The Mystery at Sag Bridge

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Cora couldn't sleep. Her mind kept replaying the events of the day. She tried reading, and she tried listening to talk radio, strategies that usually made her sleepy, but her thoughts wouldn't shut off. She couldn't get comfortable. Her neck hurt, and she had leg cramps, despite the bar of soap she kept at the foot of the bed. She admitted there was no reason soap should help, but she had had no leg cramps for three years, since she put the soap there. Finally she dropped into a restless sleep about five in the morning and woke two hours later. Her neck was stiff, and one eye hurt from digging it into her pillow while she slept. Her vision was fuzzy from dry eyes.

No...yesterday had certainly not been a good day!

Still in her sleep shirt, she dragged herself to the kitchen. "I feel like I've been beat up," she announced. "Every muscle in my body aches and my head is foggy. Is coffee ready?"

Cisco, an early riser, poured a cup for her. "Stress will do that," he said.

Cora sighed dramatically, staggered to the table and sat staring at her cup, her chin resting in her hand, deep in thought.

"How are you doing this morning?" Cisco asked automatically, returning to the paper.

"Other than feeling beaten up and too brain-dead to think, you mean? Other than that, how am I doing?" she replied sarcastically.

Cisco raised his eyebrows and gave her a meaningful look over his glasses.

"Not rested, that's for sure," she said. "I'd like to take things easy today. Do we have to keep that appointment with the accountant? Can't we go another day when I can think straight?"

"Not a good idea. She may not have another appointment before the end of the year, and tax planning needs to get done. You know how busy she is."

"I guess you're right," Cora conceded, with another deep sigh.

The phone rang, and Cora got up to answer it. She listened to her daughter-in-law Marty chat about the grandsons and Thanksgiving plans. "You sure you don't want to join us at my sister's?" Marty asked.

"No-that's okay. Thanks, but I've been tired lately, and a quiet day at home looks pretty good. I'm not in the mood for a crowd." Marty was from a large family so Thanksgiving would be boisterous, but Cora was speaking for Angel's benefit. Nor did she want Marty to know what was going on, at least not at this juncture.

After ending the call, Cora dialed Father Parrilli, the pastor of Saint Brennan's, for an update on Father McGrath's condition. Thankfully, the surgery had gone well. The parish would arrange for someone to pick up Father McGrath's car.

Cisco rattled off a list of errands to the bank, the hardware store, and other places, and left a short time later. The errands weren't real. To appear normal to Angel, they devised a plan on the way home from the hospital last night. Cora should be alone to confront Angel, they reasoned, as she had never contacted Cora when Cisco was nearby. They were meeting Frannie later that day, not their accountant.