STATE OF ANGER: A Virgil Jones Mystery Series (Detective Virgil Jones Mystery Series Book 1) by Thomas Scott Page A

my knuckles pulling weeds from the cracks in the drive. That’s what I
was doing when she left.”
    “What about her patients, Tom?”
    “What about them?”
    “She was in a difficult line of
work,” Virgil said. “She cares for people at a time when there’s nothing left
for them to do but try to die with a little dignity.”
    “Sounds like you’ve had some
experience with that too.”
    Virgil didn’t answer.
    “Well, I’m sorry for your loss,
Detective, whenever it may have been. But to tell you the truth, I never knew
much about her patients.”
    “Why’s that?”
    “Oh, it was those damn hippo
laws.”
    “You mean HIPPA,” Miles added.
“With an a at the end.”
    Rhodes waved his hand. “Yeah, I
guess. Whatever. Rhonda took her job very seriously. She never spoke about
individual patients with anything more than very vague generalities. And even
then, never by name. And if I’m being honest with you, and I am by the way, I
didn’t want to hear it. The whole fucking thing depressed the ever-lasting shit
out of me. I guess that says something about me, huh?”
    “Is there any chance, Tom, that
this could be one of her patient’s family members? Someone mad at Rhonda
because their loved one died?”
    “I don’t know. Doesn’t sound right
to me. Doesn’t feel right. Everyone I’ve ever talked with think these people,
these Hospice workers walk on water, you know? I guess it could be possible,
hell, anything’s possible, right? But I don’t think so.”
    Virgil scratched the back of his
head and thought, what the hell . “Where do you bank, Tom?”
    “Firefighter’s Credit Union. Why?”
    “What about church? Did you or
your wife attend anywhere?”
    “I was raised Catholic, but I let
it slip. Same with Rhonda. Does that mean anything?”
    Virgil didn’t answer and instead
looked at Ron with an ‘anything else?’ look on his face. Miles shook his head.
    “She’s really gone?” Rhodes said,
his voice suddenly small, like a child.
    “Tom, look,” Ron said. “Why don’t
you go on home. You’ve got a tough few days ahead of you. Gather your family
around you and let them help you. You don’t want to be here right now. When
they move her body, it’s, well…it’s just something you don’t want to see.”
    “Where are they going to take
her?”
    “They’ll take her to the hospital,
Tom,” Virgil said. “There will be an autopsy and after that they’ll send her to
the funeral home of your choice. But Detective Miles is right. Go home. Let us
do our job. We’ll figure this thing out.”
    “All she wanted to do was help
people. Why would someone do this?”
    And Virgil thought, how do you
answer a question like that?
    __________
     
     
    Virgil followed Ron into the
coffee shop and was introduced to the waiter who served Rhonda just before she
was shot.
    “How about we sit down for a few
minutes? I’ve got a few questions.”
    “I’ve already answered just about
every cop in the city, so far,” he said.
    “Well, not everyone,” Virgil said.
“It looks like you were the last one to speak with her before she died. I just
want to ask you a few things. Sometimes witnesses know something they don’t
even think they know, and it can be something little that might not mean
anything to you but can make all the difference in the world to us. Have a
seat.” Virgil pointed him to a table in the corner. No other patrons were in
the cafe. The smell of burnt coffee hung in the air.
    After the three of them were
seated, the waiter started right in without prompting. “You know what’s weird?”
he said. “I don’t really feel anything. I mean, I’ve known Rhonda for a long
time. Well, that’s not quite right. I don’t really know her at all. What I mean
is, I’ve been serving her for a long time. We’d talk, you know? Nothing
substantial, not really. Just the casual ‘how you doing’ kind of chitchat
bullshit that customers and waiters have. Jesus. I’ve never seen anyone