by Lyndsey Cole
“Wait a minute,” Martha interrupted. “Sylvia, what happened to the Norman Rockwell lithograph you used to have hanging right here?” Martha pointed to a spot on Sylvia’s wall that was brighter than the surrounding faded blue.
Martha flicked her hand dismissively. “That old thing? I didn’t like it anymore.”
“Sylvia? That hung in your parents’ living room. Your mother loved it. If you don’t want it, I’ll hang it in my house.” Martha stared at her friend but Sylvia’s eyes roamed around her apartment, looking at everything except Martha.
In a very small voice, she finally responded, “I sold it.”
Martha’s eyes softened with moisture. She hugged Sylvia. “You should have told me. I would have helped. Who did you sell it to? Maybe we can buy it back.”
“That was my plan, but I’m afraid it’s gone forever.” She sagged onto her chair. “Forrest found a buyer for me so we can’t ask him now, can we?”
Marvin finished his blueberry muffin and helped himself to another while everyone was distracted with Sylvia’s problem. “I know where it is,” he said in between bites.
Sylvia, Martha, and Annie stared at him.
“Finally, you can make yourself useful,” Annie said as she offered muffins to the others before Marvin ate everything.
“Sean bought it,” Marvin stated. He carefully wiped each finger with his crisp white handkerchief before refolding it and sliding it in his pants pocket. “I overheard them whispering in the sunroom last week. Sean kept telling Forrest to be quiet but Forrest just kept yammering on and on. It was quite obvious that he didn’t like the terms Sean offered him for the deal.”
Annie sat next to Marvin. “What else do you know about Sean?” She set the remaining muffins near him and twisted her body so she faced him directly.
“I saw him go into Dawn’s office the night before Forrest was murdered.”
“Did you see what he did in there?”
“No, but he had a folder in his lap when he went in. I heard some papers being shuffled around.
Annie sat back in her chair. “We have to find out what’s in Dawn’s folders. I saw a stack of them in the open safe before I found Sylvia in the closet. Marvin, I suspect you know this building better than anyone. Is there some way we can get a look at those folders?”
“Maybe. Dawn always opens the safe to add new paperwork before she leaves for the day. If someone creates a distraction, she might forget to close it before she goes to investigate. Of course, she’ll return at some point but you might be able to sneak in and take a look while she’s out of the office. It’s a long shot.”
Martha offered a more drastic plan. “We could just knock her over the head after she opens it. Take the folders and leave.”
“As appealing as that sounds,” Annie said, “I have a better idea. I’ll discuss it with Thelma since she’ll have to be okay with her part.”
“Thelma will love whatever you have planned,” Sylvia said. “She always did the opposite of what our parents expected. She loved a bit of drama and excitement and I doubt she’s changed. As a matter of fact, she can always use the age card to excuse her behavior if necessary.”
Marvin stood. “Can I take the rest of the muffins?”
Annie shoved the two leftover muffins in the bag. “I’d love to give them to you, but I need something to offer Thelma and Sean. I’ll make you more, what’s your favorite?”
His face lit up. “My mother used to make cream cheese brownie cupcakes and I haven’t had one in years. Could you make that for me?”
Annie smiled. She’d do anything to keep Marvin on her side, and if it meant plying him with baked goods, well, that was a small price to pay.
“I think I can manage that.”
“One more thing,” Marvin said before Annie got to the door. “Don’t forget to distract Gloria, too. She likes to poke her nose in Dawn’s business whenever possible. Those two are like two rival teenagers after the same boy. Only, the prize around here isn’t a boy, it’s having control of this place.”
“Great. I’ll see if I can pull Thelma away from Shady Sean and get going with some undercover shenanigans.”
“His apartment is the last door on the left. Right next to the sunroom.”
Annie and Roxy headed down the hall toward Sean’s apartment. “Come on Roxy, let’s see if this guy warms up to you and an apple raisin muffin as easily as Marvin did.”
14
Annie knocked on the door of Sean Woodman’s apartment. She hoped that Thelma had managed to warm him up in the last hour. His steely glare when she saw him in the sunroom was enough to curdle milk.
