Hideaway Hospital Murders by Robert Burton Robinson Page B

they sell a
kidney.”
    “ Wonder how much a kidney
goes for these days?”
    They laughed. He checked his watch. His time
with Cynthia always went by so fast. “By the way, do you think your
mom will go to church with us on Sunday?”
    “ I think so. I haven’t
talked to her about it, but she is Baptist. And it’s the only
Baptist church in town.”
    “ Yeah, but she could drive
back to Marshall.”
    “ I would try my best to
talk her out of that.”
    “ Did you remember that we
have to take separate cars tonight?”
    “ Yes. What time will you be
finished with your lessons?”
    “ I should be done by
8:00—unless somebody cancels. If so, it might be a little
earlier.”
    “ Okay. It seems like
there’s still an awful lot left to pack.”
    “ Oh, I’m sure we can get
all done by Saturday, even if we have to pull an all-nighter
tomorrow night.”
    “ I hope we don’t have to
do that ,”
said Cynthia.
    Greg agreed. He had often
pulled an all-nighter with Cynthia in his dreams. But in his
dreams they weren’t packing .

    Chapter 17

    “ Greg asked me today
whether I thought you would be going to church with us this
Sunday,” said Cynthia, as she wrapped another plate and put it in
the box.
    She and her mother were in the kitchen,
packing dishes and cookware.
    “ I guess so. To be honest,
that’s going to be the hardest thing about moving,” said Beverly.
“I could still go to church here if I really wanted to. It’s
only a fifteen minute drive.”
    “ I know.”
    “ But I don’t think I
should. If I’m going to move to Coreyville, I need to be a part of
that community. And that includes going to church there. So, I
might as well get started this Sunday.”
    “ Well, I’m proud of you,
Mom. I think you’re doing the right thing.”
    “ But don’t get me wrong—I
do plan to stay in touch with my friends here in Marshall. I just
won’t see them as often. But we can email and IM.”
    “ IM? Y’all instant message
each other?”
    “ Sure. We try to stay up
with the times. You think we’re too old for technology?”
    “ No, I didn’t say
that.”
    “ A couple of times I’ve
even sent a text message.”
    Cynthia laughed. “You’re pretty cool,
Mom.”
    “ You got that right, Dog.”
Beverly attempted a rapper pose. “Too much?”
    “ Yeah—that’s a little
scary.”
    Cynthia heard the Bonneville in the
driveway. “There’s Greg.”
    She let him in the kitchen door and gave him
a long, tight hug.
    But before he got too excited, he pulled
away.
    She pretended to be hurt, but then gave him
a quick kiss on the lips and grinned at him. She understood. And
she loved the fact that she could turn him on so easily.
    She checked the clock. It was 7:58.
    “ You’re early. So I guess
your last student cancelled,” said Cynthia.
    “ No, she didn’t cancel. She
just didn’t show up.”
    “ One of your
teenagers?”
    “ No, it was Nancie Jo
Gristel. She’s 81. And she never does that. She always calls me if
she has to miss. She was out for a couple of months because of her
Alzheimer’s. But the doctor put her on some new medication, and
she’s been fine ever since.”
    “ One of my good friends
just found out she has it,” said Beverly. “It’s
a terrible disease.”
    “ Did you try calling her?”
said Cynthia to Greg.
    “ Several times. But then I
figured maybe she just fell asleep.”
    “ It’s easy to do when
you’re leaning back in your recliner watching TV,” said
Beverly.
    “ Yeah, that could be it,”
said Cynthia.
    “ Well, I just hope she’s
okay. I’ll give her a call in the morning,” said Greg.
    **********
    Before going inside, she sat in her car a
few minutes to put on the blonde wig. She was wearing a hot pink
blouse, black leather mini-skirt, and knee-high boots. When she
walked in, every man in the bar was instantly seduced. Beer mugs
hung suspended at open mouths. She could have chosen any one of the
poor saps, and they would have gladly barked like a dog