Asp of Ascension (A Nefertari Hughes Mystery #1)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Amy Sue's hair was smooth and shiny, and her makeup was impeccable—on the right side of her face. Her left eye was missing, a caved-in crater of flesh covering what should have been a matching baby blue. She started to mumble, but her sounds were garbled. Her hands fidgeted under her pink shawl, and a remote control emerged. She pressed a button, turning down the volume. She turned to Fraser again and mumbled a second time, her voice rising.

Terry swallowed hard. She poked Fraser in the back. "Let's go," she whispered.

"Um...Roosevelt High," he repeated. He tried to hand her the chocolates again, but she only stared back at him with one eye. Her thick, mascara-laden lashes blinked slowly.

Maude stepped forward and took the package. She unwrapped the plastic and crouched beside the recliner. She opened up the box and pointed to one of the largest chocolates, decorated with swirls. "This one is a praline," she said. "And this one with the white stripes is a caramel."

Amy Sue picked the praline chocolate and ate it daintily. Her baby blue eye winked at Maude then she pushed away the shawl, revealing a plastic board covered in the alphabet. A pink fingernail tapped out a word a letter at a time.

T-H-A-N-K-Y-O-U

Maude smiled widely. "You're welcome." She turned and gave Fraser an encouraging nod.

"Like I said," he began, "we're from Roosevelt High and we know you were friends with—"

"New visitors?" An older nurse in a white cardigan walked into the room. "I understand you're relatives of a former school chum of our Ms. Veinot." She was smiling, but Terry could hear the authority in her tone.

Fraser put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Yup," he said.

The nurse stood there waiting for more of an explanation. Fraser decided to stay quiet. Terry thought this was wise since he might blurt out Maude's plumbing ambitions again.

The nurse moved beside Amy Sue. She noticed the open box of chocolates in Maude's hands. "And you brought a treat as well."

Maude gently placed the box on the corner of the bed and slunk back with Terry. "Twizzlers," she whispered.

The nurse's attention was soon taken by the soap opera on the television. "I bet Nicholas will find out Brooke is lying about her pregnancy," she said. "And then he'll blackmail her into marrying his brother." Amy Sue tapped on her board again.

S-L-U-T

"Mm-hmm," the nurse replied.

Maude touched Fraser's elbow, but he shook her off, reluctant to go. Terry glanced around the pink room. On the wall were a few framed photographs. The largest was of Prince William and Kate's famous wedding kiss from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The second largest, though, was a newspaper clipping of a handsome man in a suit accepting some kind of award.

She recognized the mayor. A heat burned inside Terry. Maybe if the mayor hadn't been pushing to ensure everything was in order for the unveiling, her father wouldn't be in the hospital.

The ending theme of the soap opera filled the room. The nurse made a frustrated noise. "Why do they always leave us hanging?" she asked. Amy Sue helped herself to another chocolate.

The music switched over to the local news channel. Tanya's photo appeared in the corner of the screen while a well-coiffed reporter recapped details of her disappearance.

Amy Sue stopped chewing. The front of the museum filled the television. She let out a garbled scream and started jabbing the plastic board.

"It's all right," the nurse tried to soothe. Amy Sue continued to scream. The nurse pressed a button on the wall. Terry and Maude backed out of the room. Another nurse arrived. Over Fraser's shoulder Terry could see Amy Sue's face frozen in fear. One of the nurses produced a needle.