Don't Turn Around by Hunter Morgan

Author:Hunter Morgan [Morgan, Hunter]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2008-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The next morning Casey got up thinking about Gaitlin. By the time she had finished her shower, she’d moved on to her more immediate concern, her father. Casey really felt as if she and Jayne needed to discuss the matter. On the way to work she called her sister and Jayne agreed to “squeeze her in” that day.

At twelve-thirty, Casey went down to the hospital cafeteria to meet Jayne for lunch. She waited until one for her, and then, when Jayne was a no-show and didn’t answer her cell phone, Casey got in line for a bowl of Sarge’s soup.

“Haven’t seen ya in days,” Sarge commented. He sniffed.

“Guess I’ve been busy. Packing lunch or just eating crackers. You have a cold?”

“Must be workin’ on one.” Despite the line of OR nurses behind her, he took his time ladling out a portion of minestrone for her. “You too busy to see old Sarge? I wait every day to see your pretty face. You don’t show up, you disappoint old Sarge.” He actually seemed put out.

“I didn’t realize I was so important to you,” she said, reaching out for her bowl.

“Prob’ly a lot a things ya don’t know about me.” He held the plastic bowl just out of reach and sniffed again.

When she made eye contact with him, there was something in his facial expression that she didn’t like. She instantly remembered seeing him in the parking lot the same day Gaitlin had come to her office. Where else had she seen Sarge lately? She saw so many people she knew from work outside of the workplace. She wracked her brain. The mini-mart where she bought gas? Wal-Mart?

“Thanks for the soup.” Casey reached over the counter to take the bowl from him.

“Have a nice day.” He watched her as she carried her tray away.

Casey realized when she got to the cashier that she had forgotten to ask for crackers, but she didn’t want them bad enough to go back to see Sarge.

She paid for her soup and bottle of water and walked to the windows. Her favorite table was taken. She took the closest vacant one.

Sarge had kind of creeped her out. Had he really been acting strangely, or had it just been her imagination?

She had eaten half her soup when Jayne showed up flustered, wearing a heavy winter coat, trailing a long wool scarf behind her. “So sorry,” she said, plopping down in the chair across from Casey as she unbuttoned her coat.

“I called, but you didn’t pick up.”

Jayne set her enormous purse on her lap and dug through it. “Put it on vibrate earlier. Guess I forgot to turn it back on.”

“You want to get something to eat? I’ve only got about twenty minutes.” Casey dipped her plastic spoon in and out of her soup. She wasn’t that hungry. “I have an appointment with a patient’s family at one forty-five.”

Jayne was still digging through her purse. “I’m not hungry. Had two donuts and about a gallon of coffee in my morning meeting.

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