by Sue Grafton
“Was that you knocking on my door?”
“Uh-hun. I was hoping to use the phone.”
“What’s the problem?”
“I can’t get the engine to turn over.”
“Want me to give it a try?”
“Sure.”
I saw his gaze shift to the summons on the front seat beside me, but he must not have registered the reference to Superior Court and all the talk of Plaintive versus the Defendant because he didn’t gasp or recoil in dismay. I folded the document and shoved it in my shoulder bag as I emerged from the car.
He took my place in the driver’s seat, but instead of turning the key, he put his hands on the steering wheel and shook his head with admiration. “I used to own one of these babies. Jesus, the Boss 429, king of all muscle cars and I sold mine. Sold, hell. I as good as gave it away. I’m still kicking myself. I don’t even remember what I needed the money for—probably something dumb. Where’d you find it?”
“In a used-car lot on lower Chapel. I bought it on a whim. The dealer hadn’t had it half a day. He told me there weren’t many made.”
“Four hundred ninety-nine total in 1970,” he said. “Ford developed the 429 engine in 1968 after Petty started eating up NASCAR wins with his 426 Hemi Belvedere. Remember Bunkie Knudsen?”
“Not really.”
“Yeah, well right around that same time, he left GM and took over as the new boss at Ford. He’s the one talked ’em into using the 429 engine in the Mustang and Cougar lines. Sucker’s so big the suspension had to be relocated and they had to stick the battery in the trunk. Turned out to be money losers, but the Boss 302 and the 429 are still the hottest cars ever made. What’d you pay for it?”
“Five grand.”
I thought he’d bang his head on the steering wheel, but he shook it instead, one of those slow wags denoting copious regret. “I never should have asked.” With that, he turned the key in the ignition and the engine fired right up. “You must have flooded the engine.”
“Silly me. I appreciate the help.”
“No biggie,” he said. “You ever want to sell the car, you know where I am.” He got out and stood aside to let me into the car.
I pulled the papers from my bag. “You’re not Bob Vest by any chance?”
“I am. Have we met?”
I held out the summons, which he took automatically when I tapped him on the arm. “Nope. Sorry to have to say this, but you’re served,” I said, as I slid under the steering wheel.
“I’m what?” He looked down at the papers and when he saw what he had, he said, “Well, shit.”
“And by the way. You ought to take better care of your cat.”
When I got back to the office, I put in a second call to Gus’s niece. With the three-hour time difference, I was hoping she’d be home from work. The phone rang so long that I was startled when she finally picked up. I repeated my original report in an abbreviated form. She seemed to draw a blank, like she didn’t have any idea what I was talking about. I went through my spiel again in a more elaborate rendition, telling her who I was, what had happened to Gus, his move to the nursing home, and the need for someone, namely her, to come to his aid.
She said, “You’re kidding.”
“That’s not quite the response I was hoping for,” I said.
“I’m three thousand miles away. You think it’s really that big of an emergency?”
“Well, he’s not bleeding out or anything like that, but he does need your help. Someone has to get the situation under control. He’s in no position to take care of himself.”
Her silence suggested she wasn’t receptive to the idea, in whole or in part. What was wrong with this chick?
“What sort of work do you do?” I asked as a prompt.
“I’m an executive VP in an ad agency.”
“Do you think you could talk to your boss?”
“And say what?”
“Tell him—”
“It’s a her…”
“Great. I’m sure she’ll understand the kind of crisis we’ve got on our hands. Gus is eighty-nine years old and you’re his only living relative.”
Her tone shifted from resistance to mere reluctance. “I do have business contacts in L.A. I don’t know how quickly I could set it up, but I suppose I could fly out at the end of the week and maybe see him Saturday or Sunday. How would that be?”
“One day in town won’t do him any good unless you mean to leave him where he is.”
“In the nursing home? That’s not such a bad idea.”
“Yes, it is. He’s miserable.”
“Why? What’s wrong with it?”
“Let’s put it this way. I don’t know you at all, but I’m reasonably certain you wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like that. It’s clean and the care is excellent, but your uncle wants to be in his own home.”
“Well, that won’t work. You said he’s not able to care for himself with his shoulder like it is.”
“That’s my point. You’ll have to hire someone to look after him.”
“Couldn’t you do that? You’d have a better idea how to go about it. I’m out of state.”
“Melanie, it’s your job, not mine. I barely know the man.”
“Maybe you could pitch in for a couple of days. Until I find someone else.”
“Me?” I held the phone away from me and stared at the mouthpiece. Surely she didn’t think she could drag me into it. I’m the least nursey person I know and I have people who’d back me up on the claim. On the rare occasions when I’ve been pressed into service, I’ve bumbled my way through, but I never liked it much. My aunt Gin took a dim view of pain and suffering, which she felt were trumped up purely to get attention. She couldn’t tolerate medical complaints and she thought all so-called serious illnesses were bogus, right up to the moment she was diagnosed with the very cancer she died of. I’m not quite as coldhearted but I’m not far behind. I had a sudden vision of hypodermic syringes and I thought I was on the verge of blacking out, when I realized Melanie was still wheedling.
