Death of a Wicked Witch - Lee Hollis Hayley Powell Mystery

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Hayley remained in the ER and was joined by Bruce a few minutes later.

      After forty-five minutes had passed, and Hayley and Bruce had gorged on just about every processed snack the vending machine had to offer, Gemma finally emerged from the exam room and crossed over to them.

      “He dislocated his shoulder.”

      “Oh no!” Hayley cried.

      “They fixed it and the doctor says it should heal in about six to eight weeks. He just needs to wear a sling to keep it immobilized so he doesn’t injure it again. It could have been a lot worse.”

      “Well, that’s a relief,” Hayley said.

      “He should be out in a few minutes. Is it too late to go back to the restaurant? I’m starving,” Gemma said.

      Bruce checked his watch. “I think we can get in under the wire before the kitchen closes.”

      Suddenly, a man burst through the doors into the emergency room yelling, “Please, my wife is very sick! I need help!”

      Nurse Tilly quickly grabbed the phone on her desk to call for some assistance.

      They all spun around to see Ted Lancaster, sweat running down his cheeks, a panicked look on his face. Trudy was in his arms, her eyes closed, her face a ghostly white.

      Hayley was the first to rush over to them. “Ted, what’s happened to her?”

      Ted gasped, out of breath. “I don’t know. One minute she was fine, and then the next she had a fever and chills and was vomiting! I rushed her here as fast as I could, but by the time we got here, she was too weak to even walk by herself.”

      Two orderlies showed up with a gurney and Ted gently set his wife down on it. They quickly whisked Trudy away, leaving her distraught husband behind.

      Hayley had managed to get a look at Trudy as they wheeled her off. She was barely conscious and gasping for air, as if she was having trouble breathing.

      Something was seriously wrong with her.

      Chapter 9

      Hayley was not about to leave Ted Lancaster alone to wander around the emergency room waiting area, lost and distressed after the ER staff had rushed his wife off to be examined by a doctor. She told Bruce to take Gemma and Conner to get some food and she would meet them all home later once she got word that Trudy’s condition had hopefully improved.

      Bruce didn’t like the idea of leaving her behind, but Hayley was insistent and determined to remain with Ted, who she felt needed a friend right now. Bruce finally agreed, and with Gemma doting on her injured boyfriend, who was now sporting a white sling, the three of them filed out to try and get back to McKay’s before closing time.

      Hayley sat down next to Ted, who was slumped over in a chair, head down, his hands covering his face. She put a comforting arm around him. “Can I get you anything, Ted?”

      He shook his head and mumbled that he was fine.

      Hayley sat back and sighed. She had just seen Trudy earlier that day and she had appeared healthy, robust, and energetic. What possibly could have happened to her since then that had made her so gravely ill? She wondered if she should try to lightly question Ted, but decided against engaging him at this time because he was so obviously physically and emotionally distraught. Instead, they sat in silence, Hayley keeping a hand resting gently on Ted’s back so he would know that she was there for him if he needed her.

      After nearly ninety minutes passed, and the last few patients in the waiting area were taken into the exam rooms by a nurse, leaving only Hayley and Ted and Nurse Tilly, who was behind the reception desk, a doctor solemnly walked out in a white coat, carrying a clipboard. Hayley didn’t know him. He was rather short and stout with thick, heavy eyeglasses and a scruffy beard.

      “Mr. Lancaster?” the doctor asked gruffly.

      Ted shot up to his feet and raced over to the doctor. “Yes, I’m Ted Lancaster. How’s my wife?”

      “Resting comfortably now,” he said, glancing at some notes he had scribbled down on a piece of paper attached to the clipboard. “She was showing symptoms of severe food poisoning and so we pumped her stomach and got rid of all the contents. Her fever went down. She’s still very weak but doing much better.”

      Ted looked at the doctor, confused. “Food poisoning?”

      He nodded. “As far as we can tell. We’re still waiting on the toxicology report to prove it. Do you know what she had to eat today?”

      “No, I didn’t see her until I got home from the church where I work. We hadn’t had dinner yet, and she was already feeling sick when I saw her,” Ted said.

      “I’m sure we’ll figure out the culprit,” the doctor said, distracted. “She’s in room two-eleven if you’d like to go see her. I have another patient I need to attend to.”

      The doctor brusquely pushed past Ted, hardly a candidate to win Best Bedside Manner.

      Ted called after him, “Thank you, Doctor... I didn’t get your name!”

      But the doctor was already gone.

      Hayley stood up and crossed over to join Ted. “Would you mind if I came with you?”

      Ted turned and seemed to notice her for the first time. “No, of course not, Hayley. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

      They took the elevator up to the second floor and found Trudy in a corner room, lying in bed with her eyes closed. There was another bed next to hers in the bland, sterile semiprivate room but it was not currently occupied. A pitcher of water and a plastic cup had been set out for her on the Formica table attached to her bed.

      “I need to go down to the gift shop to buy some flowers so we can spruce up this room at some point,” Hayley said softly.

      Trudy slowly opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of her husband and Hayley.

      Ted leaned over and grasped her hand. “How are you feeling, honey?”

      “Better,” she whispered, her lips dry and chapped.

      “The doctor said you suffered a bad bout of food poisoning. What on earth did you eat today?” Ted asked, squeezing her hand before lifting it up to kiss it.

      Trudy grimaced. “A candy apple.”

      “Well, who can resist eating a candy apple? It’s Halloween,” Hayley said, laughing.

      Trudy tried sitting up in bed but she was too weak. She slowly leaned back, resting her head on the lumpy pillow, and with her jaw clenched, managed to spit out, “It was from Cloris Fennow.”

      “What?” Hayley gasped.

      “Who’s Cloris Fennow?” Ted asked, perplexed.

      “She owns a rival food truck called Burger She Wrote,” Hayley explained. “And she’s made no secret of the fact that she is supremely unhappy that Trudy has arrived in town and become her chief competition.”

      Ted blinked, aghast. “Well, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard! Do you honestly believe she’s evil enough to try and poison my wife?”

      Trudy nodded. “She came back a while after you left today, Hayley, with a peace offering, one of her self-described ‘world-famous candy apples.’ She apologized for her behavior earlier and explained that she had overreacted and was embarrassed about it, and just wanted to let me know that she had no ill feelings toward me. I wasn’t going to eat the apple, but she waited around and wouldn’t leave until I at least tasted it...” Trudy stopped, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

      Ted kissed her hand again. “Don’t speak anymore, honey. This can wait until you get your strength back.”

      But Trudy was determined to continue. She waited a few moments, staring at the ceiling, gathering her thoughts,

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