Murder on Tour by V.M. Burns

Author:V.M. Burns [Burns, V.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2023-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

The campus infirmary wasn’t far from the administration building, which was a good thing because I wasn’t sure if Nora Cooper would have made it more than a block. We walked slowly, and I supported most of her weight. I was grateful that when we got to the lobby, I found a wheelchair and eased Nora down into it.

I approached the front desk of the infirmary. “Hi. Mrs. Graves asked—”

“We’ve been expecting you.” The woman pushed a buzzer and two men came from the back.

“Is this Miss Cooper?” one of the men asked.

“Yes. I was—”

They pushed the wheelchair with Nora Cooper through a set of double doors, leaving me staring at the closed doors. I turned back to the woman behind the desk. “Do I need to do anything?”

She looked at me as though I were speaking a foreign language.

“You know, fill out forms? Paperwork? Not that I know the answers to any of the questions to complete them, but . . . whenever I’ve gone to a hospital or even my dentist’s office, they always ask five million questions.”

“Mrs. Graves will take care of the paperwork.” She typed on her computer.

“Should I stay? I’d hate to just leave her here alone.”

“Only immediate family members allowed.” She must have had some compassion because she hesitated and then added, “Why don’t you give us a call later after the doctor has had a chance to look her over. There’s nothing you can do for her right now.”

She was right. Nora Cooper’s nerves were shot, and my standing there wasn’t going to help her in the least. It’s not like I was family or even a close friend. I’d only met the woman yesterday.

I walked back over to the administration building. I had several hours until my next panel, so I had time to catch the tail end of Judith Hunter’s interview before I needed to be anywhere.

The auditorium was packed. There were kids sitting on the floor in the aisles and standing up near the back, violating all fire-safety rules. I elbowed my way to a corner near the wall where I could see the stage. My position gave me a side view of Judith and a sliver of the backstage crew. Dorothy Clark towered over everyone else, making her easy to spot.

I risked the ire of my fellow standing-room-only compatriots and jostled my way back the way I came and out of the auditorium. I hurried backstage and found Dorothy. I moved beside her.

“What did I miss?” I whispered.

“Not much. I’m going to interview her after she finishes this presentation and signs more books.”

Dorothy kept her eyes focused on Judith. She was taking her role of bodyguard seriously.

After the interview, Dorothy reinforced her role by snapping pictures of the audience during their standing ovation.

I spotted Detective Pitt as we were heading to the hallway. When we made eye contact, he developed a tic. Either the detective wanted to talk to me privately or he was having a stroke.

I straggled back and then slipped into the backstage room I’d seen the detective enter moments earlier.

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