by Nancy Bush
“We can witness it,” Garrett said positively. “She just has to sign it. What part of that aren’t you getting?”
James flushed and subsided into silence. Benjamin, who was already giving us his back, stiffened and stared fixedly out the window.
I wasn’t sure what the truth was. I didn’t much care. All I knew was that I was beginning to feel protective of Orchid, and I didn’t like the way the rest of the family seemed to think so little about her as a person.
There was a soft rap on the door. Everyone looked at the panels expectantly. Since I was closest, I answered the knock. Reyna’s assistant came in with a tray of tiny, powdery cakes and a teapot. My mouth watered at the sight of it. So, they did do afternoon tea. I couldn’t believe my wish had come true.
Garrett flapped a hand at her. “Put it on the table, Carlotta. Thank you.”
She hurriedly did as she was bidden and disappeared, softly closing the doors behind her.
Nobody jumped on the food. I wondered if I could just step forward and help myself. I had a feeling that no, that would not be okay. I was the help, after all.
To underscore this Garrett turned to me and said, “I know Jazz hired you as Mother’s caretaker in some capacity. Frankly, I’m surprised you took the job. I thought you were a private investigator. In any case, we won’t tolerate interference. And I think we’re perfectly capable of taking care of her ourselves. My wife would be happy to keep Mother company.”
Satin’s eyes widened in surprise. I got the feeling this was not okay. She instantly bent her head and began playing with her fingernails again as if it were an Olympic sport.
Dahlia regarded her brother with disgust. “Oh, Garrett. We need somebody outside the family.”
I’d been a bit surprised that Dahlia was the one chosen for power of attorney. I’d expected it to be Garrett. Now, I saw why. Garrett’s ham-fisted way of handling all things Orchid had put her off—and probably everyone else in the family as well. Dahlia was the next choice, and she was a better one.
And Jazz had said his grandmother didn’t trust men.
“I don’t see why,” he huffed.
“She doesn’t really listen to me,” Satin said softly.
Garrett’s nostrils flared. “If you’d just try a little harder, it would be fine. If everyone would just step up this would be resolved.”
I reached in my pocket for my cell phone, more to finger it like a talisman than any urgency to call anyone. It wasn’t there. I lost my focus on the conversation for a moment as I was sure I’d taken it out of my purse. Nobody seemed to notice my attention lapse, nobody but Rosalie anyway. She stared blankly at me through huge blue eyes. Kinda creeped me out anew.
There was a lively discussion about whether to bring in Neusmeyer now, or try to coerce Orchid into signing first. I kind of blanked out. I thought about Binkster in the car. She would probably need another potty trip soon. I thought of Orchid upstairs waiting and decided my cell phone had dropped out when I’d comforted her on the couch. I wondered if I could make a quick stop at her room to check, or if I would get wrangled into staying on, an idea that seemed distinctly unpleasant. I was tired of the family after just one day.
I also wondered if Dwayne had called me while I was phoneless. Or maybe Jazz? This momentarily lifted my spirits. Momentarily, because this job was bound to be short. No more money and maybe no more Jazz.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other as shadows lengthened outside the windows. Soon there was out and out darkness. But the Purcells just kept talking. I finally decided I’d had enough. I mean, was I even getting paid for this? I was about to simply up and leave when the family meeting finally broke up though there was no resolution in sight. I murmured a good-bye and raced outside before they could buttonhole me. Binks was curled into a ball, asleep, but when I opened the door she popped up. I clipped on her leash and took her for a stroll in the opposite direction from the playhouse. When we were finished and I was on my way back to my car, Reyna appeared at the back door, her dark brows an anxious line.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“Mrs. Orchid is missing.”
“What? Missing? What does that mean?”
“She is not in her room.”
“Well, she has to be,” I insisted, though there was really no good reason to feel that way. “Does she ever leave? I got the impression she was pretty much confined to her room. By choice, mostly.”
