have to be more specific.”
“Did she tell you that Lula had come back?”
“No. I had no idea. Does that mean you’re out of a job? Crap. Does this mean Wyatt doesn’t want me to clean Hank’s house anymore?”
“That’s between you and Wyatt,” I said. “And Lula took off the very next day. Marco and I were trying to find her—then Greta disappeared too.”
“I called the sheriff’s office like Junior suggested, but they won’t do nothing since it hasn’t been more than forty-eight hours.”
My stomach cramped. Angie had said she’d call them too, so the pressure was on—but they likely wouldn’t do anything for another day and a half. That meant that Marco and I were currently the only ones looking for her, and Marco was out of commission for the foreseeable future.
“Do you have a grandmother in a nursing home in Ewing?” I asked. “Angie said Greta went up there a few times a week to see her nana.”
“Yeah, Nana Thelma. She and Greta are pretty close. I don’t get up there all that much because of the kids.” Her excuse was understandable, but I still heard the guilt in her voice.
“Do you think your nana would be open to me paying a visit?”
“You think Nana Thelma knows something about Greta bein’ missin’?” she asked, a little incredulous.
“I don’t know,” I said, wondering how much I should tell her. “But I know a man stopped by the café last week asking about Lula, and he made Greta uncomfortable. She told Angie she recognized him from Ewing, but she wasn’t sure where she’d seen him before. I figured I’d check out the places where she spends the most time. Ask around about him.”
The phone beeped with an incoming call, and caller ID said it was a medical clinic. “Ginger, Marco’s doctor is on the other line. Thanks for all your help.”
“When you find Greta, tell her to call me.”
“I will.” I hung up and transferred to the other line. “Hello?”
“Carly? This is Dr. Freeman.”
“Thank you for calling me back.”
“From what the service told me, Marco’s in severe pain after doing a lot of physical activity? Why don’t you fill me in yourself?”
I told him some of the things Marco had done, including our mud adventure, leaving out the fact we were investigating two missing women. “He just got so tired out of nowhere. It scared me, and I wondered if he might have hurt himself.”
“We did some extensive work in his abdomen, so there is a possibility of internal damage and bleeding. Does he have pain in his abdomen? And if so, in one spot or all over?”
“He has pain in his leg, but he says it’s mostly his abdomen.”
He was silent for a moment. “Have you checked his blood pressure?”
“No.”
“If you have a blood pressure cuff, take his pressure. If it’s running low, bring him in to the ER, but I suspect his pain and exhaustion are from overdoing it. He underwent major trauma, and it’s going to take some time for his body to heal. But if you have any more questions or concerns, feel free to call me back. Or if you think he’s getting worse, bring him to the ER.”
“Thank you, Dr. Freeman.”
As I hung up, I realized that I needed to get a blood pressure cuff, which meant I had to head back to town. I’d need to leave Marco alone for a little while in order to properly take care of him.
I went back inside to check on him. His breathing was steady, but he still looked pale. I kneeled next to the sofa and lightly pinched his wrist to check his pulse with my fingertips. It seemed strong enough at first touch, but I held on tight, counting the beats to be sure.
He stirred slightly and murmured, “Are you sure you’re not a nurse?”
There was no way I was telling him that I’d cared for a dying woman before fumbling my way to Drum. It didn’t fit with my Carly Moore cover, and besides, it wasn’t liable to reassure him. “Shh, I’m trying to count your heartbeats.”
He lay still for a few moments, and although I didn’t have a watch with a second hand to count off the seconds, I could tell his heartbeat was steady and strong. “I talked to your doctor, and he says to monitor your blood pressure. You don’t have a blood pressure cuff, do you?”
He opened his eyes wider to give me an incredulous look. “Why would I have