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Part Five
If you’d like an
update, here’s a synopsis of what happened in Part Four. NYPD Homicide Detectives Charlie Weirton
and Bennie Rodriguez interviewed the Woodwards as well as Alexandria Birch,
who was Amanda’s wedding coordinator. Although the Woodwards tried to portray
Jim and Amanda as the perfect couple, the detectives had their doubts. These
doubts were affirmed when Alexandria Birch told them that Amanda was going to
call off the wedding because Jim was cheating on her with an unidentified
woman. This story is a submission for the Special Edition Anniversary #10 CWP, celebrating ten wonderful years of Jixemitri. All elements in this CWP
have been written in red font so you can’t miss them. Be sure to look for the
elements throughout the rest of this story. St. Vincent’s Hospital 170 West, 12th Street The hospital was
only a few minutes away from the crime scene, but the trip took a lot longer
than it should have. The icy road conditions had caused a tractor trailer to
jackknife on West 13th Street, and it was well over an hour before
traffic started moving again. Trapped
in her car, so close yet so far away from the hospital, all Trixie could
think about was seeing Jim and making sure he was okay. Just when she was
ready to ditch the Civic and travel on foot, the Mack truck was righted and
traffic began moving. Thankfully for
Trixie’s sanity, the rest of the trip took less than five minutes. She
hurriedly parked her car and waited for Dan to do the same. Already at her
breaking point, she tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for him to
catch up to her. “Thanks
for waiting,” he said after he got in step with her. “No
problem. We’re already an hour late, so what’s another five minutes?” she
snapped. Dan
glanced over at her and immediately noticed her pained expression. “Trix,
he’s going to be okay.” “I
know that.” “Well,
you don’t sound very convinced to me.” Trixie’s
only response was a cross between a sigh and a groan. Dan reached over and
grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking away. “Trixie,
what’s wrong?” he asked. “Nothing!”
“Sorry,
but I’m not buying it.” “Nothing’s
wrong!” she hissed, giving her arm a jerk. “I’m just really stressed out, and
sitting in traffic for a year didn’t help! Now let me go. I need to check on
Jim!” “Then
you’d better tell me what’s wrong, because until you do, I’m not letting go.” “You
can be a real butt munch sometimes, do you know that?” Trixie growled. “You
aren’t always a ray of sunshine either, sweetheart,” Dan retorted crossly.
“Now tell me what’s wrong before I stuff you in that trashcan over there.” Trixie
huffed with enough force to blow a curl into the air. She murmured something
too softly for him to hear. “You’re
going to have to speak up.” Trixie
huffed again, and then repeated, “I’m really worried about Jim.” “He’s
going to be fine, Trixie,” Dan soothed. “It was just a scratch on his head
and maybe a concussion. I’m sure he’ll be okay.” “That’s
not what I’m talking about,” she argued. “I know he’ll be okay physically.
Right now, I’m more concerned about his emotional state. He’s already been
feeling guilty over dumping Amanda. If his stalker shot her…” “He’s
going to regret it for the rest of his life,” Dan finished for her. Trixie
nodded, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. She clutched a fistful of
curls. “I just wish I knew who was doing this! I hate feeling so helpless.” “Me
too, especially since I truly have been helpless in this situation,” Dan
clipped brusquely. Trixie’s
tears were forgotten as she turned her whip-sharp gaze on Dan. “You’re still
mad about that, aren’t you? “I
will, Dan. Just let me check on Jim first.” She glanced around the parking
lot. “Now really isn’t the best time, if you catch my drift…” Dan
sighed. He knew there wasn’t any point in arguing. “Okay, we’ll check on Jim.
But after that, we’re sitting down for a long talk.” “It’s
a deal,” Trixie agreed. With
the assistance of the receptionist at the information desk, they were able to
easily find Jim. The Wheeler name had garnered him a private room. Although
it was nothing fancy, it was clean and as quiet as a hospital room could be.
