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Suddenly the woman opened the old coat she was wearing and revealed the dress she had on underneath. The dress was soaked with blood!“Take a look at this,” croaked the woman. “Does this look normal to you?”

Scarlett was one of those people who hated the sight of blood. In fact she abhorred it. She suddenly felt faint now, and a little woozy.“Is that… blood?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?” asked the woman. “I got up this morning with a pain in my chest. And when I looked there was all of this red stuff coming out of me.”

Scarlett watched, bug-eyed, as the blood seemed to be pouring out of the woman’s chest, pumping steadily, spurt after spurt.

“Just take a look, will you? I don’t feel so good. And if this is blood, why is it coming out of me when it should be staying in? Is that normal behavior for blood you think?”

“Doctor!” Scarlett yelled. “Doctor—I’ve got an emergency!”

“Just give me your best diagnosis,” said the woman. “Is this a bad thing?”

Just then, the woman uttered a gurgling sound, and collapsed on the floor.

“Doctor Tex!” Scarlett was yelling, then ran around the counter and knelt down next to the woman. She didn’t want to put her hands on her—all that blood!—but still had a quick peek. Where did all this blood come from? “Doctor Tex! I need you in here right now!”

And as she peeled back the layers of clothing with her fingernails, more blood pumped out. The woman was bleeding out! On the office floor! What a frickin’ mess!

Suddenly the woman drew down her scarf. Her lips moved.“Come… closer,” she whispered.

Scarlett drew closer.

“You gotta give me mouth-to-mouth,” the dying woman croaked.

Scarlett flapped her arms.“I don’t know how to give mouth to mouth!”

“If you don’t… I’ll die right here… right now,” the woman said weakly.

“Oh, no,” said Scarlett. “Don’t you die on me. Don’t you dare die on me!”

The woman produced a terrible cough, and more blood was pouring out of her chest.“This is the end… Scarlett. You killed me… with your incompetence…”

She stared down at the patient.“What did you just say?”

“If I die now, it’s all your fault, Scarlett. You’re a murderer. You murdered me.”

She narrowed her eyes, then peeled back a layer of clothes and saw a plastic little contraption pinned to the inner layer with a clothespin. She picked at it with her nails and saw that it was a tiny hose,‘blood’ spurting from it. With a disgusted sound, she gave it a good yank.

“Hey! You’re going to break the tube!” said Vesta Muffin, for that’s who the patient was. She’d taken off her glasses and was now glowering at Scarlett, who was glowering back.

“You miserable old woman!” Scarlett said.

“Who are you calling old? We’re the same age!”

Scarlett pulled at the plastic thingy and suddenly a baggie popped out from Vesta’s clothes, still half filled with a syrupy red liquid.

“Corn syrup and red food coloring,” said Vesta. “If it’s good enough for Hollywood, it’s good enough for me.”

“How dare you give me a scare like that!”

“I got you good, didn’t I?” said Vesta.

The door to the inner office opened and Tex walked out.“What’s with all the screaming?” When he caught sight of his mother-in-law on the floor, covered in blood, he did a double take. “Vesta? Oh, my God, are you hurt?”

“It’s fake!” Scarlett cried, holding up the bag and plastic tube. “She tricked me!”

“I didn’t trick you—I caught you!” said Vesta, now taking out her phone. “I got the whole thing on tape, missy.” She gestured with the phone. “This is going straight to the FBI. You’re going down for impersonating a doctor and practicing medicine without a license!”

“I wasn’t practicing medicine!” Scarlett screamed. “I was simply trying to help a dying woman!”

“Without a license! You’re going down! This is the end of you!”

“Vesta,” said Tex, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can I see you in my office? Now!”

“Don’t bother,” said Scarlett, grabbing her purse and hiking it up her shoulder. “I’m out of here. Consider this my resignation, Dr. Tex. I’ve had it up to here with this nonsense.” She turned to Vesta. “You won. I hate being a receptionist. I hate the smell of death and decay. I hate the doddering old fools who can’t take their eyes off my chest. I hate the blood and the disease and this boring, GODAWFUL job! Goodbye, Dr. Tex. Have a great life, Vesta.”

And with these words she stalked off towards the door, then out into the world beyond, and immediately felt the rush of relief. It told her she’d done the right thing.

Chapter 38

“Vesta,” said Tex. “This is the final straw. This is…” He gestured to her blood-soaked dress, the blood-soaked floor, the blood-soaked everything. “This is madness.”

Vesta could see how her son-in-law might take a dim view of her actions. But sometimes when a viper enters your world you need to take executive action to drive it out.

“I had to do it, Tex,” she said now. “Scarlett Canyon is bad news. I had to get rid of her.”