Mercy & Mayhem: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery by Ava Mallory Page A

make it go numb.
     
    As I opened the door, Carol said, “I'll call your agency today to let them know about what is going on here. We should probably keep them informed and, until this matter is settled, we will have two staff members at a time covering each unit. Marie will be working side by side with you today.”
     
    “Marie?” I asked.
     
    She grinned, but didn't say another word as I walked out.
     
    *
                  “What's wrong?” I asked as I walked through the doors. Staff members were huddled together outside of Betty's room.
     
    Tina turned her head to look at me. “We had a break-in.”
     
    Please, tell me this is some kind of a joke , I thought.
     
    One of the two nurses who had accompanied Carol onto the unit earlier, explained. “Did you know that Betty's window was broken?”
     
    I looked at her name tag. “Marie, I was with the administrator, remember? I haven't had a chance to do rounds yet.”
     
    Betty walked out into the hallway, wailing, “He took it.”
     
    I'd all but forgotten about her outburst the day before.
     
    Putting my hand on my forehead, I said, “That's what she was talking about yesterday.” I looked at Tina and she nodded.
     
    Marie sighed. “So, you knew about the break-in yesterday and didn't say anything to anyone? Did you write an incident report or let maintenance know?”
     
    I felt like a failure. I knew better than to not report anything, but with all that had been going on, I forgot about it.
     
    “Sorry, it slipped my mind. I didn't notice the window.” Just to make sure I was remembering correctly, I asked, “Was anything taken?”
     
    Betty answered. “I told you already. He took it.” She took a step backwards, almost tripping over Jeb's tool bag. I grabbed her frail wrist and held her steady, feeling horrible for ignoring her complaint. She'd already been through so much.
     
    Marie ordered the aides to get back to work and readily informed me that we'd be spending the rest of the shift working side by side.
     
    “You are my one on one. We need to get Betty involved in an activity while you write the report and we'll have to notify her family about the missing watch.”
     
    “So, there really was a watch?” I felt like a louse.
     
    Marie exhaled her coffee scented breath in my face and answered, “Yes, she said it was Rowdy's watch. She's had it forever is what she told me. He gave it to her as a kind of security item, so she'd feel like he was always with her.”
     
    “I didn't know. I thought she was hanging on to a memory. You know, with his passing and all...”
     
    Marie interrupted. “You chose not to believe her. Well, let me tell you something - that's not how we operate around here. If a resident has a complaint, we acknowledge it and do something about it. I don't know what you do where you come from, but that behavior isn't acceptable here.”
     
    If she wasn't scolding me like a child, I would have hugged her. She was the first person I met since I arrived, who knew what her priorities should be. But, since she was scolding me, all I could do was bite my tongue and accept my fate.
     
    “I'm sorry. I should have known better. Being busy is not an excuse.” I looked at Betty's face. Her face showed the strain of the last few days she'd had. I just wished I could do something to make her pain go away.
     
    “I'll have the aides help me look for that watch. We can search the unit. Maybe, she just misplaced it. I'm sure it will turn up.” I thought that was the least I could do.
     
    “Right, but I already told the aides to be on the lookout while they are doing their regular duties today. In the meantime, the incident report.” She reminded me.
     
    I left the room, while Marie assisted Betty out of the room and into the day room. Nubbin sat in the doorway of his room, locking and unlocking the wheels of his wheelchair. It surprised me that he didn't have anything to say about the incident. I thought I