Read Online Nubbin but Trouble by Ava Mallory - Free Book Online Page A

mess!
     
    “I look like I walked from California. My dark, curly hair was a frizzy mop. My nose and eyes were red, not to mention that both were leaking like sieves. No way was anyone going to let me past the front door, let alone anywhere near any of the resident's units.
     
    I had to think fast. Even with a great plan brewing, I would never make it through the facility without anyone noticing that I was sick.
     
    A minute of primping and I was about as good as I was going to get for the time being. With any luck, I hoped I'd go unnoticed.
     
    I stepped out of the car and took a deep breath before taking Barney out of his carrier and braving the ice-packed driveway.
     
    “Here goes nothing,” I whispered as the automatic door opened and a floral scent hit my nostrils.
     
    As the second set of doors opened, I went over my plan: get in, get some information, get out. That was easy enough.
     
    “Are you kidding me?” The sound of a woman's voice stopped me in my tracks.
     
    Instinctively, I put my head down to shield my face from view.
     
    I recognized the shoes. I looked up and our eyes met briefly before I looked behind me, contemplating whether or not to turn around and walk right out of here.
     
    “Mercy Mares?” Kathy shook her head as she said my name.
     
    Since she said my name in the form of the question, I decided that I'd take that and run with it.
     
    “Kathy, right?” I pretended to not be sure of who she was.
     
    Sternly, she asked, “What are you doing here? No one said anything about you working here again and why do you have that dog with you?”
     
    I clutched Barney closer to my chest, so he wouldn't hear his former owner's words.
     
    “Why do you think I'm here, Kathy? Let's cut to the chase. I didn't want this to go this way, but since yours is the first face I've seen, I'll ditch my original plan and ask you directly – what happened to Nubbin? What did you do?” I looked at her accusingly.
     
    She gasped, shocked that I would ask her such a question, but I didn't have time for any of her excuses. I'd heard them before and wasn't interested.
     
    Kathy's beady blue eyes darkened. “What are you implying? I didn't have anything to do with this? You know how Nubbin is. You know he acts without thinking all the time.”
     
    Barney started barking, causing Kathy to move a few steps back. I didn't correct him because I felt my eyes beginning to water and knew that she'd figure out that I wasn't feeling well. If I kept a little distance between us, I hoped she wouldn't notice. I didn't have much faith in her nursing skills, but on the off chance that she'd surprise me and notice that I was sick, I had to do my part to not give her any reason to doubt my well-being.
     
    “Nubbin is a good man. Isn't it your job to make sure that he's safe? Weren't you watching him?” I could feel my face begin to burn with anger.
     
    Kathy opened her wide mouth, but didn't utter a word in response. I think I stumped her. Good!
     
    “Mercy, is that you? Wow, how long have you been in town?” Sarah, one of the nurse's aides I'd met during my stay here last Christmas, asked.
     
    “Hi, Sarah. How are you?” I poured on the sugar just to goad Kathy.
     
    As expected, Kathy huffed off in her bright orange Crocs, reminiscent of a certain celebrity chef I'd seen on television. I kept one eye on her egg-shaped body as she pounded her feet on the ground and rushed away from me.
     
    “You brought Barney with you.” Sarah grabbed Barney out of my arms and showered him with kisses. “Did you hear about Nubbin?”
     
    Good, someone who is willing to speak to me about what happened. I had to think about how to proceed.
     
    “Kathy said something happened to Nubbin. Is he okay?” I pretended not to know anything about the circumstances.
     
    Sarah was eager to fill me in on all the juicy details. She took a deep breath and then starting speaking at rapid fire. I had trouble keeping up with