Checked Out

When rodeo cowboy Cody O''Brien is found dead in his horse trailer, it appears that his horse, Game Boy, is the culprit. Aimee Machado, health sciences librarian at Timbergate Medical Center, has no reason to doubt the preliminary finding-at first. Cody had been in the hospital awaiting an operation the night he died, but he checked himself out. Had he reason to believe his surgeon, Dr. Phyllis Poole, was incompetent? Or is his death related to his complex relationship with his family? It turns out his father is dying, and four people other than Cody stood to inherit: his young trophy wife Echo, his son James, his daughter Keely, and her fiancé Tucker. How does Dr. Poole fit into all this? Her surgical outcomes have not been the best. Not to mention that Laurie Popejoy, TMC nurse and Poole''s rival in the hospital''s blues combo, disappeared the night of Cody''s death. Aimee is highly motivated to investigate. She once had a crush on Cody''s brother James, who has now set his sights on her. The missing nurse, Laurie, left Aimee a desperate phone message the night she disappeared. Moreover, Aimee''s friend and co-worker Cleo has elicited her help to discredit Dr. Poole. Aimee is already confused romantically. Although it pains her, she is trying to keep Nick, the pilot she loves but does not trust, at arm''s length. But his help proves too invaluable to refuse. Can Aimee ferret out the truth without losing her job and her life? Checked Out is the second book in the Aimee Machado Mystery series, which began with Due for Discard.