DRAINED by Suzanne Ferrell

Author:Suzanne Ferrell [Ferrell, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Suzanne Ferrell Productions

* * *

“How’s our girl doing?” Flora asked when Brianna entered the shelter’s administration office after noon.

Brianna smiled. Flora was very tiny, maybe four-foot-ten if she stood on her toes. From the mountains of eastern Virginia—a little rural town called Grundy—she hadn’t had an easy life growing up but seemed to always have a smile ready to brighten your day. She reminded Brianna of those fairy godmothers in one of those cartoon movies.

“They let her come home this morning.” Brianna set her bag on the desk, sat in her chair and opened her computer. “She’s doing much better than when we found her Wednesday. Her breathing isn’t so wheezy and she’s not coughing as much. And her fever broke last night, so the antibiotics must be working.”

“Does she have anyone to help her?” Flora immediately shifted from happy pixie to worried mama cat. Unable to have any kids of her own, she’d always been like the house mother to the women who’d come to the shelter, no matter their age or circumstance. She might be little, but she could hug like a thousand-pound grizzly bear—often, just what the women needed. “I could come over and check on her after work.”

Brianna hated disappointing her, but she couldn’t let her compromise Paula’s safety, no matter how well intentioned her friend might be. And what she was going to tell her next wouldn’t be any easier.

“Paula can’t have any visitors right now, Flora.”

“Oh, is she contagious? You know I have some face masks. I could just put one on and pop in to see her. I won’t stay too long.”

“No. That’s not it. And what I’m going to tell you can’t leave this room, okay?”

Suddenly serious, Flora pushed out of her office chair, marched to the door and closed it quietly before taking her seat once more. “Okay. Tell me whatever it is. You know I won’t say a word.”

And Brianna did know that. Flora held more secrets than the CIA and was much better at keeping them. She once explained that her mother told her, “Flora, when someone shares a secret with you, you are honor-bound to keep it to yourself. No matter if they share it with the whole world, it isn’t your secret to share.”

“Paula can’t have visitors because she’s in a safehouse as a witness in a murder investigation.”

Flora’s eyes grew wide with shocked surprise. “Murder? Whose?”

“A homeless man who she befriended.” Brianna reached out and took Flora’s hand in hers. “And I have some really bad news, the same person who killed Paula’s friend has also killed…” She paused blinking back the tears and swallowing the lump in her throat. “Also killed Mia.”

“No!” Flora pulled her hand away and covered her mouth with both hands.

Brianna leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Flora. It was her turn to give this woman the bear hug. After her tears and trembling stopped, Brianna sat back and handed her a tissue from the box on her desk. “I’m so sorry I had to be the one to tell you.

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