Bygone Days Read online

  “Not at all,” Pearl said. “Be glad she didn’t tell them you swallowed a key. They would’ve prepped you for surgery.”

  She laughed. “Would’ve been easier than handing off a designer pocketbook.”

  “How so?” Mary Louise asked.

  “Your new friend Candace acted like she didn’t know who I was so I left it at her bedside and got out of there.”

  Pearl said, “She’s a strange cat, that one.”

  “Strange or not, she brought unnecessary attention to our floor. Two guards are posted outside her room.”

  “At the very least, you should sleep well tonight.”

  “I don’t think so,” said Opal. “Something’s going on. I’ll sleep with one eye open until we find out what.”

  Chapter Eight

  Mary Louise and Pearl entered the pharmacy at six-thirty and browsed the shelves. With little interest in antacids, they shopped the toothpaste aisle.

  “Mary Louise?” Mack finally noticed them and left the locked dispensary and met them in the retail section. He was a hyper little man who wore a lab coat and wire-rimmed spectacles. His snow-white hair looked like a solid match for cotton. “What are you doing here?”

  “Oh we’re just shopping.” She patted Mack’s shoulder. “You’re looking good, Mack.”

  “Flirt,” Pearl whispered, sticking out her hand. “Good to see you, neighbor.”

  “Not the same without you. Any chance the store will reopen soon?”

  “In a few weeks, maybe,” Mary Louise said, hopeful. As much as she hated to admit it, she’d begun to enjoy the community’s daily activities. The recreational coordinators made sure the residents always had something to do. She missed Vintage Whispers but didn’t want to miss out on a good time.

  “Well let me know if I can do anything for you.” He kept a cheerful look on his face. “Now, what do you need? Chewable or capsules?”

  They’d turned toward the antacids again. “Oops. Wrong shelf.”

  “Information,” said Pearl, straightening her spine. “We’re here for information.”

  Mary Louise bit back a groan as the smile washed away from the pharmacist’s face. “We have a few questions.”

  Mack held up his hands. “I’ve heard the rumors. You’re responsible for what happened to Oscar and Clarence. I can’t participate in providing information that could lead to an arrest.”

  “An arrest?” Pearl played dumb. She worked the look but she’d also practiced and perfected it over the years. “Sam’s widow Candace told everyone that I’m to blame for her husband’s death. It isn’t true, Mack.”

  “Of course not.” He acted relieved more than surprised. “Why’d she do that?”

  “I think she’s guilty.”

  “What she means is…”

  Mack held up his fingers this time. “Hang on a second. I need to lock up. Then, we’ll sit down and talk.”

  “Sure,” Mary Louise said, watching until he was out of sight. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “If he talks, he provides information we can use. We’ll play it like we’re here for me. He’ll be off his guard. Happens all the time in—”

  “Hankerly’s mysteries?”

  She grinned. “Follow my lead. I have more experience in these matters.”

  Mary Louise sent a silent prayer into the heavens and hoped God would grant her the patience to follow along. It would take a bit of a miracle since her friend’s so-called experience consisted of solving crimes between the pages of a fiction novel.

  A minute later, Mack reappeared with three sodas. “Is Opal joining us?” He handed off two cans.

  “No.” Mary Louise offered nothing more.

  “She’s in the hospital.” Pearl, on the other hand, wasted no time in spieling truths. “She’ll be under observation for –”

  “Tests,” Mary Louise interrupted. “She won’t be there long.”

  Pearl took Mack’s hand. “I hope you can help us. I didn’t know Sam. If I had, I sure wouldn’t have killed him.”

  “You say that now,” he said. “But those who knew Sam weren’t exactly fond of him.”

  Instantly guarded, Mary Louise didn’t miss the fact that Mack could’ve put Pearl’s mind at ease. Who was he protecting? He or she must have been important to him if he’d let Pearl grovel for help without offering any.

  “What was the matter with Sam?” Some of the residents at Cozy Retirement had said similar things. Was it by reputation or the truth?

