Vintage Whispers (A Cozy Retirement Mystery Book 1)

by riley blake

  “Excuse me?” Fear or perhaps true confusion stamped its place in his expression. “Did you say murderer?”

  “We just learned that one of our friends may have been killed,” Pearl said, blabbing everything.

  “Pearl,” Mary Louise warned, turning to the doctor. “Please overlook her. We just found out the awful news and really don’t want to talk about it with an outsider. You understand.”

  “Yes, uh, certainly.” He reached in his pocket and took out a business card. He passed it to Mary Louise. “If you need anything at all, please let me know.”

  “Thank you,” Opal and Mary Louise chimed together.

  “You mentioned Nurse Waterbury?” Mary Louise hoped this wasn’t one of those places where the employees talked about the other staff members to their guests.

  He seemingly searched for the right words before he said, “You know what, never mind. It isn’t important. Have a good morning, ladies.”

  He turned to go and Pearl blurted, “She isn’t a nurse. Is she?”

  Mary Louise and Opal jerked at the news. What on earth was Pearl doing now?

  “No. She isn’t,” Dr. Smalls said. “How did you know?”

  Flabbergasted, Mary Louise turned to Pearl and asked, “How did you know?”

  “She told me. I promised to keep her secret.”

  “And look what happened to that promise,” Opal muttered.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Mary Louise asked.

  “Death makes a person forgetful.”

  “You’re not the one who died,” Opal grated out.

  Dr. Smalls narrowed his eyes. “Some say death makes people remember. It’s all in how you view it.” His phone buzzed and he checked the caller ID screen. “I have to go but my condolences. I hope they catch whoever killed your friend.” He started down the hall and they all breathed a collective sigh until he stopped and asked, “By the way, this friend of yours…did he or she die in Bristol?”

  “No.” From childhood forward, they’d stuck to their guns and their list of rules, one of which included how to answer someone when they weren’t sure what to say. When in doubt, respond the same. Three no-responses made everything right.

  Chapter Ten

  Hours later, Mary Louise stretched her arms and wiggled her fingers before she finally rolled out of bed. She padded across the floor and threw open the drapes, fully expecting the afternoon sun. Shocked by the darkness, she rushed to her bedside and checked the time.

  “It’s ten o’clock!” She hurried to the living room and startled the maid who was dusting furniture. “Oh. I um…wait a second, are you supposed to be here?”

  “Lori Sheldon,” the woman said, pulling a card from her smock-style shirt. “I’m the Director of Housekeeping. You have a daily tidy-up service but the girls said they couldn’t get a response earlier.”

  “Can I see some identification?” Mary Louise asked, thinking about Nurse Waterbury and the persona she’d created.

  “You have it,” she said, nodding at the business card in Mary Louise’s hand. “But feel free to check with the director tomorrow. Until then, I’ll go. Housekeeping is optional anyway.” She collected her cleaning supplies and tucked a feather duster under her arm. “I take it you’ve met Nurse Waterbury.”

  Not one to talk about others, Mary Louise nodded once but didn’t offer anything more. She walked Lori to the door, noticing her open purse on the kitchen counter. Peering inside, she spotted her unopened wallet and released a burdened sigh.

  “We’re having a tough time adjusting. I live here with my best friends and we’re used to doing everything for ourselves,” she said, guarded.

  “Understood. Hope I didn’t startle you.”

  “That’s just it,” Mary Louise said. “You did.”

  “Oh,” Lori muttered, dumbfounded. “Well it um…won’t happen again.”

  Still uncertain if Lori’s credentials were legitimate or if she were another Nurse Waterbury, Mary Louise said, “I’ll speak to the director if there’s a problem.” She’d first talk to her sidekicks and see if they thought she might be overreacting.

  “Goodnight, Mary.”

  “It’s Mary Louise,” she said, pushing the door closed. Without a second thought, she locked the deadbolt and checked the peephole.

  Lori stared back at the door with a perplexed expression. Mary Louise took a backward leap. Cursing under her breath, she cautiously stepped forward. This was ridiculous. Lori didn’t look like a threat and she’d presented a business card upon introductions.

