Excerpt:
Leroy reached Doc Hawkins’ Office just as Detective Daniel Bare was placing him under arrest. Leroy stared at Daniel. “What the fuck do you think you are doing.”
“I am making the arrest for FBI. They claim Doc Hawkins has been writing illegal prescriptions for Covid.”
“Daniel. Come on. You know that Doc Hawkins is one of the good guys. And I need his help to save the life of Tiffany Lane.”
“Sorry.”
Hearthville Serial: Book 7
Episode 25
Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental.
All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.
By Charles Peters
Copyright 2021
All Rights Reserved
Johnny Bare watched Ellen drive off with Wade in the car. He waved bye at them as did Lilly. Then he and Lilly looked at one another.
Johnny said, “Seeing Wade get out of that car shocked the hell out of me.”
Lilly asked, “Do you think Jesus arranged for Ellen to pick Wade up?”
“Someone did. Did you ever consider telling Ellen that Donny was her son?”
“I never met her before today. And Donny did not want her to know, so there was nothing to tempt me. She does seem like a nice woman though. I am glad she now knows.”
The ghost of Nanny Ogleby stood watching Johnny and Lilly. She smiled. Leroy Bare, in astral form, patted Nanny on the back. Leroy said, “I guess I can expect a call from Johnny or Lilly. I had better get back to my body.”
Nanny Ogleby asked, “Why was it important to you for Ellen to know that Donny Maxtone was her son?”
“I had a vision that Wade was going to kill himself. I am hoping that having Ellen and the Duddley family more in his life will prevent that.”
“Kill himself? I guess Tiffany is going to die, then.”
“Not if we an prevent it. I’ve got to get back to my body.”
Leroy popped back to his body. His phone was ringing. He expected Lilly or Johnny would be on the other end. He was surprised to hear a different voice. “Leroy, this is Alice Malokey. The Witches Council has managed to lock down the Outlands and I wanted to let you know that Artorious is stuck there. I can’t reach your grandfather Adolph but he should be told.”
“Isn’t it against a treaty for the Outlands to be blocked off from the other dimensions.”
“You are right. It is. I tried to talk the Witches Council against it but they are not listening to me. I am just about ready to abandon earth and return to my home planet Malokey.”
“Besides Artorious, is there anyone else stuck in the Outlands?”
I can not communicate with anyone there. Communications have been blocked. I am pretty sure that Madison Grant and Victor Duddley and Donny Maxtone are stuck there.”
“Can I tell Johnny Bare?”
“Why would you want to tell Johnny Bare?”
“Because he has been hired to find Victor.”
“Okay. Tell him but just to be clear this conversation did not happen. You can’t tell him how you know.”
“Understood.”
Leroy disconnected.
Nanny Ogleby popped into Leroy’s room. “Did I hear right?”
“You listen to my conversations.”
“Sometimes. But did I hear right? Artorious is stuck in the outlands with Victor and Donny and Madison Grant?”
“You heard right.”
Johnny Bare called Leroy. “I need you to get to the hospital and get to Doc Hawkins to treat Tiffany Lane.”
“I will do my best but listen. I just talked to Alice Malokey. The Witches Council has shut off the Outlands from the other dimensions. Artorious, Victor, Donny Maxtone, and Madison Grant are stuck there. You must not tell anyone how you know. Alice is so upset she is talking about abandoning earth.”
“Fuck.” Johnny looks at his sister Lilly who does not know much about the witch stuff.
Lilly asked, “What is wrong?”
“Nothing.” Johnny turns back to his phone and tells Leroy. “I understand. I will tell my Uncle Hollice. Get to the hospital as fast as you can.”
“Will do.”
Johnny disconnected. He stared at this sister. “Do you really believe Jesus may have brought Ellen and Wade here today so that Ellen would learn that Donny Maxtone was her son.”
“It is a nice thought. But I don’t know.”
“I thought you tended to be agnostic about God and Jesus and such.”
“I am not sure I can ever forgive God for taking Donny away from me so soon. Still, sometimes I think Donny is still with me.”
Johnny nodded. Lilly once had known about the supernatural aspects of life as much as he did, but then her memory was altered. Still, he knew at times, on some level, parts of her memory would creep back though mostly represented as disjointed thoughts and confusing dreams.
“I think our search for Victor should begin with Preacher Pialo.”
Johnny was not sure how he should handle Lilly with the Victor Duddley case, now that he knew Victor was trapped in the Outlands. He couldn’t just allow her to go on one goose chase after another. But then again, did he really have much of a choice.
