Death Pays a Visit (A Myrtle Clover Mystery Book 7) (20 page)

“Uh-oh,” murmured Myrtle to Miles. “Something must be up. Randy looks very purposeful as he’s heading over to the staff.”

Miles looked glumly at his watch. “Typical. It’s nearly midnight. Time to break up the party, right?”

But the countdown to midnight had already started and the voices of the residents were loud enough to drown out the conversation between Randy and Darla. She impatiently gestured to him to follow her out into the hall.

“Five, four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!” shouted the residents. Ruby bounced off to more closely watch the countdown on the television. There was a cacophony of party horns and some kissing and embracing among both residents and staff.

Myrtle and Miles clinked champagne glasses and took a big sip.

Darla, who rather grimly clinked a spoon against a glass, cut the revelries short. She cleared her throat. “Happy New Year, everyone. Unfortunately, I’ve just received a report that the ice storm that was predicted has transpired. Randy has been listening to local radio and the police are urging that no one drive tonight. This means that any guests tonight need to spend the night on the premises.” Darla turned a sour look toward Myrtle and Miles. “And staff that was intending to leave for home needs to stay put, as well.”

“I guess we’re the only guests here,” murmured Miles.

“Guests can either find a friend to room with for the evening, or else the staff can make up a bed…somewhere.” Darla looked rather displeased by the entire prospect.

Suddenly, Fred was next to them again. He said to Miles, “Unless you want to sleep in an extra bed in the memory care unit, I suggest you hang out with me tonight. I’ve got a sofa in my room that doubles as a day bed.” He looked at Myrtle. “I guess you’ll take Mrs. Pelias’s room.” He turned and walked away as another resident called his name.

Miles glanced over at Myrtle. “What are you thinking of doing? Staying in Mickey’s room, as Fred was saying?”

“I’m staying with Ruby, naturally,” said Myrtle. She scanned the room for Ruby, which was a little difficult to do since the residents were now heading back to their rooms. “Now I just need to find her. It seems like Ruby is always around when you aren’t looking for her, and then she disappears when you need to see her.”

Miles sighed, “Poor Ruby. It shouldn’t be hard to spot her. Those red and greens made her look like a Christmas tree gone mad.”

Myrtle frowned. “I know. That’s why it’s weird that I can’t find her.” She increased her already considerable height by standing on her tiptoes. “That’s strange—she’s asleep on the sofa over there.”

“Well, it
is
really late,” said Miles. But then he added a bit uncomfortably, “It is a little odd that she’s asleep. She seemed like she was pretty excited about seeing the New Year come in. Maybe she drank too much?”

“There’s no way. Remember? She’d lost her drink for half the time. Let’s go check on her,” said Myrtle.

Ruby was indeed passed out cold, her head lolling on her Christmas sweater-covered chest. The room emptied from revelers except for the staff and Myrtle, Miles, and Ruby.

“Ruby?” Myrtle shook her by the arm. “Ruby, wake up.”

Ruby’s arm was completely limp and her head swung to the side.

Myrtle put a hand to Ruby’s neck. “She’s alive, but unconscious. Get the staff. Someone besides that miserable Darla.”

Unfortunately, the miserable Darla was right there next to them and giving Myrtle a baleful look. “What’s going on now?”

“My future roommate is unconscious. I don’t know if it’s a medical-related thing or some sort of criminal mischief,” snapped Myrtle. “But she needs medical attention.”

Darla rolled her eyes, leaned forward and studied Ruby closely. “She’s asleep. Sound asleep. Probably not used to staying up until such a late hour.”

Darla’s eyes told Myrtle that
she
wasn’t used to staying up, either, and would rather be at home in her bed right now.

This time it was Miles who pushed back. “Darla, I think you’ll find upon closer inspection that Ruby is most definitely
not
just asleep. If you’re unable to wake her, and I believe you will be, then I suggest you call for an ambulance.”

“In this weather?”

“Naturally, in this weather!” said Myrtle. “Emergency vehicles and personnel are
always
out. Including my son. Usually.”

Darla, clearly not wanting ownership of any further problems tonight leaned forward and shook Ruby’s arm insistently, calling her name as she did. Ruby was unresponsive. Darla scurried away and found a cool rag from the kitchen and swabbed at Ruby’s face. Ruby didn’t even move.

With a frustrated exclamation, Darla pulled a phone from her pocket and started dialing for help.

