A Plague Among Us by Deb Pines

Author:Deb Pines [Pines, Deb]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Published: 2021-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY

A BRUSH-OFF was never good.

But Winston Suarez’s felt different, like another sign they were onto something.

“Wish we knew why he’s so scared,” Sylvia said when Mimi got back in the car.

“It makes you wonder.”

Mimi and Sylvia grew quiet as the GPS directed them on the zigs and zags needed to get out of the hospital campus from Sherman Street to left turns on Allen and Institute, and then a right on Foote.

“And makes me want to put finding what Winston might know high on my list,” Mimi said.

“But how?”

“No idea. Along with how to find Terri and Anna Martin,” Mimi said. “Jake thinks Terri must have changed her name or got married.”

“Makes sense or you’d think someone could find her.”

“I’m also going back to basics. Trying to talk to the various plagues and the Martin brothers.”

“What about the aide?”

“The job reference she sent me, a woman from Texas she used to clean for, vouched for her. Said Kerry’s a good worker. She didn’t know her personal story, but said she followed a guy up North.”

“Matching her story.”

“Right.”

Downtown scenery of densely packed homes and businesses gradually gave way to a stretch of spaced-out car dealerships and garages.

“I’ll also text Jim Wilson,” Mimi said. “See if he knows anything. Maybe he can check gate passes. To see who came this summer.”

“Like Terri or Anna?” Sylvia said.

“Yeah.”

“How old would they be?” Sylvia asked.

“Terri? Probably Conor’s age. So that would be mid-40s. The daughter was 4 when her dad died in 2004. So that would make her, let me see…” Mimi try to do the math. “I don’t know, late teens or 20s.”

That summer, gate passes were free for the first time in Chautauqua’s 146-year history. Still, they were required, in theory. Ostensibly, to help conduct contact-tracing in case of a COVID outbreak.

Mimi texted Jim Wilson:

One more thing?

Ha! Can I hold you to that?

Probably not. Can you see if Terri Martin or Anna Martin got gate passes to visit Chautauqua this summer? And if they came, when?

Will do. Also I’m emailing you the 911 recording you asked for

Thanks. Want to walk again?

Maybe Friday.

Sylvia was chugging along, competently, on 430 (aka Fluvanna Avenue), the route back to the highway.

“Want to listen to the tape?” Mimi asked.

Sylvia nodded.

“It won’t distract you?”

Sylvia said she would be fine listening and driving. But as soon as Mimi pushed play, Sylvia slowed down. Cars in every lane on I-86 were passing them.

“I think you have to go a little faster,” Mimi chided.

“You take care of the sound,” Sylvia snapped. “I’ll take care of the driving.”

When Mimi restarted the tape, Sylvia found a reasonable highway speed and stuck to it.

The first voice on the recording belonged to an extra-calm middle-aged woman.

“911,” the woman said. “Where is the location of your emergency?”

“Oh my God, my boss … The location is, uh, 64 Park in the Institution.”

That was Kerry, and she sounded frantic.

“Do you need police, fire or an ambulance?”

“I, uh, an ambulance. I think my boss is dead, or dying, in the Chautauqua Institution.

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