“What about the neighbor who found him and called 9-1-1?”
“That was me.”
“Oh. I thought there was an old guy who lived next door.”
“You’re talking about Henry Pitts. He’s my landlord.”
“That’s right. I remember now. He’s retired. My uncle’s mentioned him before. Wouldn’t he have time to look in on Gus?”
“I don’t think you get it. He doesn’t need someone ‘looking in on him.’ I’m talking about professional nursing care.”
“Why don’t you contact social services? There has to be an agency to handle things like this.”
“You’re his niece.”
“His great-niece. Maybe even great-great,” she said.
“Uh-hun.”
I let a silence fall into which she did not leap with joy, offering to fly out.
She said, “Hello?”
“I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m just waiting to hear what you’re going to do.”
“Fine. I’ll be out, but I don’t appreciate your attitude.”
She hung up resoundingly to illustrate her point.
8
After dinner Friday night, I went with Henry to a Christmas-tree lot on Milagro to help him choose a tree—a decision he takes very seriously. Christmas was still two weeks away, but Henry’s like a little kid when it comes to the holidays. The lot itself was small, but he felt the trees were fresher and the selection better than at the other lots he’d tried. In the six-foot height he preferred, he had several choices: a balsam fir, a Fraser fir, a blue spruce, a Nordman, the Norway, or the noble spruce. He and the man who owned the lot got into a long discussion about the merits of each. The blue spruce, the noble, and the Norway had poor needle retention, and the Nordmans had spindly tips. He finally settled on a dark green balsam fir with a classic shape, soft needles, and the fragrance of a pine forest (or Pine-Sol, depending on your frame of reference). The tree
branches were secured with heavy twine, and we hauled it to his station wagon, where we tied it across the top with an elaborate configuration of rope and bungee cords.
We drove home along Cabana Boulevard, the darkened ocean to our left. Offshore the oil rigs twinkled like a regatta with the capacity for spills. It was close to eight by then and the restaurants and motels across from the beach were ablaze with lights. The glimpse we caught of State Street in passing showed a steady march of seasonal decorations as far as the eye could see.
Henry parked in his driveway and we eased the tree out of its restraints. With him toting the trunk end and me struggling along at the midpoint, we wrestled the evergreen around to the street, up his short walk, and in the front door. Henry had rearranged the furniture to clear a place for the tree in one corner of the living room. Once we’d stabilized it in its stand, he tightened the T-bolts and added water to the reservoir below. He’d already pulled six boxes marked X-MAS from his attic and stacked them nearby. Five were filled with carefully wrapped ornaments, and the sixth box contained a formidable tangle of Christmas-tree lights.
“When are you doing the lights and ornaments?”
“Tomorrow afternoon. Charlotte has an open house from two until five and she’ll stop by when she’s done. You’re welcome to join us. I’m making eggnog to get us in the proper spirit.”
“I don’t want to horn in on your date.”
“Don’t be silly. William and Rosie are coming, too.”
“Have they met her?”
“William has and he gave her a thumbs-up. I’m curious about Rosie’s reaction. She’s a tough one.”
“Why the opinion poll? You either like her or you don’t.”
“I don’t know. Something about the woman bothers me.”
“As in what?”
“You don’t find her a bit single-minded?”
“I’ve only talked to her once and I got the impression she was good at what she does.”
“It feels more complicated. She’s smart and attractive, I’ll give you that, but all she talks about is sell, sell, sell. We took a walk after supper the other night and she calculated the value of every house on the block. She was ready to go door-to-door, drumming up sales, but I put my foot down. These are my neighbors. Most are retired and their homes are paid off. So she talks someone into selling, then what? They end up with a pile of cash but no place to live and no way to buy another home because the market’s so high.”
“What was her response?”
“She was good about it and backed off, but I could see the wheels going round and round.”
“She’s a go-getter. No doubt about that. In fact, I was worried she’d talk you into selling this place.”
Henry gestured his dismissal. “No danger there. I love my house and I’d never give it up. She’s still lobbying to get me into rental properties, but that doesn’t interest me. I have one tenant already so why do I need more?”
“Okay, so maybe she’s ambitious. That doesn’t constitute a character flaw. You get hung up in all the fretting and you’ll spoil what you have now. If it doesn’t work out, then so be it.”
“Very philosophical,” he said. “I’ll remember you said that and quote it back to you one day.”
“No doubt.”
At 9:30 I went back to my place and let myself in. I flipped off the porch light and hung up my jacket. I was ready to settle down with a glass of wine and a good book when I heard a knock at my door. At that hour, chances were good it was someone trying to sell me something, or passing out poorly printed pamphlets predicting the End of the World. I was surprised anyone would brave the walk to my door since the streetlights don’t penetrate Henry’s backyard and patio.
I turned on the outside light and peered through the porthole in my front door. The woman standing on my porch wasn’t anyone I knew. She was in her midthirties with a pale square face, thinly plucked eyebrows, bright red lipstick, and a thick bunch of auburn hair that she’d caught in a knot on the top of her head. She wore a black business suit, but I didn’t see a clipboard or a sample case so maybe I was safe. When she saw me looking out at her she smiled and waved.
