Page 82 of Refuge for Flora

“Do I need to call security.”

“No!” Her heart pounded out of control. If security came looking for Bradley and Darryl, they’d know for sure that it was her. No, it was best if she just stayed put. “Um, is there a waiting area on this floor? With a phone maybe?”

“Sure. The surgical waiting area is right down here, and there’s a house phone in there. The operator can connect you with anybody you need to talk to. Just follow me.” She wasn’t sure if the man was a doctor or a nurse, but he was being very kind to her, and he had no idea how much she appreciated it in that terrifying moment. “Here you go. The phone’s right over there.”

Flora sat down and took a deep breath. Even if they were looking for her, it would take them a while to find her up there, and once she’d made her call, she’d find somewhere to sit where she could be out of view but still watch for them. There was no one else in the waiting area, so she picked up the phone and dialed nine. “Mercy Regional. How may I direct your call?”

“I’m upstairs in the surgical waiting room with… my dad.” That sounded good. “And my friend is down there somewhere. She came in by ambulance. I help take care of her. I was down there, but I had to come back up here, and I don’t know how she’s doing.”

“What’s your friend’s name?”

“MarilynMurphy.”

“Hold, please.”

In a few seconds, a voice answered, “Emergency department.”

“Yes, I’m Mrs.Murphy’s caregiver. I had to come upstairs to check on a relative. Is she okay?”

“Yes, ma’am. Looks like she’s going to need a pacemaker, and they want to keep her overnight to run some tests. She’s being admitted to the fourth floor tonight. If you’ll come back tomorrow, we’ll know more.”

“Okay. Thank you very much.” Flora hung up the phone, then headed down the hallway. She had no idea where she was going, but she walked until she found a hallway where most of the lights were out. Sure enough, that wing wasn’t in use, so she slipped into one of the rooms, scooted back into a corner, and sat there, arms wrapped around her knees. What should she do? She couldn’t call Barrett. She had no one’s phone number, not Zyan and Landee’s, or Kirby’s, or Jonas’s, or Conor’s. There was no way for her to contact anyone. There was only one thing for her to do.

Wait.

* * *

The zip tieshad gone on and the guys were leaning up against Barrett’s truck. “Whaddya got over there, Walker?”

“Let’s see… Looks like I’ve got a small generator and some really big dip nets! Look at this.”

Barrett stepped closer to the boat. There was a fiberglass pole mounted on both port and starboard sides, and there were lines from the generator wrapped around the poles as they disappeared into the water. “So the power goes down the poles…”

“There’s a chain stretched across from the bottom of one pole to the other. They run the current through that and just mosey on down the river, scooping up the fish from behind them as they float to the top.”

“Well, isn’t that handy? You boys got quite the setup there! You’re being detained for violations of Kentucky Revised Statutes one fifty two sixty five, three sixty-two, and three sixty-five. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand your rights as I’ve presented them?” Both men nodded. “Answer verbally.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, asshole.”

Barrett shook his head. “Oh, I see you finished that course, ‘How to win friends and influence people.’ But you obviously failed.”

Walker Harrold stepped up to the little group. “McCrackenCounty’s about twenty minutes out.”

“Good. I’m about to lose my patience with these two drunk motherfuckers.” Barrett whipped out his phone. He’d tried to call Flora earlier, but she hadn’t answered, so he tried again. When her voicemail kicked in, he waited until the beep. “Babe, this is the second time I’ve tried to call you and I’m getting a little worried. Please call me back. Bye.”

Walker stepped up beside him. “Everything okay?”

Barrett slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Oh, I’m sure it is. Probably just me being paranoid.”

It was almost thirty minutes before a deputy showed up to take the two men to the county jail. Barrett had filled out paperwork on one of them and Walker on the other, so they were finished with that little task. “Look, we got who we wanted to get. Go. Anything else comes up, I can handle it,” Walker assured him.

“Thanks. I think I will. Let me know if you need me.”

“Will do. Night.”

Barrett pulled out of the parking lot at the boat ramp and headed up the hill. It would take him a few minutes to get to Mrs.Murphy’s house, but he was sure everything would be fine when he got there. Flora had probably run the battery down on her phone and hadn’t gotten it recharged.

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