“She never wants to leave. The only time was when Eileen was not coming back. Then she said she would go, but she stayed.”
“Well, when was the last time she left the house?”
“A month…maybe…leetle more? Doctor’s appointment.”
“Then, I suspect she’s around here somewhere. We were all here all afternoon. She could be on the grounds.” My inner eye saw the drop-off at the front of the house and my heart clutched a little.
“Carlotta and I were in the kitchen except when we go downstairs.” She looked even more worried.
“What’s downstairs?”
“Linens. Food supplies…” She cupped her chin in her hand. I could practically hear her thinking. I sensed that Reyna and Carlotta might have been gone for a while. Reyna was clearly afraid she would be blamed for Orchid’s disappearance.
“She’s got to be here,” I assured her. “I was just going to check on her.”
I put Binks back in the car and went up to Orchid’s rooms myself. True to Reyna’s fears, Orchid was nowhere to be found though I walked through all four rooms of her suite, checked the closets and even under the beds. A long shot, but stranger things have happened. I half-expected her to be playing hide-and-seek.
In the main room—the living room of her domain—I stood by the satellite blue couch and called, “Orchid? Nana? It’s Jane Kelly.” When that didn’t work, I said, “It’s Eileen, Nana. Where are you?”
No answer.
I could feel the lines form between my brows. I didn’t like it one bit. It had only been a couple of hours since I’d seen her—though the Purcell meeting felt like an eternity—but the plain truth was: Orchid was gone.
Before I left, I dug through the couch cushions. My cell phone was tucked behind one, right where I’d expected to find it. For that I sent up a small prayer.
Slipping the phone in my pocket, I headed out of Orchid’s suite. There was another bedroom at this end of the gallery and I twisted the knob and peeked inside. I was met by the faint scent of cloves. Further exploration revealed a series of candles, unlit, emitting the scent. There was a lived-in feel to the room though it now looked abandoned. I surmised it had been Eileen’s room. I searched it quickly and thoroughly, but there was no one hiding inside, and there was nothing of a personal nature within it other than the candles.
Crossing the gallery, I sent a glance down to the entry hall where Purcell members were saying good-bye to those leaving—which basically was Cammie and Rosalie. James looked upward and I waved. They clearly didn’t know Orchid was missing, yet.
There were three doors on the south end of the gallery. James’s rooms faced east, toward the river. I know because I’d gotten a quick look when the door had been ajar earlier in the day. James had been standing in the aperture, and I’d smiled and said I was acquainting myself with the house. He’d simply blocked any further view, and I hadn’t deemed it important to snoop. Now, I tested the knob and found it locked.
Dahlia and Roderick’s rooms were at the end of the hall, done in the same green and gold as the salon. They’d moved in hastily, clothes strewn about. There was an adjoining door to a smaller room which must be Benjamin’s, though I thought he was kind of old to be moving around with Mom and Dad.
“Temporary,” I reminded myself. They’d all come home to roost for Nana.
Both Dahlia and Roderick and Benjamin’s bedrooms had a bathroom attached, a modernization that also extended to the suite of rooms behind the third and last hallway door. I pushed it open and entered an alco
ve with sloping ceilings that looked like they could take out unsuspecting visitors. I could imagine smacking my forehead into one and going out cold.
These rooms were occupied by Garrett and Satin, and one door led to another room and to another, and then the bathroom. Dormers allowed just enough headroom to make them livable. I walked through the rooms, opening each door and closing it behind me as I went. The first room was a bedroom done in white and blue, the second room was a sitting room with an ancient chaise longue. I hesitated a moment, imagining Lilac Grace lying on its dusty gold brocade surface, writing stories in a language only she understood, then I hurriedly opened the door to the next room, which was full of dolls in varying outfits: red, blue, purple, black, ecru, chartreuse…you name it. I stood in frozen horror in the doorway. I’m sure I must have played with dolls at least once, as a kid, but faced with all their little painted faces, I felt my heartbeat thunk hard against my chest and my palms sweat.
