Mr Wilmott Gets Old School

by Katherine Hayton

  The nurse glanced up, her eyes bloodshot. “He was a resident here, and a patient.” She smoothed her hair back from her brow and gazed at Emily. “You asked me why we keep the exit door locked, he’s why. He suffered from Alzheimer’s and liked to sit out in the garden. One day, he wandered away from his usual spot and never came back.”

  “How could you just let them cover it up?” Emily asked. She pressed a hand against her belly, feeling the vibrations of her stomach churning.

  Rebecca sighed. “Because if I told anybody, I’d lose my job. We all knew by midnight on the first night, he was dead and gone. The temperatures outside were freezing, and he was an old man, not dressed for the weather.”

  “You put this career above the life of a person under your care?”

  “Don’t judge me.” The nurse stood up, straightening her back. “If I lost my job here, even for a few days, all the residents here would be in danger. Allain Homeaway would never pay the rates required to get a decent replacement. Half the staff on duty here barely speak English and don’t have more than a carer’s certificate. If you knew how many times a day I have to stop someone administering medication at the wrong dose, it’d scare the life out of you.”

  Emily put her hands on her hips. “But, surely a doctor—”

  “There’s no doctor on staff. We have a GP come in once a month to address any complaints. It’s not often enough, and it leaves me in charge of administering the medication to this entire facility.”

  The sergeant shook his head. “Why didn’t you call the police? If there was an active investigation—”

  “I did call. Why didn’t you follow up?” She glared at the officer. “Nobody from your station even bothered to come out here to check. Did somebody even phone?”

  Sergeant Winchester pulled at his collar. “We have a call on file. An officer spoke to Allain Homeaway who insisted all his residents were accounted for.”

  “Great job, Sergeant. Heaven forbid you spend half an hour coming down here to check.”

  “We also patched a call through to the ministry of health. They performed their bi-annual appraisal early and reported back the same.”

  “I’m so glad your conscience is clear.”

  Winchester pulled a face. “What difference would it have made? If we came down here, it would’ve been exactly the same story. Unless somebody came forward—”

  “Allain and Margaret pulled this charade together in an afternoon. There’s no way it would’ve stood up to scrutiny. The other residents would have known Michael wasn’t who he said he was. It took them two full days to organise the room changes to reduce the chance of someone noticing. You saw Michael—the guilt’s been eating him alive right from the very start. He would’ve told you everything a few minutes after you got here if you’d only come.”

  She sat back down, her face crumpling in distress. “Why didn’t you come?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Later that afternoon, Emily was sorting through the new donations at the charity shop when Crystal dropped in to see her.

  “I don’t suppose you feel up to wielding a box-cutter, do you?” Emily asked as her friend popped a beaming face through the door. “If I don’t get a hurry-on with these, I’ll be in here tomorrow and Sunday.”

  “Give me a reason and I’m happy to cut anything up.”

  “I don’t think I want to delve into that statement!”

  They worked alongside each other for a few minutes, Crystal humming a psalm beneath her breath. As the pile came into shape, Emily sat back on her heels. “Did you drop by for a reason?”

  “Just to gossip,” Crystal said, tapping the side of her nose. “A little birdie told me there were a few arrests down at Stoneybrook Acres today.”

  “Yes, there were, and not before time.” Emily pulled down the sleeve of her blouse to rub it across her forehead where her exertion had produced a light sheen of sweat. “The director and the receptionist.”

  “Ah. I wondered if they were having a relationship.” Crystal nodded, seeming content, and lasted a full minute before further enquiring, “Your new ghost friend has gone, then?”

  Emily glanced into the corner where he stood, swaying back and forth as usual. Why he didn’t sit down, she couldn’t fathom. It made her knees swell just to look at him.

  “I take it that’s a no.” Crystal slid the blade of the box cutter along the masking tape on her current box, a smile appearing as she reached the end and opened up the flaps. “Ugh.” She folded the cardboard back over. “Unless there’s a market for old men’s magazines, I think you should steer clear.”

