as if she could picture herself pulling a tray of muffins out of the oven for her granddaughter and her best friend.
“Mrs. Travers, I was wondering if … we could talk to you a bit?”
Only now did Odelia take in Jack, standing a few feet to the side.
Odelia’s smile faded a bit. “Talk?”
“Beth asked me to drop by, what with the big storm and everything. And my friend Jack here offered to come along.”
Odelia appeared to think about this for a moment. Then:
“Well, of course. Have a seat you two. If this place wasn’t so understaffed, I’d see if they could manage some tea.” She lowered her voice. “No chance of that happening.”
Sarah pulled a straight-backed chair from a nearby card table close to Odelia, Jack as well. And they sat in the sun streaming from the window, the snowy piles just on the other side of the glass.
“Oh, I’m fine . Place has got, well, a bit run down these last few months. You can see that. But they feed me; make sure I’m all right at night. They could be nicer about it, though …”
Jack cleared his voice. “Mrs. Travers, does it seem like everyone’s being taken care of okay?”
“Everyone? Hmm,” Then she stopped. “You’re an American , aren’t you.”
Jack laughed. “Why, yes I am.”
A big smile from Odelia. “Always liked Americans.” Then a look to Sarah. “You two, the two of you, aren’t—?
Now Sarah’s turn to laugh “No. Just good friends.”
She left out any of the detective stuff. This Odelia seemed sharp enough that she could easily put two and two together, and sense that something was wrong here … that something had happened.
In fact — she might well do that anyway.
“Well, to your question, Jack … I have heard people complain. Not getting medications on time, left in bed all day. Me, I’m pretty independent. But such things wouldn’t surprise me. And since these big storms, well … it’s a skeleton crew here, I can tell you.”
Jack nodded. “Big storms,” Jack said. “They really hit the village.” Sarah noticed that he looked at her, maybe unsure about his next question.
“Do you know a resident here … Archy Fleming?”
“Archy! Everyone here knows old Archy.” Again Odelia leaned close. Her voice was already a croaky whisper but she lowered it even more. “Crazy old sod. But the tales he can tell.”
Sarah picked up on that: “Gets a bit confused, does he?”
“A bit? Half the time he doesn’t know where in the world he is. Sometimes cruising the Adriatic, other times ready to meet the Queen.”
That had Odelia laughing. Another twist of the paper napkin between her fingers. “But he’s such a sweet, sweet man … even with most of the marbles out of his jar.”
Jack laughed. “Sounds like you like him?”
“Oh yes, we all do. Funny old Archy. Haven’t seen him this morning though …”
Keeping it quiet here, Sarah guessed.
And something lingered in Sarah’s mind with that. Not quite sure what it was … more instincts, a feeling?
Something here.
“And I guess you know Reg Povey?”
“Reg? Yes, new here. Can’t say I know him as well as old Archy.”
Sarah nodded: “But equally as, um, confused?”
Again, Odelia didn’t seem to understand that question.
“Reg? Haven’t spoken to him much. Like I say, he’s new here.”
Jack pulled his chair a bit closer.
“Odelia, you’ve been here a while, hmm?” he said.
“Oh, yes. Not the best place, probably not the worst.”
“Can you think of any reason why … anyone would want to hurt Archy or Reg?”
As if on cue, Sarah heard a voice booming behind them, a man in a blue tartan robe, fluffy slippers.
“Morning prayers in the main chapel, eight a.m. sharp!”
Sarah saw who it was …
Reg Povey.
Talk about timing!
“There he is,” Odelia said, sounding relieved. “Hurt him, or Archy? Why on earth would anyone want anything to happen to those two old coots?”
She shook her head at this.
But Sarah guessed some
“Mrs. Travers, I was wondering if … we could talk to you a bit?”
Only now did Odelia take in Jack, standing a few feet to the side.
Odelia’s smile faded a bit. “Talk?”
“Beth asked me to drop by, what with the big storm and everything. And my friend Jack here offered to come along.”
Odelia appeared to think about this for a moment. Then:
“Well, of course. Have a seat you two. If this place wasn’t so understaffed, I’d see if they could manage some tea.” She lowered her voice. “No chance of that happening.”
Sarah pulled a straight-backed chair from a nearby card table close to Odelia, Jack as well. And they sat in the sun streaming from the window, the snowy piles just on the other side of the glass.
“Oh, I’m fine . Place has got, well, a bit run down these last few months. You can see that. But they feed me; make sure I’m all right at night. They could be nicer about it, though …”
Jack cleared his voice. “Mrs. Travers, does it seem like everyone’s being taken care of okay?”
“Everyone? Hmm,” Then she stopped. “You’re an American , aren’t you.”
Jack laughed. “Why, yes I am.”
A big smile from Odelia. “Always liked Americans.” Then a look to Sarah. “You two, the two of you, aren’t—?
Now Sarah’s turn to laugh “No. Just good friends.”
She left out any of the detective stuff. This Odelia seemed sharp enough that she could easily put two and two together, and sense that something was wrong here … that something had happened.
In fact — she might well do that anyway.
“Well, to your question, Jack … I have heard people complain. Not getting medications on time, left in bed all day. Me, I’m pretty independent. But such things wouldn’t surprise me. And since these big storms, well … it’s a skeleton crew here, I can tell you.”
Jack nodded. “Big storms,” Jack said. “They really hit the village.” Sarah noticed that he looked at her, maybe unsure about his next question.
“Do you know a resident here … Archy Fleming?”
“Archy! Everyone here knows old Archy.” Again Odelia leaned close. Her voice was already a croaky whisper but she lowered it even more. “Crazy old sod. But the tales he can tell.”
Sarah picked up on that: “Gets a bit confused, does he?”
“A bit? Half the time he doesn’t know where in the world he is. Sometimes cruising the Adriatic, other times ready to meet the Queen.”
That had Odelia laughing. Another twist of the paper napkin between her fingers. “But he’s such a sweet, sweet man … even with most of the marbles out of his jar.”
Jack laughed. “Sounds like you like him?”
“Oh yes, we all do. Funny old Archy. Haven’t seen him this morning though …”
Keeping it quiet here, Sarah guessed.
And something lingered in Sarah’s mind with that. Not quite sure what it was … more instincts, a feeling?
Something here.
“And I guess you know Reg Povey?”
“Reg? Yes, new here. Can’t say I know him as well as old Archy.”
Sarah nodded: “But equally as, um, confused?”
Again, Odelia didn’t seem to understand that question.
“Reg? Haven’t spoken to him much. Like I say, he’s new here.”
Jack pulled his chair a bit closer.
“Odelia, you’ve been here a while, hmm?” he said.
“Oh, yes. Not the best place, probably not the worst.”
“Can you think of any reason why … anyone would want to hurt Archy or Reg?”
As if on cue, Sarah heard a voice booming behind them, a man in a blue tartan robe, fluffy slippers.
“Morning prayers in the main chapel, eight a.m. sharp!”
Sarah saw who it was …
Reg Povey.
Talk about timing!
“There he is,” Odelia said, sounding relieved. “Hurt him, or Archy? Why on earth would anyone want anything to happen to those two old coots?”
She shook her head at this.
But Sarah guessed some
Similar Books