The door opened into a spacious, sunny apartment. “You’re Thelma’s friend?”
“Yes.” Annie held out her hand. “Annie Hunter, and this is Roxy. Could we come in for a minute?” She glanced past Sean. The first thing that caught her attention was a Norman Rockwell lithograph.
Sean didn’t bother to shake Annie’s hand or pat Roxy who stood quietly next to her. “Thelma and I are about finished talking.”
Annie took a step through the door. “I have muffins from the Black Cat Café if you’d like one.” She smiled.
“Seany, invite Annie in. She doesn’t bite.” Thelma’s voice came from around the corner. “It’s about time you try to be a bit more sociable.”
Sean sighed and rolled his wheelchair into the living room. Thelma sat in front of a large window that overlooked a courtyard filled with ornamental shrubs bursting with buds. Birds chirped and landed on the various feeders; a welcome contrast to the chill in the apartment.
“Isn’t this lovely? Seany has the best apartment in the whole building. The sunroom shares that wall and offices are on the other two walls. It’s really two apartments converted into one.”
Annie looked out the window at the courtyard. The square enclosed space had a stone walkway that led from Sean’s door to a gate on the far side of the sunroom wall. It would be possible for someone to get to his apartment without going through the front entrance. Or, likewise, he could leave unnoticed.
Roxy took up her usual spot when she visited Thelma, placing her head on Thelma’s knee. “I don’t have my dog bones here, Roxy. Sorry about that.” She stroke Roxy’s head and fiddled with her silky ears.
Annie held her bag with two muffins toward Thelma. She happily helped herself. “I’ve been thinking about this the whole time I’ve been here. Try one, Seany. Annie is a fantastic baker.”
Thelma pointed to the chair near her. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m not ready to visit with Dawn yet.”
Sean’s eyebrows shot up. “What are you visiting with her for?”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m thinking about moving in. Well, it’s my son, really. He doesn’t think I should live alone anymore.” She tasted her muffin. “Delicious. Take one, Seany. You need to put a little meat on those bones of yours before you disappear.”
Annie didn’t think Sean was used to anyone telling him what to do, or, at least, not following those instructions if someone had the nerve to tell him what to do. She also noticed him flinch a bit when Thelma called him Seany.
He took the last muffin.
Thelma babbled along. “Seany told me he knew that poor boy who was murdered, right Seany?”
“I saw him around a few times.”
“Don’t by bashful, you said he even came in to visit you here, play a little chess now and then.”
Sean kept his face neutral as Thelma carried the conversation and he sized up Annie.
“Do you think Thelma would like living here?” Annie asked Sean. She decided he certainly wasn’t going to offer anything, so why not just ask away.
“She seems to be enjoying herself today, but visiting and living here are two different things, I suppose.” He had finally managed to finish the muffin without making a mess in his lap.
“I’m a little concerned,” Thelma said. “Especially after Sylvia told me her money ran out and she has to l
eave at the end of the month. Can you believe it?”
“Sylvia? The woman you were sitting with in the sunroom?”
“Yes, that’s the one. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do.”
“She’s the one that was in Dawn’s office when Forrest was murdered? Maybe she won’t have to worry if she ends up in a jail cell.”
“Seany! Don’t talk like that. Sylvia is no more a murderer than you are. Who might want that poor boy dead?”
Sean shrugged. “I try to stay out of everyone’s business. Much easier that way.” He checked his watch.
“Should we head to the office, Thelma?” Annie asked. Even if Thelma didn’t pick up on Sean’s readiness for them to leave, she did, and she didn’t want to overstay a barely lukewarm visit.
“I suppose so. Or maybe we should just head home and come back another day. This outing has been more for me than I’m used to, I’m afraid. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not as young as I used to be.” She chuckled. “And I’m tired.”
“Whatever you want. I’m sure Roxy would love to visit again tomorrow.” Annie helped Thelma to her walker which rested next to a desk with several folders arranged neatly on one side. Annie’s fingers itched to slip them in her bag but she could feel Sean’s eyes boring into her back. She would need Thelma to make a diversion.