  “There is and I won’t, not if the charity can earn some money from them.” Still, Emily wasn’t in any hurry to take a look. There was an enormous difference between second-hand and soiled and she’d rather wait till she had gloves.

  “I did hear a rumour around town that Allain denies any part in your ghost’s murder,” Crystal said, flexing her hand before wielding the box cutter again.

  “Already?” Emily asked with a smile. She’d returned to Pinetar after a long absence just a few months ago and the speed of gossip in a small town still amazed her. It had only been a few hours since the arrest, yet already speculation had circled.

  “Apparently, they truly believed he walked away from the home and lost his way back.”

  “Not that it’s any better,” Emily said, her hands curling into fists. “Not reporting a missing person when you think he can’t find his way back home?” She shook her head. “It’s unconscionable. At least Michael had a reason for doing what he did, although Allain and Margaret taking advantage of a man who’s fallen on hard times just makes everything worse, yet again.”

  “Well, not quite as bad as murder.”

  “If they thought Mr Wilmott was out there, scared and alone, it is. To let someone die through fear you’ll lose your business is just as bad as wielding a knife or a rope to kill the person directly. Plus, Allain was cutting corners. Nurse Rebecca was scared to leave the home because he wouldn’t employ adequately trained staff.”

  Crystal raised her eyebrows at that, and Emily flushed a little. Yes, she had taken an adverse stance against the woman on short acquaintance and had to accept she’d judged her too harshly.

  “If they’d just reported him missing to the police, everything would’ve been so different.”

  “It seems Stoneybrook already had a couple of black marks against it,” Crystal said in a musing tone. “I think the two of them must’ve panicked. A third incident and the facility would go under supervision. Nobody wants to move into that sort of place. Whether the ministry closed them down or not, the business would have gone down the gurgler.”

  “And good riddance.”

  But Crystal shook her head. “Look, I don’t agree for a second with what those two did, covering up your ghost’s disappearance, but it’ll be a sad thing if our town does lose that retirement village. Our population isn’t getting any younger and I don’t want to move to another city when I can’t take care of myself any longer.”

  With that possibility on the cards for her a lot sooner than her friend, Emily conceded the point. “Not that it excuses anything.”

  “Of course, not. I hope they get it back up and running though. There were a lot of plans for expansion on the cards.”

  The two of them continued with their work, clearing up half of the boxes

  “Oh.” Crystal sat back, pointing the box cutter at Emily. “I almost forgot what I really came to tell you. I tracked down Aroha and it turns out Maui is her brother. He’s alive and well and living just up the road in Ashburton.”

  While the medium appeared pleased with herself, Emily shook her head. She couldn’t place the name at all.

  “Much good you are at all this investigation stuff,” Crystal scoffed. “It’s one of the names on the list, remember? The ones that Gladys circled from the Oakhaven School roll.”

  Emily tipped her head forward as the memory slipped into
place. “I’m not sure it’ll be any help.”

  Crystal dismissed the sentiment with a wave of her hand. “No one ever knows if someone’s going to be helpful until they hear them out. Besides, since your friend hasn’t found his doorway of light through to the next realm, it can’t hurt to try another avenue.”

  “I wish he’d just tell me what it is he wants.”

  “He probably wants you to stop talking about him like he’s not in the room.” The medium scrutinised her for a second. “You never acted this way with Cynthia.”

  “No, you’re right.” Emily sighed. “I’m being rude.”

  Crystal wrinkled her nose. “Well, rude-adjacent, anyway.”

  “Did you want me to give Maui a call and see if we can drop by and interrogate him about old times?”

  “Already done. We can visit any time tomorrow.” Crystal sat back and pulled an old enamel-coated canister out of her current box. It was coloured pastel blue and painted with a spray of yellow and white flowers. “This looks exactly like the set my Nana used to have.”

