. There were no lights on, but he noticed her purse on the floor and its contents were scattered all over. He took out his cellphone and called the police.

  Kevin. She hoped he was going to play along with her plan—not that she intended to stay with him forever, but it would be nice to have someone around for a while. She opened the bedroom door. The window was open; the room was empty. She raced downstairs and out to her SUV. “He can’t have gotten too far yet,” she muttered under her breath.

  long trek, Kevin had managed to find his way to the police station. As he was racing up the steps, a police car squealed out of the parking lot. “Never a dull moment,” he thought. At the front desk, Kevin explained that he had some valuable information. Within minutes, a detective took him into a side room.

  Kevin quickly spilled everything he knew. He had the feeling that once Meagan discovered he was gone, it wouldn’t take her long to disappear.

  churn again. “Enough of this,” she moaned as she picked up her purse and headed out the door. On her way past the nurses’ station: “Cancel the rest of my appointments for today,” she barked.

  The on-duty nurse looked up. “Are you okay, Doctor? You look so pale.”

  “I’ll be fi…” Doctor Mona collapsed.

  coffee shop when a young woman entered. He was surprised when she headed straight for his table.

  “We have a mutual acquaintance,” she said as she sat down across from him. “Which means we have a mutual problem, Joe.”

  “How do you
know who I am?”

  “I make it my business to know things,” Meagan returned.

  “Who is our mutual friend?”

  “Doctor Mona.”

  “So my gut feeling was right; there were others.”

  Meagan smiled and sat down. After half an hour they stood up and shook hands. “That won’t be a problem,” Joe said. “All my stuff is ready; I’ll just change my flight and meet you at the airport in one hour.”

  front of Stella’s house. Brian was waiting on the front step. One of the officers picked the lock and then they all rushed in. The kitchen was a mess. As Brian looked around, he noticed a business card on the side door landing. “I think we might have something here,” he yelled to the officers.

  steps to his apartment. He would grab his stuff and then tell Stella he would call someone to come and get her once his plane was ready to take off. Just as he was headed to the room where he had locked Stella, Joe heard the police siren in his driveway. He dropped his suitcase on the floor, sat down and waited.

  to talk to Doctor Mona, she was informed the doctor had just been rushed to the Medical Centre. She was asked if she was a family member or a friend. Meagan smiled. “I am the closest thing to family Doctor Mona has ever had,” she answered and then hung up the phone.

  Meagan had convinced Doctor Mona, not long after they had met, to name her as the beneficiary of her estate. Doctor Mona, who had no family, decided she had to leave her money to someone—why not someone who would have been the perfect daughter, had she had one. Meagan had arranged with her lawyer to act as a proxy for any legal matters that might come up, telling him that she would be traveling for a couple of years to some very remote places. He had her instructions; she would contact him. Meagan looked around her apartment. It was spotless. She picked up her suitcase and headed for the airport.

  officer grinned at Meagan. “Told us you put the poison in Doctor Mona’s wine that night.” He leaned toward her. “Oh yeah, we had to upgrade your charges to murder—hospital called—the good doctor just died.”

  “Can’t take Joe’s word; he set up all the deals,” Meagan’s tone was sarcastic.

  “Maybe not, but we can take Kevin’s, and Stella’s.”

  “Kevin…Stella?”

  “Yeah, you know…Kevin and Stella. Stella came to us a couple of years ago, suspicious about some things going on at the hospital. Doctor Mona was a smooth operator, though. Kevin just happened by; he was young and naïve, the perfect patsy for Doctor Mona to hone in on! He agreed to help us out if we could drop a misdemeanour he had on his record. He played the part brilliantly.” The officer smirked. “Not so cocky now, are you?”

  Meagan slumped down in the chair and closed her eyes. What the heck—she’d still be young when she got out. If she pled temporary insanity, she’d be out in ten years—maybe less.

  Meagan smiled. The money was securely locked away. She sat up in her chair, pulling her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. She began to hum an old nursery rhyme. May as well start from now—no witness like a cop to testify as to how insane I am…

  birthday and her friends had bought her a landscaping certificate. “We’re tired of hearing you complain about your flower beds,” Mildred commented.

  “So, we thought we’d do something about it,” Gwen added.

  The three women had been friends since childhood, sharing both good and bad times. They’d all become teachers: Mildred had taught business; Gwen, math and science; and Betty, English. Mildred and Gwen always laughed when Betty mentioned she was going to write a great Canadian novel one day.

  None of them had married. Well, Mildred almost did, but her beau was killed in a car accident just weeks before the wedding—she never fully recovered, mentally. Gwen used to say to Betty—on the side—that she thought Mildred was a bit touched in the head.

  Betty took a sip of her tea and looked at the gift certificate. She didn’t recognize the company name. “Are these local people?” she asked.

  “Just moved to town about a month ago,” Mildred replied.

  “We got a deal,” Gwen added. “Looks like some young fellows just trying to get their business going.”

  “They showed us some pictures of gardens they’ve done in other towns,” Mildred mentioned.

