by Jeff Shelby
It had originally been set for late afternoon but Anne had insisted we shift the time to mid-morning. I’d objected but when she once again threatened to cancel it altogether, I decided earlier was better than never.
However, I wasn’t sure all the residents had gotten the memo that the time had shifted because I was currently playing a loose version of pool volleyball with just five residents. I’d decorated the pool deck with paper palm tree cutouts and some tropical flower garlands I’d picked up from the local dollar store. Lola contributed fruit platters filled with pineapple and strawberries and Denise was stationed behind a makeshift bar, ready to whip up virgin tropical drinks to whomever requested one.
At ten-thirty in the morning, I didn’t know that she’d get many takers.
The game had started off friendly enough, with no score and no real order to what we were doing. But then I noticed Ethel and Louise seemed to be taking it a bit more serious than the rest of us. At first, it was nothing more than a suggestion by Louise that we keep score.
Then the serves got a bit harder.
Then they started trash talking one another at the net.
“I thought you'd be able to serve better than that,” Louise said with a smirk.
“And I thought you'd be able to hit the ball harder,” Ethel glowered.
Louise didn't take kindly to that remark and she narrowed her eyes.
On the very next ball that came to Louise, she purposely waited too long to take a swing at. When she did, she struck it with her fist and send the ball skidding across the water, underneath the net.
And right into Ethel's face.
Louise smiled. “Oops.”
Ethel had her hands to her face and mumbled something that sounded profane, but I wasn't sure.
“Why don’t we take a break?” I suggested.
Ethel glowered at Louise, but made her way toward the steps. I followed her out of the pool and headed straight for Denise’s bar.
She raised an eyebrow. “Surprised everyone made it out alive.”
“You and me both.”
“You need a drink?”
“Only if you can slip alcohol in it.”
She shook her head. “No can do. But I’ll bet the virgin strawberry daiquiri tastes like the real thing.” She poured some of the red blended drink into a plastic glass and shoved it in my direction.
“No thanks,” I said.
“I’ll take it,” a loud voice said from behind me.
Billie Applegate swooped in and picked up the drink. She was wearing white capri pants and a red shirt that almost matched her hair color.
She took a dainty sip from the glass, her lips puckering. “My, that’s tart.”
“How come you didn’t get in the pool?” I asked her.
She motioned toward her walker. “Can’t bring this in there with me, now can I?”
“You swim all the time,” I reminded her.
Billie lifted her foot off the ground. “Yeah, but my plantar fasciitis is really bugging me these days. Makes it hard to walk.”
“You could hold on to the edge of the pool and just stand in the water,” I told her. “Or you could hold on to me.”
She scoffed. “You’re too slippery.”
“What?”
“All that sunscreen and exposed skin.” She frowned. “And you have no meat on your bones. Nothing to hold on to, even if I could get a grip.”
I didn’t know whether to take offense or not.
“Besides, I’ve been keeping June company.” Billie pointed to a table near the building.
“I didn’t know she was down here,” I said.
“She came down a little bit ago,” Billie said.
“She’s not swimming, either?” This caught me by surprise. June loved to swim and often was in the water even on days when it was deemed too cold by all of the other residents.
Billie shook her head. “She’s too busy looking through rental magazines.”
“Rental magazines?”
Billie nodded. “Said something about needing to move soon.”
I glanced around for a towel, hoping I could wrap myself up in one before heading over to June’s table, but I didn’t see any. The sun had already done good work drying my skin but my suit was still wet.
“What are you up to?” I asked June as soon as I got to her table.
She looked up at me with puffy, bloodshot eyes.
I sat down on an empty chair next to her. “Is everything okay?”
She sucked in a shaky breath. “Everything is fine.”
I tapped the magazine on the table. “What’s this?”
“A rental magazine. Senior living opportunities.” Her chin trembled. “Since I need to move.”
My stomach clenched. I didn’t know what to say.
“Have you talked to Anne?” I asked. “Maybe she could make some arrangements for you, considering the circumstances.” I knew she’d already promised to offer up a discounted rent to June for next month, but I had no idea if she’d discussed that with her. Knowing Anne, she’d probably said one thing but done another. I made a mental note to ask her about it.
June pointed her pen at a circled listing. “This one doesn’t seem too bad,” she said, seemingly ignoring my last comment.
I glanced at the ad. There was a black and white picture of a two-story brick building, along with a bulleted list of amenities. It was a short list. Cable. Laundry facilities. A/C.
“Are there any others?” I asked.
June nodded. “A couple. But at my price, they are few and far between, I’m afraid.” She flipped to the next page. “And I still have quite a few pages to look at. I’m sure I’ll find something.”
I admired her optimism, even if I didn’t share it.
I hated to admit it but I was worried about her. Worried where she might end up. Oasis Ridge wasn’t luxury living, but residents had nice apartments, decent meals, nice amenities, and a calendar of regularly scheduled events. Based on the one ad I’d just looked at, I wasn’t sure what June might end up with.