There was a little pillow in the center of the daybed with crewel embroidery stitched onto its lacy cover. The dolls surrounded it like a shrine.
I looked closely and read: Rhoda.
These dolls were for the baby who’d died of SIDS? Or, had the dolls come first?
Either way, I backed out of the room and into the hallway—directly into a human body. I emitted a little shriek before I caught myself.
“What are you doing?” Cammie demanded.
I whipped around. She was frowning at me, Rosalie propped on her hip. “I’m—”
“Snooping?”
“Searching.” I sounded slightly breathless. No wonder. My pulse was still rocketing along.
“Searching for what? Something to steal? Something to have my grandmother give you as a gift?”
“I was searching for your grandmother,” I answered, pulling myself together with an effort.
She gave me a pissy look. “Nana’s rooms are at the other end of the hall.”
James reached the top step and headed for us, looking a bit wild. “What’s going on? What are you doing here?”
I wished I’d had time to unlock his door. It was secured with a privacy lock, the kind on any residential bathroom, the easiest type to breach. All you need is a thin piece of metal to poke in the little hole beside the knob. I’d managed this trick more than a few times when Booth and I had chased each other around the house. He was great at locking himself away from me; I was great at finding my way in.
“I brought Rosalie up to play with the dolls and I found her here,” Cammie told him.
“Nana’s missing,” I said.
Cammie started. “What do you mean?”
“Missing?” James repeated.
“Reyna went to her rooms and she was gone. I was looking for her.”
My phone buzzed. I whipped it out and examined the LCD, hoping for some kind of rescue. But it wasn’t Jazz or Dwayne or even Cynthia. It was my mother. I pushed it back in my pocket. This was definitely not the time for one of my convoluted conversations with Mom.
James and Cammie looked at each other, absorbing what I’d said. Cammie said slowly, “Well, you were the last one to see her.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“Well, weren’t you? You were with her this afternoon. Was there someone else there?”
“They could have visited after me. A lot of people live here.”
“Is this a riddle? I’m trying to get information and you’re just making it so hard!”
“I’m just saying you can’t assume I was the last person to see her,” I answered, holding on to my temper with an effort.
“Call it an educated guess.”
James cleared his throat. “Maybe she went for a walk.”
“Nana?” Cammie turned her glare on him. “Since when?” She flipped back to me. “Wasn’t this your job, to take care of her?”
“Glad you brought it up,” I said. “I’m not exactly sure what my job is.”
“Well, was she upset? The last time you saw her? Did she say anything? You’re supposed to be the one who examines this stuff, aren’t you? Dwayne seems to think you know what you’re doing. Where is she? Why don’t you know?”
Her voice grew in volume throughout this speech as did my temper. I wanted to take her on, but instead, remembering how Dwayne said she’d grown crazy with rage, I kept my tongue in my head and my mouth shut.
James looked scared. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to find her.” Cammie stalked toward the stairs.
Within ten minutes she’d alerted the whole family that Orchid wasn’t on the premises. I thought this was premature as there was a lot of ground to cover on the Purcell property. She could be anywhere and I didn’t really believe Orchid would just take off.
Everyone searched the house. Nothing. Garrett, Benjamin and Roderick started pacing off the grounds, covering every square inch. James went into his rooms and returned, declaring his mother hadn’t found her way to his space. I made a mental note to check his rooms myself, if I were given the chance. There was just something fishy about him that begged to be explored.
Night descended and the breeze kicked up to a cold wind. The Purcells began returning from their respective searches, huddling in the main salon. It had been several hours, and it was growing clear that Orchid was definitely missing.
As this realization took root, they all started looking my way. I wanted to be angry with them, and I was, but I was also really worried. Alzheimer’s sufferers who wander off sometimes come to horrifying ends. I didn’t want this to happen to Orchid. And I sure as hell didn’t want it to happen on my watch.
