Grace Sees Red by Julie Hyzy

sometimes and he can’t prepare his own food, but mostly he manages on his own. Indwell provides him a measure of autonomy, but help is here if he needs it. That’s the whole point: to allow residents to live as normal a life as possible. That’s why it costs so much to get into this place. And don’t even get me started on the monthly fees.”
    â€œGot it. I’m sorry. Go on.”
    Jamming a finger into her chest, she said, “I didn’t kill the old geezer, but if somebody did, it looks like they used Percy’s insulin.”
    â€œThat’s ridiculous. There’s no way to know that before lab results come in. They haven’t even taken the body away yet.”
    â€œThe police are
speculating
,” she said with an emphatic lilt to the word. “Nosy boy Santiago found a bright purple cap rolling around under Gus’s bed when he went in there to do the heparin lock flush. He picked the cap up, recognized it, and planned to ask us about it later. But when he saw Gus was dead, he freaked out and called the police instead.”
    â€œThat’s hardly proof.”
    â€œYes, but he was quick to alert the authorities about the individual who’d argued with Gus this morning—a person who conveniently has access to Percy’s medicine. Guess who he was talking about?” She hit herself in the chest again, this time with both hands. “Me. That’s who.”
    â€œWhat did you argue about?”
    â€œDoes it matter?” A moment later, she added, “Like usual, he started complaining about the ‘mess’ I made. All I did was leave my purse and coat on the sofa. It’s where I always leave them. But I guess he wanted to sit there right at that very moment. I told him if he didn’t shut up, I’d give him a whole lot more to complain about.”
    I winced. “Couldn’t the cap they found have been accidentally dropped by another nurse visiting Gus’s room? I’m sure they deal with insulin every day for plenty of patients.”
    â€œPercy’s the only diabetic in that section, apparently.” Frances shook her head. “But, more than that, Gus was a whack job about cleanliness. Nothing ever out of place. And he was completely ambulatory. Believe me, if he’d seen that cap on the floor, he would have pitched a fit you’d have heard back in Emberstowne.”
    â€œStill, that’s circumstantial.”
    She started to pace the tile floor. “Yeah, until you get to the part where you find out that one of Percy’s insulin syringes is missing.”
    â€œAre you sure?”
    She stopped pacing to glare at me. “Yes, I’m sure.”
    There had to be another answer. “Could Gus have taken the insulin himself?”
    â€œYou mean could he have committed suicide?” She shrugged. “Anything’s possible, but I doubt it. The guy may have been a lousy lunkhead, but he firmly believed in his right to be here.”
    â€œSo how did the cap get there?”
    â€œThat’s the million-dollar-bail question,” she said. “And when they find the syringe, guess whose fingerprints will be all over it?”
    My heart sank. “Yours.”
    She pursed her lips. “Yesterday, I realized I hadn’t checked the expiration on Percy’s meds for quite some time, so I pulled everything out. None of it was out-of-date, so I put everything back.”
    â€œWho knew you did that?” I asked.
    â€œI know where you’re going,” she said, waving the air between us. “Nobody’s trying to frame me.”
    â€œHow can you be sure?”
    â€œNobody knew I handled the insulin. Not yesterday specifically, at least. Everyone here knows that I take care of Percy’s share of the apartment and make certain his room is clean and his supplies are in place. I’ve done that since he moved in. Yesterday’s inventory was nothing special. Nothing