Jim lay motionless in the bed, a bandage covering most of his forehead. He
was either drugged or in a sound sleep, because he didn’t move when Trixie
and Dan entered the room. Al,
ever vigilant in his devotion to “Mr. Jim”, was diligently keeping his post.
He had crammed his bulky form into a small chair in the corner, and although
he looked extremely uncomfortable, he didn’t appear to be moving any time
soon. His head was buried in his large hands, but he looked up as Trixie and
Dan walked past him. He warily eyeballed the young man in the police uniform;
even though he’d gone straight, he was still leery of those in law
enforcement. Purposely ignoring Dan, Al focused his attention on his
employer’s fiancée. “Hey,
how you doin’, Miss Trixie?” Although
she was anxious to go to Jim, Trixie smiled warmly at the bushy-faced man.
She had grown quite fond of him the past several weeks and could see that he
was hurting. “I’m hanging in there, Al. How are you?” Al
shrugged his massive shoulders. “I shoulda been there to keep Mr. Jim from
smackin’ his conk on the sidewalk.” “It
wasn’t your fault, Al,” she murmured soothingly. “I
shoulda tried harder to get to him,” he insisted. “I kept pushin’, but I
couldn’t get through the hammer an’ saws.” He glanced guiltily at Dan. “No
offense, buddy.” “No
offense taken,” Dan returned. He had noticed the way Al had reacted to his
uniform. As a teenager, Dan had harbored similar reservations; in fact, there
were still some cops that caused
the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“Al,
this is our good friend, Dan Mangan,” Trixie said. She sat on the bed beside
Jim, careful not to disturb him. “Dan, this is Jim’s bodyguard, Al Spurgeon.” Dan
could see that Al still wasn’t convinced. “Jim and I have been as close as
brothers since we were teenagers,” he explained. “At the time, he was the
only person in Sleepyside that understood me, and I was probably the only
person that understood him. That bond made us tight. Thanks for watching over
him for me.” Al
studied the young policeman carefully. When he’d been on the other side of
the law, Al had relied on his instincts to survive, and they had served him
well. Right now, his gut told him that Dan Mangan was a cop that could be
trusted. He stood up and reached out his hand for Dan to shake. “What’s up,
bo?” “Not
much,” Dan answered. “How’s the patient?” “Mr.
Jim passed out an’ whacked his noggin pretty good,” Al told them. “The
croaker stitched him up after they did some tests. Accordin’ to the CT scan,
he’s gotta humdinger of a concussion, an’ he’s actin’ a little
jingle-brained.” “So,
he took Amanda’s death pretty hard?” Trixie asked. “Oh,
yeah,” Al affirmed. “He went down like he’d been iced. It was real scary
there for a few minutes.” “Has
the doctor been in to talk to you?” Dan asked. “Yeah,
but I couldn’t understand half of what he said,” Al admitted. “He’ll
probably be back in here soon to talk to us,” Trixie told him. Al
nodded. “The nurse keeps comin’ in an’ out to ask Mr. Jim a bunch of
questions. Guess they’re tryin’ to make sure he don’t have a screw loose or
somethin’. Did either one of yous guys call his folks an’ let ‘em know what
was goin’ on?” Trixie
shook her head. “Not yet. I wanted to get a few more details before I scared
them to death.” “I’m
going to track down Jim’s doctor, and then I’ll give the Wheelers a call,”
Dan said. “I’ll be right back.” The
clicking of the door as Dan left caused Jim to stir. He opened his eyes for a
second, but they never seemed to focus correctly. “Trixie…” “I’m
here, Jim.” She reached over and clasped his hand. As
he turned his head to look in her direction, a wince marred his features.
