“It is nice to meet you, Nurse Archer. Just call us Henrietta and Charles. You too, Deputy Forrest,” Charles said firmly.
His handshake gave Francis a measure of his lack of strength that was a little bit worrying.
“Then call me Francis, Charles,” he replied, and turned to Mrs. Graham. “Henrietta.”
Mark said nothing, but he smiled at the Grahams anyway. It was a polite smile, not reaching his eyes, and Francis wondered how much of that was because of the fact that Pearl must’ve told them Mark and Francis had been on a date.
“So, how have you been?” Mark asked as he took a seat on one end of the old couch and Francis on the other.
“Oh you know, comes and goes. Yesterday was rough, today is better,” Henrietta said.
“Pearl told us something about a situation with the home care company you’re using?” Francis prompted.
“Yes, what a horrible thing! Some elderly people in Mercer have been robbed!” she said, looking outraged and mildly scared.
“I have been in touch with the Mercer police department and they assured me that they’re looking into it all,” Mark said in his professional voice. “They have identified the nurse and nurse’s aide who were behind the events, but aren’t sure yet if there are others. So I’d still advise you to be careful with who you hire.”
“Naturally we’ve only accepted the more senior nurses and those that we’ve met before,” Charles said from his chair. He changed his position a bit, wheezing more than Francis would’ve liked.
“Would you mind if I made us all coffee or tea, whichever you prefer?” Francis asked, when Charles started to cough.
Henrietta looked at him with appreciation. “If you wouldn’t mind, dear, we’d both like tea.”
“Of course not. I’m sure I can find everything on my own, but I’ll come ask if I need help.” Francis got off the couch. “You chat with Mark for the time being.” He patted Henrietta’s hand in passing, taking note of how cool it felt despite the warmth of the house.
“Mark, tea?” he asked, and got a tight nod. Francis thought that Mark didn’t have tea with them normally, but given the situation, he wanted to make sure the Grahams felt as relaxed as possible around him. “Coming right up!” Francis smiled at him, before excusing himself.
The kitchen was large, meant for a big family, and something in Francis’s chest constricted at the thought of the couple living here alone.
There was dust on some of the surfaces, which told Francis that their cleaner didn’t come that often, and that they only used certain areas of the kitchen. Francis thought that might’ve been the case with the house as well. He hoped that they stayed downstairs, because the spiral staircase—too grand for the house but pretty nonetheless—was definitely dangerous for them both.
In short order, Francis made a pot of green tea with mint from the container that appeared to have been used the most, and set up a tray with all the necessary items. He carried it all into the living room and put it on the coffee table.
“No, no, don’t get up,” he said when Henrietta was about to move.
“Oh, bless your heart,” she said with feeling.
“Now you, you can move,” Francis told Mark, making Charles and Henrietta chuckle and Mark look a bit put out in an obviously fake way.
“How do you take your tea?” Mark asked, and they fixed the cups for the Grahams and delivered them to their respective end tables by their chairs.
“Would you like a fire?” Francis asked, nodding at the cold fireplace.
“Oh, if you don’t mind,” Charles said, then lifted a hand. “But please enjoy the tea first. There’s no rush.”
“Do you still have enough firewood in the utility room?” Mark asked, then blew into his tea cup.
“Yes, there’s plenty. The nurses who check up on us do laundry when they have time, and they complain about there being very little room in there.” Henrietta chuckled. “Truth be told, we’ve been thinking about hiring a nurse who could stay over at least some of the time.”
“Pearl said you were looking for a job, Francis?” Charles peered at him over his cup. “You’re new in town?”
“Well, yes and no. I’ve visited Acker since I was a college student. I’m a friend of Doctor Donovan’s and his late husband.”
“Ah, Marcus treated us both occasionally,” Henrietta said, then made a sad sound. “It’s so tragic how he went just like that. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.” Francis felt touched and gave her a small smile. “He was my childhood friend, we grew up together.”
“We are quite happy with the way Doctor Donovan has found a new love. It’s good for him. The ladies I talk to regularly say that he looks younger now,” Henrietta mused.