As if Thelma read Annie’s mind, she suddenly remembered something to ask Sean. “I almost forgot. You said you’d let me borrow your photo album from when we were kids. Would it be too much trouble to get it for me?”
Annie saw his jaw clench but he humored Thelma. “It’s in my bedroom, I’ll be right back.”
As soon as he was out of the room, Annie flipped the top folder open. She looked at Thelma who nodded and she quickly slipped the top paper out, folded it, and slid it into her pocket.
With the carpets muffling sound in Sean’s apartment, she was surprised to see him behind her when she turned around. Her body was between the desk and his bedroom so she hoped he wouldn’t have been able to see what she did.
“Here you go, Thelma. Keep it as long as you like.” He handed the album to Thelma but she couldn’t carry it while using her walker, so Annie reached over for it. Her hand brushed against the folder and sent it sliding across the desk, onto the floor with all the papers scattering everywhere.
“You clumsy woman!” Sean yelled.
“Really Seany, it was an accident,” Thelma scolded.
Annie quickly scooped up the loose papers and shoved them back into the folder. “I’m so sorry for my clumsiness,” Annie gushed. She picked up the photo album and held Thelma’s elbow as they left Sean’s apartment. She didn’t know if it was only her imagination but it felt like Sean’s eyes were burning a hole in her back.
“I never knew you to be so clumsy,” Thelma said and giggled. “That was a brilliant move to mess up his papers.”
“I hope it takes him a while to figure out which piece of paper is missing. If he figures it out at all.”
“That whole visit was illuminating,” Thelma said. “Seany is not the person I remember. He’s angry, self-centered, and rude.”
Annie looked at Thelma from the corner of her eyes. “And I thought the two of you were getting along thick as a warren of rabbits when I arrived. You won’t be visiting anymore?”
“I’ll be back. He hasn’t seen the end of me. You wouldn’t believe all the questions he asked about my house, my retirement, and how was I managing on my own. Other than that, I don’t even think he listened to anything I had to say.”
“How about the crossword puzzle?”
“That was a waste of time. I’m not sure what he does all day by himself in that apartment except sit at his computer. He said he doesn’t eat in the dining hall or visit with any other residents. He has turned into a bitter old man.”
“Pssst. Over here.”
Annie peered into the shadow of a doorway and saw Marvin gesturing. “Follow me.”
Annie, Roxy, and Thelma followed Marvin into his apartment. He closed the door. “What’s the plan for a diversion? Dawn always opens her safe at four which only leaves us about ten minutes to get something started.”
“Thelma’s too tired, we’ll have to do it tomorrow,” Annie said.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday. She doesn’t open the safe on Saturday. It has to be now.”
Thelma grinned. “I’m fine. I gave that line to Seany so he wouldn’t get too suspicious about my activities. Fill me in on this plan about looking in a safe.”
“We didn’t exactly come up with a plan, but the first step is getting you into Dawn’s office.”
Marvin danced from one foot to the other. “Martha, Sylvia, and I made a plan. As soon as Dawn opens the safe, let go of Roxy. Sylvia will fake a fall and scream. I’ll have some tasty dog treats and you send Roxy to help Sylvia. Dawn will have to investigate, it will be chaos and it should give you a few minutes to check the safe.”
“As long as she doesn’t slam it closed.” Annie pointed out the biggest problem with the plan.
“Right. Timing is everything. You walk in right after she opens the safe to distract her.” Marvin looked at Thelma. “Could you pretend to be dizzy or something so Dawn has to help you to a chair?”
“High school drama was a high point in my teenage years. I think I can remember a few skills.”
“Are you up to this, Thelma? I don’t want you to overdo it and really end up fainting,” Annie said.
“This is the most excitement I’ve had for years. And if it helps Sylvia, I’ll do anything.”
Marvin checked the time. “You’d better get going. But remember, wait until she opens the safe before you go in.”
