“They’ll want to know what loose ends I’m talking about,” she said. “And I won’t be able to tell them. I mean, I can hardly tell them that my grandmother is a known eccentric, and that she does whatever she wants at all times?”
“Maybe she has a good reason to stay on?”
“But then why didn’t she tell us?”
Chase grinned.“Probably because we wouldn’t approve.” He glanced over at her. “Just give them a couple of days. She’ll get bored and will want to come home.”
“And if not, maybe she can stay there forever from now on,” Odelia grumbled. “And pay the bill herself.”
“You know as well as I do that she won’t be able to pay for Happy Home from her pension. Heck, she won’t even be able to pay for one of the less expensive options.” He shook his head. “No, your gran will have to keep staying with your mom and dad, unless the whole family gets together andfoots that bill.”
The prospect of her grandmother staying at Happy Home from now on filled Odelia with discomfort. That place had seen two people dead in twenty-four hours. And even though she knew that Desmond’s death had been an accident, merely the fact that the man had murdered a resident just so he could cash in on his inheritance sent shivers down her spine.
“I’ll give her two more days. If she hasn’t told us what she’s up by then, I’m bringing her home, whether she likes it or not,” she said.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_3]
Kirsten had gone through a series of shocks these last couple of days. And now with Desmond dead, she was more keenly aware than ever of how fleeting life can be, and how things might change from one moment to the next.
She was seated in the staff canteen, nursing a cup of hot coffee, and gazing idly out the window. Only yesterday Desmond had been polishing his car, and now he was gone. How strange life could be. And how unpredictable.
She looked up when Isaac joined her. She awarded him a weak smile.“Have the police left?” she asked.
“Yeah, they talked to some more people, but from what they told me Desmond’s death was an accident. He must have tripped and fallen when he walked down the stairs.”
“I wonder what he was doing there,” said Kirsten. “I mean, it wasn’t his turn to handle laundry, and there’s nothing else down there, is there?”
“Some storage spaces,” said Isaac, “and the boiler and electrical room. But Desmond didn’t have anything to do with that. So no, I have no idea what he was doing down there either. But then half the time I had no idea what he was doing. Desmond was a force of nature.”
“And a terrible person,” she said without thinking. Then felt incredibly ashamed. “I shouldn’t have said that. He’s dead now, and you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”
“He was a terrible person,” Isaac said, and placed a reassuring hand on hers. His hand was warm, and comforting, and she gazed into his eyes for a moment, and saw only reassurance there, and kindness. What a difference with Desmond, who had been cruel and mean-spirited.
She felt safe with Isaac. He might not be the most handsome man on the planet, or the sexiest, but he was a good person. And she knew that he liked her. A lot, if the color on his cheeks and his occasional nervous mutterings in the past were an indication.
“Is it true that Desmond murdered Henry for his money?” she asked now.
Isaac reluctantly released her hand and took a sip from his own cup of coffee. Extra cream, extra sugar, she knew.
“Yeah, at least that’s what the police told me. He forged a new will, leaving Henry’s money to him, and then killed him by smothering him with his own pillow.” He shook his head. “I knew he wasn’t a good person, and that he was horrible to you all the time. But I had no idea he was capable of something like that.”
“It’s terrible,” Kirsten agreed. “For him to want to kill a man as gentle and sweet as Henry, just so he could lay his hands on his money… That’s just so incredibly mean.”
“Turns out that Henry wasn’t lying. He actually was rich. A millionaire many times over, so they say. And he left it all to Happy Home. Ten million. Out of gratitude for the happy years he spent here.”
Kirsten smiled.“At least something good will come of this.” She’d already told her mother that she was wrong about Henry, and now she could finally prove it. He hadn’t been the predator Mom said he was. He had been a little strange, but fundamentally he was a good person.
“So what’s going to happen now?” asked Isaac. He suddenly seemed a little anxious, the color in his cheeks deepening even more.
“Now Brian will have to find someone to replace Desmond, I guess,” said Kirsten. “And Henry’s room is free, so we’ll get a new resident soon.”
“No, I mean, what are you going to do?”
“Me? What do you mean?”
“I guess what I’m trying to ask you is: are you going to stay on at Happy Home?”
“Why wouldn’t I stay here?”