I put the chain on and then opened the door a crack. “Yes?”
“Hi. Are you Kinsey?”
“I am.”
“My name is Melanie Oberlin. Gus Vronsky’s niece. Am I disturbing you?”
“Not at all. Hang on.” I closed the door and slid the chain off the track, then let her in. “Wow. That was quick. I talked to you two days ago. I didn’t expect to see you so soon. When did you get in?”
“Just now. I have a rental car out front. Turns out my boss thought the trip was a fabulous idea, so I flew into L.A. last night and met with clients all day. I didn’t start the drive up until seven, thinking I’d be clever and avoid the rush-hour traffic, but then I got stuck behind a six-car pile-up in Malibu. At any rate, I’m sorry to barge in, but it just dawned on me I don’t have a key to Uncle Gus’s place. Is there any way to get in?”
“Henry has a set of keys and I’m sure he’s still up. It won’t take me a minute, if you want to come on in and wait.”
“I’d love to. Thanks. Do you mind if I use the loo?”
“Be my guest.”
I showed her into the downstairs bathroom, and while she went about her business, I crossed the patio to Henry’s back door and tapped on the glass. The kitchen lights were out, but I could see the reflected flicker of the television set in the living room beyond. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway and flipped on the kitchen light before he unlocked the door. “I thought you were in for the night,” he said.
“I was, but Gus’s niece showed up and she needs a house key.”
“Hang on.”
He left the door open while he found the set of keys in his kitchen junk drawer. “The way you described your phone conversation, I didn’t think she’d come at all, let alone this fast.”
“Me, neither. I was pleasantly surprised.”
“How long will she stay?”
“I haven’t asked her yet, but I can let you know. You may end up dealing with her anyway since I have to go into the office first thing tomorrow morning.”
“On Saturday?”
“I’m afraid so. I’ve got paperwork to catch up on and I like the quiet.”
When I returned to the studio, Melanie was still in the bathroom, and the sound of running water suggested she was washing her face. I took two glasses from the cabinet and opened a bottle of Edna Valley Chardonnay. I poured six ounces for each of us and when she came out, I handed her Gus’s house key and a glass of wine.
“I hope you like wine. I took the liberty,” I said. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks. After three hours on the freeway, I could use a drink. I thought Boston drivers were bad, but people out here are lunatics.”
“You’re from Boston?”
“More or less. We moved to New York when I was nine, but I went to school in Boston and still visit friends from my BU days.” She sat down in one of the director’s chairs and did a quick visual survey. “Nice. This would be a palace in the city.”
“It’s a palace anywhere,” I said. “I’m glad you made it out here. Henry was just asking how long you might stay.”
“Until the end of next week if all goes well. In the interest of efficiency, I called the local paper and placed a classified ad that starts tomorrow and runs all next week. They’ll put it in the ‘Help Wanted’ section—companion, private-duty nurse, that sort of thing—and they’ll also run it in the ‘Personals.’ I wasn’t sure Uncle Gus had an answering machine so I gave his address. I hope that wasn’t a mistake.”
“I don’t see why it would be. You probably won’t be swamped with applicants at this time of year. A lot of people postpone job hunting until after the holidays.”
“We’ll see how we do. In a pinch, I can always try to scare up a temp. I do apologize for my response when you called. I haven’t seen Gus in yea
rs so you caught me off guard. Once I decided to fly out, I thought I might as well do it right. Speaking of Uncle Gus, how is he? I should have asked about him first thing.”
“I didn’t get over there to see him today, but Henry did and says he’s about as you’d expect.”
“In other words, screaming and shouting.”
“Pretty much.”
“He’s been known to throw things, too, when he’s really on a tear. Or he did way back when.”
“How are you related? I know he’s your uncle, but where on the family tree?”
“My mother’s side. He was actually her great-uncle, so I guess that makes him a great-great to me. She died ten years ago this past May, and once his brother passed on, I was the only one left. I feel guilty I haven’t seen him for so long.”
“Well, it can’t be easy if you’re on the East Coast.”
“What about you? You have family out here?”
“Nope. I’m an orphan child as well, which is probably for the best.”
We chatted for ten or fifteen minutes and then she glanced at her watch. “Oops. I better get going. I don’t want to keep you up. In the morning, you can give me directions to the nursing home.”
“I’ll be out of here early, but you can always knock on Henry’s door. He’ll be happy to help. I take it you’ll be staying next door?”
“I’d hoped to, unless you think he’d object.”
“I’m sure he won’t care, but I should warn you the place is grim. We cleaned what we could, but it’s iffy in my opinion. Who knows when Gus last had a go at it himself.”
“How bad?”
“It’s gross. The sheets are clean, but the mattress looks like something he dragged in from the curb. He’s a hoarder as well, so two of the three bedrooms aren’t usable at all, unless you’re looking for a place to toss trash.”
“He hoards? That’s new. He didn’t used to do that.”
“He does now. Dishes, clothing, tools, shoes. It looks like he has newspapers from the past fifteen years. There were items in the fridge that were probably capable of spreading disease.”