  Gwen’s voice became serious. “I was a bit hesitant at first. The fellows sitting in the truck—two of them—looked a tad too shady, but the one at the door was clean cut, and very polite.”

  “I was having tea with Gwen that day,” Mildred intervened. “I didn’t like the looks of the fellows in the truck either—I was peeking through the living room curtains—but, like Gwen said, the sales fellow was quite striking.”

  “Bottom line is, we got a deal; you can get your garden done, Betty, and we can have some peace from your nagging about not being able to do it yourself!” Gwen set her teacup on the coffee table. “Well, I gotta get going; Buster will be wanting out for his afternoon business.” Buster was Gwen’s cocker spaniel; she’d left him home today.

  “I better move along, also,” Mildred said. “Prince will be missing me.” Prince was Mildred’s poodle; she’d left him home, as well. Gwen and Betty couldn’t figure out why Mildred had called such a small dog Prince, but it was her choice, and of course, since they thought she was a bit touched, they never mentioned it to her.

  Betty shut the door behind her friends, turned and gazed into the emptiness of her home. It was times like this she wished she’d married. She heard a meowing from the kitchen—Safire, her Siamese. Betty gathered the teacups and headed for the kitchen. She leaned over to pet Safire, who arched up and began to purr. Maybe her cat missed the dogs coming over for a visit—believe it or not, they were the best of friends.

  “This all you want, old girl,” Betty said. The purr got louder.

  The phone rang. “Who could that be?” Betty mumbled. “The only two people who call me this time of day just left my house…hello.”

  “Hello, is this Betty?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m John from Unique Gardeners. I believe your friends bought you a gift certificate to get your flower beds fixed up and I was just calling to set up your initial appointment.”

  “Bit quick on the draw aren’t you, son?” Betty questioned.

  “Well, your friends told me when they would be giving you the certificate…”

  “I see,” Betty said. “Well, I don’t want you coming over tonight; I’m too tired now and I like to retire early.”

  “Not a problem, Betty—I may call you that?”

  “Of course, it’s my name.”

  “How about tomorrow morning, around 10:00?”

  “I do my shopping on Thursday mornings at 10:00. How say we make it 8:00; I’m an early riser and I’ll have my breakfast and dishes finished by then.” Betty smiled. She was testing to see how ambitious this lot were—if they could be about business early in the morning.

  “That will be fine, Betty; I’ll see you at 8:00.” The line closed.

  “Well, what do you think, Safire, shall we read the paper before supper?”

  Betty’s forehead creased into a frown as she read the headline. This was the third bank robbery in a month and the police were unable to catch the culprits; the robbers didn’t even show up on the security cameras!

  “Strange,” Betty thought, “there hasn’t been a major robbery in this town for over 30 years.”

  Safire pushed her head against Betty’s hand, ripping the newspaper. “Safire, look what you did—you tore the last paragraph of the story!” The cat jumped down and walked away in a huff.

  Betty ate her supper and then took a walk to her back yard. It wasn’t huge, but it was more than she could maintain now. She started to imagine how she would like it to look.

  was uneasy about this gardening thing. The fellow on the phone had sounded pleasant enough, but she was remembering how Gwen and Mildred had described the shady characters waiting in the truck.

  Safir
e followed Betty out to the front porch, jumping directly to the screened window, swatting at imaginary bugs in the dusty trail of sun’s morning rays. Betty retrieved the paper, sat down at her little table, and turned to the front page. The recent robberies were playing on her mind. She wondered if there was any progress in catching the culprits yet.

  POLICE ARE BAFFLED was the headline. Betty kept reading. She set the paper down and looked thoughtfully out to the street. Safire was swishing her tail and meowing loudly at the birds on the front lawn. Betty didn’t let her outside; her previous cat, Ginger, had been hit by a car. She checked her watch: 7:55. A battered red truck pulled into her driveway and a nicely dressed young man got out.

  “Hi, Betty,” he greeted as he opened the door and stepped onto the porch. “I’m John, from Unique Gardeners. We spoke last night.” He smiled—a charming smile.

  “I know who you are, I’m not senile yet. Besides, the name is on the truck.” Betty smirked.

  John smiled—a tad artificial this time. “Do you mind showing me where you would like your flower gardens?”

  Betty got up and headed for the door. “Don’t let my cat out,” she ordered. John followed, being careful of the anxious Safire, who arched her back and hissed at him.

  As they entered the back yard, he smiled again, “Beautiful,” he commented.

  “Well, if it’s so beautiful, maybe you don’t have to do anything,” the words were quick out of Betty’s mouth. What was wrong with her, she wasn’t usually this rude to people!

  “Oh, I just meant that it will be a nice yard to work on,” John returned. He looked around. “Those maples look old.”

  “Planted them myself the year I moved in, leaves are a pain in the fall, though.”

  John pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and began sketching. “What are you writing there?” Betty queried suspiciously.

  “Some ideas,” he smiled.

  “He smiles too much,” Betty thought. “Can’t trust someone who smiles all the time.”