  Emily caught the tone of nostalgia in her voice. A quick appraisal told her they were worth twenty dollars snuck into the till. “Take them. It’s on the house.”

  “I couldn’t do that.” Despite the words, Crystal didn’t put the canister back into the box, either.

  “Of course, you can. My treat. I’m aware I’ve been a bit of a trial recently.”

  “Go on, you’re fine.”

  “No, I’m not.” Emily gave a low laugh. “I’m tired all the time because this fella keeps staring at me when I’m trying to sleep. It makes me grumpy all day long and since you’re the one I spend the most time with, you beat the brunt of it.”

  “Okay, then. Talk me into it.” Crystal set the tin to one side, then resumed her search. “I don’t know how you tell what’s rubbish and what’s gold in this lot. Most of it looks dire.”

  “Years of practice at knick-knack collecting, all of it gone when I downsized to my current place.”

  Not only due to lack of room but also for the money Emily could realise. If she’d known the objects it took her so long to obtain would be missed so little, she might have given them up earlier.

  “Once we get through that one, I think we might call it a day. I’m just going to pop downstairs to the little girl’s room.”

  She stopped by the till on the way past, giving Pete a twenty to cover Crystal’s present.

  “I heard you were involved in a bit of excitement up at Stoneybrook today,” he said with a grin.

  Emily rolled her eyes. Small town gossip. It was a wonder any bodies could remain buried with the number of tongues wagging non-stop.

  Cynthia greeted Emily at the door when she arrived home. “Please tell me you’ve worked out how to get rid of your new friend. He’s been moping around for hours, now. It gets tiring just looking at him.”

  “Hopefully, we’ll find out something more tomorrow about the bodies of the boys found at Stoneybrook.” Emily glanced into the lounge where Mr Wilmott stood, his face showing gentle despair. “We tracked down somebody in the class.”

  “Not that it’s helped so far,” Cynthia complained. “If the new one is as doolally as the rest, it’ll get us nowhere.”

  Emily smiled at her friend’s use of the word “us.” Things must be dire at home during the day to refer to them as a team.

  “Anyway, if you can look after Peanut tomorrow, it’ll be a great help.” Emily chucked the ghost cat under the chin, earning a look of pure admiration. “We could be gone for hours.”

  “You’re taking the medium?” Cynthia gave a derisive shake of her head. “Although, I suppose since this one’s alive, it’ll fit with her skillset better.” She raised her eyebrow at the cat. “How about it Peanut? Just you and me for the day. We can go haunt Nathaniel and Gregory.”

  “Or you could go for a nice walk and keep yourselves out of mischief.” Emily glanced at the ghost of Mr Wilmott again, frowning. “Did he tell you anything about what happened today?”

  She relayed the events, ending with a satisfied grin on the details of Allain Homeaway and Margaret Tillerson being arrested.

  “No, he didn’t tell me any of that.” Cynthia sat, petting Peanut on her lap for a moment. “Hey, Fred! Did all these arrests slip your mind?”

  The ghost stared blankly at the two of them, then his eyes drifted to the window and stayed there, his mouth drooping at the corners.

  “I hope you take him along with you tomorrow,” Cynthia said with a shake of her head. “Otherwise, he’ll be a dampener on the day.”

  Emily was relieved to find Mr Wilmott absent from the car the next morning. Whether he’d chosen to stay with Cynthia or take himself off to haunt someone else with his sullen silence, she didn’t know.

  The day had dawned with a thick fog, the droplets forming a cloud so thick that they set off with the headlights turned on. As the route steered further inland, the visibility dwindled, then they drove out the end of the cloud into the brightness of a sunny day.

  Late season lambs stood with their mothers, bleating about how cruel the cooling mornings were with their wool newly shorn. A crowd of bored cows chewed their cud in a field burned brown in the departing summer. Their eyes fixed on the car as it drove past, but they didn’t bother to turn their heads. A couple of horses flicked their ears at hovering flies but otherwise kept their attention on each other.

