Chapter 8

MARLEY

Sitting down across from Caroline in the hospital cafeteria, Marley could hardly believe what Caroline had just told her and Abby. “That is totally outrageous. The cops are accusing you of trying to kill your mom?”

“It certainly appears that way,” Janie confirmed. “I witnessed the conversation.”

“They seriously think Caroline would do something like that?” Abby demanded.

Caroline nodded sadly.

“How is your mom?” Marley asked.

“She’s in critical condition,” Caroline explained. “She’s unconscious, which could be the result of stroke or heart attack or shock … or pain. She has third-degree burns to the upper right portion of her body, and her lungs are damaged from smoke inhalation.”

“It doesn’t look good,” Janie added.

“The doctor can’t believe she survived.” Caroline sighed.

“And the authorities have actually accused you of planting the cigarettes in your mom’s bedroom?” Marley asked.

“It gets worse,” Janie told her.

“How is that possible?” Abby asked.

“I am the sole beneficiary of my mom’s life-insurance policy,” Caroline said. “It’s not a huge policy, but it’s enough to make the cops even more suspicious.”

“But what about that caregiver?” Marley persisted. “Why isn’t someone calling her on the carpet?”

“She’s not answering her phone,” Caroline said. “For all we know, she might’ve left town.”

“That alone should prove she’s guilty,” Abby said.

“She’s a new caregiver,” Caroline explained. “From what I can tell, no one at the agency really knows her that well.”

“How did she get a job there?” Marley asked.

Caroline shrugged. “Who knows?”

“Someone there must know her,” Marley persisted.

Caroline’s eyes lit up. “You know, Darlene recommended her to me, and Joan mentioned that some patients mix her up with Darlene.”

“Have you called Darlene?” Marley demanded.

“Not yet. She was pretty sick when we talked this morning. That’s why she couldn’t come today.”

“Well, she can’t be too sick to talk on the phone.”

Caroline sighed and reached for her phone. Then, leaving the three of them in the hospital cafeteria, she stepped out a patio door and began to talk into her phone. Marley just shook her head. “Poor Caroline.”

Abby frowned. “I’ve never seen her so stressed out.”

“This whole thing is like adding insult to injury,” Marley declared. “Here she’s worked so hard, keeping her mom at home, trying to make that place safe, and this happens.”

“You don’t think there’s any chance she really did put those cigarettes there, do you?” With a creased brow, Abby looked around the table.

“Of course not!” Marley shook a finger at her.

“That’s ridiculous,” Janie added.

“Yes, I’m sure she wouldn’t have done that.” Abby looked contrite.

“Unfortunately the investigator seemed rather stuck on the theory,” Janie confided. “It’s as if he’s enjoying the drama of a potential murder charge.”

“Small-town cops.” Marley shook her head. “Instead of doing a real investigation, they take something sad and innocent and totally blow it out of proportion.”

“Who was the policeman anyway?” Abby demanded.

“Detective Alberts,” Janie told her.

Abby let out a groan. “Detective Alberts is a joke.”

“What do you mean?” Marley asked.

“I mean he likes to play detective, but he’s as clueless as they come.” Abby shook her head. “Everyone in town knows it.”

“Then why is he a detective?” Janie asked.

“Small-town politics. His father was chief of police before—” Abby stopped talking as Caroline rejoined them.

“Any luck?” Janie asked Caroline.

“Maybe.” Caroline sat down with a thoughtful expression. “Darlene didn’t know if Joan smokes or not, but she thinks she lives in the Hyde Street Apartments.”

“Hey,” Marley said. “What if someone gave Detective Alberts a hand with his investigation?”

Caroline cocked her head to one side. “How?”

“Oh, you know.” Marley stood. “Do a little snooping, ask a few questions, maybe collect some evidence. You know how I love a good mystery. I bet I’ll be good at this.”

“You can’t be serious.” Abby looked skeptical.

“Totally serious.” Marley put one strap of her bag over a shoulder. “In fact I nominate you to be my assistant.”

Abby looked shocked. “Me?”

“Yeah. You used to read Nancy Drew too.”

“Even so, I hardly think—”

“Come on.” Marley reached for her hand. “We have a crime to solve.” Then she turned back to Caroline. “How about a little physical description of Joan, in case we run into her?”

Joan sounded like a nondescript woman a little older than they were, slightly overweight, with short hair that was light brown and gray, frumpy clothes, sturdy shoes. “And weird glasses,” Caroline added.