“I’m so glad…so glad you’re okay.” “I’m
fine, sweetheart,” she murmured. Jim’s
gaze settled on her, but his emerald eyes seemed bleary, like he had to
search through the fog to find her. “I was so worried… You wouldn’t answer
your phone.” “I
forgot to turn it on this morning,” she explained. “I’m sorry for worrying
you.” “Amanda…”
Jim’s face contorted in a grimace. Trixie’s
chin quivered. Although she didn’t particularly like Amanda, she knew that
Jim felt responsible for his former fiancée. “I know, Jim. I saw her. It was
a horrible thing. I’m so sorry.” “My
stalker…” Jim started to drift in and out of consciousness. “She
must’ve...shot Amanda. I was afraid that you’d…be next. I was so
worried…about you. ” Trixie
squeezed his hand. “The police are investigating now. They’ll find out who
did it before anyone else is hurt.” “I
thought Amanda…was stalking me,” Jim choked out. “I wanted to protect
her…It’s my fault…My fault…” “Shhh…”
Trixie soothed, rubbing his arm in an attempt to calm him. “Don’t worry about
that now.” Jim
fought to keep his eyes open, but it was a losing battle. “Trixie…I need
to…to tell you something important…” “What
is it?” she asked. He murmured something unintelligible, and Trixie inclined
her ear to him. “What did you say, Jim?” “Tell Mart… not to wear his bathing suit,” Jim mumbled,
falling in and out of consciousness. “It’s snowing outside…” Trixie
chuckled. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll pass along that message.” Jim’s
breathing became even and his chest moved up and down rhythmically, a sure
sign that he’d fallen into a deep sleep. “He’s
out of it again,” Trixie remarked, her brows drawn together in a crease of
dismay. “Yeah,
he’s been doin’ that since we got here,” Al told her. “The nurse told me that
it was normal for someone with a head injury to act a little loopy.” “Well,
he’s definitely loopy.” She had to sniff back tears as she took in the
machines monitoring Jim’s heartbeat and sending liquids through his IV. “I’ve
never seen him like this before. Jim’s so strong and healthy…” Al
stood up from his chair and lumbered over to Trixie. He placed a comforting
hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “He’s gonna be okay, Miss Trixie.
Accordin’ to the doc, he’s doin’ good. They’re just keepin’ him here to be
safe. Guess they don’t wanna get sued by the Wheelers. He’ll be up an’ at ‘em
before we know it. As stubborn as he is, it’ll be a fulltime job keepin’ him
down.” “I
know,” Trixie sniffled. For some reason, the show of affection from the burly
bodyguard made her want to cry even more. Thankfully, Dan came back and
offered enough of a distraction to chase away her tears. “Any
change in our patient?” he asked, picking up immediately on Trixie’s worry. “Pretty
much the same,” she answered. “Although he did wake up for a few minutes.” Dan
nodded in approval. “That’s good.” Trixie’s
lips parted in a rueful smile. “Yeah, it would’ve been a lot better if
everything he said had made sense. Right before he conked back out, he
started babbling about Mart’s bathing suit.” “Yeah,
that is pretty weird,” Dan agreed.
“But if it makes you feel any better, I’ve heard people with head injuries
say a lot worse.” “Did
you find his doc?” Al questioned. “No,
but I spoke with the head nurse,” Dan replied. “Mary was very helpful. She
told me that they were just keeping him for observation. He should be out of
the hospital sometime tomorrow.” “What
about the shock?” Trixie asked. “It
wasn’t true shock,” Dan explained. “Jim experienced a vasovagal syncope. According to Mary, seeing Amanda’s
body triggered a sudden release of adrenaline, and that caused his heart rate
and blood pressure to drop. That reduced the blood flow to that massive brain
of his and caused him to pass out.” “Wow, Dan,” Trixie murmured
appreciatively. “That was really impressive. I’ll have to tell Brian that
you’re trying to steal his thunder.” “I hate to brag, but Dr. Belden
doesn’t have anything on me,” Dan crowed. “I don’t know about that,” Trixie snickered.
