Poker Chips and Poison

by Rodney Strong

  ‘It’s just such a tragedy,’ Freda said. ‘And I feel so guilty, like I was the one who killed her.’

  TEN

  ALICE STARED AT FREDA, trying to get a sense of whether the woman was being literal. She looked so upset. Something was definitely going on.

  ‘What on earth do you mean by that?’ Alice asked.

  Freda reached over to the coffee table and plucked a tissue from the box. She dabbed at her eyes before replying. ‘I did something silly. Les has been going out a bit more than usual recently and I happened to see him one day with Betty. They were sitting on that bench by the rose garden and, oh I don’t know, I assumed something was going on.’

  She stopped to blow her nose.

  ‘You confronted them,’ Alice guessed.

  ‘The thing is, Les has always been faithful, through everything over the 54 years we’ve been married, so I have no right to think that anything was going on. But I’ve started feeling a little insecure lately, and he‘s been secretive about something. He’s started plucking his nose hairs again. It’s been years since he’s done that. When I saw him and Betty talking and looking so cosy I put two and two together and got—‘

  ‘An affair.’

  Freda smiled at her sadly. ‘Silly, isn’t it?’

  Alice thought it was, but daren’t say it aloud. ‘So what did Les say?’

  If possible Freda looked more miserable. ‘I didn’t confront him. I waited until he left and I said something to Betty.’

  ‘I can imagine how well that went,’ Alice replied.

  ‘She denied it, which of course she would, but I was too angry, and I told her to stay away from Les. I stormed off and a day later she was dead. I can’t help thinking what if it was my fault for some reason that she...’

  Alice placed her hand on Freda’s arm as she dissolved into tears.

  ‘Unless you have some supernatural powers I’m not aware of, Betty dying had nothing to do with you. You’re not a witch, are you?’

  Freda laughed which turned into a cough and then back into a laugh. ‘My mother-in-law did always accuse me of putting a spell on Les, but I think she was just being a bitch.’ Her mouth dropped open as she looked shocked. ‘I mean... I can’t believe I said that.’

  ‘Why not? She probably was.’

  Freda looked around, then nodded slightly. ‘Maybe a little bit. I know I was being silly, this whole being jealous thing is new to me.’

  ‘You have nothing to be jealous about,’ Alice reassured her.

  ‘Do you know what his secret is?’ Freda looked at her sharply.

  ‘It’s not my place to say anything, but I can tell you it has nothing to do with another woman.’

  ‘Oh.’

  Freda looked like she had a million follow up questions and was struggling to decide which one to ask first, so Alice quickly changed the subject.

  ‘Freda, yesterday at the tournament, did you see Betty acting strangely just before she died?’

  ‘Strangely? I don’t understand.’

  ‘I’m just trying to find out if she was feeling unwell beforehand or if it was sudden. I’d hate to think she wasn’t herself and I missed it.’

  ‘Yes, I see.’ Freda wiped her eyes and stared into the distance, considering. ‘She seemed fine to me, although I didn’t pay much attention to anything other than Les’s table at the start. After Teresa beat you (I still can’t believe that by the way) I did spot Betty stacking some poker chips on the table. I turned around to talk to Les and that’s when she must have collapsed. Such a tragedy.’

  ‘Do you know whose chips she was tidying up?’ Alice asked with a frown.

  ‘No idea,’ Freda replied, pulling a fresh tissue from the box, deftly folding and tucking it in her sleeve. ‘Does it matter?’

  ‘No, no, just an idle thought.’

  They chatted for a few more minutes, then Alice left Freda looking miserable. Having concluded that her sharp advice to “Stop moping over a man” wouldn’t help, Alice had wisely kept it to herself and instead departed with a less helpful: “It’ll all be fine”.

  Her next port of call should have been to the dining room, the scene of the tournament. She wanted to check out the tables to see if she could figure out whose chair Betty died beside. However, as soon as Alice stepped into the lobby her stomach growled so loudly she was surprised the replacement concierge’s head hadn’t shot up from the phone or book she was engrossed in.

