Night Shift (Book 1, the Night Shift series)

Chapter Thirty-nine

Stacey came into work earlier than usual and took Daniel aside as he was leaving the locker room. He was practically asleep on his feet and hadn't bothered to change out of his uniform.

"Have you thought any more about what we discussed?" she asked in a hushed voice.

He blinked, trying to focus on her face, but the insides of his eyelids were made of sandpaper. "I need a little more time," he said. His latest discovery about Mr. Oliver had sent his mind on a one-way trip to The Twilight Zone.

She stifled a sob. "Last night Aunt Maureen fell out of bed again. She thought she was late for her shift. Her face is all bruised and she cut her forehead open. Please," she begged. "They've got her restrained now. She's so frail, and I'm worried she may not even make it to the weekend."

Daniel noticed the dark circles were still there under all her eye makeup. She looked as exhausted and desperate as he felt. How could he fix all of this? So many hearts were depending on him to do everything right. "I'm not giving up," he promised. "I'll have a plan soon."

She tried to smile, but the hopelessness bled through. He left Willard's with the strange sensation of being jealous of Mary. That maybe for once, he'd like to be the one stuck in pose, while the rest of the world struggled with its problems.

He collapsed on top of the hotel bedspread fully clothed. He didn't wake up for another ten hours, and by that time, he was already late for his shift.

He stood in front of Mr. Oliver. His hair was still wet from the shower. The pants were the same as the night before, but thankfully he had another shirt ironed and ready. Mr. Oliver moved back in his chair, making it squeak. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Daniel stayed quiet. The image of Mr. Oliver fighting with a ghost was fresh in his mind.

A white eyebrow lifted, challenging Daniel. "Can you tell me why I shouldn't fire you tonight?"

"Because your bet is still in the bowl?"

"Comedian," Mr. Oliver grumbled. He gave Daniel another fifteen minutes of ridicule and put him on a strict hourly schedule.

Daniel hurried through the departments, checking his watch every five minutes. He rounded the corner into Sporting Goods and found Petey sitting on the floor, crying with his arms wrapped around his knees. He lifted up his tear-streaked face toward Daniel. "I know how Virginia left the store," he said.

It didn't take long for the others to arrive. Blanche flew down the aisle with her chiffon dress flowing behind. Petey was still on the floor, now with Clara's arms around him. "There, there," she cooed.

Mary moved closer to Daniel. "This is exactly the way we found him the day Virginia went missing," she whispered.

Blanche carefully knelt down. "Please, pigeon," she asked. "What do you remember?"

Petey took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I think it was the sandwich that did it. Or maybe it was the combination of that and the perfume. I don't know, but I dreamed about her all day." He looked at their concerned faces. "Only, it wasn't a dream. It was my last memory of her."

"Virginia told me there was something really important to talk about. I was scared because it looked like she'd been crying. We went to the kitchen, and she made me a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato." He glanced at Daniel. "It was my favourite, but I've never had one since that night. She told me something wonderful had happened—she had discovered her purpose."

"Her purpose?" Blanche asked.

"Yeah," Petey replied. "She said she had to leave the store. I asked if she was taking me, too. She said I had to stay, but someday each of us would have a chance to leave. Then she kissed me and told me she would always love me."