Girl Under Water: An absolutely unputdownable and gripping crime thriller by L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain

Author:L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781838888343
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2020-12-16T18:30:00+00:00

FORTY-TWO

Charlie woke to rays of morning sun streaming in through the curtains of her childhood bedroom. Squinting, she peered out at the now half-empty bottle of Bacardi a few feet away. She’d only intended to have a few sips of rum while she wallowed in her sorrows.

She lurched to her feet. The gala. She’d almost forgotten about it.

Her head throbbed so violently that she had to steady herself on the edge of the bed. Her mouth tasted the way a wet dog smelled, and the room felt like it was lurching like a ship on rough seas.

She forced herself upright, tottered out into the hall, fleeing her mother’s house. She couldn’t miss the gala. She needed to talk to Dutch’s mistress, hungover or not.

The sun tried its best to pierce her brain as she sped back to her apartment, stabbing ice picks of bright light through her eyeballs. Her phone rang, and when she saw Zoe’s name on the screen, her mind flashed back to the previous night.

“How are you holding up?” Zoe asked once Charlie had picked up.

“I guess that depends on how things went at the hospital,” Charlie said.

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t call before. Anytime I work a night shift like that, I end up crashing pretty hard when I get home. I just woke up.”

“Don’t apologize,” Charlie said. “I should be thanking you.”

“All part of the job, ma’am,” Zoe said in an overly folksy accent that made Charlie think of a cop show from the 1960s. “Anyway, things got a little heated at the hospital. She wanted her regular doctor, who wasn’t on call. Eventually they got your mom calmed down enough to give her some meds, and that helped. So she’s compliant for now, and that’s a good sign.”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, hoping Zoe was right.

“Nancy’s at the Henry Ford Urgent Care center for the duration of the hold,” Zoe explained. “They usually prefer to keep visitations to a minimum during the forty-eight hours, but I might be able to pull some strings if you think seeing her would help.”

“Honestly, I think visiting right now would make it worse, if anything,” Charlie said.

She wondered if that was the truth or a convenient thing to tell herself. She thanked Zoe again before hanging up.

At home, she took ibuprofen with her coffee and then chugged two glasses of water. By the time she’d finished showering, she was feeling mostly better.

She got out her laptop and did some background research on Meals on Wheels while she forced down a piece of toast with peanut butter and blackberry jam.

“It’s Meals on Wheels,” Allie said. “They take food to old people. It’s not rocket science.”

“I know, but I might have to blend in while I wait for the right moment to approach Vivien Marley. I’d like to at least seem like I know what I’m there for.”

“You’d be better off brushing up on your golf lingo and the latest ways to shelter money in the Caymans. That’s what these rich bastards are going to be talking about.

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