  Deciding a snack was required before further investigation, Alice returned to the elevator. As she pressed the button she felt something soft slide past her. She looked down to see Maddy sitting there. When the cat saw Alice looking she produced her trademark meow of starvation.

  ‘Never con a con artist,’ Alice told her, earning a second more pitiful noise from the feline.

  The doors slid open and Alice stepped into the elevator. She turned to see the cat still sitting there waiting.

  ‘Oh for goodness sake, come on then.’

  As if understanding her, Maddy sprang inside before the doors could shut.

  ‘I must be losing my touch,’ Alice muttered.

  Maddy yowled in agreement.

  The cat stuck close to Alice until they were inside her apartment, where it jumped onto the kitchen counter and sat down. Alice picked her up and moved her to one of the stools. By the time she had retrieved a can of tuna from the cupboard and turned back around, Maddy was sitting on the bench again. Alice hissed at her, receiving a yawn in return.

  ‘Fine, but you’re not eating up there. And you better have a clean ass.’

  Maddy proceeded to prove it by licking herself in that exact area. Alice wanted to believe the cat could understand her, but thought coincidence was a more likely explanation.

  She opened the tuna can and placed it on the floor, barely getting her hand out of the way before the cat jumped down and shoved her mouth inside.

  With the sound of slurping in her ears, Alice fixed herself a sandwich and sat down to watch a game show on television. As she answered another question correctly her phone beeped. A message from Amanda. Being raised by Alice it was no wonder she’d gone into the family business, persuading other people to give her their things. She was often absent for weeks at a time, and out of contact for a lot of that, but Amanda tried to check in with her grandmother whenever she could.

  As usual her text was simple: “I’m still alive. Are you?”

  Alice sent back an affirmative and switched off the television, deciding she was more intelligent than the contestant on the game show. She looked at Maddy who was lying in a patch of sun.

  ‘Time to go, cat.’

  The only response was a lazy tail twitch.

  ‘I don’t blame you. It looks nice. Only trouble is I wouldn’t be able to get up again.’

  This time there wasn’t even a twitch, just the rhythmic rise and fall of a temporarily full stomach.

  ‘If I leave you here how do I know you won’t pee on the carpet while I’m gone?’

  Maddy opened one eye as if to say, please stop talking to me.

  Short of bending down and picking her up, Alice had no choice but to leave the cat where she was and hope for the best.

  Taking the elevator back to the lobby, she made her way into the dining room, and found that she wasn’t alone.

  In the middle of the room Gavin stood staring into space. When he heard the sound of the door he turned, his face devoid of emotion.

  Alice shivered.

  ELEVEN

  GAVIN BLINKED AND SEEMED to see her for the first time.

  ‘Hello, Alice. Sorry, I was somewhere else for a moment,’ he said and his face relaxed into a smile.

  ‘That’s quite a stern face you’ve got there,’ Alice replied.

  He laughed, ‘I was in the military, Alice. A good death stare was mandatory if you wanted to climb the ranks.’

  ‘Yes, I imagine it came in handy. With that skill, I’m surprised you’re not better at poker.’

&n
bsp; ‘So am I,’ Gavin admitted with a shrug. ‘But it was never my thing.’

  Alice stepped further into the room. All the poker chips had been cleared away and a stack of clean plates and cutlery sat on the side table ready to set the tables for the next meal.

  ‘Are you waiting for dinner?’ she asked.

  He glanced at his watch. ‘No, I’m going over the events of the poker tournament again. I thought it would be easier to do if I was in the room.’

  ‘Why?’ Alice came closer.

  He gave her another shrug. ‘Call it professional habit. During my career I was responsible for sending a lot of men into potential war zones, and every single one of them that didn’t come home, I made damn sure I knew why. I realise that this place is just a halfway house while we wait to head off into the great beyond, but when someone dies unexpectedly I get an itch in the back of my brain that can only be scratched when I have answers.’

  ‘People of your age die all the time,’ Alice said.