“However, for a few minutes there, I thought I was watching a medical TV
drama.” Dan shot her one of his most
devastating grins. “Just call me Dan McDreamy.” “Huh,” Trixie snorted. “Dan McDorky
is more like it. Besides, I was thinking about ‘House’, not ‘Grey’s
Anatomy’.” “Hey, I’m just repeating what Mary
told me,” Dan said, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m not a doctor, and
I don’t play one on TV, but I did
stay at a Holiday Inn Express once.” “Well, why didn’t tell me that
sooner?” Trixie queried, her voice dripping with good-natured sarcasm. “Once
the hospital learns of your qualifications, they’ll be asking you to perform
brain surgery.” Dan’s chin jutted out defensively.
“I can’t believe you’re making fun of me after I committed all that medical
jargon to memory just so I could give you a proper update.” “Sorry, but I’m not buying it,
Mangan.” Trixie giggled. “Don’t tell me. Mary is a super hot babe, and you
wanted to make sure that you got all that so you could impress her with your
comprehension skills.” “Yep, that’s pretty much it.” Dan
winked at her. “In case you’re interested, I got her number. We’re going out
next weekend. She’s joining us for the Bob-White’s monthly
movie night at The Cameo.” Trixie shook her head in amusement.
“Leave it to you to visit a friend in the hospital and end up with a date.” “I’m just that good,” Dan bragged,
buffing his fingernails on the shirt of his uniform. Satisfied that Trixie
had been returned to good humor, he continued with the update. “After I found
out more about Jim’s condition, I called the Wheelers and gave them the
news.” “How’d they take it?” Trixie asked. “About like you’d assume they would.
Although I assured her that Jim would be okay, Mrs. Wheeler panicked.
Thankfully, Honey was already at the Manor House, so she’s driving her mom
here. Mr. Wheeler was at his office in Manhattan, so he should be here within
a half hour or so.” “Did you tell them about Amanda?”
Trixie inquired. “They’d
already heard what happened to her. The news media is already scratching and
clawing for an interview with them.” “That figures,” Trixie muttered. She leaned closer
to Jim and brushed away a thatch of russet hair from his bandaged forehead.
Noticing something amiss, she got up and stood over him. Brows furrowed, she
closely examined his face. “Al,”
she began, her voice tremulous, “did Mrs. Wheeler say goodbye to Jim this
morning?” “No,
she was still up in her room when we left.” Trixie
nodded. Her gaze was fixated on Jim, but she was searching for something
miles away. “That makes sense,” she muttered thoughtfully. “I mean, that
isn’t the sort of goodbye you’d get from your mother…” “What’re
you talkin’ about, Miss Trixie?” Al prompted. Instead
of answering his question, she asked another of her own. “Have you been in
this room the whole time Jim’s been in here?” “Yeah,
I think. Well, except for when I stepped out for a minute to grab a cup of
joe. Why do you wanna know?” “Somebody
was in this room,” Trixie said, her tone icy. Dan
raced over to the bed to see what had captured Trixie’s attention. “What’re
you talking about?” “Right
there,” Trixie murmured, pointing to Jim’s mouth. Al rose from his chair and
lumbered over to the bed so he could see, too. “It’s lipstick. Red lipstick to be specific.” Dan
directed his question to Al. “Are any of Jim’s nurses wearing lipstick? Maybe
one of them accidentally brushed against him when they were hooking him up to
the IV?” “So
far, only one’s been in here, an’ he don’t look like the type to wear
makeup,” Al answered. “He had a nice tat on his arm, though. I’m guessin’
he’s former military. What’re you gettin’ at anyway, Miss Trixie?” “Jim’s
stalker was in this room,” she ground out through clenched teeth. “Trixie,
surely she wouldn’t come here—” Dan began. “Why
wouldn’t she?” Trixie interjected. “She broke into Ten Acres Academy.” “And
she was at Manor House early this morning,” Al added. Angry
spots of color dotted Trixie’s peaches-and-cream complexion. “Are you
serious?” “As
a heart attack,” Al answered. “She left another note an’ present for Mr. Jim.