  The woman was doing her job and Mary Louise should’ve been ashamed of herself. She wasn’t rude by nature. Dragging her hand through her disheveled hair, she swung open the door to apologize.

  No one was there.

  She looked left to right, but the long hallway was empty. Shrugging, she closed the door and locked it again. It was time to wake the girls. Tonight, they were sneaking out for a real purpose.

  They had a couple of bodies to find.

  ****

  “Tell me why we’re doing this again,” Pearl complained, crawling close to the shrubs. They were planning to snoop through the cottage once occupied by Clarence and Samantha Jackson. “If no one is here, why hide?”

  “She has a point,” Opal said, brushing away grass and pebbles as she stood.

  “We can’t be too sure,” Mary Louise said, thumbing the air behind her. “Johnny said he’d wait a half-mile down the road in case someone from the family has been staying here.”

  “I would’ve heard about newcomers,” Pearl said, straightening her silk scarf. “Nothing gets by Denise.”

  “When someone new moves to town, their logical first stop is the Five and Dime, I suppose,” Opal said sardonically.

  “How’d you know?”

  “Maybe that’s true if someone is moving here but for a visiting relative, the local gossip store probably doesn’t make their shortlist of things to see and do.” Then again, Mary Louise tried to avoid the place altogether. She always felt like she was under a microscope there.

  “Speaking of lists.” Opal tugged a piece of paper from her pocket. “We have a few minutes to kill before we B and E—that’s break and enter, Pearl—so what do you say? Want to review these names?”

  “Sure.” Pearl curiously watched as Mary Louise unhooked the strap around her neck and opened her leather binoculars case. “No one said anything about pictures.” She fluffed the back of her hair and went through the ritual of touching her ears to ensure her earrings were in place before dotting her mouth with lipstick. “But I don’t think we should have photographs all things considered. Criminals don’t take pictures of themselves while they’re in the act.”

  “Why not?” Opal asked, frowning at their list. “All other acts are recorded these days. We should take selfies so they can use them for wanted posters when they put out an APB on us.”

  “Tell me you’re kidding,” Pearl whispered, ducking behind the shrubs again.

  “I am.” She shot Mary Louise a quick wink.

  “I’ll let you know if I see anything,” Mary Louise said, lifting the binoculars to the bridge of her nose.

  “Sheriff Littleton said that Clarence’s brother was in town with his nieces and nephews but they left last week so the place should be deserted.”

  “He knows about this?” Pearl popped up again.

  “We wouldn’t break and enter without Littleton’s knowledge,” Mary Louise said, moving from side to side as she checked out the barn, storage building, and a little house that likely served as an office or small guesthouse.

  “But this isn’t Littleton’s home,” Pearl said, shaking her finger at the cottage-style house. “And even if he is top dog in this county, he shouldn’t be sending us to do his dirty work.”

  Mary Louise lowered the field glasses and waited. Opal stuttered and stammered before she said, “Technically, he didn’t give us permission. Like Mary Louise said, ‘We wouldn’t do it without his knowl
edge’ so we told him we might stop by if we were in the area. He told us his guys would take care of it tomorrow. We acted like we were satisfied and—”

  “And here we are,” Pearl groaned.

  “Here we are.” Opal mocked her then retrieved a pen from her hip pocket. “Got anything yet?”

  Mary Louise shook her head. “Not yet.” The house was dark but the barn area was well lit. Clarence probably kept some expensive farm machinery in the shed which had visible electricity as well. “Let’s stay here for a few minutes more just to be sure no one is hiding out in the barn.”

  “Got it.”

  “About that list?” Pearl turned to Opal. “I can’t remember who made the cut.”

  “Johnny B, because he saw what happened and didn’t report it.”

  “You don’t have to keep his name on the list,” Pearl said. “I know he didn’t do it.”

  “Yes but it’s a record of possible suspects and that means we have to include everyone with motive and opportunity.”

