what did you
do?”
“ I ran away. That woman
scares me.”
“ Sound like she is gay.”
“ I’m not sure if she’s gay
or just some kind of wacko—especially after that . She just seems dangerous
to me.”
“ Well then, just stay away
from her. She and her sister will be out of our lives
soon.”
“ I hope you’re right,
Mallie Mae.”
Chapter 16
Carnie had studied her printout from the
pharmacy and selected Nancie Jo Gristel as the first ‘volunteer’
for her Hideaway Hospital Clinical Trial. She had learned from
Elmo’s internet printouts that Namenda was being prescribed for
patients with moderate to severe cases of Alzheimer’s. She had
selected Nancie Jo at random from the list and located her house on
the map. She hoped it might be easy since the house was at the end
of a dead end street. If the driveway was on the dead end side of
the house, Mrs. Gristel would be a perfect choice.
Carnie’s 2005 white Chevy Malibu was just
one of a few dozen driving around in Coreyville. She had swapped
out her license plates with a set she took off a junkyard car, just
in case some neighbor actually took notice and remembered the
plates. She figured nobody would find it odd to see a nurse
visiting an 81 year-old Alzheimer’s patient at 11:00 AM.
The house was on the left, at the end of
Bowie Street. She parked in the driveway, behind Nancie Jo’s car,
and walked to the side door, near the back of the house. She
wondered if Mrs. Gristel was fearful about living all alone. The
fact that the old woman’s most-used door faced the woods rather
than the other homes seemed particularly dangerous.
As she stepped onto the porch with her
medical bag in hand, she heard someone playing the piano. She
knocked and waited a full minute. Finally the music stopped and she
knocked again. Twenty seconds later the door opened.
“ Yes?” said the old
woman.
“ Hi. Are you Nancie Joe
Gristel?”
“ Yes, I am.”
“ Well, I’m from Dr.
Johnson’s office.”
“ Really? I’ve never seen
you before.”
“ That’s because I’m new.
Just started this week.”
“ I see. Well, what can I do
for you?”
“ Dr. Johnson is initiating
a new treatment regimen for all his Alzheimer’s
patients.”
“ Okay. But I’m doing fine
right now. And if the doctor wants to see me, I could just make an
appointment and go in to his office.”
“ Oh, of course you could.”
Carnie smiled sweetly. “But he’s so excited about this new medicine
that he wanted to get everybody started on it right away. It’s
getting rave reviews from NIH.”
“ What’s that?”
“ I’m sorry. The National
Institutes of Health.”
“ Okay. Come on
in.”
Carnie went in and followed Nancie Jo to the
living room. The bench was pulled away from the piano, and a piano
score was opened on the music rack.
“ I heard you playing,” said
Carnie, nodding to the piano. “Sounded nice.”
“ Thanks. I’m not really all
that good, but I’m taking lessons. Now what did you say your name
was?”
Carnie didn’t answer. She pulled a small
pistol out of her medical bag and pointed it at Nancie Jo.
“ What are you doing?
I knew you
weren’t from Dr. Johnson’s office! Who are you?”
“ Never mind that. You’re
coming with me. And you will do exactly as I say—if you want to
live. Let’s go.”
Carnie motioned for Nancie Jo to walk toward
the kitchen, and she complied. But when the old woman got close to
the door she stopped and bent over in pain, placing her left hand
on the stove for support, clutching her hip with her right
hand.
“ What’s the matter?” said
Carnie.
“ It’s my hip. It goes out
on me sometimes.”
“ Just take it slow and
you’ll be—”
Nancie Jo swung around.
She seems to moving okay
now, Carnie thought. Moving fast .
By the time Carnie saw the iron skillet in
the Nancie Jo’s hand it was too late. It whacked her on the side of
the head and she flew sideways onto the floor, dropping the
do?”
“ I ran away. That woman
scares me.”
“ Sound like she is gay.”
“ I’m not sure if she’s gay
or just some kind of wacko—especially after that . She just seems dangerous
to me.”
“ Well then, just stay away
from her. She and her sister will be out of our lives
soon.”
“ I hope you’re right,
Mallie Mae.”
Chapter 16
Carnie had studied her printout from the
pharmacy and selected Nancie Jo Gristel as the first ‘volunteer’
for her Hideaway Hospital Clinical Trial. She had learned from
Elmo’s internet printouts that Namenda was being prescribed for
patients with moderate to severe cases of Alzheimer’s. She had
selected Nancie Jo at random from the list and located her house on
the map. She hoped it might be easy since the house was at the end
of a dead end street. If the driveway was on the dead end side of
the house, Mrs. Gristel would be a perfect choice.
Carnie’s 2005 white Chevy Malibu was just
one of a few dozen driving around in Coreyville. She had swapped
out her license plates with a set she took off a junkyard car, just
in case some neighbor actually took notice and remembered the
plates. She figured nobody would find it odd to see a nurse
visiting an 81 year-old Alzheimer’s patient at 11:00 AM.
The house was on the left, at the end of
Bowie Street. She parked in the driveway, behind Nancie Jo’s car,
and walked to the side door, near the back of the house. She
wondered if Mrs. Gristel was fearful about living all alone. The
fact that the old woman’s most-used door faced the woods rather
than the other homes seemed particularly dangerous.
As she stepped onto the porch with her
medical bag in hand, she heard someone playing the piano. She
knocked and waited a full minute. Finally the music stopped and she
knocked again. Twenty seconds later the door opened.
“ Yes?” said the old
woman.
“ Hi. Are you Nancie Joe
Gristel?”
“ Yes, I am.”
“ Well, I’m from Dr.
Johnson’s office.”
“ Really? I’ve never seen
you before.”
“ That’s because I’m new.
Just started this week.”
“ I see. Well, what can I do
for you?”
“ Dr. Johnson is initiating
a new treatment regimen for all his Alzheimer’s
patients.”
“ Okay. But I’m doing fine
right now. And if the doctor wants to see me, I could just make an
appointment and go in to his office.”
“ Oh, of course you could.”
Carnie smiled sweetly. “But he’s so excited about this new medicine
that he wanted to get everybody started on it right away. It’s
getting rave reviews from NIH.”
“ What’s that?”
“ I’m sorry. The National
Institutes of Health.”
“ Okay. Come on
in.”
Carnie went in and followed Nancie Jo to the
living room. The bench was pulled away from the piano, and a piano
score was opened on the music rack.
“ I heard you playing,” said
Carnie, nodding to the piano. “Sounded nice.”
“ Thanks. I’m not really all
that good, but I’m taking lessons. Now what did you say your name
was?”
Carnie didn’t answer. She pulled a small
pistol out of her medical bag and pointed it at Nancie Jo.
“ What are you doing?
I knew you
weren’t from Dr. Johnson’s office! Who are you?”
“ Never mind that. You’re
coming with me. And you will do exactly as I say—if you want to
live. Let’s go.”
Carnie motioned for Nancie Jo to walk toward
the kitchen, and she complied. But when the old woman got close to
the door she stopped and bent over in pain, placing her left hand
on the stove for support, clutching her hip with her right
hand.
“ What’s the matter?” said
Carnie.
“ It’s my hip. It goes out
on me sometimes.”
“ Just take it slow and
you’ll be—”
Nancie Jo swung around.
She seems to moving okay
now, Carnie thought. Moving fast .
By the time Carnie saw the iron skillet in
the Nancie Jo’s hand it was too late. It whacked her on the side of
the head and she flew sideways onto the floor, dropping the
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