A Degree in Murder

Chapter Two: Debbie Downtime

A few days had passed since Eleanor spoke with Sosuke about keeping the peace in the department. Granted, her behaviour towards the end of that discussion left much to be desired but she couldn't help herself. To his credit, Sosuke began to play ball and things started to run smoothly. Eleanor wondered how long this flimsy peace would hold before all hell broke loose. She decided to live in the present and enjoy every minute of it. After clicking the save button on her laptop, she stretched out her limbs and let out a yawn. It took a while but she was finally done updating her CV. The clock on her bottom right corner of her laptop screen read eleven minutes past twelve in the morning. Eleanor decided to cut her day short and head on home after working like crazy the last few days.

It took a little more than five minutes to get to her car in the hospital parking lot. She recently purchased a sedan to celebrate her promotion and it looked even better when parked in the slot designated to the HOD of anaesthesiology. Eleanor hopped in, fired up the engine and went on her way. Forty-four minutes later, she arrived at her two thousand square foot home in the suburbs of Fleetwood. The one-story building included three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an eat-in kitchen, a living room, a foyer and a flex room. The storage room opened up into a two-car garage. A covered porch was present at both the front and the back of the house, each overlooking a freshly cut lawn. Eleanor parked in the driveway, pulled out her stuff and slowly walked to the front porch. When she reached the top of the stairs, the front was opened by a portly middle-aged black woman. She quickly rushed over, saying, "Let me help you with your bag Dr Priest."

"Thank you Susan. Did anything important come in the mail today?"

"Yes. Your monthly copy of the MedGlobal journal came in," said Susan, handing her the journal, "Mrs Pierce stopped by the house earlier today to drop your invitation to this weekend's neighbourhood barbeque."

Damn. I completely forgot about that.

Eleanor went to her room, the master bedroom, at the rear of the house. She sat at the table, set her laptop bag down and began skimming through the journal. There was only one thing she was interested in. Her face lit up with a broad smile when she found it. It was the research paper she was working on late last year. Eleanor planned to send a copy of the journal to her parents. She hoped that her old school parents, particularly her mother, would come to appreciate the effort she put in. With her exhaustion reaching near critical levels, she took a nap.

Two hours later, Eleanor woke up somewhat refreshed and famished. She took a cold shower, trying to rouse herself. Thirty minutes later, she was in the kitchen where Susan served her beef fried rice with fresh cut orange slices and a glass of orange juice.

"Susan, I really need to know where you learned to cook so many tasty dishes," said Eleanor, in-between forkfuls of her meal.

"I have been around ma'am," replied Susan, scrubbing a pan in the kitchen sink.

"We'll definitely need to sit down for that story one day. I'm sure you've seen your fair share of things in this life."

"Yes ma'am. Speaking of seeing, SHE has not seen you today," said Susan, loading up the dishwasher.

Eleanor quickly ate most of her meal, placing the rest in the refrigerator. This would be her dinner. She downed the rest of her drink, thanked Susan for the meal and went into the backyard. She was immediately greeted by the loud and high pitched barking of her two year old golden retriever. Eleanor always wanted a pet but her previous residence, an apartment, did not allow them. When she moved to Fleetwood two years ago, one of the first places she visited was the local pet shop. Once they locked eyes, Eleanor knew she was the one for her.

"Hey Debbie, did you miss me," said Eleanor, gently rubbing Debbie's neck. The sight of Debbie always cheered her up, especially after long or difficult days. To her, Debbie was more than a pet: she was family. Eleanor decided that she needed a post meal walk.

"Ready to go for a walk?" said Eleanor, smiling at Debbie. Debbie responded by jumping around and barking loudly. She put Debbie in a harness and attached a leash to it. The pair exited the backyard through a picket fence gate and walked in the direction of the nearby park, located fifteen minutes away. She was stopped several times along the way by fellow residents wishing to discuss the latest gossip or seeking free medical advice. There was at least one new story every week, some so outrageous that Eleanor thought she was part of a hidden camera show. She was always sworn to secrecy and trusted with these stories because she was a doctor. On a few occasions, Eleanor tried to explain how doctor-patient confidentiality worked but it was to no avail. She just went with the flow.

Eleanor finally reached the park, twelve minutes later than she had hoped. She unclipped the leash from the harness. She began petting Debbie on the head with her right hand while her left hand remained in her pocket.

"Look what I brought," said Eleanor, pulling out an orange ball from her pocket. Debbie jumped around excitedly, waiting for Eleanor to throw the ball. This is why I love animals and dogs in particular. You know exactly where you stand with them. Eleanor threw the ball as far as she could and Debbie raced after it. Eleanor smiled at the image of Debbie chasing after her favourite ball.