“Are those recipes?” a voice behind us asked.
June and I both turned. Ruth was wrapped in a pink towel that matched the pink swim cap protecting her hair. A large pink seashell earring decorated each earlobe.
“Recipes?” June repeated.
Ruth motioned to the magazine on the table. “For new creams and lotions. Are you researching new recipes?”
“Oh. No, I’m not,” June said.
“Good. I like the old stuff. When do you think you might have some new batches whipped up?” Ruth asked. She leaned close and, in a conspiratorial whisper, added. “I need some more anti-wrinkle neck cream.”
“I’m not sure,” June said.
“And the personalized toner you made for me is almost gone, too,” Ruth continued.
June shifted in her seat, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
“June’s pretty busy these days,” I said. “Aren’t you, June?”
She gave a faint nod.
“In fact, didn’t you say you needed to head up to your apartment?” I prompted.
At first, she frowned at me but then her expression cleared. “Oh, why yes, I did.” She reached out for her magazine. “I…I need to go do some…things.”
If Ruth knew that I’d created an excuse and June was sloppily trying to own it, she didn’t let on. Instead, she simply offered a wave as June shuffled toward the patio doors and back inside the building.
As soon as she was gone, however, Ruth slumped down in her seat. “I really wish she’d get back into production mode.”
“You’re a big fan of her products?”
Ruth nodded emphatically. “Oh my, yes. Best products I’ve ever used. I have sensitive skin, you know. Seems like I have a reaction to everything under the sun. Sometimes right away, sometimes after using for a while. But I never had a problem with June’s products. I think it was because they were all natural. She didn’t put any of those toxic chemica
ls in it. I hope she starts back up soon.”
I didn’t want to speak to the break-in or the fact that June had decided to discontinue her business. One, it wasn’t my news to share and two, I was a firm believer that gossip among the residents was never a good thing.
Ruth continued. “Anne brought in some other stuff a couple of weeks ago. Supposedly all natural. And wouldn’t you know, my face was as red as a tomato the next day. I tried half a dozen different products and couldn’t tolerate a single one.”
“Anne brought stuff in?” This was news to me.
Ruth nodded. “A whole bag of samples.”
“Why?” My head was beginning to spin. “Was she selling stuff?”
“I don’t think so,” Ruth said. “If I remember correctly, they were samples of products she uses. She just wanted to share so we could try them out. To give us other options, she said. Whatever that means.”
I knew exactly what that meant.
Anne didn’t share, and Anne didn’t seem like the kind of person to give away anything for free. Not unless she stood to benefit from it, that is.
And I knew what her end goal was in handing out those samples.
Taking business away from June.
I stood up.
“Are we ready for round two?” Ruth asked.
I stared blankly at her.
“Of the volleyball tournament.” She was already unwrapping herself from her towel.
“Oh.” I’d completely forgotten we were on a break from our game. “Um, I need to run inside and take care of a couple of things. You guys can get warmed up.”
“We’re already warmed up,” Ruth said. “We’ve already played a round.”
“Right.” I knew I sounded distracted, but I didn’t care. “Well, you guys can get started without me. Just, uh, make sure no one throws the ball at anyone’s head.”
I hurried off before she could say anything else. My mind had shifted away from the pool party and onto something a little more important.
Finding Aidan so I could tell him that we definitely had a suspect.
Anne.
THIRTEEN
Aidan wasn’t hard to find.
Because I ran right into him.
I sprinted into the building and took an immediate right down the hallway.
And bumped into his backside.
Aidan whirled around with his arms out, probably ready to assist what he assumed to be a resident tumbling to the floor.
Surprise registered on his face when he saw me. “Sunny. Are…are you okay?”
His eyes drifted down the length of my body and my skin caught fire. I suddenly remembered what I was wearing.
Or rather, what I wasn’t wearing.
The bathing suit I had on was the most modest one I owned but it was still a two-piece, and it still only covered about ten percent of my body.
“I was in the pool,” I said. I watched in horror as my creamy white skin turned pink, like someone was using a brush to paint my entire body. “We’re having the pool party today.”
It took some effort but Aidan finally forced his gaze back to mine. His own cheeks were pink, his eyes slightly hooded. He coughed. “I figured.”
We stood there awkwardly for a moment, me in my still-damp bathing suit and Aidan in his scrubs, just staring at each other.
He blinked and then looked down at the cart he was pushing. A cart filled with freshly laundered towels. “Here.” He thrust one at me. “I was actually taking these out to the pool deck. For the pool party.”
I wrapped the towel around my mid-section. Or tried to. But they were hotel-sized towels, the kind better suited to a child’s body than an adult’s.
“Where are you going?” he asked. “Did you need something? I’m happy to get it for you…”
My head finally cleared and I remembered exactly why I’d rushed back inside.
To find him and tell him what I’d just learned from Ruth.
