Arson Takes a Dare: The Third Marisa Adair Mystery Adventure (Marisa Adair Mysteries Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

sister,” Alex said. “When she came back, Mosely was in the hospital.”
    “While he was in the intensive care unit, he went through DTs. After that, he was moved to a regular room. I took off from work to help my mother sit with him in the hospital. He was so unpleasant. He ranted and raved about wanting to smoke and drink. I tried to keep him calm. I also tried to tell him it was the perfect time for him to stop drinking. He’d already gone through the DTs.”
    “You can’t reason with someone who doesn’t want to hear you.” Alex met her eyes very directly.
    Marisa wondered if he was referring to her or her troubled brother. “After two days in the regular room, he begged the doctor for increasingly high dosages of pain medication, claiming he was in extreme pain. He blamed the pain on his legs.”
    “I remember Mosely wearing braces on his legs when we were all in elementary school,” Alex said.
    “After multiple surgeries and years of crutches and braces, the children’s charity hospital fixed his legs. He used his medical history to get out of working, even though he stood for hours on end in redneck bars.” Marisa’s eyes filled. “Alex, I am such an idiot. I really thought Mosely would use the opportunity to get sober. By the time he was discharged, he’d been without anything to drink for ten days.”
    “What happened when he was released?” Alex asked, touching her shoulder.
    Marisa rubbed her temples. “On the way to my mother’s mobile home, my brother asked me to stop at the liquor store. I said, ‘Hell, no.’ Mom ordered me to stop at the package store. She said if she didn’t buy it, he’d leave the house to get it.”
    She swiped at her eyes with her fingers. “It was the turning point for me. After all of the years of angst, I decided I was done with them. I cried the entire way home. I made up my mind to stay away from them both, at least for the short term. The boycott didn’t last long, but it made me feel a little better.”
    Alex’s hand was warm on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
    “Before he left the hospital last spring, the doctors said Mosely would be dead within a year if he didn’t stop drinking.” Marisa sniffed. “The prophesy was fulfilled, although it wasn’t alcohol that killed him. It was a vicious murderer.”
    Keeping his hand on her shoulder, Alex turned away from her to stare at the wooded hill at the far end of the trailer park. “Do you know Stanley Blaise?”
    Marisa blinked at the unexpected change of subject. She dragged her thoughts away from her brother. “Stanley Blaise? He’s one of our hospital employees, but I don’t really know him.”
    “He’s an operating room technician at the hospital. Several years ago, he finished the night shift and headed for home. He was t-boned by another vehicle blocks from the hospital. Stanley regained consciousness and realized he was in Room Seven of the emergency room.”
    Despite the sun’s warmth, Marisa shivered. “The ER only uses that room for the worst cases. Patients who are not expected to live, with or without medical intervention, are put in that room.”
    “Stanley knew he was on the brink of death. He lost consciousness. While he was out, he had a strange experience. He was in a clearing. Towering trees surrounded him. At his feet, clear water flowed through a creek. Using strategically placed stones, Stanley crossed the water. When he arrived at the far bank, a man turned to face him.
    “The man was wearing a long robe and holding a large, open book in his hands. His white hair fell past his shoulders. As his mouth curved into a gentle smile, the lines in his face deepened. ‘Welcome, Stanley.’
    “People appeared around the man. Stanley realized they were dead members of his family. Shocked, he approached. They moved to surround him. As they crowded close, Stanley felt a soothing sense of security and happiness.”
    “Wow,” breathed Marisa. “Stanley had a near-death