Murder & The Monkey Band: High Desert Cozy Mystery Series Read Online Free Page A

raising her. Maybe
that’s why God gave me those two little granddaughters. Sure hope I do a better
job with them than I did with their mother .
    Maybe I should take the
money. Mrs. Jensen would never know about it, and we sure do need it. I told
him I’d call him today and give him my answer. I feel guilty even thinking
about it, because I know how much Mrs. Jensen loves those Monkey Band pieces, but
she has so many other Meissen pieces I don’t think it would really matter if a
few of them are gone.
    When I told Julio last
night about the man who offered me the money, he told me he thought I should do
it. He said he didn’t know how much longer we could hang on. I don’t know what
to do. I’ve always been so honest. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking
about it.
    Her cell phone rang, and
she saw Julio’s name on the screen. “Yes, Julio. What is it?”
    “The doctor just called
with the results of the test concerning Ana’s stomach problems. Baby, it’s not
good. She needs surgery, and it’s going to cost around $40,000. He said it’s
not an uncommon condition among children who are born to mothers who are
addicted to drugs.”
    Rosa sat down in shock.
They didn’t have that kind of money, and they didn’t even know where their
daughter, Ana’s mother, was, and even if they did know, Ana’s mother probably
wouldn’t care. She sure hadn’t expressed any concern about her children when
she’d left.
    She heard Julio say,
“Baby, are you there?”
    “Yes, I’m here. I just
don’t know what we can do. Did the doctor say what would happen if Ana didn’t
have the operation?”
    “Yeah, I asked the same
question. He said if Ana doesn’t have the surgery, she would continue to vomit
and have diarrhea and ultimately it could result in her death. Baby, remember
last night when you told me about the man who offered you money to turn off the
security system at Mrs. Jensen’s home when you left for the evening? We could
sure use that money to pay for Ana’s surgery. I don’t think we can get it
anywhere else. I know how much you don’t want to do it, but Rosa, we don’t have
a choice. It’s the money or our granddaughter’s life, and I don’t think either
one of us wants to feel guilty for the rest of our lives because we didn’t take
money that could have saved her life and allowed her to lead a normal life.
What do you think?”
    Rosa was quiet for a long
time. “Julio, I suppose you’re right. I couldn’t live with myself if that child
died and I hadn’t done something to save her life when I had the chance. I’ll
call him now. Why don’t you call the doctor back and schedule the surgery.”
    A few moments later Rosa
heard a voice, say, “This is Lou.”
    “Lou, this is Rosa, Mrs.
Jensen’s housekeeper. When do you want me to leave the security system off, and
when will I get the money?”
    “I’ll hand you the money
this evening when you’re waiting for the bus after you finish work. I’ll park
at the curb near the bus stop and wave to you. You wave back like I’m an old
friend and walk over to the car. My window will be rolled down. Hold onto your
purse and leave it open, putting it just inside the window. I’ll place the
envelope with the money inside it. I’ll let you know when I want you to leave
the system unarmed. See you later.”
    Just as Rosa ended the
call, her stomach churning, Mrs. Jensen walked through the kitchen door from
the garage. “Rosa, do you feel all right? You’re white as a ghost.”
    “I’m fine, Mrs. Jensen.
Julio just called and told me one of his relatives had passed away
unexpectedly. It was quite a shock.”
    “Do you want to go home? I
can certainly do without you the rest of the afternoon.”
    “Thank you, but I’m fine,
really. I need to go upstairs and finish the bedrooms. Is there anything else
you want me to do today?”
    “No. George Ellis is
taking me out to dinner tonight, so I won’t be home this evening. If I think of
anything,