“I was looking for you.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Me? Why?”
I could hear the unasked question in his voice. In your swimsuit?
I cinched the towel tighter around me. “I was just talking to Ruth and she mentioned something that happened a week or so ago.”
“What?”
“She said that Anne came in with a bunch of beauty product samples.”
“And?”
“Don’t you see?” I blew out an impatient breath. “Anne brought samples in and distributed them to the residents. Why would she do something like that?”
Aidan shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Well, I think it’s safe to say she didn’t do it out of the goodness of her heart.” Especially considering I sometimes wondered if she even had a heart. “I think she did it to sabotage June.”
He stared at me blankly. “By handing out product samples?”
“Sure,” I said, nodding. “If people liked those products, they might want to buy those instead of June’s.”
“That feels like a bit of a stretch.”
“If we’re being honest, all of this feels like a bit of a stretch, doesn’t it?” I sighed. “Someone breaking into June’s apartment. Destroying all of her merchandise. Anne’s reaction. Jackie being happy about it, too.”
I knew he couldn’t argue with me there.
“This kind of thing isn’t normal,” I said. I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Is it?”
He shook his head.
“And we both know that Anne has the capacity to do awful things, especially if it benefits her. Putting June out of business falls into that category.”
“It does,” Aidan admitted. “I would absolutely think she was responsible if it wasn’t for the timing issue. The visit.”
“I know.” My sigh was deeper this time. “That’s the only thing standing in the way of me being convinced she’s the one who did it.”
“I don’t know,” Aidan said slowly.
“What don’t you know?”
He hesitated. “I think I might have found someone else.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone else we should be looking at.”
“What?” I was confused. “Who?”
Aidan gripped the handles of the cart. “Dexter saw something that morning.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention, and not because I was standing in an air-conditioned hallway in my damp swimsuit. “What?”
“He saw someone else leave June’s apartment the morning of the vandalism.”
My voice was barely a whisper. “Who?”
“Rudy. The VIPS guy.”
FOURTEEN
I was all ears. “What? How did you find this out?”
“I told you,” Aidan said. “Dexter told me.”
“When?” I demanded. “Why is this the first I’m hearing of it?”
“Because he just told me this morning,” he replied. “I was going to tell you when you were done with the pool party. I knew you were busy with the residents.”
I leaned against the wall in the hallway. “But we saw him that day,” I said, remembering when Rudy had shown up at June’s door. “He had a dolly loaded with boxes to deliver.”
“I’m just telling you what Dexter told me.”
“What are you two doing?” Anne was standing at the edge of the hallway, her hands on her hips. “I’m not paying the two of you to stand around, am I?”
I sprang away from the wall as if I’d been electrocuted. Aidan straightened. “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I was delivering these towels to the pool deck.”
Anne narrowed her eyes. “Last time I checked, the pool was outside the building.” She fixed her steely gaze on me. “And you are supposed to be out there, too. Leading the activities, right? Since you were the one who begged me to keep this on the schedule for this week.”
“Because the residents wanted it,” I countered, immediately feeling like I was on the defensive. “And yes, I’m heading back out there now. W
e both are.”
She pursed her lips. “Stay busy. Both of you. If you find yourself with even a minute of downtime, you come find me. I have plenty of things that need to be done.”
“I’m sure you do,” Aidan muttered under his breath.
Anne flounced off. As soon as she disappeared, Aidan reached for me. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me across the hall and into a utility closet.
“What the—?”
Even in the minimal light, I could see the grin spreading across his face. “I figured this is the only place we’ll be able to talk in private. Without interruptions.”
I glanced down. There was barely an inch of space between us, and I was suddenly keenly aware of the close proximity of his body to mine. I could smell the laundry detergent lingering on his clothing, could feel the heat of his breath on my skin and the subtle scent of peppermint. Probably his toothpaste or gum.
He backed up away from me, but bumped into something that elicited a groan and propelled him right toward me again. This time, his shoulder grazed my chest and the spark generated could have probably powered the entire building.
“Maybe this was a bad idea,” he murmured.
I needed to focus.
We both did.
“Rudy,” I managed to say. “We were talking about Rudy.”
He cleared his throat. “Right. I was talking to Dexter this morning after breakfast. He’d heard about what happened to June and asked if we’d talked to Rudy. When I asked him why, he said he’d been in the apartment earlier that morning.”
“How early?”
“Dexter couldn’t remember. He didn’t go to breakfast that day, so his schedule was a little off. And he didn’t think to look at the clock. Trust me, I asked.”
I thought back to Rudy’s visit to June’s apartment, when Aidan and I had been there, ready to help clean up the mess from the break-in. I couldn’t recall his initial reaction to the scene, but I did remember what he’d said. He’d seemed inordinately happy that he would no longer be delivering packages to June.
“Do you remember what Rudy said the other morning?” I asked. “When he stopped by June’s with the delivery?”