Mason's Daughter by Cynthia J Stone

Author:Cynthia J Stone [Stone, Cynthia J]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 1938749022
Publisher: Violet Crown Publishers
Published: 2012-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Mike and I speak very little during the ride down the hospital elevator. Since he already agreed to interview Colton, I figure I’ll wait for the outcome before badgering him further. Later I’ll sic both Saint Trixie and my mother on Colton if their powers can do any good. For now, I have to count on Mike to probe the stubborn reaches of my son’s memory.

Mike presses his palm against the rubber seal as the elevator doors part. “I wonder if Angelique has put on more makeup so we won’t notice she’s turned pale and weak.” He tries to smile. “Can’t you just see her flopped on her fainting couch?”

“I’m not sure what to expect.”

He nods, and we fall in step together out the elevator doors and down the first floor hallway. Our strides match in length and pace.

Images gallop through my mind, getting worse by the moment. What if Angelique has fallen and Colton can’t lift her up? Did she stop breathing? “I’m just hoping Colton hasn’t, well, maybe he kept his cool.” I grab Mike by the arm. “What if we dispatch an ambulance before leaving the hospital and–”

“She’d send it back without setting foot in it.” He holds the emergency entrance door open and we cross the parking lot. “Look, we have to join forces and persuade her to get a checkup.”

Mike is more worried than I first thought. He climbs into his cruiser, leaving me to stand next to my unopened car door and wonder how on earth we will ever talk Angelique into seeing a doctor for professional purposes only.

After following him across town, I park next to his squad car in her driveway. Her front door stands wide open, while laughter ricochets from the back of the house, interrupted by an electronic whirring noise.

Angelique looks up as we peek through the kitchen door. “There you are, darlings. How about a virgin daiquiri?” A long, slim cigarette dangles from her fuchsia-tinted lips.

“New gadget?” Mike asks.

Colton flicks the toggle switch to Angelique’s stainless Hamilton Beach blender, and frenzied pink slush comes to a standstill in the glass container. He sips from a large stemmed goblet, his eyes daring me to stop him.

“Isn’t Colton a little young to tend bar?” I scan the counters for a bottle of rum, not that I suspect Angelique of corrupting my son. But in her condition, whatever it might be, he can easily sneak something past her. I check the ashtray to be sure all the butts wear pink lipstick.

“Strictly in training.” Angelique’s throaty laugh collapses into a deep cough. For a moment her face turns the same shade as her lips, then she says, “We’ll add the alcohol after he goes to bed.”

“Thanks, but I have to work tonight,” Mike says. “Where’s your phone book?”

She directs him to the drawer in the corner, and he waves through the pages like a traffic cop during rush hour. When his hand rests near the center of the book, he picks up her phone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.