Chapter 23

The full-buxom nurse seductively sashayed over and stopped right in front of the guard outside of Penelope's room. She was completely confident that she had this in the bag. She knew the effect she had on men. She could convince any man to do anything for her. That was, without a doubt, her ultimate gift. She inwardly giggled.

Brad was having a hard time concentrating on anything but her and couldn't take his eyes off her. He'd never been that affected by any other woman before. It was like she was a drug he just had to have. When she spoke, it was like music to his ears.

"Hey there, handsome. Aren't you a strong and good-looking specimen? What's your name big boy?"

Suddenly, he felt flush, hot, and a little unsure of himself. Damn, she was fine. He muttered out, "I'm Brad Miller and who might you be?"

She seductively smiled and replied, "I'm Rachel and I definitely like what I see."

He smirked as his palms became sweaty as he quickly stood up. "Well, you're definitely a gorgeous sight for these sore eyes. I could see myself exploring and getting totally lost within you." He hoped that his line wasn't too corny.

Rachel hissed out, "Well, maybe that can be arranged later when we both get off duty, huh?"

Brad was absolutely feeling weak in the knees as his libido started to fire up. "That's exactly what I was thinking, Nurse Rachel. Will you take good care of me and give me a full and thorough exam?"

She had him hook, line and sinker. "Oh, you can count on that, honey!"

She continued while her eyes never left his. "Can you do me a favor, please? I need some help for just a minute?"

Brad was still entranced by her and her body. "If I can, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wheeling my linen cart and the wheels jammed up and it toppled over. Can you help fix the wheels, pleassssse?" She just stood there still batting her eyes and rubbed up against him.

Brad was skeptical, he knew he really shouldn't leave his post, but damn she was HOT! "I really can't leave my spot here."

She didn't think it would be this hard to convince him. She had to keep trying. "Pretty pleassse, it's only around the corner and it should only take a minute and then I will give you my number."

He stood there as he hemmed and hawed within himself. He knew he shouldn't do it. Well, she did say it was only around the corner and he would come right back. "What the hell! Let's make this real quick."

With that, she triumphantly smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and off they went. As they rounded the corner, he saw the cart just as she described it. When they reached the cart he quickly bent over, and he started tinkering with the wheel she pointed to.

She stood there thanking him profusely for his help. He was so preoccupied that he didn't hear the door open behind him. Savannah looked at her cohort and gave an evil smile. She then plunged the needle into the back of Brad's neck. He grunted and groaned as he tried to stand up and then everything went black for him. He fell flat on his face out cold and the two women rapidly rolled him over onto his back. They then each grabbed an arm and dragged the unconscious form into the large closet. They stopped at a corner and quickly covered his body with a lot of blankets, hoping that if anyone noticed, they would think it was just a pile of dirty laundry and nothing else.

Savannah was thankful that that huge hurdle was taken care of. She and Rachel hurriedly entered the hallway again and swiftly placed the cart back upright and sloppily grabbed up all the linen off the floor. They plopped it all back on the cart and shoved the whole kit and kaboodle into the closet in front of Brad's body. Rachel practically ran from the room and disappeared. Her part of the plan was now complete.

Savannah straightened out her garb and wiped her face with a towel she'd located. She took a deep breath, put her sunglasses back on, and grabbed her backpack. She knew she didn't have much time and needed to complete the last step of her plan expeditiously. She didn't want to chance it and have someone catch her before she could kill Miss Piggy. She had an amused look on her face as she cautiously stepped into the hallway.

She sauntered along and before she knew it, she was standing right in front of Penelope's room. She stood there for a minute as she eyed her prey while she gradually and silently pushed the door open. She gently glided the door closed after she stepped in. She purposefully and soundlessly placed her backpack down on the chair next to the bed. This is going to be easier than I thought, she said to herself.

All the while, during the drive to his mother's house Derek couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. He hadn't been able to pin down anything in his head, but he had this feeling of dread. He called Fran and told her he was only about a minute out. She told him she would meet him outside next to the SUV.

Derek turned onto their property and roared up the driveway and then came to a quick stop. Fran rushed over to meet her son and gave him a quick hug as he jumped out.

A little out of breath, she greeted him. "Thank god you got here so quickly, I'm so upset that this had to happen today, of all days. Dave is busy at work and your sisters are going to be landing in a little bit."

Derek was intent on the problem at hand. "Calm down, Momma! You'll get there in plenty of time. I'll have this fixed in a jiffy. Just show me which tire."

Fran's motherly antenna went up as they made their way over to the back tire. She always knew when something was bothering one of her children. "What's going on, Baby Boy? You seem tense. What's bothering you?"

He glanced at his mother before he leaned down to examine the tire. "I don't know, Momma. I can't put my finger on it. But something's just not right, I can feel it."

Fran smiled down at her son. "I'm sure everything is fine. You're probably a little stressed out, being this is the first time you have left Penelope alone."

As he began to examine the tire, he shook his head. "Maybe, Momma, maybe."

He was studying the tire as he ran his fingers along the rim first. He didn't see any damage or anything. He then crouched down further and stared at the tread itself. He couldn't find anything so far. He was hoping that it just might need some air because of a slow leak or a nail or something that may have penetrated the tread. He asked Fran to get in the car and roll the car forward a little bit so he could see more of the bottom tread. She followed his instructions and did as she was told.

As soon as the tire rolled forward, Derek immediately could see the slash in the sidewall. It was initially hidden because of the previous position of the tire. That's when he saw it. He quickly looked up into his mother's face as she was exiting the car and yelled, "Goddammit!"

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