“I think it’s best if I leave Roxy with you now instead of relying on her to do her part. If you want her to start barking after Sylvia falls, show her a treat and tell her ‘speak’.”
Marvin happily took Roxy’s leash. He crouched next to her and put his arm around her body. Annie was pretty sure he was whispering in her ear, too. The way to Marvin’s heart was with a dog and a muffin, she told herself. But maybe in the reverse order.
As Annie and Thelma made their way toward the office, Thelma asked, “What was on that paper you took from Seany’s folder?”
“I’m not sure. There was a list of names and numbers. It might be nothing, but by his reaction, I think there is something he isn’t keen on sharing. And I noticed him flinch when you called him Seany. I don’t think he likes it.” They were almost even with Gloria’s office door.
“I know. That’s why I keep it up.” She chuckled. “There’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way but he hasn’t got the nerve to be rude to me yet. My read is that as long as he thinks I have some value to him, he’ll bite his tongue and play his version of nice.”
Gloria’s door opened. “I was hoping to catch you before you leave. I thought we could have a little chat about Golden Living.” She held her arm out in a gesture for Annie and Thelma to enter.
“Um, Dawn is expecting me,” Thelma said.
The smile on Gloria’s face remained pasted on but a twitch in her eye indicated displeasure. “Annie, could I talk to you for a minute at least? You can catch up to your friend in no time.”
Was this a plan to separate them so there was no witness to Dawn’s conversation with Thelma? Or was it a power play on Gloria’s part to undercut Dawn? Annie suspected the latter. She had complete confidence in Thelma’s ability to stand up to Dawn on her own. “Sure, no problem, Gloria. Go ahead Thelma, I’ll join you in a jiffy.”
Annie heard a clock start to chime just as Thelma reached Dawn’s door. She crossed her fingers that the plan would work and followed Gloria into her office.
15
Gloria turned on Annie. “You double crossed me,” she hissed.
Annie jerked backwards as if the words actually hit her in the face.
“You talked to me first about your friend and then I find out you’re all cozy with Dawn instea
d.”
Okay, what the heck was going on at this place? If management didn’t work together and get along, it certainly didn’t bode well for anyone living at Golden Living.
Gloria sneered. “Don’t let Dawn’s friendly smile and suck up attitude fool you. All she cares about is getting her hands on your friend’s money.”
“Really? And I thought this was such a well-run establishment.” Annie hoped Gloria didn’t pick up on her sarcasm. “Are you telling me that my friend should steer clear of Golden Living?”
Gloria’s tone softened. “No, sorry, not at all. I get pretty riled up about what’s happening around here lately. It’s just, well, Dawn is up to something but I’m keeping my eye on her.”
Annie heard footsteps tapping on the tiles in the hallway. She steadied herself for the beginning of what she hoped would be a successful distraction, missing the rest of Gloria’s conversation.
A crash.
“Help!” Sylvia’s voice echoed outside Gloria’s office door. “Help me!”
The sound of Roxy’s nails clicking and footsteps rushing in the hall made Gloria stop talking and look past Annie.
The footsteps stopped. Roxy barked. “Are you alright?” Marvin’s panicked voice boomed over everything else.
“What the heck?” Gloria said as she rushed into the hallway.
Annie took the opportunity to go through the open door that linked Gloria and Dawn’s offices. Thelma sat like a limp sack of potatoes in one of the chairs with no one else in sight. Annie rushed to her side and knelt in front of her.
“Thelma? Are you okay?” Annie knew what the plan was but this was too real.
Thelma opened her eyes and winked at Annie. She whispered, “The safe.”
The space was too far between Thelma and the open safe but something else caught Annie’s attention. An open folder showing papers similar to what she took from Sean’s apartment practically jumped into her hand.
Annie scooped up a few of the papers and shoved them into her pocket with the paper from Sean’s apartment. “We’ve got to get out of here. If anyone asks, I’ll say I’m taking you to the ER to get checked.”
Thelma leaned heavily on Annie and her walker once they were in the hall. Sylvia sat on the floor surrounded by Martha, Dawn, Gloria, and some other people wearing Golden Living shirts.
