Malpractice in Maggody by Joan Hess

Author:Joan Hess [Hess, Joan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2006-05-22T22:00:00+00:00

10

“I can’t believe Arly left town without so much as a word,” said Estelle, having heard about it from Bordella Buchanon, who’d been picking up beer cans along the side of the road. “Especially after the way she spoke to you earlier this afternoon. If I was you, I wouldn’t give her the time of day after she comes skulking back from wherever she went.”

Ruby Bee finished washing a couple of mugs and set them on the draining board. “She doesn’t have to account to me, as she’s so fond of claiming. After all, I’m just her mother. It’s not like I worked my fingers to the bone to buy her new shoes for school and ruffled dresses for Easter. One year I stayed up all night sewing feathers on her costume for a school play. She was a bluebird, or maybe a blue jay—I disremember which. I nearly sneezed my head off.”

Estelle toyed with her sherry glass. “You know, I find it real interesting that these so-called patients are famous. I wonder who they are.”

“I don’t see how we can find out, short of climbing over the fence and peeking in windows. Arly said we wouldn’t have heard of them, anyway.”

“I don’t see how she can be so sure,” Estelle continued, her eyes narrowed. “Just because she doesn’t read People magazine doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t. Britney Spears and Brad Pitt could be there, and Arly wouldn’t recognize them.”

Ruby Bee couldn’t help but agree. “Movie stars are all the time going to expensive private hospitals on account of alcohol or drug problems. It’s amazing any of them ever actually finds time to make a movie, what with the way they keep getting engaged, married, divorced—sometimes all on the same day. Wouldn’t it be something if a really famous celebrity was hiding out not even a mile away from here?”

“I can think of a way we might find out.”

“I’m not about to sit in that persimmon tree, if that’s what you’re thinking,” said Ruby Bee. “I got better things to do, and so do you.”

“What about the Mexicans in the motel out back? They must know who the patients are.”

“Are you forgetting they don’t speak English?”

Estelle pulled out her ace in the hole, which in this case turned out to be a book in her handbag. “I dropped by the high school yesterday to ask Lottie for her lemon pound cake recipe. While she was hunting it down for me, I went across the hall to the library and found this Spanish book for beginners.”

“You stole it? I am shocked, Estelle Oppers. Stealing books from a library is worse than—than filching money from the collection plate!”

“I did no such thing. I simply borrowed it, and I’ll make sure it’s back on the shelf before school starts at the end of the summer. No one will even notice it’s missing.”

“Let me see it.” Ruby Bee opened the book and flipped through a couple of pages. “This might come in

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