That’s the reason he was tryin’ so hard to get a hold of you.” “What
did the note say?” Trixie asked. “You
know that song they play when a bride comes down the aisle?” Trixie
nodded. “Well,
it was sorta like that, ‘cept the words was different,” Al explained. “These
words was really twisted an’ involved killin’.” “What
was the gift?” Trixie prompted. “One
of them breakable knickknack thingamabobs that people stick on top of their
wedding cakes.” Al shrugged his brawny
shoulders. “I don’t know whatcha call it…” “A
cake topper?” Trixie suggested. Al
snapped his fingers. “Yeah, that’s it. Anyway, the boss got one of those. The
bride had blonde hair, an’ the groom had red hair. They looked just like you
an’ Mr. Jim, only the bride was covered with red paint like her head had been
blowed off. It was really creepy.” “And
where did she leave this gift?” Trixie pressed. “In
the Suburban,” Al answered. “Good
grief,” Trixie muttered. “Only Jim would leave his vehicle unlocked when he’s
being stalked. If I did something like that, I’d never hear the end of it
from him.” Sensing
that Trixie was about to go off on one of her tangents, Dan decided it would
be best to distract her. Knowing full well that he would be fighting a losing
battle, he gave it his best shot anyway. He leaned down to examine the smudge
on Jim’s lips. “Trixie, I’m not sure that that’s lipstick,” he said, hoping
to calm her down. “It might be a little bit of blood that dripped down from
his forehead. They probably missed that spot when they were cleaning him up.” Trixie
grabbed a tissue from Jim’s bedside tray and used it to remove the red
smudge. She held it out for Dan to examine. “If you don’t believe me, you can
take it to the lab for analysis, but they’re going to tell you that it’s
lipstick, not blood,” she maintained. “Since
when did you become such an expert
on makeup?” Dan scoffed. “Well,
I daresay I know a little more about it than you,” Trixie retorted. “Al, what
does it look like to you?” A
look of displeasure spread across Al’s weathered features. “Uh, Miss Trixie,
I don’t know what Mr. Jim told you about me, but even though I worked in a
bar full of drag queens, I ain’t no daisy.” “I
know that, Al,” Trixie assured him. “But could you just answer the question.” “It
don’t look thick enough to be blood,” he said matter-of-factly. Dan
knew it was pointless to offer further argument. Whether he liked it or not,
Trixie was going to obsess over this. “Okay, so it probably is blood,” he conceded. “Maybe one of
the EMT workers brushed against him. The back of an ambulance is a little
cramped—” “Dan,
why are you making this so complicated?” Trixie demanded. “I’ve been working
on this case for several weeks now, and this is exactly the sort of thing
Jim’s stalker would do.” Dan’s
skepticism was obvious. “How would she even know he was in the hospital?” “After
she blew Amanda’s brains out, she probably found a good hiding spot where she
could watch for him,” Trixie explained. “She told him to meet her there, so
she was expecting him to show up. Why, she might’ve even been in the crowd
that gathered around the crime scene. She probably saw him pass out and just
followed the ambulance here.” “I
don’t know, Trix.” Dan shook his head. “It sounds to me like you’re grasping
at straws. Why don’t you calm down and let the police handle this? You’re a
little frazzled right now.” Just
then, as if he’d been cued, Jim roused slightly from his disoriented state.
