Beware the Orchids (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 1) Page 2

  Oh, no.

  3

  “You may sit as a guest at the employee table,” Alice told Grandma when we entered. “Or anywhere among the residents. We’ll get you checked in after supper. You have the last cottage available. Oh.” The corners of her lips turned down. “I guess Maybelle’s will be available soon.” She clomped away.

  “Some people do not know how to walk in heels without looking like a cow.” Grandma plopped down at an empty table. “Sit, Sue Ellen, before you fall.”

  Mom shook her head. “I can’t get over this day. First, you want to move and leave me, then Shelby finds a dead body. It’s too much.”

  “You don’t need me around anymore, and you cramp my style. The last time I brought a man home you gave him the third degree as if we were sixteen.” Grandma glanced around the room. “Look at all the eligible men here. Why would I want to stay with you?”

  I choked back a laugh and pretended to cough. The men of Shady Acres had no idea the danger in their midst. I was tempted to stand up and yell, “Run for your lives.”

  “Living with you was like living with a teenager.” Mom headed for the buffet.

  Grandma followed. “I’m too old to need a chaperone.”

  “Those two are characters.” Heath sat next to me.

  My body flushed. “Especially Grandma.”

  “Aren’t you hungry?” His blue eyes focused on me and increased the room’s temperature by ten degrees.

  “I’ll wait for the piranhas to get their’s first.” I sighed. “Do people die unexpectedly around here often?”

  “Not under suspicious circumstances.” He shrugged. “Heart attacks, stroke, things like that.”

  “You think Maybelle’s death is suspicious?”

  He shrugged. “The way the cops were acting, it’s a good deduction. At least they’re treating the greenhouse like a crime scene. I don’t think you’ll be allowed access for a few days.”

  I gasped. I found the body. What if they considered me a suspect? I thought Donald jilting me at the altar was a bad thing. This was much worse. I folded my arms and rested my head on the table.

  “Not a very good first day, was it?” Heath patted my back. “Come on. Let’s hit the buffet. You’ll feel better with something in your stomach.”

  I lifted my head and let him lead me to the long line. Today’s theme was Mexican food. The buffet had everything one needed for tacos, nachos, and loaded burritos. I settled for two tacos, grabbing a diet coke on my way. As we finally reached the end, I grabbed a Sopapilla. Then another. I stayed on the verge of being two skinny and was blessed with a high metabolism. It drove my best friend nuts.

  “It looks like I’m getting dessert early,” Grandma said as we approached the table. “Handsome, you sit next to me.”

  He grinned and gave me a wink. “It’s Heath, ma’am.”

  “Of course it is. A man like you wouldn’t have a sissy name like Hank.” She lifted a glass of red wine. “The doctor said a glass of wine a night was good for my heart, so I drink two, just to be safe.”

  Heath laughed, the sound ringing across the dining room and attracting the attention of the residents. “You, Miss Ida, are good for my heart.”

  “Oh, you flirt.” She blushed. Grandma actually blushed.

  “Are you the one who found Maybelle?” A woman with pink tinted hair and wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit leaned over my shoulder. “I need to talk to you. Eight o’clock by the gazebo.” She straightened and left.

  “That’s Birdie,” Heath said. “She’s a bit of a…character. Sees a conspiracy wherever she goes.”

  “Should I meet with her?” I picked up a taco.

  “I’ll go with you,” Grandma offered. “You can’t trust a woman with hair that color.”

  “I think your moving here is a bad idea,” Mom said. “It isn’t safe and there is too much trouble for you to find.”

  “Oh, hush, Sue Ellen. You need to learn how to live a little.” Grandma downed what was left in her wine glass. “Where can I get another glass?”

  “They only allow each resident one glass in the dining room.” Heath cut into a carne asada. “If you want more, you’ll have to buy it and put it in the fridge in your room.”

  “Good thing I have some in the van with my things. That’s something a girl shouldn’t run out of. You don’t mind helping me unpack after supper, do you?”

  “It will be my pleasure.”

