Chapter 5
Morgan tried Prissy’s driver’s side door only to discover it was locked. She ran around and tried the passenger side. It was also locked. Even more concerning was the fact the car’s engine was running. The woman sat behind the wheel, her head tipped back and appearing to be sound asleep.
Elizabeth rapped loudly on the window.
Prissy stirred. She slowly lifted her head.
“Unlock the door!”
The groggy woman rolled her window down. “What’s going on?”
“I should ask you the same question,” Elizabeth said. “Are you all right?”
“Of course. I’m fine. Why?”
“Because your eyes were closed.”
Prissy’s brows knitted. “Are you saying I was asleep?”
Morgan jogged over to the driver’s side. “Grandmother and I thought something had happened to you.”
“I’m perfectly fine,” she primly replied.
Elizabeth shifted her purse to her other arm. “What day is today?”
“Today is…” Prissy licked her lips. “Sunday?”
“It’s Friday.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Elizabeth shot Morgan a concerned look. “Where are you going?”
“I…uh… To be honest, I’m not sure.”
Morgan leaned in. “Were you going to meet with Grandmother?”
“Yes. I remember now. I saw Elizabeth’s car and decided to park next to it.” She lifted her hand and tapped the top of her watch. “At ten.”
“Your hand.” Morgan pointed to a large bruise near her knuckles. “What happened?”
Prissy quickly covered it. “It’s nothing. I…uh…tripped on the porch step.”
Elizabeth’s eyes flitted from the steering wheel to the angry red scratch on the side of Prissy’s face. “You fell on your face?”
She absentmindedly touched her cheek. “I ran into a bush.”
“Good heavens. Let’s go over to the gallery.” Elizabeth swung the driver’s side door open and motioned for her to get out.
“I can meet you there.”
“We’re only going to the end of the street. We can walk. The fresh air will do us good.”
Noting Elizabeth’s firm tone, Prissy shut the engine off, grabbed her purse and exited the vehicle.
“When is your next doctor’s appointment?” Morgan asked.
“I have it written on my calendar at home.” Prissy joined them on the sidewalk and turned right, in the opposite direction of the art gallery.
Morgan started to correct her. Elizabeth stopped her and mouthed the words, “Let her go.”
Prissy walked toward the harbor and away from the gallery, chattering about her gardens and how excited she was to plant her spring flowers all the way to the end of the block. She came to a quick stop, a baffled expression flitting across her face. “Where’s the art gallery?”
Elizabeth grabbed her shoulders and spun her around so that she faced the opposite direction. “Straight ahead.”
Her look of confusion deepened. “I…uh…got turned around. We were talking, and I wasn’t paying attention.” She hurried on. “Of course, I know where your art gallery is. Silly me.”
“Let’s take you home. Morgan will drive your car. You can ride with me.” Elizabeth, maintaining her no-nonsense tone, left no room to argue.
Prissy reluctantly handed Morgan her keys.
“We’ll meet you there.” Elizabeth escorted her sister-in-law to Burnie’s passenger side. After making sure she was safely inside, she climbed behind the wheel. With a quick check in the mirror, she backed out of the parking spot and roared off down the street.
Morgan followed at a slower pace. She reached Prissy’s ranch-style, single-story home. The two were already out of the car and standing at the back door.
Quickly parking, Morgan sprang from the vehicle and hurried across the driveway. “I have your keys.” She handed them to Prissy. “Sorry if I kept you waiting.”
“Your grandmother has a lead foot,” Prissy joked. “We made it in record time.”
“I’m sure you did.”
Elizabeth led them inside and flipped the light switch. Nothing happened. “The lights aren’t working. Do you have a burned-out bulb?”
“I don’t think so.”
Morgan slipped past them and climbed the stairs. She tried the kitchen light. Again, nothing happened. Glancing at the counter microwave, she noticed it wasn’t working either. The interior air was chilly, as if the heat hadn’t kicked on.
Prissy and Elizabeth caught up with her.
“It’s cold in here.” Elizabeth rubbed the sides of her arms.
“The power is off,” Morgan said.
Prissy, seemingly unconcerned, shuffled over to the counter. “I would offer you a cup of tea but I’m out of teabags.”