  ‘Your age? I hate to tell you this Alice, but we’re in the same category.’

  She flapped her hand dismissively. ‘I passed your age a long time ago and I intend to attend all your funerals.’

  ‘Morbid.’

  ‘But not sinister. Not intentionally anyway.’ She grinned at him. ‘Do you suspect foul play?’

  ‘Foul play? I may have been alive at the same time as Agatha Christie but the words foul play have never crossed my lips. Of course I don’t believe anything untoward happened, I just like to know things, to have things resolved. In this case I’d like to know if poor Betty was suffering from something undiagnosed, or if it was a case of food poisoning or something else that might require us to be on guard.’

  Alice nodded. She also liked to know things, and right now she wanted to know if Gavin was telling the truth. His tell in poker was quite obvious, but in life she had yet to get a sense of him.

  ‘Have you discovered anything?’ she asked.

  ‘Everything had been cleared away by the time I got here, so there’s not much to see.’

  She thought he seemed put out, but then he was probably used to people not doing things without his permission.

  ‘Do you remember who was sitting at the chair Betty was beside when she collapsed?’ Alice asked.

  ‘What? No, can’t say I do, not exactly. Everyone was paying attention to your table towards the end and no one was sitting down. I think Gordon was at that table when the tournament was going but can’t be completely sure.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘I was too busy getting my rear flank handed to me by you.’

  Alice inclined her head at the compliment, then moved around the table. There was a time when she would have remembered every person that had been in the room, where they sat, what they were wearing, and probably the value of any jewellery. But the years had taken the edge off her memory, and she no longer had any interest in stealing the jewellery.

  Gavin’s comment had jogged something loose, but it was just out of her grasp. Alice walked over to where she had been sitting for the first round, pulled the chair out and lowered herself into it.

  Slowly Alice scanned the room, trying to recall the tournament. A clear picture snapped into her mind.

  Gordon had been sitting at the table, next to him had been Owen, then a woman she knew in passing, Judy or Jackie something, the dealer was a member of staff, and the fifth player...

  Alice frowned, she couldn’t recall who the last person was. Vanessa would be able to find out from the sign-up sheet. The important thing is that she remembered whose chips Betty had been tidying when she died.

  ‘Everything alright, Alice?’ Gavin asked.

  She smiled at his concern. ‘I’m fine. I guess I got tired from jogging all those memories.’

  Gavin sat down opposite her. ‘Have you met the new woman, Nanci?’

  ‘I have.’

  ‘I’ve only talked to her for a short time, but I find her intriguing,’ Gavin said.

  She’s a con artist, was what Alice wanted to say, but instead she said, ‘She seems an interesting character.’

  ‘I might ask her for coffee.

  Alice struggled with the right reply. It wasn’t her place to say anything, but then she didn’t want to see anyone taken for a ride (unless she was the one doing the driving).

  ‘Gather your intel first.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  She shrugged. ‘You like to know things. We don’t really know anything about her. I’m just suggesting you find out a little bit more before getting involved.’

  Gavin replied briskly. ‘Goodness me, I’m not talking about getting involved. Just getting a coffee. But I see your point, always better to know more.’

  ‘Are you done here?’ Alice gestured around the room.

  ‘I’m not sure what I expected to find, but it’s probably preposterous to think that Betty’s death was anything but her time to go.’

  Alice pondered his words after he left the room. The same doubts persisted, a new one popping up every time she tried to squash one. Perhaps he was right and this whole thing was a foolish quest by a silly old woman. Alice frowned. She’d never called herself silly before. Stupid, yes, occasionally an idiot, but never silly.

  Alice made her way back to her apartment and scrubbed the already clean kitchen bench. Even Maddy’s presence, crawling along the carpet chasing the slowly fading patch of sunlight, wasn’t enough to bring her out of the funk.

  Such was her distraction that she didn’t even check the security camera when there was a knock at the door.

  ‘Pizza time yet?’ Vanessa asked when Alice opened the door.