  While my sixty-five-year-old Grandmother flirted with a man half her age, I surveyed the others in the room. What if Maybelle had been murdered? I didn’t know enough about her to have a motive of any kind. Had her search for her teeth taken her somewhere she shouldn’t have gone? Maybe she’d seen something she shouldn’t have. Would people in a retirement community have something to hide that would warrant murder?

  I shook my head. My over-active imagination was working overtime. A new job should take care of that. I didn’t need to stick my nose where it didn’t belong.

  After supper, the four of us traipsed out to Grandma’s van. She handed out orders like a drill sergeant then went to sign up for her cottage. While I was in number 7, she was in number 13. A number she swears is good luck. The best luck I had was that she wouldn’t be living right next door to me.

  By the time Mom had the van driven to Grandma’s cottage, Grandma had re-joined us. “Wait until I go in first,” Grandma said. “I have to get a feel for the place in order to know where to put things.”

  I peeked into the building after her. It looked almost identical to mine.

  “Too much white.” Grandma shook her head. “I need color. Good thing I have several doo dads to brighten the place up.”

  I knew that by morning, the cottage would resemble a rainbow inside. It wouldn’t be Grandma’s place if it didn’t. There would be reds, blues, purples, and animal print everywhere.

  “Where do you want all these boxes?” Heath squeezed past me, a large box balanced on his shoulder.

  “In the kitchen nook. Bring the one that says fridge to me right away.” Grandma took a deep breath. “I need my wine before we meet with Pink Hair.”

  “Her name is Birdie.” I took a box from Mom and set it on the table, then headed to the van to help unload.

  At five minutes to eight, I hugged Mom goodbye, thanked Heath for his help, and headed down a path illuminated with cheery lanterns to a gazebo strung with white lights. Birdie sat on a bench and leaped to her feet when we arrived.

  “Thank you for coming. Maybelle was my friend.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.” I motioned for her to sit and took a seat next to her. “What did you want to meet about?”

  She glanced around as if someone might be listening, then leaned close. “Now, she was my friend, but she was also a little…” she twirled her finger around her head. “Still, if she repeated something more than once it would behoove a person to listen. Now, just the other day, Maybelle told me someone here wasn’t who they claimed to be.”

  “How would she know?”

  “That woman got around, I tell you. Always looking for her teeth, even when they were in her mouth. But sometimes…she left them places. Places people could get to them. I heard she was poisoned. What if someone put that poison on her dentures? Huh?”

  “Who told you she was poisoned?” I glanced at Grandma, who shook her head.

  “I might have spoken of it to your mother in the ladies room,” Grandma said. “No one was in there. I promise. I always look under the stalls before I gossip.”

  Merciful God in heaven give me strength. “You can’t be talking about a live police investigation. Do you want to get me arrested?”

  “Oh, you’re already the number one suspect. You found the body.” Grandma grinned. “Remember, I’m full of knowledge from television.”

  Maybelle was no longer the craziest person in the community. Grandma was.

  A twig snapped in the trees behind us.

  “Duck!” Grandma dropped to th
e wood-slated floor.

  Birdie followed.

  I turned and listened. A squirrel scampered from the trees. “You’re safe, unless it was a squirrel that killed Maybelle. It’s been a long day. We should go to bed.” I helped the other women to their feet.

  “You found her.” Birdie crossed her arms. “You’re the event coordinator and gardener. You can go places I can’t. I want you to find out who killed her.”

  “We don’t know there was foul play.”

  “I know it in my gut.”

  “Fine. I’ll see what I can find out. Do you want me to walk you home?” If I really was the prime suspect, as Grandma thought, it wouldn’t hurt to nose around a little.

  “Would you? I don’t want to be the killer’s next victim.”

  I rolled my eyes. Things had gotten terribly out of hand.

  “We’re Cagney and Lacey, Ives and…whoever that other woman is. Sherlock and Doctor Watson.” Grandma was way too eager to stick her nose into other people’s business. “First thing tomorrow, we compare notes.”