  “Sam was Sam’s biggest problem. I know—knew—him well. He was a silent partner here for thirty years.”

  “You don’t say,” Pearl drawled, her southernism thicker as time wore on. “Do tell.”

  Mack backed up a step. Pearl had crossed the line and entered his personal space. “Man had a temper and when things didn’t go his way, he was the first to let you know about it.”

  “I see,” Pearl said. “So anyone could’ve killed him.”

  “Are you asking for self-preservation or because his crazy wife wants me to incriminate myself?”

  “Is there a reason she’d believe you could incriminate yourself?”

  “No. Why?” Mack was anything but convincing. Before Mary Louise answered, he quickly added, “Sam was drugged so I’m aware of where the anonymous tips and other suspicions could lead. I didn’t kill my business partner.”

  “That’s not why we’re here.” Pearl sighed.

  “Self-preservation then?”

  “A lot of different reasons.” Pearl’s most honest response sounded more fraudulent than anything else.

  “Let me guess. You want to know about his relationship with Candace?” He laughed. “Candace played him like a fiddle but she got more than she bargained for. Sam said it before he married her. Before he slipped the ring on her hand, he told the groomsmen standing there that he bought her time and didn’t care who knew it.”

  “What a jerk,” said Pearl.

  “Tell me about it.” Mack ran his hand through his hair. “First time I ever saw a bride flee from the groom. Too bad they’d already said their vows.”

  “What else can you tell us?” Mary Louise asked.

  “If someone’s turning an accusing finger in my direction, I want to know why I look guilty.”

  “That’s easy,” Mack said. “You’re the one who found the body.”

  ****

  “How are you holding up?” Mary Louise set her plate next to her phone. It was almost nine o’clock and she was famished.

  “I’ve been poked, prodded, and questioned,” Opal complained.

  “Thank goodness this was your idea,” said Pearl, taking a bite of her chicken sandwich. “If Mary Louise had set this up, you’d moan and groan until the cows came home.”

  “As opposed to whining and bitching?” She scoffed. “Get me out of here!”

  “We can’t,” Mary Louise said calmly. “I overheard the nurses talking and they may send you to Nashville for further testing.”

  “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

  “That’s the tale,” Mary Louise teased. “Denise down at the Five and Dime—”

  Pearl snickered. “I’m glad we’re friends or else I’d really hate you for that one.”

  “You deserved it,” said Opal. “So tell me this wasn’t all for naught.”

  “We saw Mack tonight. You’ll be glad to know he’s guilty.”

  “How’d you arrive at that decision?”

  “He didn’t like the deceased. That’s motive, Opal.”

  “That’s jumping to conclusions, Pearl. Again.”

  Playing mediator, Mary Louise said, “Sam and Mack were business partners for thirty years. Sam invested when Mack hit upon hard times. You’d think that Mack would have shown some emotion about his partner’s death. Instead, he just rambled about Sam’s behavior and how he berated his new wife at the altar.”

  “So is it safe to assume that the lovely young widow didn’t try to kill herself because—and I quote�
�the ‘love of her life’ died unexpectedly?”

  “She tried to kill herself?” Mary Louise scooted to the edge of her sofa cushion. “When?”

  “About an hour ago. As it turns out, that’s why she was brought in the first go around, too. No one assaulted her.”

  Pearl and Mary Louise exchanged a knowing stare.

  “Girls, I’m not there to read expressions. What’s going on?”

  “You won’t like this, but you need to stay sick.”

  “What? No way. The food sucks and I’m not in the loop.”

  “You’re an insider and we need you to stay that way.” Mary Louise frowned. “And I’m afraid if you leave that hospital, Candace could die.”

  “She has two guards at her door.”

  “How’d she do it?”

  “What?”

  “How’d she almost kill herself with guards watching?” Pearl grabbed the phone and spoke into the receiver. “There must’ve been proof of intent left behind—a knife, gun, maybe a scarf or rope?”

