Chapter 197

A case of the flu probably saved my life from going in the wrong direction, but it definitely save Queen BeeBee's live for real. I still think Andrew brought the flu with him from the Great dismal swamp. When he left, within a week I had about every minor ailment that traditionally goes with the flu. The worst thing was that County Seat became a pest house.

The county board of health declared it an emergency. The board of health began looking for a place to set up a pest house. Okay that is what they would have called it in 1917, when the Spanish Influenza decimated the slums of the USA. I don't know what cute name they gave the latest strain, but it was causing real problems for those who were uninsured. Some of them were unable to afford the expensive meds that actually worked. There were some over the counter medicines that gave some relief for the symptoms, but those didn't cure anything.

The county found a benefactor for their clinic in one BeeBee Queen. It was hard to believe that BeeBee had been born in Warren County. She had moved on and up over the years, but had never lost her connection with the poor people of Warren County evidently.

When I heard, I began to doubt whether BeeBee met out criteria at all. We also had a second problem with out requirements. To increase the likelihood that we would get away with it, our paths had to never have crossed. Frankly there were way too may candidates to risk going after a person in our circle of acquaintances. BeeBee became one of mine when we met.

BeeBee Queen walked into The Brit's Pub bold as brass. I was sitting at the bar and I recognized her from the picture on my computer. I would have known she was someone special even without the picture. She looked like she was expensively dressed, if nothing else.

"You are new here aren't you?" She asked Jeremy.

"Yes I am. My friend and I came here several months ago," Jeremy answered,

"I'm Betty Bell Queen, my friends call me Bee Bee," she said.

"It's nice to meet you Betty. What brings you to County Seat?" He asked.

"I'm setting up a flu clinic. It's only temporary you know a few beds a couple of nurses and a few drugs just to help the poor survive this outbreak," He said.

"That is commendable," Jeremy said. "Isn't it Sylvia?"

"Yes it is," I replied after taking a sip of my beer. I didn't want to rush into any conversation with BeeBee. I also still felt like shit, drugs or no drugs.

"Hardly, just something I could do." She said.

"Do you live here," I allowed Jeremy to ask questions to which I already knew the answer.

"No dear, I live in Metropolis. I was born here, so I came in to see how my money was being spent." Then she turned to me. "I heard the young man call you Sylvia and with that hand, that would probably make you Sylvia Porter."

"It would indeed. I already had the flu, but thanks for the aid you are providing to the county." I was trying hard not to like her, but I wasn't sure yet just how I was doing at it. You have to remember, all my other friends were killers. So I guess I couldn't hold a few dead husbands against her. The truth was no matter how I felt about her, I wouldn't be the one to kill her. It was just a matter of our rules about the selection of victims. They were based on the highest probability of our not even coming up in an investigation.

"I'm certainly glad you came through it alright. We probably won't be operating the clinic more than a month or so. Just long enough for me to get a belly full of Warren County," she said.

"I'm surprised that it would take you so long," I said with a smile.

"You don't have to live here Sylvia, so why do you?" she asked.

"To be honest I like Warren County. I guess I'm just a simple country girl at heart," I said.

"Nothing wrong with that," she said.

"Now you want to tell me how you knew who I was," I asked.

"I have enough money to hire a security company. They do a threat assessment, before I make a trip like this. They want to know who they should observe and how carefully."

"There is no reason for them to watch me. I don't even put on a good show, when I take off my clothes." I said.

"I would definitely have to agree with that. I have this really good stylist, who works wonders for me," She said. I noticed Jeremy was enjoying the conversation a little too much.

"I think I do better, by not trying to do well at all," I said.

"My security couldn't decide, who was the most dangerous. You or the pub's owner Allen." BeeBee said.

"So you decided to walk into the Bears den?" I ask.

"I have always found it to be the most productive," she said.

"Well I can't disagree with that. So you came to warn me that you have a really bad ass security team?" I asked.

"Not really warn you. It is more of an advice kind of visit," she said.

"I have to admit you are probably going to get the last word this time. And since I don't expect to ever see you in Warren County after the current epidemic, you will get the last word period." I said.

"Oh I really wish this didn't have to end with us being less than friendly," she said.

"I'm not sure I want to be your friend BeeBee. I think that would probably be something that would cause my insurance rates to go up." I said with a smile.

"I wonder how being, not my friend will effect them?" She asked.