night manager at Money Slasher on Central. I have to turn in my smock in order to get my last paycheck."
"Would that be the grey thing you were wearing under your jacket?" Rose nodded. "I'm afraid the doctor in the emergency room cut that to pieces when they were treating you."
"Oh." Another crestfallen look. "They charge eight dollars for ruined smocks."
"Don't worry about it," Veronica said, not fully understanding how important the small sum of money was to the young woman. To Rose, that was her weekly allotment for groceries, almost half of which went to cat food. Through her drug filled haze, a thought came to her.
"Tabitha!" She exclaimed. "Oh my god, someone has to take care of Tabitha."
"Would that be your cat?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I found your key in your wallet and went to your apartment hoping to find a name or number of someone to contact for you."
"Did you feed her?" Her concern that someone was in her run down apartment was overshadowed by her worry over the one thing that brought some kind of joy to her life.
"Yes I did," Veronica replied as Rose turned away, letting a long silence form between them. A lone tear made its way down the young woman's cheek. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you in pain?
Do you need me to call the nurse?" Veronica's hand was already reaching for the call button.
"No," the young woman sniffed, wiping away the errant tear. "It's just that…" She sniffled again,
"…if I'm not there to take care of Tabitha, they're going to take her away."
"No no no. No one's going to take Tabitha away from you. I promise. In fact, she's at my house right now. She can stay with me until you're all settled." Veronica's heart lurched with the thought of how easily she had destroyed Rose's life. In one move she had cost the young woman her job, her home, and far more pain than anyone deserved to have. Now she was sitting there, lying to her in order to protect herself. "I swear no one will take Tabitha away."
"I…I can write you a check for her food. She doesn't eat much. She's very friendly." The words rolled out of Rose's mouth and there was no way that the older woman could miss the desperation in her voice.
"Don't worry about it. Please, I want you to concentrate on getting better. Tabitha will be fine with me. I live alone, I'm sure I'll enjoy the company."
The dark haired woman was about to say something else when a firm knock on the door caused them to turn. Veronica's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the blue uniform and shiny badge.
"Excuse me ladies. I'm here to take a report on the hit and run last night?" He stepped in and pulled a small notebook out of his shirt pocket. "You're Rose Grayson, right?" He continued on without waiting for an answer. "Now I understand this happened on Madison Ave. around midnight?"
"I think it was more like twelve thirty," Rose said.
"Yes, twelve thirty," he repeated. "Now is there anything you can tell me, like the make and model of the car that hit you, the license number, the color?"
"No, I never saw it." She turned her head toward Veronica. "Do you remember?"
"You were there too?" The officer queried. No one had told him there were any witnesses.
"I um…I must have come upon her just after the accident. I didn't see anyone."
"That sure was a hell of a storm last night. What were you doing out so late, Miss…?"
"Cartwright, Veronica Cartwright. I had a business dinner with Commissioner Grace at Sam's and was heading home."
"Cartwright, as in the car wash Cartwrights?"
"Yes, among other holdings," she replied, annoyed that after all her hard work the most well known part of her company was the cousin's stupid car washes.
"Well then…" He turned his attention back to the victim lying in bed. "I guess you're pretty lucky to have had her come up on you. Looks like they hit you pretty good. Probably a drunk driver. Hard to believe the bastard didn't have the guts to stick around and make sure you got help but I
"Would that be the grey thing you were wearing under your jacket?" Rose nodded. "I'm afraid the doctor in the emergency room cut that to pieces when they were treating you."
"Oh." Another crestfallen look. "They charge eight dollars for ruined smocks."
"Don't worry about it," Veronica said, not fully understanding how important the small sum of money was to the young woman. To Rose, that was her weekly allotment for groceries, almost half of which went to cat food. Through her drug filled haze, a thought came to her.
"Tabitha!" She exclaimed. "Oh my god, someone has to take care of Tabitha."
"Would that be your cat?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I found your key in your wallet and went to your apartment hoping to find a name or number of someone to contact for you."
"Did you feed her?" Her concern that someone was in her run down apartment was overshadowed by her worry over the one thing that brought some kind of joy to her life.
"Yes I did," Veronica replied as Rose turned away, letting a long silence form between them. A lone tear made its way down the young woman's cheek. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you in pain?
Do you need me to call the nurse?" Veronica's hand was already reaching for the call button.
"No," the young woman sniffed, wiping away the errant tear. "It's just that…" She sniffled again,
"…if I'm not there to take care of Tabitha, they're going to take her away."
"No no no. No one's going to take Tabitha away from you. I promise. In fact, she's at my house right now. She can stay with me until you're all settled." Veronica's heart lurched with the thought of how easily she had destroyed Rose's life. In one move she had cost the young woman her job, her home, and far more pain than anyone deserved to have. Now she was sitting there, lying to her in order to protect herself. "I swear no one will take Tabitha away."
"I…I can write you a check for her food. She doesn't eat much. She's very friendly." The words rolled out of Rose's mouth and there was no way that the older woman could miss the desperation in her voice.
"Don't worry about it. Please, I want you to concentrate on getting better. Tabitha will be fine with me. I live alone, I'm sure I'll enjoy the company."
The dark haired woman was about to say something else when a firm knock on the door caused them to turn. Veronica's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the blue uniform and shiny badge.
"Excuse me ladies. I'm here to take a report on the hit and run last night?" He stepped in and pulled a small notebook out of his shirt pocket. "You're Rose Grayson, right?" He continued on without waiting for an answer. "Now I understand this happened on Madison Ave. around midnight?"
"I think it was more like twelve thirty," Rose said.
"Yes, twelve thirty," he repeated. "Now is there anything you can tell me, like the make and model of the car that hit you, the license number, the color?"
"No, I never saw it." She turned her head toward Veronica. "Do you remember?"
"You were there too?" The officer queried. No one had told him there were any witnesses.
"I um…I must have come upon her just after the accident. I didn't see anyone."
"That sure was a hell of a storm last night. What were you doing out so late, Miss…?"
"Cartwright, Veronica Cartwright. I had a business dinner with Commissioner Grace at Sam's and was heading home."
"Cartwright, as in the car wash Cartwrights?"
"Yes, among other holdings," she replied, annoyed that after all her hard work the most well known part of her company was the cousin's stupid car washes.
"Well then…" He turned his attention back to the victim lying in bed. "I guess you're pretty lucky to have had her come up on you. Looks like they hit you pretty good. Probably a drunk driver. Hard to believe the bastard didn't have the guts to stick around and make sure you got help but I
Similar Books
There's Something I Want You to Do
Charles Baxter
The Mournful Teddy
John J. Lamb
Mind Games
Polly Iyer
Model Release (The Art of Domination #1)
Erika Masten
The Search
Darrell Maloney
The Conjuring Glass
Brian Knight
Last Orders
Graham Swift
Who Cloned the President?
Ron Roy
The Marshal's Pursuit
Gina Welborn