  “We don’t have any notes.” I turned to follow Birdie down the path to her cottage. After making sure no boogieman hid under her bed, I rushed to get Grandma home so I could get to my own place and soak in a bubble bath.

  “Good night, love.” Grandma kissed me on the cheek. “See you at breakfast. We’re going to have so much fun together. Maybe I’ll ask your mother to move in with me. Do you think they’ll allow it? Nah. I’m a free bird. I changed my mind. She can spend the night occasionally.” She stepped inside and closed the door.

  She exhausted me. Shoulders slumped, I trudged to my cottage. On the doorstep was a basket full of fruit and a note that said Welcome. I lifted it, unlocked my door, and set it on the dinette table. While the gift was thoughtful, all I wanted was a hot bath.

  I shed my clothes and filled the tub with hot water and gardenia scented bubbles. Lowering myself into the water, I reached for the book I’d placed on the counter. A nice soak, a lovely romance novel, and I’d be ready for bed.

  While I soaked, I thought over the last few weeks. I wasn’t as upset over Donald as I should be. I’d been doing what was expected after a long engagement, and greedy for the gifts he’d showered on me, to be honest. As an influential member of the community, he had to keep up appearances after all, and a trophy girlfriend made him look good. It was for the best that we weren’t getting married, and I vowed not to dwell on it any longer.

  My thoughts drifted to today. In the course of a few hours, I’d gotten a bipolar manager, a dead body, a hunky coworker, and Grandma. Life would not be boring in the least.

  When the bath water cooled, I realized I hadn’t read a single page in my book and climbed out of the tub. I dried off and donned a pair of cotton pajama pants and a tank top, then headed for the gift basket.

  Oranges, apples, bananas and a pineapple. Yum. I reached for an apple, my hand pausing mid-air. I checked the note card. No name. If Maybelle had been murdered, how did I know this so-called gift wasn’t from her killer? I couldn’t take any chances. I hefted the basket and headed for the dumpster at the end of the walkway.

  “You’re out late.” Alice glared at me, arms crossed.

  “Just taking out the garbage.”

  “You’re throwing away my gift?” Her eyes widened.

  Uh-oh. “No, what? Where is my head? I didn’t mean to bring this. You sent it? Thank you.” I realized I was rambling and clamped my lips shut.

  “I’m hoping we can be friends, Shelby, but you’re an odd duck for sure.” She shook her head and headed for the common building.

  Since I seriously doubted Alice would kill one of her residents or employees, at least I hoped not, I bit into an apple and hoped for the best. Maybe I should have washed it first. Would hot water take care of poison on fruit?

  4

  Since I woke up the next morning, the apple must not have been laced with poison. I still had my teeth, the sun was shining, and I was officially on the job.

  I dressed in a cute little dress that fluttered around my knees when I walked, a pair of matching rain boots, in case I trudged through the dirt. I had the cute little rubber boots in almost every color and style. A splurge I’d made when taking the new job. I locked my cottage in preparation of heading to the dining room for breakfast and waved at Grandma as she exited her cottage a few doors down.

  “How did you sleep, love?” She gave me a kiss and linked her arm with mine. “That’s a lovely dress, but the boots just don’t work.”

  “I’m a gardener, Grandma. They work just fine.”

  “You have the strangest fashion sense, but I love you anyway.”

  I eyed her leopard print leggings and oversized black blouse. To each their own, I always said.

  “The crime scene tape is still up on the greenhouse,” Grandma said. “I went by there, hoping to get a peek, but even I know stepping inside while the tape is there would be a crime.”

  I could only pray the flowers wouldn’t die before I could tend to them. “Would you like to be the Bingo caller at tonight’s game? I’m giving away some of the things Donald gave me as prizes.”

  “The necklace with the lion’s head?”

  “Yes.” I’d always thought the large necklace hideous.

  “Then, no. I prefer to win the necklace.”

  “If you want it that bad, you can have it. I’ve other things to give away.” Actually, the necklace would fit her gaudy style very well.

