Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
The time has come to bid a fond farewell to Ethan's parents and head toward Atlanta. But first, to Vinnie's dismay, they need to take a detour to talk to the crazy actress who shall not be named. See what's happening in this week's chapter of Bad Karma and the Family Plan. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Maureen insisted on rising early with us the next
morning, claiming we needed to start our day with a good breakfast. We weren’t
about to complain about that. I think the truth was closer to she wanted to say
good-bye, not knowing when we’d be back. That I could definitely understand. We’d
had quite the unexpected break, filled with a number of ups and downs, but it
was past time to get back to work.
After bidding our fond farewells to Ethan’s parents
(yes, the minister actually chose to see us off as well), we picked up Troy and
Brendan from their motel since they’d returned their rental car. No sense in
having two vehicles when we were going to the same place. Once the visit with
Crazy Pants was done, we would be dropping our friends at the airport in
Atlanta and continuing on with Uncle Benny to the well-guarded secret location
where we would be staying for the next two days. Until Benny testified on
Wednesday.
We arrived at the asylum…sorry, I meant mental
health facility…about nine-thirty or so. For anyone who hoped for institutional
gray walls and iron bars, surly guards and unpalatable food, sorry to
disappoint (and yes, I admit to being one of those). Belle Santé was the name of this place, spelled out in an elegant
wrought iron archway under which we passed on our way down the very long drive.
(Reminded me of a certain plantation we’d gone to, which was fitting
considering who else was there) I had done a little research on the drive up. Belle Santé had been built in the early 1920s under the auspices of
its founder, a French doctor/therapist, who had built up quite the following
during his time in Beverly Hills prior to moving to this location. (The reasons
for his move were not listed, amid a certain amount of speculation of
wrongdoings or cover-ups. Probably thanks to his connections, this place had been host to a number of actors
and actresses over the years, treating ailments that ran the gamut from
addictions to drugs and/or alcohol, to those with less physical causes. This
was clearly not a place the average person could ever afford to recuperate in.
The hospital could easily have doubled as some sort
of fancy chateau or something. Not that I was overly familiar with any of
those. But the point is that, as usual, Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong had managed
to end up with the best of everything, despite all she’d done. Didn’t that just
figure?
On the drive up, we had come up with a plan for
dealing with Nutso. (Not to self: try not to use such euphemisms in front of
Troy, it upsets him. And I know it isn’t nice, but right now I don’t care).
Despite the fact that Ethan and I were the ones in charge, we were sending in
Troy and Brendan first. To soften her up, as it were. Then Ethan and I would
make our appearance and hopefully get somewhere. We had our laptop, and were
fully prepared to present her with the evidence of her involvement. But, as
Ethan reminded me, she had to be handled with kid gloves. We couldn’t afford to
have her lawyer up. Hopefully, with Troy there, that wouldn’t become a thing.
to be continued
Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!
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