****
Leroy reached Doc Hawkins’ Office just as Detective Daniel Bare was placing him under arrest. Leroy stared at Daniel. “What the fuck do you think you are doing.”
“I am making the arrest for FBI. They claim Doc Hawkins has been writing illegal prescriptions for Covid.”
“Daniel. Come on. You know that Doc Hawkins is one of the good guys. And I need his help to save the life of Tiffany Lane.”
“Sorry.”
“Yeah. Sorry does not cut it.” Leroy vanished with Doc Hawkins.
“Damn it. Leroy. Bring my prisoner back.” Daniel looked around to make sure no one was watching. He smiled.
Leroy placed Doc Hawkins in his pad.
Doc Hawkins screamed, “What the freak? How on earth did I get here?”
“Just stay calm. I have got to get a patient to you.”
“There is not much I can do without my prescription pad.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry. I am no stranger to alchemy.”
“Leroy, running an illegal drug lab does not qualify you as a chemist.”
“I am pretty sure it does. Just write down the list of medicines that you need and I will get what I need to make them. Now I have to go get Tiffany out of the waiting room hell hole they jokingly call a fucking hospital.”
Leroy appeared in astral form in the waiting room. The room was crowded with patients. And Leroy could smell the stench of death that was waiting for many of them. Tiffany was still sitting there in the same place from where she had called Wade. She guessed that would be the last time she would ever speak to him. She looked like she was about to collapse. One little old lady kept tapping Tiffany’s knee and saying, “It is going to be alright. It is going to be alright.”
An elderly man that sat on the other side of her was in tears. “She is dying. That young woman is dying.”
A nurse walked in and called out a name. It was not Tiffany’s name. The nurse wheeled the wheel chair over to a man who looked like he once had been a manly, hard living, fun loving truck driver. Now he was weak and crumpled. As he helped the nurse who struggled to get him in the wheel chair he said, “I don’t guess I will ever blow my truck horn again.” The man settled down in the wheelchair.
The nurse didn’t say anything. She looked at Tiffany as she pushed the wheelchair out of the room. Tiffany reached out her hand to the nurse as though she were about to say something, but then she didn’t.
Leroy knew his magic was more likely to ping in astral form but he figured if it would work then the better. It was enough that people might witness Tiffany disappear than to witness him both appear and then disappear with Tiffany. In astral form Leroy cast his spell to transport Tiffany to his home. His magic did not ping. It worked.
The elderly woman looked shocked. The elderly man laughed.
The elderly woman screamed, “She vanished. The girl just vanished right in front of us.”
The elderly man said, “If I didn’t believe in God before, I believe in him now. He called her home. Body and soul.”
Some man shook his head. “Wasn’t no God. This damn virus has been engineered to make bodies disappear. That is what it is. Damn fucking environmentalist don’t even want us to have a grave.”
Leroy materialized in his bedroom with Tiffany in his arms. Tiffany reached up and touched his face. “I never realized how handsome you are. Wade should be jealous.”
Leroy smiled. He placed her down in his bed. “We are going to save you. You are going to be okay.”
“But what about all the other people in that room?”
“God help me, but I can’t save them all.”
Tiffany moaned, “Leroy. I am afraid for you. What if you catch what I have.”
“I’ve had covid. It did not make me hardly sick at all.”
“But this could be some kind of variant.”
“I will take my chances.” Leroy opened his bedroom door. He looked at the Doc sitting at the table and writing. “Doc, she is in here.”
Doc Hawkins said, “I don’t understand any of this.”
“Did you make out the list of medicines that you need?”
“I did. The list is over on the table. But I don’t even know the chemical formula of some of those pills.”
“I am not as dumb as I look. I will figure it out.”
Doc Hawkins went to Leroy’s bedroom and saw Tiffany laying in the bed. He moaned, “Oh my God. She looks awful.”
Tiffany laughed a sorrowful laugh. “That is just what a woman wants to hear.”
“Sorry.”
The doc checked her temperature. He checked her heart beat. He checked her oxygen level. Then he pulled Leroy off to the other room. Doc Hawkins whispered, “Tiffany is dying. I don’t know whether I can save her.”
Leroy nodded. “I’ve got to call Wade and let him know that Tiffany is no longer at the hospital. Then I will get started making the medicines.”
“She is going to need to be put on oxygen.”
