Nowhere to Turn by Norah McClintock

dogs.”
    â€œHow is Mort?” Esther said. “We’ve dropped by the house a couple of times, but they never let us in to see him. They keep telling us he’s sleeping.”
    I gave them an update on his condition. “He’s lucky his son is here to look after him,” I added.
    Esther did not look impressed. “I’ve lived across the street from Mort for twenty-five years,” she said. “I used to play bridge with Ruth, his wife. But I can count on one hand the number of times Elliot came to visit when Ruth was ill. Since then?” She shook her head. “You’d think he lived on the other side of the world.”
    â€œNow, Esther,” the taller woman said. “It’s not our place to judge.”
    â€œI’m not judging,” Esther said. “I’m just stating a fact. Elliot Schuster was properly raised. But some children are just plain selfish. They think their parents are only there to bail them out whenever they get into trouble.”
    What was she talking about? Was she saying that Elliot had been in some kind of trouble?
    â€œI don’t think that’s fair, Esther,” the taller woman murmured.
    â€œIt’s perfectly fair, Edith,” Esther said. “You know as well as I do that that boy never came to visit unless he needed money. And when he did, he always asked Ruth, never Mort, because he knew Ruth would never say no to him.” She turned to me. “Mort told me himself that there comes a time when a child has to stand on his own two feet. But Ruth never denied Elliot anything.”
    â€œHe was her only child,” Edith said.
    â€œAnd how did he repay her?” Esther retorted “He didn’t even show up for her funeral. Told his father he couldn’t get away. And have you seen him around here since then?”
    â€œWell, he’s here now, and that’s the important thing,” Edith said.
    â€œHe probably only came for the same reason he showed up when Ruth was ill—to make sure that he’s in his father’s will.” Esther sniffed. “If I were Mort, I’d leave all my money to charity.” No wonder Elliot didn’t ask her into the house. “He’s making a real show of it too. The whole family is camped out over there. If he thinks that’s going to impress anyone, he can think again. And what about those children of his? Shouldn’t they be in school?”
    Edith smiled weakly at me. “We really should let you go, dear,” she said.
    But Esther had more to say.
    â€œI heard there was a break-in at Mort’s place,” she said. “The police came around with pictures, asking if we’d seen anyone lurking around the house. Do you know anything about that?”
    I shook my head. What pictures? Pictures of Nick?
    â€œIt had something to do with that boy who used to walk Orion for Mort,” Esther said. “Gene McGrath told me he heard he was a criminal. Can you imagine?”
    â€œMort wouldn’t have hired him if he was a criminal, Esther.”
    â€œGene said that’s the reason Elliot sent the boy packing—he found out he had a police record.”
    â€œI thought he seemed very nice,” Edith said. “He was always polite. And he certainly seemed fond of Orion.”
    â€œWell, when the police asked me if I’d seen anyone around who looked like they were up to no good, I told them, ‘You bet I did.’ I said I’d seen that boy skulking about after Elliot fired him. On the day they mentioned too.”
    Terrific, I thought. At least one of Mr. Schuster’s neighbors had identified Nick as a troublemaker.
    Esther’s sharp eyes searched mine. “Did they tell you if anything was stolen?”
    I was pretty sure that anything I told Esther would make its way quickly around the neighborhood, so I shook my head.
    â€œI should be going,” I said. “When I see Mr. Schuster,