  “Okay. I’ll be the caller. What fun! That’ll put me front and center where everyone will wonder who the new gal in town is. I’m sure to catch a beau.” She patted my hand and pulled away. “I won’t be sitting with you this morning. I need to mingle.” With that, she clomped away and pushed open both double doors, making a grand sweeping entrance. I’d always thought Grandma belonged in old-age Hollywood. She had the glamour.

  “Good morning.” Heath’s deep voice washed over me.

  I smiled. “Good morning.”

  “Ready for your first day?”

  “I am, although there isn’t a lot to do with the greenhouse out of commission. Still, I can do some trimming before tonight’s activities.”

  “There will be plenty to keep you busy. Once all the residents find out you’ve been hired, you’ll be swarmed with ideas from hopefuls. They’ll all want their party idea to be the one chosen.”

  Maybe she could set up a suggestion box. That way, she wouldn’t have to deal with all the people chasing her down. She could draw a few suggestions each month and keep it all non-personal.

  Heath opened the door for her and let her enter first. The aroma of pancakes and bacon greeted her along with the sounds of silverware clanking, laughter, and the occasional belch.

  “That would be Harold Ball. He prides himself on being the best belcher in Shady Acres.” Heath pointed to a pudgy, bald man.

  Every time the man belched, Grandma giggled. Good grief.

  I followed Heath to the buffet, filling a plate with biscuits and gravy, then took a seat at the employee table with Heath, Alice, and a few people I didn’t know.

  “These are two of our house cleaning staff,” Alice said, pointing to the two young women. “The blond is Amber and the brunette Becky. They’ve been tending the herb garden until we hired you.”

  An herb garden? Heath was right. I’d have more than enough work to keep me busy. “An herb garden, the grounds, activities, and the greenhouse. Is there anything else I need to add to my list?”

  Alice tapped a manicured nail against her teeth. “Did you not read the papers I gave you?”

  “Not all of them.” The stack was two inches thick. It would take more than one night to get through it all. Especially when the prior evening was taken up with a death. “I’ll make that a priority.”

  She nodded. “Everything set for Bingo?”

  “Yes. I even have prizes.”

  “Wonderful! We’ve never had those before. I’ll put the word out. We’
ll have a full house. The games and activities are all held in this room. We have a portable stage we use to put the caller up high.”

  “My grandmother has volunteered.” I cut into a biscuit.

  “That’s fine, but don’t play favorites. You’ll need to include other residents on occasion.”

  Every time the woman spoke, I felt as if I were being scolded. I’d do my job well, and I’d do it my way. I’d signed a year contract. If she didn’t like the way I did things, she could say so at the end of that time.

  Birdie waved at me from across the room. I excused myself and rushed to her side.

  She pulled me into the small hallway that led to the restrooms. “Did you find out anything?”

  “I haven’t had time.”

  She frowned. “Oh. I thought you might make solving the crime a priority.”

  “We don’t know that there was a crime.” I felt like a broken record. “And my priority is my job.”

  “I’m telling you there is a crime. Someone wanted Maybelle dead and put poison on her dentures.” Birdie stomped her foot. “The longer you take, the more likely someone else will die.”

  “Shouldn’t we let the police handle things? They’re much more qualified than I am.”

  “But you have an in. You can mingle here and no one will suspect a thing.” She narrowed her eyes. “I’m counting on you.” She whirled and barged through the restroom door.

  Resigned to yet another task on my to-do list, I told myself I’d see whether I could find out anything at Bingo.

  ~

  “Speak clearly and concisely, Grandma.” I handed her the laminated sheet of rules. “Read this out loud before we start the game.” I turned and glanced at a packed room. A lot of people wanted to win the feather earrings, one hundred dollars, and a crystal vase I’d brought. Not to mention smaller dollar amount prizes.

  “I’m perfectly capable of calling out numbers, Shelby. I graduated high school a long time ago, but I haven’t forgotten.” Grandma rolled her eyes and read the rules. “When you call Bingo, wave your arms and shout Bingo!”

  One little old lady near the portable stage jumped in her seat and clasped a hand over her heart. I put a hand on her shoulder to calm her. “Perhaps you’d be better off further away?”