Миранда Джеймс - Digging Up The Dirt

“Very well,” the doctor said. “She is still in a coma, and her vital signs are mostly steady. But she faces a long recovery once she’s out of the coma. Her injuries are extensive, and there is a possibility she will not be able to walk again or have the use of her upper limbs.” He paused. “I’m sorry, I know the news is not encouraging, but we are hoping for the best.” He turned and left the room.

“Oh dear Lord,” Barbie said as her eyes filled with tears. She hung her head, and Lottie, seated next to her, wrapped her arms around Barbie and hugged her tight.

An’gel felt her own eyes filling. The thought of her friend, always so vibrant, left paralyzed was shocking. She would pray that Arliss might defy the doctor’s prognosis and be able to walk and laugh again. She knew, however, that if Arliss survived the immediate threat to her life, her will to live would be strong. They would all have to do everything they could to help her.

Hadley walked out of the room without a word to anyone, though he did glance at An’gel and Dickce. An’gel tried to read his expression. He was obviously deeply upset, but there was something else there, something she couldn’t quite put a finger on. Perhaps it was rage.

That was her predominant emotion, now that the first shock of the doctor’s words was passing. Rage against the sick, coldhearted, lost soul who had done this thing.

Was this attempt at murder connected in some way with Callie Partridge’s disappearance? At the moment An’gel couldn’t figure out how it might be. She had a hunch that there was a connection, she and Dickce simply had to find it.

Right now, though, she had to think of other matters. She looked around the waiting room. The first thing to do was to clear this room and send people home.

“I think you all should go on home,” An’gel said in a firm tone. “It’s obvious that we can do little for Arliss at the moment except pray, since we won’t be allowed to see her. Her sister ought to be here soon, and she doesn’t need a crowd of people to deal with when she arrives. Dickce and I will stay here until she comes, but the rest of you should go.”

Barbie, her face blotched with red from crying, stood. “You’re right, An’gel. Come on, Lottie. Let us know if you hear anything.”

An’gel nodded. Lottie rose obediently at Barbie’s words and followed her friend out of the waiting room. An’gel turned to Reba and Martin. Before she could speak again, Reba rose from her seat.

“Come along, Martin. We have to go buy a new battery for the car.” She nodded in An’gel’s direction before she departed. Martin shambled after her, staring at his phone as he went.

“Thank goodness you got them to go,” Dickce said quietly. “I couldn’t stand to look at any of them, knowing that one of them has to be responsible for this.”

“I couldn’t stand looking at them either,” An’gel said. “We have a cold-blooded killer as a friend, and it makes me ill to think about it.”

Arliss’s younger sister Frances and her husband, Bill, turned up a few minutes later. An’gel and Dickce told them, as gently as possible, the truth of what had happened to Arliss. Frances and Bill were stunned, as the sisters expected, and they looked a little fearful. An’gel couldn’t blame them.

“Please call us if there is anything at all we can do for you.” An’gel gave them a card with the sisters’ contact information. She and Dickce left the couple after sharing a brief prayer with them for Arliss’s recovery.

“I hate leaving them alone like that, in that cold waiting room,” Dickce said as she and An’gel walked out of the hospital.

“I know,” Angel said. “Under the circumstances, however, I think it’s best. Though we’ve met them a few times over the years, they don’t really know us. They can’t be sure one of us isn’t responsible for the current situation. They really can’t afford to trust any of Arliss’s so-called friends until this is cleared up.”

“I suppose not,” Dickce said. “That’s horrible to contemplate, though.”

“Yes, it is.” An’gel unlocked the car and climbed into the driver’s seat. She was in no mood for her sister’s driving at the moment.

They drove home to Riverhill in silence. When they entered the kitchen, they found Benjy, along with Peanut and Endora, talking with Clementine.

“How is she?” Clementine asked the moment she saw them.

An’gel shared the news of Arliss’s condition. Clementine shook her head. “I’ll be praying for her.”

“She’s going to need all our prayers,” Dickce said.

“You both need hot coffee and food,” Clementine said. “Y’all set yourselves down there at the table, and I’ll have something ready for you in a minute.”

“I’ll get the coffee for you,” Benjy said.

“Thank you,” An’gel said. “Coffee and food would be good.”

Peanut came to her and rubbed against her legs. She sat at the table, and he put his head in her lap. She stroked it, and he gazed up at her lovingly. She felt better for his attention.

Endora hopped into Dickce’s lap the moment Dickce sat. An’gel could see that her sister found the cat’s attentions as soothing as she did Peanut’s. Benjy set cups of coffee in front of each of them, and they both thanked him.

A little while later, An’gel pushed back her empty plate. “Thank you, Clementine. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. Dickce and I rushed off to the hospital without even any coffee.”

“I know.” Clementine frowned. “You shouldn’t be doing things like that. Can’t go neglecting yourselves. Not going to help anybody by doing that.”

An’gel nodded. “You’re right.” Clementine fussed over them occasionally like they were her children. At times like this, An’gel appreciated her concern.

“Thank you,” Dickce said. “I feel much better after that.” She turned to Benjy. “What are you up to today?”

“Now that y’all are back, I thought I would go to the public library,” he said. “I want to see whether they have the old phone books, like you and I were talking about. See what I can find through their databases.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan,” An’gel said. “If you can’t find what you need there, let me or Dickce know, and we can call Charlie Harris and ask him to help you. I believe this is one of his days to work at the archive at the college.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that,” Benjy said. “Is it true that he takes his cat to work with him?” He glanced at Peanut and Endora and laughed. “I can just imagine taking these two with me and trying to focus on work.”

“When they’re older, perhaps.” Dickce favored the pets with an indulgent smile. “They’re still young, practically like children in kindergarten. They’ll be more settled before long.”

“To answer your question, yes, Charlie does take Diesel to work with him,” An’gel said. “Diesel has better manners than some people I know. He’s a very well-behaved cat.” She frowned at Endora. “This little miss could take a few lessons from him.”

“Endora is a very good girl most of the time,” Dickce said, a touch indignantly. “She’s still kittenish, and you can’t blame her for her occasional high spirits.”

Benjy laughed. “Whenever Peanut gets in trouble, she’s usually the ringleader. Will you mind looking after them while I’m in town?”

“Not at all,” Clementine said. “If Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce are too busy, they can keep me company.”

“Thanks,” Benjy said. “In that case, I’m going to grab my backpack and laptop and head to the library.” He patted the dog and the cat on their heads, gave all three women a quick peck on the cheek, and then he was out the back door.