Murder Is Private by Diane Weiner

Author:Diane Weiner [Weiner, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Amateur Sleuths, Cozy, Women Sleuths, Private Investigators
Amazon: B0112SCECU
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press
Published: 2015-07-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Susan woke to the sound of the partition curtain snapping shut. They were putting a patient in the other bed. She heard voices.

“One, two, three, lift.”

“Hook up the cords. Let’s get the monitors going.”

“Are you comfortable, ma’am? The nurse will be in in a few minutes with pain meds.”

Susan stayed quiet. She didn’t want to get into a conversation in the middle of the night, even though her natural curiosity made her wonder from what malady her roommate was suffering. She rolled over and went back to sleep.

The clanking of the breakfast tray woke her hours later. She smelled coffee.

“Brought you some breakfast,” said the nurse. “Let’s sit you up.”

Susan clicked the remote until she found the Today Show. For years, she’d harbored a secret crush on Matt Lauer. She ate her cold scrambled eggs and toast. The nurse was talking to her roommate in a chipper voice.

“Here’s your Percocet. Eat first or you might feel nauseous.”

“Yeah,” said the patient in the other bed. “Yeah. I know.”

After the nurse left, her roommate started the conversation.

“I’m not taking any damn pills. My niece got addicted to these things. Took years of rehab to get her over it.”

“If you’re in pain,” said Susan, “you should take them. A few days won’t hurt. I took those after I had my C-section years ago. I never got addicted.”

“Yeah, yeah. I could get good money for these out on the street.” The woman laughed with the hoarse voice of a smoker.

Susan shook her head. Pain pills, no. They could harm you. Cigarettes, fine.

Later, the doctor made his rounds and told Susan she could go home as soon as the discharge papers were ready. The Today Show was over, so she flipped through the TV stations, settling on Dr. Oz. He was her hero. He’d worked at Columbia University in New York City, where Evan was going to spend his summer. Maybe someday Evan would have his own TV show, Susan thought. The Dr. Wiles Show. Had a nice ring to it.

“Help!” cried her roommate. Susan heard alarms going off. The nurses rushed in. The doctor came with paddles. Just like on TV. “Clear!” Shock. Wait. “Clear!” Shock. Wait. Then she heard the doctor say to call it. “Time of death, 9:33 a.m.”

Susan couldn’t believe it. Ten minutes ago she’d been having a conversation with this woman. Now, she was dead. Thankfully, they wheeled the body out of the room quickly. Although she was getting used to the sight of dead bodies, the thought of rooming with a corpse for any length of time caused her to shudder. She felt sad for the family members who were about to hear the news.

Susan waited––patiently at first, not so patiently as the day wore on. How long did it take to draw up discharge papers? She heard the nurses clearing the nightstand and changing the sheets on the other bed. One nurse was either new, or maybe a nurse in training.

“What do we do with these?” she asked.

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