Within minutes, an ambulance had arrived and taken Ruby away on a stretcher to the regional hospital. Darla clearly didn’t want to arrange accommodations for Myrtle, but another staff member named Cindy, who had pleasant features and a rather heavy physique, said that Myrtle was welcome to stay in Ruby’s room “since she was her friend and all.”

“Thanks,” said Myrtle to Cindy. “Are there any toothbrushes at the infirmary or anywhere that I could use? That’s the one thing I’ll really miss.”

“Oh, sure. We keep some in the infirmary for residents. If you’ll follow me, I’ll find you one.”

Myrtle said to Miles, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Good luck with Fred.”

Cindy moved a lot quicker than her large frame would suggest and Myrtle was fairly breathless when they arrived at the infirmary. Once she caught her breath she said, “Cindy, could I ask you something? It seemed to me that maybe Ruby had an overdose of sleeping pills or something. Do you think that’s a possibility?”

Cindy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, no ma’am. Miss Ruby isn’t allowed to take her own medication anymore. We come by and bring it to her.”

“So there are no sleeping pills in Ruby’s room? She couldn’t have accidentally taken some?” asked Myrtle.

“Even if she
was
allowed to have medication in her room, there wouldn’t be any sleeping pills in there. Miss Ruby sleeps real, real good,” said Cindy.

“But as well as she was sleeping tonight? I mean, you’re always able to wake her up, though, right?” asked Myrtle.

“Oh, yes, ma’am. Because sometimes she’s napping when we come by with her medicines and she opens the door right up when we knock. But then she’ll fall back asleep again as soon as we leave. Sleeps like a baby, she does,” said Cindy fondly. She handed her a toothbrush. “Here you are. And you know how to find Ruby’s room, don’t you?”

“I do. Except I don’t have a key,” said Myrtle. “Could you let me in?”

Cindy clucked. “That one doesn’t lock her door. We tell her and tell her, but she doesn’t do it. You can call me at the infirmary extension if you’re locked out—but I’d be shocked if you were.”

Myrtle took her toothbrush, walked to the elevator, and traveled down to the basement. As she walked to Ruby’s door, she gave a little shiver. She definitely didn’t like the subterranean feel of the floor, no matter how cheerfully Ruby accepted it. It had a sinister atmosphere at night with the small lights on the walls throwing eerie shadows around the hallway. There was no sign of life on the hall—everyone must have already turned in and Miles must have settled into Fred’s room.

She tried Ruby’s door and sure enough, it opened right up. Myrtle made a face. Ruby wasn’t the brightest bulb in the bunch sometimes.

After entering the room, Myrtle turned to automatically turn the lock, but then hesitated. No one saw Ruby’s ignominious departure from the Home by ambulance. The New Year revelers had all filed out before they’d discovered how incapacitated Ruby was. What if the culprit tried to take another crack at Ruby’s glass tonight? Wouldn’t it make sense for Myrtle to lie in wait and then attack the surprised killer with her cane or some other weapon?

Myrtle decided to lock the door only momentarily while she got ready for bed. She wanted to be fully prepared if she were to be attacked. Once she’d finished in the restroom and borrowed some of Ruby’s decidedly loud pajamas, Myrtle unlocked the door again. She slid into the bed and turned off the light, laying her cane on the bed beside her. And she propped up on pillows. She’d rather be sitting if someone came into the room. She gazed around the room slowly. Ruby’s baby doll collection was unsettling. The dolls all seemed to be staring at her. She turned off the light.

Myrtle hadn’t intended on falling asleep. The possibility of falling asleep hadn’t actually occurred to her. After all, she was an insomniac who didn’t sleep in even the most relaxing of circumstances—which sleeping in a retirement home resident’s bed with a murderer hanging around didn’t qualify as. The last thing she remembered, she’d been thinking about Ruby and how very vulnerable she seemed. She’d been staring ferociously at the door, almost daring it to open and for someone to be foolish enough to come in. She’d been gripping her cane hard.

But apparently, as unlikely as it seemed, she
had
fallen asleep. Because the very next thing she remembered, she jerked awake to the sound of the door being very gently opened.

Chapter Seventeen

The biggest problem was that, being in the basement, there was really no light at all. And Myrtle was still just the tiniest bit groggy, which later she would attribute to the aftereffects of the champagne she’d consumed. But she woke quickly and held onto her cane with a tight grip, knowing that the intruder wouldn’t be able to see
her
either, and believed her to be Ruby.