  “Pills, I think.” Opal gasped. “Oh no.”

  “Don’t go there, girlfriend.”

  “The purse,” she said, clearly conflicted.

  “She wouldn’t have asked for her purse so she could kill herself. Think about it. She’s probably hooked up to monitors and a drug screen would catch anything consumed.”

  “They’re waiting for a toxicology report now.”

  Mary Louise asked, “Why kill yourself when you have thousands of reasons to live?”

  “Life insurance?”

  “The pharmacy is a thriving business and all the downtown business buildings are now owned by tenants. Someone mentioned it at the last association meeting. The business alone would be worth more than Candace would probably earn in five years.”

  “Unless she’s sitting on a degree that she forgot to mention.” Pearl shrugged. “It happens.”

  “Not in this day and age.”

  “They haven’t been married long. Will she inherit Sam’s half of the pharmacy or did he have kids from a previous marriage? Did Mack mention anything that suggested she might have killed her husband for financial gain?”

  “Mack didn’t mention kids. Has anyone visited Candace?”

  Opal was quiet. After a few moments, she admitted, “I took a short nap. When I woke up, there was a lot of commotion. One of the nurses told me. According to her, Candace definitely attempted suicide.”

  “I don’t buy it.” Pearl looked at Mary Louise. “And Mack’s guilty.”

  “Would he have access?”

  “Sure. They supply the hospital pharmacy with all their compounds. At the very least, he’s running damage control.” Mary Louise couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the marriage tales. A bride and groom didn’t typically address their guests in the middle of exchanging vows. If Sam wanted to spout off about buying a bride, he could do that at the reception.

  “What if Mack caused the damage?”

  Mary Louise thoughtfully sipped a cup of warm ginger tea. “That may very well be the case.”

  “As a reminder, I’m currently indisposed. Make sure Mack doesn’t cause any further problems. If he’s playing a numbers game, the law of averages places Candace at a growing disadvantage.”

  Chapter Nine

  Damage control began at two-thirty in the morning. Mary Louise and Pearl jogged to the gate and followed the snaking trail to the woods. Once there, they stepped between a wire fence and hiked up a hill.

  “You said it was a knoll!” Winded, Pearl stopped right before she reached the top. “I can’t go another step.”

  “It is.” When she reached flat land, Mary Louise offered assistance. “Keep climbing. That’s it. Just a few more steps then take my hand. I’ll pull you up.”

  “I’ll take my chances on Main Street before I go down the same way I climbed up.” Pearl made the announcement before she staggered to the side and plopped down. “I almost fell!”

  “Next time wear comfortable shoes and don’t eat two bowls of ice cream before exercise,” Mary Louise said, peering down the ridge. “This is where we need to be.”

  “Why here?”

  “Look.” She pointed at the back of the pharmacy. The street lights were better than spotlights thanks to the town initiative that called for additional security around pharmacies and liquor stores.

  “What is it?” Pearl frowned. “I see lights and buildings. That’s it.”

  “Where are your glasses?”

  “Brought the wrong pair. Reading glasses won’t do a lot of good up here unless you brought along an extra flashlight and book.”

  “That’s Mack’s truck.” Ignoring the small talk, Mary Louise leaned sideways in an effort to see the parking lot. “It’s the shiny red one under the street light. He’s working late, don’t you think?”

  Pearl withdrew her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her contact list. “I’ll call Opal and see what she thinks.”

  Mary Louise placed her hand over the phone. “She’s keeping an eye on Candace. We’ll take care of Mack.”

  A roar of motorcycles with a repetitive rumble suggestive of high powered machines interrupted their conversation. A white utility van followed behind the bikes.

  “Duck,” Mary Louise said, wondering if they’d stepped into the middle of something that could put them in grave danger.

  About that time, a light swept across the hillside. They stayed down until husky voices resounded.

  “Wish we knew what they were saying,” said Pearl.

