Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

I just shook my head and started to put things away. She helped immediately and we soon had the room looking tidy again. Mrs. Westington was right on target when it came to predicting what her daughter would do. I thought. She was wise to have me hide the box of valuables and money. I gathered up her personal things that she wanted brought to the hospital and placed them all in a woolen bag that looked like something she had made for herself.

"Let's go, Echo," I told her. When we stepped out of the house. Trevor was waiting in the station wagon. As soon as I got in. I told him what I had found in Mrs. Westington's bedroom.

"They'll be all over that house while she's away. Wouldn't surprise me to see Rhona try to sell some of the furniture. I wish I could put everything under lock and key. That Rhona... some child to have raised. I don't think she gave her mother a moment of happiness. Don't worry about any other mess she makes. though. Lourdes will be here tomorrow," he reminded me.

When we arrived at the hospital, I was happy to learn that Rhona and Skeeter had not gotten in yet to see her mother. The nurse informed them she was asleep and they should not disturb her. Rhona was in a pout, threatening not to sit around waiting much longer for her mother to awaken.

"I can't even get any sensible information about her. The doctor's not available and the nurses don't know anything or won't tell anything. Resting comfortably is their stock, stupid response to eveiNthing," Rhona said.

Neither Trevor nor I said anything. We sat in the small lobby on Mrs. Westington's floor and Echo began looking at magazines. I could see Rhona didn't have the patience for this. She paced a bit. Skeeter sat with his eyes closed looking like he could fall asleep in seconds. Finally Rhona nudged him and told him she wanted them to go.

"We'll come back tomorrow. This is a waste of time. If you're still here when she wakes, tell her we stopped by." she told me.

"Okay," I said. "We'll let you know how she is."

"Oh, thank you, thank you." she said with exaggeration. "C'mon, Skeeter."

He shrugged, rose, and followed her out.

"You know what I think," Trevor said. "I think when Mrs. Westington heard it was Rhona looking to see her, she told her nurses to say she was asleep."

I laughed.

As it turned out, however, he was right. Shortly after the nurse told her we were there, we were permitted to visit.

"Are she and that clown gone?" Mrs. Westington asked.

"Yes," Trevor said. "How are you feelin'?"

"How do you think I feel being locked up in here like this?" she snapped back at him.

"You're not locked up. Mrs. Westington," I said. I gave her the bag of personal items.

She grunted and looked at Echo. They communicated with sign language and then Mrs. Westington turned to me.

"You did well with the dinner, but she says Rhona's been on a tear and wrecked my room. That so?"

I looked at Trevor.

"Don't wait for his permission to tell me the truth. I ain't incapacitated yet. What did she do?"

"She's just making all sorts of wild statements and threats."

"She and that man tried to find my money and jewels, didn't they?"

"Yes, but we got it all hidden before they came home."

She nodded, pleased with herself. "They say when you step on a pickle, you never know which way it will squirt. She's one pickle easy to predict. Always was, and you know why? Because she has only one purpose, one goal in her life: to please herself no matter what. Remember that time you found her in the garage in the back of the car with that boy, Trevor? She tried to blame Trevor afterward. No telling how low she'll get. I was a fool to think there was any change in her. You'd think a girI who had lived like she has would have learned something."

"Has the doctor been in yet?" I asked.

She smirked. "Yes, he has. He claims he needs to keep me here to try some medicines on me to see which works best and which don't."

"That's reasonable," Trevor said.

"Oh, is it? How would you like to be treated like some guinea pig?"

"Oh, that's not it." Trevor said. smiling. "No sense in him prescribing something for you that don't work."