He opened his eyes and looked right at Trixie. “Shamus…Is that you?” “I’m
right here, Jim,” she assured him. “Don’t
leave me…” he gasped. “I’m
not going anywhere, sweetheart,” she promised. Jim
shook his head in an attempt to clear away his mental cobwebs, but stopped as
a grimace of pain contorted his features. “Why didn’t you… talk to me? “I
did talk to you, Jim,” she corrected. “No, before,” he
argued. “When you were here before…” “Jim,
I did talk to you,” she told him,
applying gentle pressure to his hand. “You
did?” Trixie
smiled down at him. “Yes, sweetheart. I explained to you that I forgot to turn
on my phone this morning, and I apologized for worrying you. And then you
told me to tell Mart not to wear his bathing suit because it was snowing.” “Oh,”
Jim mumbled, looking very dazed and confused. “Don’t
you remember?” Trixie queried. Although
his head was pounding, Jim managed to shake it, albeit more gently this time.
“No, but I remember that you were here. And you kissed me…” Trixie’s
blood ran cold. She exchanged a worried glance with Dan, who nodded for her
to continue pressing Jim. “Are you sure I kissed you, Jim?” “Mm-hmm.
At least I think so…Everything was really… fuzzy. My head was hurting so
bad…Still is.” “Did
I say anything to you when I was here before?” Trixie questioned. “No…
You just kissed me.” Trixie’s
entire body went rigid with fear. “I did?” “Mm-hmm.
And you gave me this.” Jim clumsily picked up his free hand, which was fisted
in a ball. He relaxed his fingers, and a piece of crumpled paper fell onto
the bed. Trembling
all over, Trixie picked up the note. She tried to keep the quiver out of her
voice as she read it out loud.
Trixie’s blood
ran cold as she pocketed the note. She leaned down and clutched his arm.
“Jim, we need to know who gave this to you. Do you remember anything at all?” Jim’s
eyes fluttered open briefly, but they closed again just as quickly. Trixie gave him a gentle shake. “Jim,
can you hear me?” A
soft snore was Jim’s only response. “Jim!
Wake up!” Tears of frustration were making it difficult for Trixie to see,
but she tried to blink them away. “Jim, you can’t sleep now!” Dan
reached over and touched her shoulder. “Trixie, he’s out. He can’t hear you.” “I
need to find out if he knows anything!” “You’ll
have to wait until he’s conscious.” In spite of the grim circumstances, Dan
shot her a wry grin. “Unless you want to hear more about Mart’s bathing suit,
you’ll hold off asking him anything.” A
dark shadow settled on Trixie’s features. “I’m going to find out who did
this, Dan. And then I’m going to make her pay for hurting Jim.” “The
police will—” “I
know they’ll be looking for Amanda’s murderer,” Trixie interrupted. “But that
doesn’t mean I can’t find Jim’s stalker. That’s my case, and I’m not stopping until I solve it.” Dan
studied her carefully, hoping the anger in her eyes would disappear. It never
did. “Trixie, I don’t know that—” Before he could complete his thought, his
phone buzzed. Muttering a profanity under his breath, he flipped it open and
said hello. He did a lot of nodding and mmm-hmming through the duration of
the conversation and only spoke again right before he said goodbye. “I’ll get
right on it. Talk to you later.” After
closing his phone, Dan shifted his attention back to Trixie. “Spider needs me
back in Sleepyside, but I want to meet with you and Honey later this evening
so you can get me up to speed. You promised to tell me everything, and I’m
holding you to that.” “Honey
and I will meet you at the agency,” Trixie told him. “Make
it the police station, and you’ve got a deal. I want Spider to be there.” Trixie nodded wearily. “Is six okay?” “That
should be fine.” Dan looked over at Al. “Don’t leave Jim alone for a minute.”
“Gotcha,”
Al agreed. “I’m stickin’ with him like a drunk would his tiger milk.” Dan
tipped his head in Trixie’s direction. “And while you’re at it, keep an eye
on…” Al
gave a discreet nod. However, Trixie was focused so intensely on her thoughts
that she never even noticed. All she could think about was finding out who
had been stalking Jim. Once she figured out the stalker’s identity, she hoped
she could take that evidence to the authorities and help them solve Amanda’s
murder. Little did Trixie know that she
was their main suspect. Like
a hapless fly, Trixie had been caught in the tangled web of deceit.
