Tenuous Ties

Darlene checked into a run-down motel that she wouldn’t normally consider, in case anyone came looking for her.  She had been puzzled by the front desk clerk’s “hourly or nightly” question.  However, upon seeing a scantily clad, heavily decorated woman and a suited man enter the next room, she pieced it together.  The noises seeping through the paper-thin walls confirmed the nature of business conducted.  Consequently, she decided avoiding the bed would be in her best interest.

She huddled at the small desk, curtains drawn, door double-bolted, and lights dimmed.  The papers from Myrtle’s safety deposit box were spread on the desktop.  Darlene cupped her hands over her ears to muffle the grunts and groans from next door.  Finally, fifteen minutes later, she was blessed with silence when her neighbors left.

One of the pages caught her eye.  She recognized the Medical Enterprises of Grayhawk logo.  Her mom had gone there for her cancer treatment.  A few weeks ago, Darlene read in the Arizona Republic that early clinical trial results earned Grayhawk a large federal grant.  Darlene went numb as her eyes scanned the paragraphs.  Myrtle had cancer.  Behind the letter, she found a handwritten page.  She recognized Myrtle’s shaky penmanship.

She read through the letter twice and dropped it on the desk.  She shook her head.  It couldn’t possibly be true.  Myrtle claimed that Medical Enterprises of Grayhawk injected healthy patients with an aggressive form of cancer to gather more treatment data.  A European competitor, Sidney-Talbot, also had promising trial results, and Darlene knew being the first to market meant billions of dollars earned before patents expired.

Still, Darlene couldn’t buy the weak claim that her father, Andrew Moritz, injected Myrtle with cancer as retribution.  Retribution for what?   Her father had been a sales rep for New Way Pharmaceutical for twenty years, but that had nothing to do with Grayhawk.

Darlene needed more.  She needed Myrtle’s help.

New occupants entered the room next door.

Darlene decided to leave immediately.

~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-

This is my response to the Trifecta weekly challenge, which is to write a 33 to 333-word response (mine is 330) using the following word/definition:

WEAK (adj): not factually grounded or logically presented <a weak argument>

If you want to read other responses, or try the challenge yourself, click on the tricycle picture to view Trifecta’s site.  Happy writing (and reading!)

~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~-

This continuation of Darlene’s Story is still in Darlene’s point of view.  Click here for Darlene’s Story page if you want to read the entire piece.  Thanks so much for stopping by!