by Glen Ebisch
“What’s she in the hospital for?” Ashley asked.
“A hip replacement.”
She scrunched up her face. “Sounds painful.”
“I suppose it is, but from what I’ve heard from Mrs. Gunn, Vera has had pain from her bad hip for many years,” said Clarissa. “I’m sure she’ll be better off now that it’s replaced.”
“Well, say ‘hello’ for me. Vera is a friend of my aunt’s.”
“Will do,” Clarissa promised. “While I’m there, I’m going to see if I can have another chat with that nurse, Wanda Bascomb.”
“Is she the one who saw the mysterious hooded figure coming out of Ames’ room right before he died?” Ashley asked.
Clarissa nodded. “I’m hoping she can give me some idea of who his previous visitors might have been.”
“I thought you already asked her about that.”
“I did, right after David was killed, but she might have remembered something new by now.”
“Good luck,” Ashley said. “Is there anything I can do to help? All I’ve got on the agenda for today is to type up the minutes of the last board meeting.”
Clarissa stood for a minute, lost in thought. “You know,” she said, “ever since I spoke with Maggie Preston yesterday, I’ve been thinking about Elise Llewellyn, Royce’s daughter. It must have been very traumatic for her to find out that her father was unfaithful to her mother.”
“You said that she got in a public shouting match with him at the hotel. That’s a pretty good sign that she was upset about his relationship with Maggie,” said Ashley. “Are you suggesting that she was upset enough to kill her own father? That’s pretty extreme.”
Clarissa nodded. “I realize that, and I’m not jumping to any conclusions. But I was wondering if you could sort of poke around—maybe ask your aunt—and see what you can find out about Elise. The one time I met her, she seemed rather withdrawn,” Clarissa recalled, thinking back to her visit at Doris’ house. “Elise’s mother told me that she’d sent her away after the murder because of all the publicity. I’m sure some of the kids in school here were rather cruel to her. I’d just like to know what happened to her after that.”
“What my aunt doesn’t know, she’ll have a way of finding out. She’s got more contacts than the CIA,” Ashley said.
“Great. Well, I’m off to the hospital, then. I shouldn’t be very long.”
“Okay, Boss. Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort.”
Clarissa smiled. “I’m counting on it.”
As she left for the hospital, she realized how much better she felt about her position in the church and the community now that she had a partner in crime.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Because of Tyler’s unexpected visit, Clarissa found herself running a little late for her visit to the hospital, so she decided to take her car rather than walk, even though it was a beautiful day. After traveling the half-mile to the hospital and parking in the lot, she hurried inside and asked at the desk for the number of Vera Sanford’s room. She was directed to the third floor. When the elevator doors opened, she followed the numbers to the room she was seeking.
Walking into the room, the first person she saw was a plump woman in her late sixties, with rosy cheeks and glasses perched upon her nose. She was reading a paperback book. Although she couldn’t quite remember what Vera looked like, Clarissa gave her a tentative smile, hoping she had the right person.
“Hi, Reverend Abbot, nice of you to come to see me,” the woman quickly responded.
“Call me Clarissa, and it’s my pleasure. How are you doing?” she asked.
Vera gave a faint smile. “Better now. The first couple of days after the surgery, I had a lot of pain, and the medicine they gave me upset my stomach. But things got a lot better starting yesterday. They even had me up and walking down the hall this morning.” She grinned. “They probably can’t wait to get me on my feet so they can get me out of here.”
“Well, that does sound like progress,” said Clarissa. “Do you think you will be going home soon?”
“There’s a bit of a problem there. My apartment is on the second floor, and the doctor doesn’t want me going up and down the stairs a couple of times a day.”
“Do you have anyone who can bring you what you need?” Clarissa asked.
“My daughter lives in Pennsylvania. She can come over to see me on the weekend, but more often than that would be difficult for her. She works and has a family,” Vera said.
“So what’s the doctor’s plan?”
“He thinks I should go into a nursing home for a month of rehabilitation. They would make me do the exercises and take care of me until I’m fit enough to go home. I guess my insurance would pay for it, but I hate the idea of going into a nursing home,” Vera said with a scowl. “My mother was in one shortly before she died, and I just don’t like the idea of being in one.”
“Going into a nursing home for rehab is probably a good idea since you live alone, but I bet our church women’s group could organize something so people could bring you food and visit with you after you’re out. Maybe that way you’d be able to get home sooner,” Clarissa suggested.
“That would be swell!” Vera gave her a bright smile.
“I’ll get in touch with Mary Parks, the chair of the women’s group, and have her give you a call,” Clarissa promised. “Do you have a cell phone number?”
Once Clarissa had Vera’s number, she settled back in her chair.
“So, have you lived in Shore Side a long time, Vera?” she asked.
The woman nodded. “My whole life. I met my husband right after I graduated from high school. We worked in town, bought a house here, and raised our family. He passed away five years ago. He had a bad heart.”
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I. I still miss him every day.”