  “You mean ‘or’ because they could’ve had motive or opportunity but not both,” Pearl said, sounding like the voice of authority.

  “Did Sheriff Littleton teach you that?” Opal asked, grinning.

  “No,” Pearl replied sternly. “I watch Cool Cops and Rebel Robbers.”

  “Good to know,” Mary Louise said, hoping Opal would skip a sidebar of sarcasm. “So we have Johnny with opportunity and no motive. Who’s next?”

  “The expected—his spouse and hers.”

  “And that makes more sense,” Mary Louise said. “Clarence probably found her with the pillow over her face and didn’t report it.”

  “Whether he did or didn’t doesn’t matter. He had opportunity.”

  “I’m impressed,” Opal said, complimenting Pearl. “And what about Kelly?”

  “We don’t know if she had either,” Mary Louise said. “It bothered me that we put her on the list. Just because she shopped with us on the day her husband died doesn’t mean she had opportunity or motive.”

  “She had both. Think about it. She had opportunity because she was Oscar’s wife.”

  “But she didn’t live with him,” Mary Louise pointed out, maintaining barn surveillance.

  Pearl stuck her index finger high in the air. “She also had motive. Her husband had befriended a dying woman and she may have been jealous.”

  “Why would she be jealous of a dying woman?” Mary Louise held the binoculars at her side. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Denise once told me that Kelly moved out of the main home because Oscar didn’t give her any attention. Apparently she wanted him to show an interest in her art. She thought he would beg and ask her to come home. Instead, he changed the locks on the house. So if that’s true, and he didn’t visit Kelly but spent time with another man’s wife, she might have had motive. How would you respond in that situation?”

  “I would’ve divorced him,” Mary Louise stated flatly. “Before you say anything, Pearl, you would’ve too.”

  “Probably, but Denise also said Oscar’s kids were spoiled. She may have been afraid to divorce him. Who wants custody of ill-mannered children?”

  “You would know how that feels better than anyone, I imagine,” Mary Louise teased, referencing her daughter-in-law.

  “And so would you.”

  Before they started bantering about their kids, Opal said, “We also added Denise.”

  “What? Why?”

  “She could be a serial killer,” Opal teased. “She always knows everything about everyone. She waves a false flag. Therefore, she made the list.”

  “Who else do we have?” Mary Louise asked.

  Opal jerked her head at Pearl before sealing her lips. Mary Louise narrowed her eyes and then gasped. “Oh. I forgot about him.”

  “Who?” Pearl asked.

  At the same time, they blurted, “Sheriff Littleton.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “He had information and covered it up,” Mary Louise said. “He questioned Johnny B without just cause. He should’ve let the local media know the coroner was missing and he definitely should’ve told the general public about Oscar’s traveling corpse.”

  “Traveling corpse?” Opal thought about the description. “I like it.”

  “Oscar made it from Kelly’s bed to the coroner’s office to wherever he is now.” Pearl paused. “Wait a second.” She undoubtedly had another ah-hah moment. “But Oscar didn’t live with Kelly.”

  “Maybe he spent the night at her studio or vice versa,” Opal suggested.

  “He doesn’t seem the type, especially with his irritability and all,” Pearl said.

  “You, my friend, are a genius.”

  “Really?”

  “No. She was being nice,” Opal hurriedly said, thrusting the paper and pen forward. “Here’s the list. If anything happens, go back to Johnny’s car and wait there. If we don’t meet you soon thereafter, call Sheriff Littleton.”

  “But he’s on the list,” Pearl reminded her.

  “And so is Johnny,” Mary Louise said, handing over the binoculars. “Watch our backs, but if anything happens get out of here.”

  “Save yourself,” Opal added.

  “I’m not Johnny. I don’t leave my friends behind.”

  Opal narrowed her eyes and took a death grip on her flashlight.

  “Let it go.” Mary Louise left them to snarl at one another and hurriedly tiptoed across the lawn, acting more like a retired ballet dancer than a sleuth-in-the-making. She muttered a few choice words when she stepped on several snapping twigs, but it didn’t compare to the old porch squeaks. As soon as she hit the first split board, the loud cracks and pops began. The darn planks moaned, whined, and groaned with each footstep.