  “If we could hear them, they could find us.”

  “Well as much as you talk, you’re right. If we stay here, maybe we’ll live to see another day.” Pearl grunted. “As a bubbled comment—you know like a sidebar note of interest—I didn’t come here to die.” She waited. “And if you’ll just listen, we may be able to hear something important.” Another beat. “We should’ve called Sheriff Littleton.”

  Pearl was a nervous wreck. If something happened to her, Mary Louise would never forgive herself. “Hon, go back. I’ll meet you at the bottom of the hill.”

  Crawling down would take some time and she’d be much safer in route than sitting there chattering like a nervous old woman. Come to think of it, they both would.

  Money changed hands. She squinted. Where’s the product? “What are you buying, Mack?”

  “He bought something?”

  “Drugs, if I had to guess.” She quietly debated on what she should do. Should she call the locals and tell them what was happening or wait for some sort of sign, maybe shots fired or a staggering confession? As if she could hear either. Gunshots, sure, but a threat or confession wouldn’t fall upon their ears tonight.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Pearl announced, somewhat louder than necessary.

  That qualified as a threat since Mary Louise was beginning to wish she’d made the hike alone. “If you’re staying, please hush.”

  “Got it.”

  The rumbling of a sputtering bike filled the hills. Mary Louise glanced over her shoulder. A lone headlight appeared. “We’ve got company.”

  Pearl frantically searched for a way down. “Now what?”

  “Stay behind me.”

  “Where are we going?” Pearl grabbed the back of Mary Louise’s sweater.

  “Don’t worry about where we’re going. We can’t get caught. Now scoot!”

  ****

  They looked their age as they wandered into the recreational room the next morning.

  Red let them know as much when she said, “I see you’ve found the Rugrats’ hairdresser.” She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and fled before they could retaliate with jabs of their own.

  To add insult to injury, Nurse Waterbury showed up with a wheelchair which Mary Louise typically declined. Before Pearl accepted, she sat down and accepted her first ride.

  “Rough night?” Waterbury asked, keeping a leisurely gait.

  “Up late,” said Pearl.
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  “I saw you leave.” Waterbury pulled a beret from her pocket and stuck it on her head. “Stopped by your place around three and you weren’t home. I was concerned.”

  “Is that Opal’s?” Pearl didn’t ask for it back. If she’d bothered, Waterbury would’ve refused.

  “It’s borrowed. It’ll be returned.” She pushed the chair down the hall and stopped in front of the elevator. “This is as far as I can go today. Dr. Smalls needs me in OR-3.”

  “What happened to OR-1?” Pearl asked, clearly miffed.

  “Occupied,” she said, looking frazzled. They weren’t the only ones who kept late hours. “Have a good one.”

  Pearl snatched the cap and slipped between the closing elevator doors. “I don’t like the idea of someone prowling through our things.”

  “We’ll change the locks.”

  “Can’t. The administrator won’t approve it. Besides, have you watched Nurse Waterbury in action? She’s worse than a thief in the night.”

  Mary Louise grinned. “You’re a genius.”

  “Was it something I said?”

  “Yes. We have to talk to Waterbury.”

  “Why?” Pearl shook Opal’s beret. “Did you miss the part where she stole from us?”

  “She borrowed.”

  “Have you lost touch with reality? These people take what they want.”

  “Oh please. Opal told her to pick one.” Mary Louise held the elevator. “Are you coming or not?”

  “I’m tired.” She followed along anyway. “There’s a bingo game at eleven and I wanted to take a nap so I’ll be ready to play.”

  “You can miss one game.”

  “It’s Bingo Bonanza. No way will I miss it. Area businesses contributed cash and prizes.”

  “You should’ve said something. We could’ve donated something from Vintage Whispers.”

  Pearl shot her a sheepish look.

  “So what’d we donate?”

  “Speckled sapphire ring from 1898 and—”

  “Pearl, you didn’t.”

  “What?”