“But it is nice to put down roots somewhere. It gives you a sense of belonging,” Clarissa said. Then a thought occurred to her, and she asked, “Did you by any chance know Elise Llewellyn when you were in school?”
Vera’s face clouded. “I was a year ahead of her,” she said. “That’s such a sad story. You know about her father being murdered, and then all that scandal coming out about his having so many girlfriends.”
“It must have been terrible for Elise.”
“She was devastated,” said Vera. “And it was different then. People were a lot less tolerant about anything improper. And kids can be so cruel. There were some who teased her about her father’s cheating, and even questioned whether she was legitimate. She left school a week or so after his death when her mother sent her to a private school out in Pennsylvania.”
“Moving to a new environment must have been difficult for her as well,” Clarissa mused.
Vera nodded. “Someone in our school had a cousin who went to the school Elise was sent to. She said that before Elise was there a month, she went wild—running around with boys, drinking alcohol, using drugs. I heard that she had a complete mental breakdown at the end of her sophomore year and never returned to school.”
“But she did return to Shore Side.”
“Yes, but that was a long time later, at least a year,” she said. “The rumor was that she was institutionalized for a while. When Elise did come back to town, she never returned to school. Her mother got her tutors, and I guess eventually she earned an equivalency degree. But she spent all that time living in that big house with her mother.”
“That sounds like a very lonely life,” Clarissa said. “But she must have started going out on her own at some point, because when I met her last week she was coming back from shopping.”
“Eventually she started going out, but I hear that was only after years of therapy,” Vera replied. “I’m afraid she’s still rather odd. She refuses to recognize anyone she knew at school, even people who were always nice to her, like myself. She’s sort of like a zombie, walking around town in a world of her own. She really can’t cope for herself.
I don’t know what’s going to happen to her when her mother passes away. They’ll have to appoint someone to take care of her.”
“Does she have any relatives other than her mother?”
Vera paused. “You know, it seems to me that she had an uncle on her father’s side, but he didn’t live around here.”
Clarissa decided that was enough on the matter for now, and talked with Vera for another ten minutes or so about how she was doing, her family, and whatever seemed to interest the older woman. Vera clearly enjoyed herself, and Clarissa enjoyed learning about her life and the history of Shore Side.
After finishing the conversation, Clarissa stood up. “It’s been great talking with you, Vera,” she said. “I’ll be sure to visit you in the nursing home, so give me a call when you get settled, and I’ll make a point of having the women’s group help you out. You won’t be forgotten.”
Vera reached out and took Clarissa’s hand, her eyes filling with tears. “Thank you. It means a lot to hear that.” She tapped her thigh. “Talking about poor Elise has made me realize that even though I have this problem, there are others whose problems are a lot more serious. It really puts things in perspective.”
“I suppose it does,” Clarissa said, patting her hand. “I suppose it does.”
Leaving Vera’s room, Clarissa went up one floor to where David Ames’ room had been. She walked past the door to his former room and up to the nurses’ station.
She was pleased to see that Wanda Bascomb was there, sitting at the computer. She glanced up as Clarissa approached, and smiled in recognition.
“What brings you here today, Reverend?” she asked.
“Hi, Wanda. Please call me Clarissa.”
The nurse nodded and continued to look at her with curiosity. “Are you here to visit another patient?” she asked.
“Actually, I already have, but I thought I’d stop by to talk to you again about David Ames,” Clarissa said.
“I’m afraid that I’ve already told both you and the police everything I know,” said Wanda.
“You did say that you might have seen someone wearing a hoodie coming out of his room shortly before his body was discovered.”
Wanda nodded, and then leaned forward to speak in a hushed voice. “Apparently, the police found out that Dave was murdered, so everybody has been questioning me about what I saw. The hospital administration is really upset, and they’re making plans to ramp up security. They keep trying to make it sound like it was my fault that I didn’t keep a better eye on his room, but I can’t sit here all day staring at one door.”
“So you have no idea who it was that you saw?” Clarissa asked.
“Not a clue. I’m not even sure whether it was a man or a woman.”
“No one else saw anything?”
“Nope. My station is the only one that directly faces toward Dave’s room.”
Clarissa paused. “What about other visitors during his time here? Did David have any?”
“Only one,” said Wanda. “A woman came to see him shortly after he entered the hospital. Her name was Sharon. That’s all I know. And I only happen to know that because the two of them got into an argument, and I heard Dave shout her name.”
“What were they arguing about?”
The nurse shrugged. “All I know is that Dave said he’d told her not to come to see him, and couldn’t she at least respect his last wishes.”
Clarissa thought the visitor had to be David’s girlfriend. Sharon had said that David broke it off with her before going into the hospital—but she hadn’t mentioned going to see him. Clarissa decided that it was time to pay her another visit.
“You didn’t see David make any phone calls?” she asked Wanda.
“Like I said, he asked me to plug in his phone. I did that, but I never actually saw him use it.”
“He didn’t mention needing to contact anyone?”
