Page 104 of The Side Road
‘Am I free to go?’
Mia shrugged.
‘I’ll send Arthur in.’
Mia hadn’t intended to launch an investigation, but Arthur entered the bathroom expecting to be questioned. She didn’t want to disappoint him, so she asked. ‘Did you take the pill?’
‘Of course not.’
Arthur suggested a placebo. They could substitute another pill for a Tramadol and see if Blanche noticed. But after a brief internet search on her phone, Mia discovered Tramadol capsules were a distinctive yellow-green colour. They couldn’t swap them for a generic painkiller.
‘I just remembered,’ Blanche said. ‘Leo hid a spare tablet.’
Flora and Arthur cheered.
Mia was less enthusiastic. ‘Do you remember where he hid it?’
‘In the dresser drawer.’
Mia’s heart sank. They had searched the dresser drawers.
‘He taped it to the underside.’
In the bedroom, Mia opened the drawer and ran her hand across the flat underside. There it was – a single pill stuck to the surface. With her fingers, she peeled off the tape, and the pill fell into her hand. Clever Leo. Disaster averted.
Blanche suggested Mia stay for dinner, but Mia declined; she had food at home and Snood was waiting for her. However, if the card game was still happening, she would happily sit in on a hand or two. Her mind was on the antique azure button. After checking her pockets and handbag, she found a few loose coins, a hair clip, two pencils, and a paper tape measure. She added a pair of reading glasses, a chocolate bar, and a few odd socks to her pile of loot.
Flora dealt the cards. ‘Men get horny in wet weather. What do you think about that?’ she asked.
‘It’s a worthwhile hypothesis,’ Mia said, checking her cards – a pair of aces. ‘I’d be interested in your research methods.’ She discarded three cards.
‘It’s just something I’ve observed. In a thunderstorm, men beat their chests.’ Flora threw out one card. Arthur disposed of three.
‘Observational research,’ Mia said. ‘I like it.’
The gamblers placed their bets. The dealer delivered fresh cards. Mia received her third ace. She shifted her gaze to Arthur. ‘What’s your take on this horny weather business?’ Mia pushed everything she had into the pot.
‘It was too long ago for me to remember,’ Arthur said, folding.
Flora showed a pair of jacks.
Mia collected the button. A reward for her rainy-dayescapade. Upon leaving, she donated her pile of bric-à-brac loot to her aunt and wished her luck.
As Flora collected the cards, she said, ‘Mia, do you have a date for tonight?’
‘No, not tonight,’ Mia replied.
‘You should have a date. I always had a date, every night of the week.’
‘When you were my age?’ Mia asked.
‘When I was your age, I’d been married for fifteen years and had two children. Next time, bring a date. There are never enough men. It’s a shame they die so young.’
‘Sad, but true,’ Arthur agreed.
The following morning,Blanche found the loose Tramadol tablet in the pocket of her dressing gown.
33
