Of Broken Things

Chapter 3 - Scene 2.

Garcia's house stood in one of those older neighborhoods full of tall trees and large aging manors. He landed in front of a beautiful house that stood in the middle of an immaculately trimmed yard. A large chocolate lab came to greet Aiden when he got out of the car and run playful circles around him all the way to the front door.

Well, this looks like a happy home, Aiden thought with just a touch of envy as he pressed the buzzer and waited.

The elderly woman who opened the door had red-rimmed eyes and was clutching a handkerchief. When Aiden saw her, he realized with a sinking feeling that he wouldn't find the answers he sought here either.

"Mrs. Garcia, I presume?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Can I help you with something?"

"My name is Aiden Stapleton, and I would like to speak with your husband, if I could."

"Juan passed away this morning." Mrs. Garcia wiped the tears form her eyes. "I just came back from the hospital."

Oh no...

"What happened?" he blurted out.

"Heart attack. The EMS found him in his car. He must have felt it coming, because he pulled on the side of the road, but didn't have time to dial 911..." she chocked on a sob.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry for your loss, mam."

"The doctors said it was swift. He didn't suffer."

"Do you mind me asking which hospital he had been taken to?"

"Mercy Memorial. It was the closest to where they found him..."

His luck might not have abandoned him just yet. Mercy Memorial had been the hospital Mary Ann had worked at, and the resident medical examiner was a friend. Aiden hoped that Dr. Landis wouldn't mind him taking a peek at the autopsy results. In the light of what had happened to everyone else on the list, Garcia's heart attack looked rather suspicious. There were ways to induce an attack like that.

"Again, I'm very sorry for your loss. I won't bother you any further."

"Wait! What did you want to talk to my husband about?"

"It's not important anymore."

He retraced his steps down the manicured driveway, out into the street and back to his gravicar, thinking about what he had just learned. Of the five people linked to the Nest, three were dead and two were missing. This started to look more and more like someone trying to tie up loose ends.