  “Do you have any questions prepared?” Emily asked, nerves waking up as the distance to Ashburton closed, firing off increasing rounds of anxiety. “I’m not the best when it comes to talking to total strangers.”

  “I thought we’d just wing it.” Crystal appeared completely unfazed by the task ahead. “It’s no different from holding a session with a new client. Once we have a little banter about the weather, it’ll be like we’re old friends.”

  The medium paused for a while, brow furrowed. “You know I grew up there?”

  Emily shook her head, shifting in her seat to take a closer look at her friend. “No. I presumed you were from Pinetar.”

  “Born and raised in Ashburton. My parents used to run a small lifestyle block, not that they were called that then.”

  “We called those no-lifestyle blocks back in my old job,” Emily said, smiling at the memory. “Not enough land to make any real money but enough work and responsibility to keep you occupied, day and night.”

  “That’s it. Everybody in town had it much the same. I used to pester my mum and dad to let me stay at Nana's house during the school holidays. It was the only time I’d ever get to rest.”

  “Whereabouts did she live?”

  “In Christchurch. She lived up the hill on Clifton Terrace, looking down on Sumner beach.”

  The longing in Crystal’s voice made Emily twist toward her. If they’d been standing in conversation instead of trapped inside car seats with belts, she would have reached out.

  “In Ashburton, I was always different. The kid who stood out by how she dressed and how she spoke. In and around Sumner Beach, there were lots of people just like me, including my nana. She was the one who first taught me there was more to life than just what we could see. I learned palm reading and astrology by the time I’d graduated the primers.”

  “Probably not the best way to help you fit in.”

  Crystal laughed, tears glimmering in her eyes. “Not at all. At least when I reached high school, I’d had practice at being the odd one out. When a few others drifted from the mainstream, I was there waiting.”

  “Leader of the freaks and geeks?”

  “Something like that. It was the first time I’d had friends in a while, that’s for sure.”

  Emily turned back to face forward, her hip sighing with relief at the posture change. “Why did you move to Pinetar instead of to Christchurch, then?”

  This time, it was Crystal’s turn to flick a curious glance Emily’s way. “You know.”

  “Know what?” Emily shook her head, the conver
sation getting away from her.

  “Pinetar is the home for all the freaks in our nation. The only people who stand out there are straight folks.”

  Emily opened her mouth to counter the statement, then slowly closed it again. She could hardly challenge Crystal’s words with a declaration that she was normal. After all, she was going to meet someone she didn’t know to try to rid herself of a silent ghost.

  If there was a standard for normality in the world, Emily couldn’t imagine her own situation rested inside it.

  Before she could think of another retort, Crystal had pulled the car to the side of the road, nudging the front bumper close to a recycling bin, emptied by the council but not yet dragged inside.

  “Well, let’s get in there and see what Maui has to say for himself.”

  Emily reached a hand out, to hold Crystal back for a minute, but she was too slow. The door slammed.

  As she joined the medium on the doorstep, Emily swallowed hard then jumped. The ghost had joined them, after all, standing behind Crystal with his hands hanging loosely by his sides. His eyes stared ahead blankly, absorbing the shadows out of the day.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I haven’t thought of that place in a long time,” Maui Hilliburton said. From his tone, Emily gathered he didn’t want to think about it now.

  “Thanks for agreeing to see us,” she said. “Especially on such short notice.”

  “It’s not like I was doing anything else.”

  For a man in his early seventies, Maui was sprightly. He was overweight, maybe even obese by today’s standards, but his joints didn’t appear to have noticed. His movements were full of grace, his voice melodic.

  Emily felt like a hundred years old standing next to him.

  “There’s tea and coffee in the kitchen if you want some,” Maui said after they’d all taken a seat in his drawing room. “I won’t offer to make it for you, but if you’re happy to sort it, help yourselves.”