Drained (Edgars Family #6) - Suzanne Ferrell Page 0,18

usually haunts?”

Paula closed her eyes a moment and Brianna thought perhaps she’d fallen asleep again, but then she opened them. “There’s an old abandoned…factory building not too far from the City Mission. The Salvation Army’s…food canteen drives nearby most nights and he can get…a hot meal for him and Stanley. He hasn’t been there this past week.”

“You know because that’s where you’ve been every night in the rain and cold,” Nana said, never looking up from the clicking of her knitting needles.

Brianna fought the urge to grin at the older woman’s scolding, then she saw Aaron’s shoulders shaking as he stood near the foot of the bed.

“She’s been bossy…since you left me…alone with her,” Paula whispered from the bed.

“Just coz I’m old doesn’t mean I can’t hear y’all whispering over there.” Nana said, peering at them over the rims of her glasses. “And someone needs to take charge of things. Those nurses were gonna let you just lay in that cart all night, which I told them I wasn’t sitting in that old hard chair that long. Course when I gave them that tin of cookies they certainly moved you up on the list.”

“You’re right, Nana. She was making herself sick being out in this nasty Cleveland spring weather because of carelessness. She was doing it to help a friend,” Brianna said with a wink at Paula to take the sting out of her words.

“Well, she might have a good heart, but if her friend is homeless and missing, that’s the policeman’s job, not a little bit of a thing like Paula.” Again, she looked over the rim of her glasses, this time directly at Aaron. She didn’t say, it but they could all tell she was thinking, And where were you when this girl was walking the streets all alone except for that little dog?

“You’re right, Mrs. Patrick, ma’am. It is my job to be looking for Paula’s friend, Art,” Aaron said, his face stone cold sober as he met her eye-to-eye then glanced at the clock on the wall. “But the best time to find a homeless man like Art is after dark when the shelters are filling up or he’s found a place to shelter for the night. It’s just almost ten. Would it be possible for you to stay with Paula—”

“I don’t…need a…sitter,” Paula muttered, then started coughing.

Nana set aside the knitting and slowly rose from her seat. She handed Paula a tissue, then lifted the big water pitcher for her. “No, you don’t. You need to rest. And I’m smart enough to know you won’t do that if you’re worrying about being alone in a hospital and worrying about your friend on the street. So, I’m gonna make you another bowl of my chicken soup and you’re gonna eat it all up.”

“It was really…good soup,” Paula said to Brianna after she took a long drink of the water.

“That’s coz I’m a good cook and not a babysitter. But I am gonna stay in this nice reclining chair the nurses got for me while you get some sleep. These two are gonna take that scrawny pup out and do your searching.” She tucked the blankets up around Paula then waved Brianna and Aaron, with Stanley in his arms out the door. “You tell that grandson of mine to be careful with my Caddy and I’ll see him in the morning when he comes pick me up.”

“I’m not sure if we left your friend with a security blanket or a security guard,” Aaron said as the headed for the elevator.

“Is there such thing as a Pitbull granny?” Brianna answered with a grin.

“I think we just met the OG of Nanas and she’ll keep everyone in line, Kirk F, Paula, the nurses, hell, probably the head of the hospital.” Aaron tilted his head towards the opening elevator door and waited for her to enter first. He pushed the ground floor button, then gave her a grin. “I’d say we were lucky to escape with all our body parts intact.”

7

“Last time I saw Art was about a ten days ago with this guy. He brings him by every Friday for a treat of sweetened milk,” Carol, the tiny little grey-haired food truck lady said as she squatted down to pet Stanley, who was happily lapping up a bowl of his favorite treat. She slowly straightened and wrapped her arms around herself, the smile dying on her face and her eyes growing worried. “I should’ve known something was wrong when