Page 78 of Sinful Promises

Bringing out my acting skills, I feigned utter shock—hand on chest, eyes bulging. “Do you know why?” I knew exactly why, but I was curious if Nurse Chirpy had any gossip.

“Well.” She leaned forward ready to whisper. “I was walking past before.” Her eyes darted left and right as if ensuring we were alone. “I wasn’t snooping or anything. But I heard them say murder.”

“What?” A wrecking ball plowed through me. No acting required. “Murder? Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. Patricia had another one of her panic attacks and we had to call the doctor.”

Oh, yeah. I bet she had a fucking panic attack. “But the police didn’t leave?”

“No. They talked to the doctor for a while and when he told them how sick she was, they decided to stay.” She eased back from the counter and frowned. “So, who were you here to see then?”

“Oh, um, you, I guess.”

She palmed her chest. “Me?”

I plucked the paperwork from my pack and slid it toward her. “I’ve arranged for Mother’s funeral and paid for it. You won’t need to do anything. Just ring this number and they’ll come and . . . you know . . . pick her up.”

A horrified expression crawled across her face, and when the realization must have dawned on her that I was abandoning Mother, she blinked at me like I was truly evil.

I had no idea why because it wasn’t like I had any feelings whatsoever for Mother, but I felt the need to justify some of my actions. Shoving an annoying curl behind my ear, I closed my eyes and huffed as if utterly overwhelmed by this situation. Which I totally was. But how could I sum up what Mother had done in just one or two sentences? “Look. I’m sorry. I must appear utterly insensitive.” I softened my stance. “I know my mother comes across as sweet and innocent, but I feel I should clarify some things for you. For starters, I was conceived during an orgy.” Nothing like going for the jugular. “And the man who Mother pretended was my father turned out to be a criminal, and that’s why the police are here.”

The expression on her face was priceless, and it took all my acting skills not to burst out laughing. “So, can you do me a favor please?”

She nodded, her jaw stuck half-open.

“When the police come out, can you please tell them I’ll be waiting downstairs in the café?”

A weird, strangled noise came from her throat that I deciphered as a yes.

I turned, and as I walked away, I wondered how long it would be before every nurse in the oncology ward would be whispering the ‘orgy’ word around.

At the café, I purchased a ham and salad wrap and an orange juice and sat at a table that gave me an unobstructed view of the elevators.

I’d finished my meal and was contemplating texting Zali when Detective Flanagan and another police officer emerged. I waved them over. Flanagan came straight to me while her colleague went to the counter.

“Hello, Daisy. May I?” She indicated to the seat.

“Of course. I wasn’t expecting you to be here. With Mother, I mean.”

“Well, your timing is perfect. We have some information for you.”

“Already?”

“Are you okay to talk about it here?” Flanagan indicated to the couple a few tables over.

“Sure.” I shrugged. Where else would I go?

“Your information has allowed us to close this case.”

I nodded. “That’s good. So, Robert did rob the jewelry store?”

“Yes, he wasn’t hard to find. He’s currently in jail, serving time for another robbery.”

I rolled my eyes. “Bloody hell.”

“He’s given us enough information to arrest the other three men in the robbery. But do you want the good news or the bad news?”

I cringed, having a distinct feeling that neither was going to be good. “The bad news, I guess.”

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