“Not to me. To be honest, I didn’t think he had anyone close to him in his life. It was really sort of sad. But there are lots of older people like that who end up in the hospital without family close by and no real friends to visit. I guess that’s why you come to see them,” Wanda said with a smile.
Clarissa nodded and returned the smile. “Yes, that’s why it’s an important part of what I do.”
“Do you think the police will ever find out who murdered Dave?” Wanda asked.
“I’m sure they’re doing their best.”
“Well, I hope they catch him. You know, it’s terrible to say, but it’s lucky for me that Dave turned out to be murdered.”
“Why’s that?”
“The administration was getting ready to come down hard on me because his monitor was unplugged,” Wanda said. “I told them about Dave getting out of bed on his own to use the bathroom and unplugging himself, but they didn’t want to hear it. They said it was my responsibility to see that he was plugged into the monitor at all times. You’d think I had only one patient to look after. We’re so understaffed, it’s almost impossible to keep up as it is.”
“But since the killer must have unplugged it, you’re off the hook.”
“Like I said, it’s a terrible thing, but it probably saved my job,” the nurse admitted.
“Well, I’d better let you get back to it,” Clarissa said. “Thanks for all your help.”
Wanda nodded, but her eyes had already returned to the computer screen.
***
Clarissa decided that her next stop would be at Ocean Breeze Realty to have another chat with Sharon Meissner to find out why she had failed to mention her visit to the hospital. Clarissa called from her car to make sure that the woman was available. Although somewhat reluctant, Sharon agreed to meet with her if she could make it within the next half-hour.
When Clarissa arrived, Sharon greeted her coolly and directed her toward the back office. Clarissa wondered what the problem was, and didn’t have long to find out. When they were settled in the office, the realtor spoke first.
“The police have been here to see me. Apparently, they are treating David’s death as a murder. You didn’t tell me that the last time we spoke. In fact, you led me to believe that you were simply looking to gather information for his eulogy.” Sharon paused and gave Clarissa a long accusatory look.
“Actually, I was trying to get information for his eulogy, but I’m also trying to help the police discover who killed David,” Clarissa responded. “Detective Baker made me promise not to tell anyone that David’s death wasn’t due to natural causes.”
Sharon’s eyes stayed hard. “Well, it was still deceptive.”
“I’m sorry about that, but it was not as deceptive as your telling me that you hadn’t seen David after he went into the hospital,” Clarissa retorted.
“I didn’t.”
“Don’t bother to lie. A nurse saw you there and heard David say your name. Did you fail to mention that to the police when they came to interview you?” Clarissa demanded. “Because if you did, you’re guilty of lying to the police, and that could get you in a lot of trouble.”
Sharon’s stone-faced expression collapsed. “I didn’t mean to lie,” she said, her lower lip trembling. “I just didn’t want to tell anyone that I’d been to see David because he’d virtually thrown me out of the room. I was just too embarrassed to admit it.”
“Why did he throw you out?” Clarissa asked.
Sharon shrugged. “I’m not sure. He didn’t actually tell me. All he said is that he had something going on that involved his past life from before he knew me, and he didn’t want me getting involved.”
“He wasn’t any more specific than that?”
“No. I kind of assumed that it had something to do with a previous girlfriend. I was jealous and got angry with him.” Her eyes filled with tears. “The poor guy was dying, and I accused him of cheating on me. How stupid is that? Now that I know he was murdered, I think he was just trying to protect me.”
“You’re probably right,” Clarissa said gently. “
David must have really cared for you.”
She nodded. “I know that now, especially after I heard from the lawyer.”
“What lawyer?”
“David’s. He’s a guy from out of town. His name is Kevin Harding. David had him listed as the person the hospital should notify if anything happened to him. When Harding heard that David had died, he contacted me. Apparently, I’m David’s sole heir.”
“Did you tell the police about this?”
“I didn’t know about it when they spoke with me,” Sharon said. “After I found out, I was afraid to tell them because I thought it would make me look guilty. After all, I was the only one who had something to gain from David’s death.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, did you inherit a lot?” asked Clarissa.
“Fifty thousand dollars.” She smiled crookedly at the surprised expression on Clarissa’s face. “I know, who would ever have thought that David had that much? He lived in a cheap rented room like he had next to nothing.”
“He must have been squirreling money away for some time,” Clarissa mused.
“But where did he get it from in the first place?” asked Sharon.
“If we knew that, we might know who murdered him.”
The realtor’s eyes went wide. “You think he got it by doing something illegal?”
“It’s possible.”
“Well, I shouldn’t take it then. I don’t want someone’s ill-gotten gains,” Sharon said. “What if he stole it from some drug cartel, and they came after me to get it back?”
Clarissa suppressed a smile. “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” she said gently. “Let’s see how this whole thing works out first.”
“But what am I going to do?” Sharon asked forlornly.
“You have to go to the police and tell them just what you’ve told me,” Clarissa told her. “Ask to see Detective Baker. He’s in charge of the case.”
“I’ll do that right away,” Sharon promised.
