Lazarus Dot (last chapter): A Felix Hoenniker medical murder mystery

By the time I worked up the nerve to face D.D., enough time had passed for her black eye and busted lip to heal. She looked like a fresh-faced debutante. My face, on the other hand, was ashen and drawn. I stepped shakily into her kitchen and squinted into the harsh fluorescent glare. She took one look at me and said, “You look like a pile of shit.”

My grumbling stomach and the ticking clock on the wall told me it was dinner time. She was frying up a big fat pancake in a cast iron skillet. The pale surface bubbled and she flipped it. The underside was crisp and golden brown. My mouth watered. She asked, “You want plain or chocolate chip?”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” I said. “Maybe you could make mine blueberry.”

She grumbled about overly demanding guests who weren’t even invited and tugged the refrigerator door. I expected to see the gateway to a secret dimension. She rifled through the shelves (disappointingly mundane) and pulled out a carton of blueberries. She tossed a handful into the batter. The sound of sizzling soon filled the air. It smelled like heaven on earth.

“Take a seat,” she ordered. She set plates and butter and maple syrup down onto the Formica table. I devoured ambrosia by the forkful. Fluffy as clouds. She smirked at my rapturous expression, with the innate haughtiness of one to whom displays of emotion are merely betrayals of weakness. “Eat much?”

“You might say, I’ve been on an all liquid diet,” I said. “For days and days.” 

“Another?” She asked.

I nodded, still famished.

“You’ve got something for me?”

I wasn’t hungry anymore. I felt the moment of truth rushing towards me like a freight train. I’d been hoping to scarf down another pancake or two before D.D. started the inquisition. I fished the fine silver chain from my pocket and slid it across the table. Her smile turned toothy. “Well, well, well, Mister Knight-in-shining-armor completed his quest after all.” 

She walked to the stove, which was behind me. I gazed at my plate: the sticky puddle of maple syrup: the sodden pancake crumbs. 

D.D spoke as she mixed up another bowlful of batter. “Tell me about your Rick’s. I’ve heard it’s out of this world. I wish I could’ve been there. I’d love to hear Mom play. It’s been ages. But Jersey… you know.” She ladled the mix onto the skillet and it began to sizzle. 

The first pancake (so delicious when it slid down my throat) turned to stone in my gullet. 

“I would kill to have seen the look on Mom’s face when you yanked off the chain.” She laughed, hollow and mirthless. “How did our damsel in distress—“

“D.D.,” I interrupted. “She… Well, I don’t know how to say this… She’s dead.” I moaned. “Addie’s dead.”

“What?”

“Your mom… well, she… she killed herself.”

“You worthless piece of shit.”

“I’m so sorry, D.D.,” I said. “I really am.” I buried my face in my hands. “I tried to stop her.” I moaned. “I really did. But she just grabbed my gun and—”

“Who’s going to replenish my stash now?”

“What?” 

“I can’t make heads or tails of those damned recipes.” 

I turned and cocked my head. “What?” I repeated. 

She dumped the delicious pancake into the trash and said, “On to plan B, I guess.”

“Hey,” I said. “I was going to eat that.”

D.D. smashed the frying pan across my face.

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Bullet to Brain is the prequel to Lazarus Dot, Azazel’s Public House is the prequel to Bullet and The Mind Unlocked is a non fiction to fine tune your brain and elevate your mind.

The previous chapter to Lazarus can be found here