Morgan sniffed the air. “I smell a hint of smoke.”
Elizabeth sucked in a breath. “I do, too.”
Prissy’s eyes grew round as saucers. “I…think I may have left a candle warmer plugged in the bathroom.”
“There’s no power, so I don’t think it caused any harm.” Morgan made a beeline through the living room, down the hall, and to the bathroom. A candle warmer sat on the small shelf, the cord unplugged and dangling.
Morgan turned to go when she heard running water. Easing the shower curtain aside, she found the tub faucet was on. Not full blast, but not a trickle either. She turned it off and traipsed back into the kitchen.
Her grandmother and Prissy sat at the table, waiting for her return.
“Well?” Elizabeth prompted.
“The candle warmer was unplugged.”
“Good.” Prissy fidgeted in her chair. “I wonder why the power is off.”
“The bathtub faucet was on.”
“Running?”
“Not full blast, but more than a trickle. Thank goodness you weren’t filling the tub.”
Prissy placed her head in her hands, her shoulders slumping. “I could have flooded my house.”
Never one to mince words, especially if she had something on her mind, Elizabeth blurted out, “You’re not doing well.”
The woman leaned back in her chair, a pained expression on her face. “I feel fine, other than the fall and colliding with my bush.”
“I’m not talking about physically.” Elizabeth tapped the side of her forehead. “Up here. We found you asleep behind the wheel of your car with the engine running. You don’t know what day it is and you couldn’t remember where my art gallery was.”
Prissy opened her mouth and promptly shut it.
Her sister-in-law’s tone softened. “I would like you to move up the date of your next doctor’s visit. I want to go with you.”
Her face crumpled. “It’s getting bad,” she whispered.
“How bad?” Morgan asked.
“I’m putting Lawrence’s clothes out again. I can’t find my cell phone, and when I woke up this morning, I thought there was a tractor in my living room.”
“A tractor?”
“A gold Minneapolis-Moline with a bucket on the front, the kind Lawrence used to have. I was furious. I planned to chew him out and went from room to room looking for him. When I got back to the living room.” Her voice trailed off.
“The tractor was gone,” Elizabeth said.
Prissy nodded. “I guess you’ll have to put me in a home.”
“Do you want to move into a home?”
“No,” she said in a small voice. “I would have to leave the island.”
“My suggestion is for you to move to Easton Estate. We have plenty of room and staff to keep an eye on you.”
“I don’t…”
Morgan cut her off. “Why not? It would be like living in a five-star hotel. Maid service, all your meals cooked, a driver when you want to go somewhere.”
“You would be safe and with family.” Elizabeth reached for her hand. “As much as I know you treasure your independence, it’s only a matter of time before you get seriously hurt—or hurt someone else.”
Prissy’s lower lip trembled.
Morgan could almost feel the woman’s anguish at facing the inevitable…
her mind was failing. The thought of what could have happened had she fallen asleep while driving was terrifying.
“Grandmother is right. For your safety and the safety of those around you, I believe the time has come to let others keep an eye on you.”
“My car…”
“Will be put in storage for the time being. In fact…” Elizabeth held out her hand. “I’ll take your keys.”
Prissy reluctantly dug the keys from her purse and handed them to her. “How will I go places, doctor’s appointments, to get my hair done?”
“Morgan already told you. Ben Baker, Easton Estate’s chauffeur, can take you.”
“I’ll need to pack, sell my stuff, and sell the house.”
“All of which can be accomplished. The number one priority is to get you moved in.”
“This month?”
“Right now. Morgan and I will help you pack what you need for the immediate future.”
Prissy looked from one to the other. “You’re serious.”
“One hundred percent. What happened…has been happening is a wake-up call. You even admitted you’re seeing things.”
The woman briefly closed her eyes, her hand trembling as she rubbed her forehead. “I had hoped this day wouldn’t come.”
“But it has, and we’ll make the best of it.” Elizabeth gave her a gentle hug. “I know it seems like the worst of scenarios, but trust me, you’ll learn to love living at Easton Estate.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not imposing,” Elizabeth insisted.
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Why would you thank me? Taking care of each other is what family is for.”