  In her periphery, she noticed Opal hightailing it to the barn. Maybe they should’ve stayed together.

  About that time, the double metal doors swung wide open and the chilling sound of a dying generator filled the air. The lights went out and all was dark. Mary Louise turned. “Opal!” Her voice carried. A nearby cow responded with a bellowing moo.

  “Run!” Pearl motioned for her. “Get out of there!”

  Mary Louise paused in her tracks. “Wait. Is that a…”

  Before she could finish, a white single-cab truck with black tinted windows sped by her. Opal held fast to her red beanie. Right as the vehicle approached, she jerked the darn thing over her face, turning one way or another as if she didn’t have the ability to remove it again.

  Thinking she may have been disoriented, Mary Louise squatted next to the picket fence and waited for Opal to regain her bearings. When it didn’t happen, she and Pearl raced to her side.

  “Who was that?” Pearl twirled Opal around and rolled the material away from her face. “Any idea?”

  “No. I couldn’t see a doggone thing.”

  “Well I wonder why,” Mary Louise said.

  “Really,” Opal grumbled. “I couldn’t think of anything else to do. I didn’t want them to see me.”

  “I hate to tell you this but it needs to be said.” Pearl looked dead serious. “You wear costumes, not clothes. You never dressed for success or comfort but for attention. Whoever was behind the wheel of that truck, knows who you are.” She shuddered. “You’ve been marked.”

  “You sound jealous.” Opal remained clearly shaken. She kept fidgeting and looking around like she halfway expected the truck to return and plow right over them.

  “I’m not. But you and your wooden shoes are about as recognizable as a misplaced Scarecrow so if I were you, I’d click my heels and race for home. If we have a murderer on the loose, you’re probably next on his hit list. And I’m guessing he knows where to find you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “Are you planning to make this a regular habit?” Someone with a baritone voice stepped behind them as soon as they slipped through the gates and picked up their pace, walking toward the hillside manor.

  Pearl
was the first to spin around. She clasped her hands together and acted as pleased as punch. “Oh there you are, Dr. Smalls. Well I sure didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Well I expected to see you,” he informed her, sounding as if he were about to hand down corporal punishment.

  Opal thumbed the gate. “We were uh…trying to…”

  “Don’t you dare say ‘leave’ because I’ve been waiting for you. You’re the reason I was called in early this morning. You’re the reason that I’m standing before you now. Care to tell me what’s so important that you have Johnny from the Neighborhood Bar and Grill driving you around after dark?”

  Pearl clicked her tongue. “Well, if you must know. We’ve always been the kind of girls who like to ride around on the back roads and drink beer.”

  Opal immediately jerked. “Really?”

  Mary Louise stifled her laughter.

  “Is that right?” He sounded amused, which was a positive. “And Johnny drives you?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “While you drink beer?” His nostrils flared and Mary Louise assumed he didn’t detect alcohol.

  “Okay we’re caught,” Pearl said, throwing up her arms. “What do you want me to say?”

  “Start with the truth.”

  “He—Johnny—didn’t mean to. He isn’t involved.”

  “Is that right?” Dr. Smalls took a deep breath and stared at Pearl for a few moments before he addressed Opal. “I understand you were out at the Jackson place tonight. Care to tell me why?”

  “Not at all,” Opal said smugly. “It’s a free country.”

  “That’s all you have for me?”

  “Yes, pretty much. This is a retirement community and while I’m sure you have curfews and rules for your residents to follow, I have an obligation to help people I care about.”

  “Wait a minute.” He frowned. “Does this concern the same friend you mentioned this morning?”

  “What friend?” Opal turned to Mary Louise.

  She groaned. “We discussed our friend when we spoke to Dr. Smalls earlier. Remember?”

  “It was just this morning,” he said. “I’m sure it’s tough to keep your days and nights straight when you stay up until dawn and run around all night.”