As she waited for the inevitable attack, Myrtle frowned. What was this intruder doing? Why was it taking so long? And what was the rustling sound she kept hearing?

She kicked impatiently at the bed sheets that were curled around her legs. But apparently there was something on the bed—something she hadn’t noticed in the puffy comforter when she’d climbed into the bed. Whatever it was fell to the floor with a resounding crash.

There was a muffled curse from the intruder, who darted for the door. Myrtle scrambled to get out of the bed with its cloying sheets. But in her hurry, the cane fell off the bed and she was left to fumble frantically for it before scrapping the cane completely, and charging out of Ruby’s room while holding onto the walls and bed as best she could.

Myrtle opened the door into the hall just in time to see Fred yanking open the door to his room and closing it back behind him.

Two seconds later, she was at Fred’s door—pounding on it since he’d hastily locked it behind him. And a couple of seconds later, Miles opened the door with a very groggily confused expression on his face. “Myrtle? What’s going on?”

Myrtle hissed, “What’s going on is that your roomie and checkers partner just broke into Ruby’s room…that’s what. I guess he thought that Ruby was in there and he was planning to finish her off, or ensure that whatever sleeping pills he’d given her earlier had done their job.”

The look on Fred’s face was such that Myrtle could easily envision him twirling a mustache and saying, “Curses! Foiled again.” Instead, he said coldly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Clearly you were having a nightmare.”

Miles demurred. “Actually, Myrtle doesn’t have nightmares. Myrtle doesn’t sleep as a matter of fact. So Fred, it does sound as if you have some explaining to do.”

Fred cleared his throat and stalled for time as he seemed to search for reasonable explanations. “Ruby and I had a romantic assignation planned?”

“
Very
doubtful,” said Myrtle. “I think you’ll have to do better than that. Or don’t even bother to do better and I’ll just go ahead and call my son up, since he’s chief of police. You can explain it to him.” Which Myrtle had absolutely no intention of doing, but Fred wouldn’t know it.

“Well, whatever I was doing, it didn’t have anything to do with killing Ruby,” said Fred defensively. “And where is Ruby, by the way? I thought you were sleeping in Mickey’s room, Myrtle.”

“Ruby had to leave Greener Pastures via ambulance tonight,” said Myrtle giving Fred a level stare. “Someone laced her champagne glass with sleeping pills. I’d decided to be Ruby’s roommate tonight, but since she is probably getting her stomach pumped, that wasn’t possible.”

Fred’s face relaxed in relief. “There you have it. We’ve got proof that I didn’t mean Ruby any harm. I knew nothing about Ruby’s glass being tampered with or the fact that she wasn’t in her room. For heaven’s sake, if I thought
you
were going to be in there, I’d never have opened the door.”

Miles made a snickering sound that he quickly turned into a cough when Myrtle glared at him. He said, “So Fred, stop beating around the bush. If we were playing checkers, you’d know you were cornered by now. Tell us the truth—what were you doing in Ruby’s room?”

Fred took a deep breath, flushed slightly, and gave them both a resentful glare. “All right, all right. I’ll tell you. But I don’t want it getting out. That’s the whole point about secrets—they don’t need to get out!” He hesitated. “I was looking for an old newspaper in Ruby’s room. It was actually a paper that belonged to Mickey, but apparently, Ruby asked Mickey’s daughter for any of Mickey’s effects that Natalie didn’t want. Which was a lot of stuff, I guess.”

“Was it a Greener Pastures newspaper?” asked Myrtle.

“No. Thankfully, it’s not. That was the whole reason I was relieved that Mickey was dead—so she couldn’t expose this information she had.” He shook his head in irritation. “That’s not to say that I had
anything
to do with Mickey’s death. I was just relieved she wasn’t around to plague me anymore. No, this was a
Bradley Bugle
newspaper that Mickey and I were both featured in from long ago. It was pure chance that Mickey had it. She’d kept it because it had a nice write-up of her graduating from Duke University. You know how the
Bugle
does these fluff pieces.”

Myrtle gritted her teeth, but didn’t say anything. Miles looked amused again.

“Anyway, the same edition also had a piece on my dad’s hardware store. My dad was quoted in there saying that he was proud of me for foregoing college to help him out with the store,” said Fred. The words seemed pulled out of him against his will.