Chailey's Daze
by
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The kitchen looked as it had on my previous visits. Martha Stewart had a strong influence in this house. It was tidy and clean with everything in its place, except for a mug on the table. It was half filled with what I presumed was tea since Maggie told me she never drank coffee. When she told me that I felt guilty since I can’t start my day without a half-gallon of java to give me the edge I need to get through my day. I called out to Maggie, fearful I’d make her jump out of her skin if she hadn’t heard me and ran into me. Still there was no answer.
I went into the living room. What I saw when I went around the corner just about made me jump out of my skin. I had finally found Maggie. She was half-sitting and half-lying on the couch and she was dead. At least I was pretty sure she was, based on the enormous hole in her right temple and the equally large amount of blood sprayed over the couch. Her eyes were wide open and I felt that she was looking right at me. I went over to Maggie feeling obligated as a nurse to check for a pulse, but I knew within three feet of approaching her that there was no chance that she was alive and nurse or not, I wasn’t going to touch her. The gun in her right hand had completely extinguished any chance of her living through that experience and the pool of blood and brain matter on the couch and wall confirmed my suspicions. I grabbed my radio.
“Charlie 13 to Control,” I said calmly into the radio.
“Go ahead, Charlie 13.”
“Control, Charlie 13 needs back up at this address. I have a… a…. a…” Crap, I couldn’t remember the official code number for a dead person and it was starting to upset me. Maggie was dead and I couldn’t even remember a stupid code.
“Charlie13, what do you have?” I recognized Cindy’s voice. She sounded calm, cool and collected. I bet she wasn’t looking at a dead person right now.
“Dispatch, what is the code for a dead person?”
“Charlie 13 that would be a 10-85.”
“Bingo! That’s what I have.” I finally got it out.
“Are you okay there, Charlie 13?”
“Er, yeah, sure. Could you send me some back up? Soon? Please?” I was starting to feel a little hysterical. And to be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to do next.
I had automatically presumed that Maggie had shot herself. A wave of panic paralyzed me when I suddenly thought, if someone did this to Maggie then that person might still be here. I stood frozen to the spot and listened very, very intently. All I could hear was the clock ticking and the cat purring in the kitchen. I was surprised that I could hear anything over the loud thumping of my heartbeat. And then I heard a “pat, pat, pat”. My first reflex was to think that it was footsteps but my brain told me, no, not footsteps but something dripping. Oh-my-God! It was blood dripping. Maggie’s blood was dripping onto the floor. I backed up as fast as I could and ran out the back door.
By the time I got outside I could hear the comforting sound of a siren coming closer and closer. I felt like a damsel in distress waiting for my knight in shining armour to arrive on his trusty steed. Hell, I’d take the dead-groundhog-guy riding on Jody’s back at this particular moment if it meant I wasn’t alone anymore. I went out to the driveway as a cruiser screeched to a halt in front of the house. It was Kevin Harrison.
“You okay, Chailey?” he asked as he ran up the driveway.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied a little shakily.
Kevin called into his radio, “Everything is ten-four here. Chailey’s okay.” He then turned to me, “We heard you call in the death and that you were alright but then you didn’t respond to the dispatcher after that.”
I couldn’t remember what happened to my radio. “I’m sorry. I had a radio but I don't know what I did with it. I think you’d better co
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About the Book
Every day of Chailey Smith’s life seems to leave her in a daze. As a psychiatric nurse working for the Cookfield Police Department, her job requires her to attend all police calls involving people with psychiatric problems. One minute she’s responding to a call about an eighty year old woman “sunbathing” in the rain and the next call she’s hiking it up a crane to assist a person down from her high perch despite her own fear of heights. Life is complicated by the antics of her prankster cop buddies, the demands of her three quirky tenants and ongoing hassles from her soon-to-be ex-husband, a plastic surgeon.
Chailey is shocked when she discovers the body of Maggie Denton a woman whom Chailey had assessed only days earlier. Unconvinced that her death is a suicide, Chailey’s unofficial investigation leads her own life into danger.
About the Author
Sarah was born in the village of Cuckfield, Sussex, England, immigrated to Canada at the ripe age of 11 and has lived in the Hamilton/Burlington area of Ontario ever since. Sarah attended
Psychiatry has been the focus of her clinical practice including seven years on the Forensic Program at
Over the past two decades, education has been a core interest for Sarah and she taught in both the McMaster Occupational Therapy and Medical Programs and continues to work for the Mohawk College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. Her newest venture is developing and coordinating a mental health training program for police.
Sarah’s greatest passion is for her two daughters, Allison and Natasha, who keep her busy with their activities including basketball games and nights out at the barn horseback riding. As a family they enjoy traveling and visiting the cottage. Sarah’s other two other passions are working in the garden and writing and she can often be found in the garden surrounded by the fruits of her labour writing about Chailey Smith’s adventures.