“But not anymore?” asked Brooks.
“No. My issues were my own. How did you find me?”
“Ariel. We didn’t exactly tell her the whole truth but she did say you changed her life. We made sure she was rewarded for her help. She’ll be okay.”
“Good. She’s a good kid and deserves a break.” Mitch and Brooks were confused. He was calm, thoughtful, and willing to tell all. “In my back pocket is a list of all the drugs I took from the cabinet. Every last one. I was going to pay you back.”
“You stole the drugs?” asked Yoz.
“Yes. I’m sorry. My mother was harassing me for them, for her and her friends.”
“And you,” said Mitch.
“No,” he said shaking his head. “I stopped taking them a few weeks ago. I’m clean. You can test me. This place gave me a second chance and I hope to prove that I was worth it.”
“Has your mother attempted to reach out to you?” He scoffed, nodding.
“A million times. She wanted to know which hospital Marnie was working at. I didn’t tell her but rest assured, my mother is a resourceful woman. Keep her safe. I never meant to be cruel to Marnie. It was my fault, all of it.”
“I’ll tell Marnie you said that,” said Mitch. Brooks touched his ear and gripped his brother’s arm.
“Mitch, we gotta go. Trouble at the hospital.”
“I’m going to guess that will be my mother. I told you, she’s resourceful. Hey, one more thing. Is Lawrence okay? He was a good man, good stepfather of many.”
“He’s fine. He changed his will and locked your mother out. All of them did.” Alden grinned, nodding.
“Good for them.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Gloria was determined to do one last thing before leaving the country. Focused solely on the mission of finding Marnie, she headed toward New Orleans.
Alden had done her no favors in giving the name of the hospital or exact location, so she’d do what she always did, rely on her own wits and intelligence.
She started by stopping at every little regional medical center between Slidell and New Orleans. By backtracking Alden’s drive to Gulf Shores, it made sense. In the city, there were several major hospitals but he’d said that she was working at a small regional facility.
Deciding to drive further south, she stopped at the first clinic she saw and asked if Dr. Marnie St. John were available.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have a Dr. St. John here,” said the nurse.
“Oh, darn,” said Gloria smiling at the woman. “I’m a dear friend of her mother’s and I was in the area and thought I’d check on her. She’s such a lovely girl and I haven’t seen her in years.”
“Let me see if I can find a listing for her,” smiled the woman. “Oh, yes. Here she is. She’s working at the Robicheaux Medical Center.”
“Robicheaux? What an unusual name,” she smiled.
“Unusual and rich,” grinned the girl. “Got more money than God himself, I think.”
“Is that so?” smirked Gloria.
“Yes, ma’am. Oil, gas, stores, all kinds of things. Got a diner out front with the best food in the area. Motorcycle shop, spa, salon, custom gowns, they own it all or someone in the family does. But they’re the nicest people in the whole world.”
“Well, you’ve been very helpful. That sounds like the perfect place for Marnie to work,” she grinned.
“Yes, ma’am. You keep going south on River Road and you’ll see it.”
Gloria left and turned her car south, hoping to find her way to the medical center. With any luck, this could be a two for one. She’d find her next meal ticket. I mean, if all these Robicheaux people were rich as Midas, she could sweet talk her way into their little bubble. Maybe expose something about Marnie that they couldn’t ignore.