Leroy mumbles. Then flips his hand around. “There is a machine with an oxygen tank at her bedside I stole from the hospital. Get it hooked up.”
“Son. You know Daniel is going to be showing up here to arrest you.”
“The FBI, maybe. My cousin, Daniel. No. He just likes to pretend to be a bad guy.”
“If you say so. I am going to go do some physical therapy with Tiffany. She needs to be moved about. There is no telling how much damage was done to her, by her being left to sit in that waiting room too long.”
Doc Hawkins returned to the bedroom to work with Tiffany while Leroy called Wade to let him know where he should come. Ellen and Wade head that direction. Leroy then called his mom. “Mom, I need dad’s old chemistry books and with maps from where the mineral compounds can be conjured. And also you need to call granddad and let him know that Artorious is trapped in the Outlands.”
Leroy’s mom, Constance Bare, appeared at her son’s side. “I moved the chemistry books and the maps to your lab in the caves beneath here. What is going on?”
“Tiffany Lane is dying if I can’t save her.” Leroy walked over and showed his mom the list of medicines that Doc Hawkins was going to need.”
“Wow. Wouldn’t it be easier to rob a pharmacy than make these medicines.”
“I considered, but we have got to set up a full blown underground lab to try to save people. And I am not so sure the government has not removed some of these drugs from the pharmacy. Look at this here. And look what is in OxyContin.”
“Fuck. Shit. Hell.”
“Do you really think when that piece of shit Trump had the generic version of that removed from pharmacies it was to save lives. That son of a bitch was totally in on this crap even before execution of the plandemic began.”
“I think it he was just a useful idiot.”
“Well. I don’t know. And then think back to when ‘New World Order’ Bush Sr. stopped diabetics from using Quinine for neuropathy.”
“Oh my God. Okay. Actually. I think I can fill two of these meds from my own lab. But you will have to work on these other two. I am not familiar with them at all. Is it okay if I look in on Tiffany first?”
“Sure.”
“Nervously, Constance walked to her son’s bedroom. She stepped inside. She watched Doc Hawkins working with Tiffany.
Constance asked, “How is it going?”
“We are going to do our best.”
Constance asked, “Tiffany. Do you know how much you are loved?”
“I am just a trailer trash whore.”
“Wade loves you with every fiber of his being. He can’t live without you. Fight to survive with all the strength of your being.”
“I hurt so much. I feel so beaten. How much pain can I person survive before they go in shock?”
Doc Hawkins nodded. “That is a question?”
Constance started walking toward Tiffany.
Tiffany shook her head. “You must not risk catching this.”
“I am safe. Don’t worry. You need to be hugged.”
Constance hugged Tiffany for a moment. She conjured two pill bottles into her hand. She handed the bottles to Doc Hawkins. “Here are two meds on your list. I had them in my lab. Leroy is going to have to work on the other two.”
“Yes. God damn. Yes. These two are the most important to start so this works out But she is going to need the other two or at some point she will relapse down.” Doc Hawkins held up one of the bottles. “This one should help with the pain and prevent you from going into shock, but without weakening your immune system or vital organs.”
“Leroy is going to work on the other two. Look. Uhh. I am going to have to be going but, but…” Constance hated to leave Tiffany. “I will be back.”
Tiffany smiled a sad smile at Constance. “I know you and Victor are close. I guess you are worried about Victor being missing?”
“Missing. Leroy did not tell me about that. I have to go talk to Leroy some more.” Constance remembered Leroy had mentioned that Artorious was trapped in the Outlands but had not given any details.” Constance knew that Artorious hated Victor.
Constance left the bedroom and as soon out of the sight of Doc Hawkins and Tiffany she used magic to go down to Leroy’s lab in the caves. She looked at her son. “I don’t mean to distract you but I need to know about the Artorious situation before I talk to Adolph.”
“It is bad. It is really bad. In violation of the treaty the Outlands has been locked down by the Witches Council. Artorious, Victor, Donny Maxtone, and Madison Grant are stuck there. Alice Malokey is threatening to abandon earth and return to her planet.”
“Okay. I am going to see if my Communication Center can bypass the lock down and if I can reach Dochour.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“I will let Adoph know what is happening. Where in the Outlands is Artorious and Victor?”
“I am not sure. When I get a chance I need to see if I can call Alice Malokey back.”
“Okay. I would call her but I don’t think she will answer my call.”
“Yeah. Well. I should have made clear that she does not want people to know that she told me what is going on.”
“Oh. Okay. I will not even try to call her.”