9
Daisy stared out of her taxi window at the drab landscape of Indiana and curled her lip in disgust. "Such a dull place." She whispered.
"So... where are you from?" the taxi driver said, speaking for the very first time since Daisy had entered the cab, well over an hour ago. She pried her eyes from the window and stared up at the driver's license on the back of his seat. Buddy Jones.
An even duller name, she thought. As she looked into the rearview mirror at Buddy, who met her gaze and looked back to the road sheepishly.
"Far, Far away," she answered primly and returned her gaze to the cornfields passing in the window. When Mistress Whitney told her she would be traveling to America, she had hoped it would have been somewhere less...rural. However, she did get to rub it into that filthy cook, Anne's face. Just the thought of Anne's envy made Daisy smile. She wore a black Burberry sheath dress with short sleeves, not exactly flight attire but she wanted to make a good first impression. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun and a pair of round frame glasses outlined her sharp hazel eyes.
"Yeah, but I mean. You're not from around here, I know that much," Buddy responded, gawking at her in the mirror.
"Was it the airport that gave it away?" Daisy asked as the hospital was finally in sight. Buddy grumbled something underneath his breath at her response.
"That'll be $57.30, Miss," Buddy said as they pulled into the Hope County Hospital. Daisy reached into her handbag and produced a crisp hundred dollar bill which she handed through the small window to Buddy.
"Keep the change, Buddy." She said with a smile before stepping out of the cab and making for the automatic sliding doors of the hospital, which slid open slowly releasing the sweet smell of disinfectant that Daisy loved. Her heels clicked against the smooth hospital floor as she approached the information desk and an older woman with the name, Rose etched into a silver name tag, whose attention was firmly planted in the Danielle Steele novel laying open on her desk.
"Hello, I'm looking for Charlotte Anderson." Daisy smiled.
"Down the hall, to the right; last door on the left." The woman said without looking up.
"Thank you," Daisy turned on her heel and followed the woman's instructions, stopping in front of a pale brown door with the words Social Services written in tarnished gold lettering.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR89Sm5oVl
Daisy gave the door three sharp knocks and waited. There was no response but she could hear someone moving inside the office, she sighed deeply and then opened the door and walked into the small drab space, that smelled of stale coffee and mothballs.
"Excuse me!" The disheveled woman behind the cluttered desk cried.
"Hello, are you Charlotte?" Daisy said with a smile, reaching into her handbag once again and producing a stack of folded documents which she placed on top of an open folder on Charlotte's desk. "My name is Daisy Payne, I am here on behalf of Emma Whitney,"
Charlotte looked down at the documents and back at Daisy dumbfounded. "Uh, Okay?" She said, obviously confused.
"The grandmother of James Grey, I'm here to pick him up," Daisy said matter-of-factly.
"Oh...OH!" Charlotte cried in realization. "We've been trying to get ahold of her since the accident."
"Yes, I received the one letter yesterday," Daisy said coldly.
"Right. Legally, she is going to need to come herself to pick the boy up and..."Charlotte's voice petered out when she looked up and saw Daisy's eyes narrow.
"If you actually read the documents I provided for you, you will find everything is in order for me to act in her stead." Daisy interrupted.
"Sure," Charlotte cleared her throat and unfolded the paperwork, reading the words carefully.
"Would you like to take a seat?" Charlotte motioned for the chair across from her.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxVKxyk2aK
Daisy eyed the woman's desk and the dust-covered seat.
"I think not." Just the thought of touching anything in this office made Daisy's skin crawl.
"Is James here?" Daisy asked as the woman bit her lower lip.
"No, he's... he's," Charlotte nervously handed the paperwork back to Daisy. "I'm not sure, I'll need to find his file."
"That shouldn't be too difficult," Daisy said placing the paperwork back into her bag. "It's the folder right in front of you." She smirked.
Sweat began to bead on Charlotte's forehead. Her eyes darted to the closed door behind Daisy like a caged animal. Her hands trembled as she clenched the folder in front of her. "Yes, but I'll need to..."
A predatory smile inched across Daisy's face. Placing both hands on Charlotte's desk opposite of James' folder, she leaned down toward the petrified woman. The desk creaked under the phantom weight of her presence and suddenly, Charlotte's breath hitched as she shrank into her chair, trying to occupy as little space as possible.
"Let's skip the games, shall we? We both know what's going on here." Daisy eyed the paperwork and Charlotte followed suit. "You never expected anyone to come looking, but here I am and luckily for you, I'm not here to interrupt your..." Daisy looked Charlotte up and down in disgust. "Research. I'm merely here to retrieve James Grey. So be a dear and fetch the good doctor. " Daisy's smile deepened as Charlotte's skin took on a deathly pallor and sweat slid down her cheek. The pitiful woman's hands shook so violently as she tried to pick up the phone that she had to grab for it twice before she could finally dial the numbers.
"Thank you," Daisy said triumphantly as she leaned back and brushed the dust from her hands.
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