Notice the markings along its back.”
I leaned forward.
Faint brown stripes crossed the black body.
Miriam continued.
“Such creatures do occasionally enter ears accidentally, particularly when someone bathes in untreated water.
But Gideon’s recent bleeding and swelling, combined with what you’ve told me, are suspicious.”
“Could someone have put it there?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.
Especially if he was deeply asleep or otherwise unable to respond.”
My mind returned to the bitter coffee.
The footsteps outside our bedroom.
The strange signal made by the man in the snow.
Miriam took a sheet of paper and carefully wrapped the jar.
“Your husband needs an examination.
The leech could have injured the canal, and we need to determine whether more damage has occurred.”
“Will he recover his hearing?”
Her expression softened.
“If his deafness began nearly thirty years ago, removing this creature will not reverse that original injury.”
The answer disappointed me more than I expected.
Then she touched my hand.
“But whatever has been happening recently, Rosalie, someone may be trying to make an old disability look like a new madness.”
I returned to the ranch with Miriam and Nell shortly after noon.
Gideon stood outside the barn, gripping a fence post.
His coat hung open despite the bitter wind.
He looked relieved when he saw me, although he immediately glanced behind our wagon.
We brought him inside.
Miriam examined his ear using a small reflector and lamp.
The procedure took nearly an hour.
Gideon remained remarkably still, even when pain made his fingers tighten around the chair.
When Miriam finished, she wrote her findings for him.
The canal is injured and infected.
