“I need to get my own car,” Sophie said. “Do you know what’s happened to it?”
“Junked,” Heather said.
“What?”
“Early this morning Mr. Frazier sent a tow truck out to get your car and he said it wasn’t worth fixing. I’ll have to drive you everywhere and make sure you see only the right people.”
Sophie looked at the young woman, who seemed to be talking very fast and with a great deal of nervousness. “I’ll need my car to—”
“You’ll get one. Russell and Clarissa took care of everything last night.”
“Clarissa?”
“Russell’s wife. She was married before and she has a little boy named Jamie. They’ve been married a very short time and when Ellen—that’s Kim’s mom but I guess you know that—asked our old pastor—not old in age but he’d been here a while—if he wanted to leave, he said yes and Russell was one of the candidates. He gives good sermons, but then we all say we just go there to look at him and that he could say anything and we wouldn’t care. It was announced yesterday that he and his wife will be taking over the church. Gum?”
Sophie wondered if the woman always talked this fast or if she was just nervous. “What?”
“Chewing gum. Would you like some? We’re here.” Heather pulled into a six-car lot in the back of some brick buildings and they got out.
Sophie smoothed her hair and her skirt, hoping she was presentable to meet Kim’s heroic brother.
Heather was watching her. “The doc’s not here. He left early this morning, something to do with tourist problems.” She started walking quickly toward the back of a building.
Sophie hurried after her. “What does that mean? What are tourist problems?”
“Oh, you know. They burn down forests, break body parts, run their cars into the lake, fall out of trees, all the usual things.”
“My goodness,” Sophie said as she followed the young woman into the building. They’d entered at the back of a doctor’s suite, and she hurried past three exam rooms. In the outer office two women were standing and looking at Sophie as though she needed to pass inspection. The three of them stared at her in silence.
“I don’t really know what my job is,” Sophie said. “Kim was rather vague about my duties, and she said it was temporary, so—”
“Oh no! Not at all,” said the middle woman. She was pleasantly plump and looked like she laughed a lot. “I’m Betsy and this is Alice. We want to welcome you to Edilean and your job will be to give Dr. Reede—”
“Our dear Dr. Reede,” Alice interspersed.
“Yes, our esteemed Dr. Reede, a man loved by everyone, any and all personal service that he needs.”
“Or wants,” Heather said.
“What exactly does that mean?” Sophie asked. “Are we talking cleaning or handling his finances? Or what?”
“Yes,” Betsy said. “I mean no, you don’t have to clean, but actually he doesn’t have anyone now.”
“He did,” Alice said, “but she . . . Well she had to quit so, uh, she did.”
“Not because of Dr. Reede,” Heather said quickly. “She really should have seen the cobwebs, but she didn’t, so—”
“What Heather means is that you’re his personal assistant so you’re to do what you can,” Betsy said.
“When do I meet him?” Sophie asked.
“Who?” Alice asked.
Betsy elbowed her. “Our doctor works long, hard hours, and sometimes he leaves early and stays late. You might not meet him for days.”
“If we can arrange it,” Heather said under her breath.
Betsy glared at her. “Heather means that we have difficulty arranging his very busy schedule. It keeps him so busy because he lives for other people, and is always helping them. He never thinks of anyone but his patients.”