“Oh, probably. Tallus is planning it, so it’s going to be extravagant.”
“You should wear your uniform, Boone. It’s so handsome on you.”
“Not sure it fits anymore, Nana.”
“Oh, pish-posh. You won’t know until you try.”
I wasn’t sure the uniform existed anymore. Boone had been gone for ages, and the amount of Nana’s belongings we had moved to the home was minimal. If it was sitting in a box somewhere, that box was likely in my father’s basement, and it would be a cold day in hell before I went looking for it.
Besides, the thought of playing dress up in Boone’s uniform made me uncomfortable.
“Who did you say found this for you?” I took the frame from her so I could look at the picture. So far as I understood, Nana’s albums were still at my father’s house.
“The nice boy. You know. The one giving me a party.”
“Tallus?” I wasn’t aware Tallus had done such a thing, but Nana was likely mistaken.Nice boycould refer to anyone who presented masculine and paid her attention.
Nana clucked her tongue. “I don’t remember his name. But I know you.” She waggled a shaky finger, tittering again. “Oh, Boone. Would you like some coffee? I sure would. It’s right there. Be a dear.”
“It’s probably cold, Nana. Do you want a fresh one?”
“Oh no. It’s fine.”
I passed her the ceramic mug, ensuring she had hold of it before letting go. She turned her attention to the drink, so I studied Boone’s face in the faded picture, making a mental note to ask Tallus if he planned to have music and dancing because Nana might enjoy it. He might have told me already, but I wasn’t retaining much information when it came to the party.
“Mr. Krause?”
I glanced away from the photo to find a bejeweled woman standing off to the side of the seating area. Her gaudy ensemble and rhinestone-emblazoned frames reeked of pretension. Ruby Kensington was a squat woman in her early fifties. She wore a calf-length skirt and silk blouse that needed to be done up a smidge higher lest her god-given assets tumble free. I feared the slightest wrong movement might perpetuate an avalanche of life-scarring proportions.
Evergreen had a no scent policy, but I imagined Ruby was the type of woman who bathed unashamedly in noxious floral scents on her days off.
Once she had my attention, she waved to the elevator. “This way.”
I set the picture frame on the end table since Nana was still drinking her cold coffee and kissed her silver curls. “I’ll come back and say goodbye before I leave.”
Nana didn’t respond, eyes glazed over, no doubt lost in time gone by.
9
Diem
Diem
Ruby Kensington, Evergreen’s director, led me to a closet-sized room on the first floor, lecturing me the entire way. She was doing me a favor, she said, and ordinarily she would require proper protocol to be followed in situations like this, and did I know what proper protocol was, Mr. Krause?
I disliked her instantly and regretted not waiting for Tallus’s next day off to tackle this task.
“You know,” I informed her when she cut her judgmental gaze in my direction, peering over the top of her obnoxious glasses. “The police don’t require a warrant if the party cooperates and allows them access to whatever it is they need. Most people willingly help because they don’t want to impede an investigation. In fact, they want nothing more than to facilitate an investigation. A warrant is only necessary if someone isn’t cooperative and the police feel that acquiring the information is imperative to move the case forward.”
Ruby stopped at a door markedSecurity. No unauthorized personnel, and propped her hands on her hips. I assumed the guts of the building’s security system lived on the other side.
Instead of letting me in, she peered down her long nose. “The police didn’t ask to view the footage, so I assumed it wasn’t necessary. When Donna suggested—”
“The police likely didn’t ask because they are up to their eyeballs in fraud cases and don’t have the manpower or hours to work on a case that won’t be solved. The chances of tracking down the kid who pretended to be Mr. Scarrow’s grandson is unlikely. Getting the money back?” I shook my head. “Won’t happen.”
Ruby shifted and crossed her arms in a way that boosted her ample bosom. She stood over a foot and a half shorter, and the action made the already over-exaggerated gap in her blouse swell, giving me a direct line of sight to things that would extend my therapy sessions long into the future.
I redirected my attention to a pair of nurses who chatted at the other end of the hallway. Why was this my life? Why couldn’t Tallus have been here to smooth Ruby’s ruffled edges instead of me? Why couldn’t she have done up one extra button on her blouse?