I called Dwayne for help and got his answering machine. He wasn’t picking up his cell, either. I gritted my teeth. He was probably on a job.
By seven-thirty, after the house and grounds had been scoured, we knew she was not on the premises. Garrett and Satin drove around the area, hoping to find her, but she was gone.
Roderick looked at me and asked, “What did you say to her that caused her to leave?”
Oh, sure. Blame the outsider. I stated flatly, “Nothing.”
“You must have said something,” Dahlia insisted.
My phone buzzed again. I yanked it from my pocket. Seeing the caller was Jazz, I answered, “Hey, there. You haven’t seen your grandmother, have you?”
“Nana?” Jazz asked. “You mean, today? No. I’ve been at a school function with Logan, tonight. One I didn’t remember. Kind of a Meet the Teachers meeting. The school counselor wants to make sure Logan stays on track, especially since the accident. I’m still learning the ropes about this being a single parent. Jennifer took care of everything. Now it’s me.” He seemed to recognize something in my continued silence, because he added, “So, how did it go with Nana today?”
“Not great.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Well, it looks like Nana’s missing.” I glanced around at the sea of angry, set Purcell faces. “You might want to get over here before your family decides to skin me alive.”
Chapter Seven
When Jazz arrived, everybody in the family started playing Cover Your Ass. Accusatory glances came my way in a steady stream. I might have felt really bad except Jazz wasn’t giving his family’s attitude serious consideration, at least for the moment. I hoped his allegiance would last once they started working on him, but you just never know.
“Someone must have seen her,” Jazz said. “She couldn’t just walk off and disappear.”
“Nana’s not that fast,” Cammie agreed. “She’s got to be around here.” She hiked Rosalie up on her hip. Both of them looked cranky and tired. “She couldn’t have gone far.”
But the truth was, Nana was nowhere to be found. Which made me wonder if she could have had help. Maybe she’d plotted her escape all along. “Did she receive any calls?” I asked.
“No,” Garrett said immediately. “We would have heard the phone.”
“Does she visit anyone?”
There was a mad dash to the phone. Garrett demanded Eileen’s number and Dahlia pulled it off her cell phone. She reeled off the digits and as Garrett dialed, I committed them to memory. Eileen seemed a key player in the Purcell drama, whether they wanted her to be or not, so while they were entrenched in locating the ex-caretaker, I plugged her number into my cell phone.
It turned out that no, Eileen had not seen or heard from Orchid. Eileen made this clear to Garrett herself, adding that she was terminated most unfairly by all of the Purcell children and though she hoped Orchid was all right, she suspected the lot of them had been thinking only of themselves and Orchid’s well-being was overlooked yet again. I picked up this sentiment by Garrett’s ever-more succinct and furious responses just before crashing the receiver down in a fit of temper. Satin bent her head and tried to disappear. Dahlia seemed stumped. Jazz’s handsome face was full of worry, which gave him more character somehow. I let myself concentrate on him as a means to weather the Purcell storm.
“Good riddance,” Garrett muttered. The dark red color beneath his skin had not subsided. I didn’t like him much, but if I were examining him objectively I would have to admit that he had been given the gift of the Purcell good looks. In his midfifties, he was still a handsome man, even with the extra forty pounds he carried and his pain-in-the-ass, thumb’s-down personality. I glanced around at the others. James IV was too slight and anxious to rise to his own attractiveness. Dahlia had missed out; part of the unfair delineation between the men and women in the family. Benjamin was exotic, catlike and androgynous. He had his father’s dark hair and eyes but there was something Purcell in the shape of his face and his mouth. If he ever actually smiled he might be devastating. As it was, he didn’t do anything for me, speaking strictly from a female point of view.
Rosalie seemed like she might escape the “Purcell girls are plainer” thing and be a looker. But she had that Children of the Corn kind of blue-eyed look I couldn’t quite get past.