Hera took a redeye to the border airport and then rushed to Evergreen Hospital. She arrived by midday the next day.
At Catherine’s bedside, Everly Pierce, her neighbor, watched over her.
Catherine lay unconscious with her head swathed in white bandages. She was wearing an oxygen mask over her face and with an IV drip bag hanging beside her.
“What happened?”
Hera entered the room, concern etched on her face.
“Hera, you’re back,” Everly said with relief.
She clutched Hera’s hand eagerly.
“Hurry. Come check on Mrs. Jones. She still hasn’t regained consciousness.”
Hera nodded. Her heart sank as she examined Catherine. There was a blood clot in her head-a vicious blow to an elderly woman.
“Who did this?”
Hera’s voice tightened with anger.
“Yesterday, loan sharks barged in with an IOU bearing Mrs. Jones’ thumbprint. They demanded repayment, but Mrs. Jones had nothing to give. So, they knocked her out cold,” Everly explained.
“Loan sharks?”
Hera frowned.
She wondered how Catherine could have gotten involved with loan sharks. After all, Catherine received tens of thousands of dollars in allowance every month.
Hera had also given Catherine a card with two million dollars when she brought Giselle back from the Everett residence. That should have been more than enough to cover their necessities up in the mountains.
“Yes! They threatened to return in three days. And they said that if we don’t come up with five million, they will start cutting off Mrs. Jones’ limbs.
“Wayne went to report it, but the local police brushed it off as a matter of debt. But Mrs. Jones was always so careful with her money. How could she owe such a huge amount?”
Everly’s voice trembled with fear.
“It must be that woman! Ever since Mrs. Jones brought her back, it’s been one disaster after another,” declared a deep, resonant voice from the doorway.
Hera turned to see Wayne Pierce, a tall, strong man with a weathered complexion. He was holding a bag of takeout, his face etched with fury. He was Everly’s elder brother.
Wayne and Everly had lost their
parents when they were young and had lived in the most isolated part of Willowbrook Village. When Catherine and Hera fled to Willowbrook Village years ago, they were shunned by the locals.
At that time, only this kind-hearted sibling duo had taken them in. Afterward, Catherine’s exceptional medical skills eventually won over the villagers, and they allowed Hera and Catherine to settle down.
“Was it Giselle Everett?” Hera said the name aloud.
“Yes, she’s the one. I can’t fathom why Mrs. Jones brought her back. Giselle received free medical care, food, and everything.
“But she demanded imported latex mattresses and branded clothes and insisted on drinking only mountain spring water. She completely refused to touch the water from the tap or well,” Wayne ranted.
His straightforward nature and strong build made it clear that Giselle’s antics had worn his patience thin.
Hera nodded as she grasped the situation.
As expected, Giselle couldn’t adjust to village dife after living in luxury with the Everett family for 17 years. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have elung so desperately to the Everett family in the first place.
“Where is she now?” Hera asked.
“No idea. She started sneaking out once she could walk. I haven’t seen her in a week,” Everly replied.
Hera glanced at Catherine, who lay unconscious on the bed, and concluded that Giselle had likely fled.
“I borrowed this money from the villagers and took out my savings. The total is only 35 thousand dollars in total, but you can take it first.
“I’ll figure out the rest in a few days,” Wayne said, handing Hera a bundle of bills wrapped in a black plastic bag from his coat pocket.