  She looked at the clock on the stove and saw it was after five. ‘Go ahead,’ she waved at the kitchen counter where the landline sat.

  Vanessa tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘Already ordered it. I got you a no cheese, gluten free, vegetarian pizza.’

  Alice gave her a dirty look. ‘There are several words in there that should not be in the same sentence as the word pizza.’

  Vanessa’s grin dissolved into a laugh. ‘Actually I ordered lots of meat, not so much cheese on yours, with garlic bread and potato wedges.’

  Alice’s eyes narrowed. ‘How did you know what I normally order? We’ve never had pizza together before.’

  ‘Did you forget? All deliveries have to come via the front desk.’

  ‘Of course. Good detective skills,’ Alice said. ‘What else have you learned?’

  Vanessa went and sat on the couch. She tapped on her tablet, then showed the screen to Alice, who sat down next to her.

  ‘This is all the people who signed up for the tournament, and the tables they were at.’ She swiped upwards on the screen and a new list of names showed up. ‘And these are the people who were watching. Although I can’t be sure that’s all of them. I was a bit busy for some of the time.’ She cast a guilty look in Alice’s direction.

  ‘Don’t worry, Vanessa. This was better than I was expecting,’ Alice said. Then she heard her granddaughter’s voice in her head reminding her that sometimes she could come across as blunt. Actually her exact words had been, “stop being a mean old lady”.

  ‘What I mean is most young people can’t see past their cell phones.’

  The look on Vanessa’s face suggested that wasn’t much better.

  ‘Because young people are all about me, me, me.’

  ‘Riiiight,’ Vanessa said in a disappointed tone. ‘If that’s the way you feel...’

  Alice stifled a sigh. Things were so much easier when people didn’t get so easily offended. ‘Not you personally, just...’

  ‘Just all my friends and everyone I know,’ Vanessa finished.

  ‘Yes, exactly. Now back to this list. It looks pretty complete to me, although...were there any other staff there? Apart from the ones working the tables.’

  Vanessa’s eyes widened. ‘Only Tracey from what I can remember. Why?’

  ‘Just being thorough.’

 
‘You don’t suspect Tracey do you? I know she can be a pain sometimes, but she’s not evil. I don’t think.’

  ‘We don’t even know if there’s a crime, so no point in excluding suspects just yet,’ Alice said.

  ‘For the possible crime.’

  ‘I know how it sounds.’

  Vanessa shrugged. ‘Tracey declined my annual leave application for next week because I didn’t give her enough notice. Even though I don’t think she killed anyone, I’d be happy if she was slightly dodgy.’

  ‘Alright then. This is the table that Betty died at. She was stacking poker chips at Gordon’s chair.’

  ‘Gordon! So d’you think he was the target?’

  ‘I think we need to find out how Betty died,’ Alice said. ‘Do you know what happened to her body?’

  ‘It’s at a funeral home in the city. They’re waiting for her family to make the funeral arrangements.’

  Alice leaned back against the couch and rubbed her fingers and thumb together on her left hand. It was a habit she’d picked up years ago. The rhythmic motion helped her think.

  ‘We can’t ask the family to get an autopsy because we think Betty was murdered,’ Vanessa said into the silence. ‘They’ll never believe us, and I’ll probably get fired.’

  ‘What for?’ Alice asked.

  ‘For bringing the Silvermoon Retirement Village into disrepute.’

  ‘Tell me the truth. Is that the first time you’ve used the word disrepute?’

  ‘Yes, I feel so grown up.’

  ‘We don’t need the family to authorise an autopsy.’

  ‘Ew. We’re not doing it ourselves,’ Vanessa said with wide eyes. ‘I’m happy snooping, but draw the line at dissecting.’

  ‘Dissecting! Betty isn’t a frog in a biology class.’

  Vanessa’s face flushed and she looked towards the window.

  ‘Do you own a suit?’

  ‘A suit? Like a business suit?’ Vanessa asked, still facing away. ‘I’ve got a white blouse and a jacket at home that could work. Why?’