Her lair was dark, just the way she liked it.
Nobody knew about her hideaway, which made it the perfect place for her to
weave her web. The silken orb had already claimed one victim, but the spider
was still hungry. Until she got what she wanted, she would continue spinning.
Anyone that got in her way would become hopelessly tangled in her trap;
Amanda Woodward was proof of that. All the she had to do was watch and wait
for the perfect opportunity to ensnare Jim. Next time, she wouldn’t let him
get away so easily. He would be so glad that she rescued him and that they
had been reunited. And if he wasn’t… If the spider couldn’t have Jim for herself,
nobody else could have him either. The End
Thank you so much to the wonderful people who help make my stories
readable: Steph H, Ryl, and Country Girl. A big hug to each of you! As stated earlier, this is a submission for the Special
Edition Anniversary #10 CWP, and the elements include: ·
Staying up all night- Jim’s stalker
had been up all night (part one) ·
Any book from the Trixie
Belden series- The Mysterious Visitor (in reference to the stalker) (part
two) ·
A retirement- Detective
Charlie Weirton’s upcoming retirement (part two) ·
Chili. With beans.- Charlie and
Bennie discuss their chili preferences (part two) ·
A dramatic event- Amanda
Woodward being murdered (part two) ·
A new meeting place- Jim
wanted to meet Trixie for lunch at Freeman’s instead of in Sleepyside (part
three) ·
A small event that grows
unexpectedly large- people showing up unexpectedly at the crime scene (part
three) ·
A village idiot- a reference
to Charlie, and I threw in an idiot-in-training to boot! (part three) ·
A major
redecorating/redesigning project- Amanda redecorated Wedding Atelier (part four) ·
Mart in a bathing suit- Jim mumbles this
during his concussion-induced stupor (part five) ·
Movie night- Dan invited Mary
to the Bob-Whites’ movie night (part five) Al’s glossary: Conk- head Hammer and saws- doctor Bo- pal Croaker- doctor Jingle-brained- loopy Iced- killed Joe- coffee Daisy- an effeminate man Tiger milk- hard liquor Thank you very, very, very much to the lovely MaryN (Dianafan) who so
patiently and graciously answered my questions about head injuries and shock.
If I’ve gotten anything wrong, it wasn’t because she didn’t give me good
info. To show my appreciation, MaryN was given a cameo at The Cameo and gets
a date with Dan at the Cameo! Grey’s Anatomy and House are two medical shows on TV, and to be honest, I’ve
never watched either. However, I do know who Dr. McDreamy is because his
reputation precedes him. And for the record, the only person who would call
Dan “Dr. McDorky” would be someone who thought of him as a brother and was
therefore resistant to his charms. The line “But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once” came from the
guy who was prepping me for my most recent cervical discectomy. I don’t know
who that guy was, but he kept me laughing, and a good giggle before major
surgery is always appreciated. BTW, my husband has been known to steal this
line and use it as his own. If you’d like a refresher, Jim’s stalker broke into Ten Acres Academy
during “Things
That Go Bump in the Morning”. Al most
certainly did work in a club frequented by drag queens. If you don’t believe
me, you can read “The Gumshoes”. I’m not sure why
Jim is so worried about Mart wearing his bathing suit. There might be a story
there, but it’s also entirely possible that I was desperate to fit that
element into my story, which is odd because the picture Terry made which
inspired that element is one of my favorites… Yes, I know that
Jim’s stalker has no talent for poetry, but in her defense, she did the best
she could. After all, it’s hard to get those creative juices flowing after
you’ve just shot someone in the head. Uh, gee, where
you, like, expecting to find out who the stalker is? J Guess you’ll
just have to keep reading, because she isn’t quite ready to give away her
identity just yet. But we are getting closer.
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