Fever Rich: A Mercy Mares Cozy Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

supposed to be wearing pajamas?”  He asked, looking at my scrubs.
     
    I had to laugh. “I'm a nurse, your nurse, in fact. My name is...”
     
    There was a scream down below. Cash immediately clutched my arm as I nearly swallowed my tongue.
     
    “Stay here. No, you should get into bed. I'll be right back.” Going down the stairs wasn't as much fun as going up the stairs, especially with my heart racing and my stomach turning. I hoped that Nathaniel hadn't taken a dive and fallen on the floor. Caring for someone with a broken hip wasn't on my list of required duties.
     
    When I reached the foyer, I could hear heavy breathing and panicked voices speaking. I followed their voices into the study. Lucilla stood looking at the floor behind the mahogany desk and Nathaniel stood in the doorway, clutching his chest.
     
    “What happened?” I asked.
     
    Neither spoke for a moment.
     
    “Are you okay, Mr. Rich?” I assumed he'd been hurt.
     
    “She's dead.” He answered.
     
    I looked up at Lucilla, wondering if I'd missed something because she looked just fine to me, if fine meant scared and definitely breathing.
     
    “Who?” I asked.
     
    “Jane.” Lucilla said, her hand shaking as she pointed to the floor underneath the desk.
     
    I walked around Nathaniel and the desk as gingerly as I could. Sure enough, a woman, dressed in a business suit was lying on the floor, face up, eyes wide open.
     
    My instincts kicked in. It was my turn to give orders.
     
    “Call 911.” I ordered.
     
    While Lucilla scrambled to place the call, I felt for a pulse. There was none. I checked for a heartbeat. There was none. No breath sounds. Nothing, but a stain of blood on the front of her blazer.
     
    I felt for the wound, just over the heart. No heartbeat.
     
    Nathaniel yelled, “No, stop! Wait for the authorities.”
     
    I continued on because he was clearly in shock and this woman was definitely in need of immediate assistance. I held my hand over the wound. It no longer bled.

Chapter Three
    “I don't need a babysitter,” Cash slammed his bedroom door shut in my face.
     
    Let's see, a dead accountant in the study, a pouting ten-year-old, and a traveling nurse, who just wanted to take a job closer to home for a change.  In less than an hour since I'd arrived, life took a dramatic turn and not in a good way.
     
    “Cash, please, open the door. Your grandfather hired me to care for you.” I pleaded, glancing over the railing at the commotion downstairs.
     
    There was no protocol for what to do when someone is found dead in your home, but I'm pretty sure that alerting the media before the police arrived wasn't supposed to be on the top of the to-do list.
     
    Nathaniel stood in front of an ornate, gilded mirror, adjusting his tie. What was he preparing himself for?
     
    “I'm not opening it. You can go home. You're fired.” Cash screamed through the door.
     
    The way the morning had panned out, I was tempted to sneak out the back door and speed – if you call driving over thirty miles per hour in a twenty year old car speeding – through the tree lined streets of Lake Villa.
     
    It had been many years since I'd dealt with an angry child, but I'd like to think it was like riding a bike and I'd be able to handle the situation swiftly.
     
    “Please, open the door. The police will be here soon, Cash. Let me in so we can talk about this.” I begged. So much for taking a firm stand. Begging was my method of choice in this situation because I was in a hurry and my nerves were jumping in and out of my goose bump covered flesh.
     
    “I don't have to listen to you.” Cash whispered through the door.
     
    My method was failing. I needed to regroup and do something that was guaranteed to work.
     
    I walked down the stairs and tried to keep my eyes focused on the floor in front of me. I'd seen plenty of dead people in my life, but seeing one that was murdered wasn't my cup of tea.
     
    I'd seen a couple before and, let's