“So she’s been asleep for how long?” Justine asked.
“Two days,” the nurse answered. She had introduced herself as Carrie, had explained that she’d been Alice’s primary nurse since she arrived here for hospice care.
“Is it a coma?” Justine stared at the woman on the hospital bed. She looked so frail and weak. There was nothing to indicate that this woman had once been young, beautiful, and murderous.
Nothing to indicate she’d spent almost the entirely of her adult life behind bars.
“Not a coma,” Carrie replied. “But she’s very, very tired.”
“Is she in pain?” There was an inexplicable lump in Justine’s throat, which she did her best to ignore.
“I don’t think so. In fact, she was pretty restless yesterday, but today she seems so much more at peace.”
As if on cue, Alice let out a faint sigh. Justine looked, trying to decide if that was a smile on her mother’s face.
“I think she knows you’re here.”
Justine had no idea how Carrie could make a presumption like that, but she didn’t want to waste time arguing. No matter how well this nurse claimed to know her mother, the stranger’s presence felt intrusive.
“Have a seat,” Carrie said, pulling a chair up closer to Alice’s bedside. “You can talk to her. There’s no reason to think she can’t hear you. Just press that call button if you need anything.”
Justine’s legs trembled slightly as she lowered herself into the chair. She hated that she felt so nervous. It wasn’t as if Alice was going to wake up from her near-coma and try to stab her in the thigh like she had when Justine was just a toddler.
“One more thing,” Carrie said, reaching for a tattered notebook on Alice’s bedside table.
She passed the book to Justine, who reached out for it tentatively.
“Your mother wanted me to give this to you when you got here.”
“What is it?” Justine asked, uncertain if she wanted to open up the pages.
“I’m not sure,” Carrie answered. “But it was very important to her to make sure you read it.”
The nurse left, and as soon as she was gone, Justine wished she’d come back. She had no idea what to do, what to say. Should she tell Alice she was here? Try to hold her mother’s hand? What good would it do if Alice was already unconscious?
Two days ago, Justine had been terrified of dying and losing her child to terrorists. Now, she was afraid of a little old lady asleep in a hospital bed.
Justine let out her breath. Well, if she didn’t know what to say, maybe she’d let her mother’s words fill up the silence of her soul. She opened up the notebook, and her hands started to tremble even as she read the first line.
I didn’t murder my husband. It’s important to explain that from the very beginning.
Justine flipped ahead, trying to guess just how many pages in this notebook Alice had filled. How long had she been working on it? And was it just for Justine?
I didn’t murder my husband, Alice repeated on the second line.
Justine settled in her chair then checked the time. This might turn into a very long day.
***
Thanks for reading Unreliable Witness, book 3 in the Turbulent Skies novella series.
If you’re ready to jump into more fast-paced, action-packed adventures featuring other characters aboard Flight 219, dive into All That She Saw, book 4 in the Turbulent Skies Christian Thriller series today.
She's not the woman her husband thinks he married. She didn't intentionally deceive him, but their relationship progressed so quickly. After a whirlwind courtship, Anastasia finds herself the wife of a conservative pastor and stepmother to his four young kids. She looks like the picture-perfect Christian, but she's not who everyone thinks she is.
Unfortunately, the terror about to befall Flight 219 threatens to reveal Anastasia's darkest past ... even the secrets she'd rather die for than expose. The Turbulent Skies series delivers a string of interconnected novellas about strangers traveling together aboard a doomed flight. Find out why Christian fiction readers can't stop raving about this unforgettable, fast-paced series you can devour in a single sitting.
Buy All That She Saw for an unforgettable high-altitude adventure full of danger, suspense, and life-changing faith. Keep scrolling for a sneak peek, or if you really can’t wait, download your next binge-read immediately!
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