“Weird in what way?” Marley asked.

“Kind of like they were from the eighties. Remember the oversized glasses with plastic rims? I think hers were tinted purple or pink. Sort of odd looking.”

Marley nodded. “Okay then. I think we’re set.”

“Thank you both,” Caroline said.

“Be careful,” Janie called as they were leaving. “And smart.”

“This is going to be fun.” Marley grinned as she and Abby went outside. “I think you should drive so that I can keep my eyes wide open.”

Abby actually giggled. “I can’t believe I’m cooperating with you.”

Even though it was cloudy, Marley put on her sunglasses. “I want to keep a low profile,” she said as Abby cruised by the small apartment complex.

“Right.” Abby chuckled. “No one will think it’s odd that you’re wearing shades with no sun out.”

“Fine.” Marley removed her sunglasses. Then she pointed to a sign. “Hey, it says there’s an apartment for rent. Let’s pretend I’m new in town and looking for a place.”

“You want me to pull into the parking lot?”

“Well, we can’t exactly make an inquiry in a drive-by.”

So Abby parked. The two women got out and pretended to be interested in checking out the complex. They strolled around and assessed the landscaping, which was minimal, while keeping a lookout for Joan and her purple eighties glasses. Marley hoped to spy her smoking. When there was no sign of Joan, Marley led the way to the management office and boldly rang the bell.

“Are you sure about this?” Abby whispered as they waited.

Marley nodded. She was on a mission.

A short balding man answered the door.

“I’m looking for an apartment,” Marley told him.

He opened the door wider. “You came to the right place. We got two different units available right now.”

“Great.” Marley asked him how much a unit rented for and then acted like the price was perfect. “Mind if I see one?”

“Not at all.” He grabbed some keys. “Right this way, ladies.”

As he led them up some stairs, Marley made small talk about being new in town. “I’m going to be looking for some work,” she said. “How do you think the job market is here?”

He shrugged as he unlocked a door. “Pretty much the same as anywhere I guess. What kind of work are you looking for?”

“I’ve been a nurse’s aide. I was thinking I might get back into that.” Her hope was that this would jog his memory about another tenant.

He opened the door, waving them into the small, stodgy apartment. “The units are all the same. Two bedrooms, one bath, kitchenette. What you see is pretty much what you get.” Then he explained about utilities and deposits.

“How about smoking?” Marley asked.

“You a smoker?” He frowned.

She shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“Well, the owner charges an extra deposit for smokers nowadays. That’s because we always end up needing to paint and clean more after they leave.”

“What if I smoke outside?” Marley persisted, unsure of where she was going with this but wanting to continue the conversation. “Do you have some kind of designated smoking area?”

“Not really.” He pointed out the window over the sink. Marley looked out to see a small grassy area with a rundown gazebo in the center. “Some of the tenants smoke out there. There are some benches.”

She smiled at him. “Good to know.”

“Hey,” Abby said. “I think a friend of mine might live in these apartments.”

Marley turned to her. “Really? You didn’t mention that before.”

“Her name’s Joan Wilson.”

The manager rubbed the top of his shiny head as if trying to remember. “Oh yeah, that’s right. We got a tenant named Joan Wilson here. Just moved in last month.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Abby gushed at Marley. “If you take the apartment, you’ll have a friend nearby.”

“I wonder which apartment Joan lives in?” Abby persisted. “It would be nice if hers was near yours. You could be neighbors.”

“She’s on the other end,” the manager told her. “Unit 132.” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.” He turned back to Marley. “So would you like to fill out an application? You get a discount if you apply today.”

Marley squinted as if thinking hard. “How about if I take the application with me? I want to look at one more place before I make up my mind.”

“Don’t forget that Joan is here,” Abby said with a twinkle in her eye. “That would make this apartment really special.”

“That’s right,” the manager agreed. “You’d have a ready-made friend.”

They went down to get the paperwork then, and before they left, Abby turned to Marley. “I think I should introduce you to Joan before we go.”

“Good idea,” the manager said. “And remember, if you turn in your application today, you get that discount.”

Marley thanked him and promised to keep that in mind. Then they told him good-bye and meandered on down to apartment 132.

“What should we do if we actually see her?” Abby asked nervously.

Marley shrugged. “I don’t know, but don’t worry, I’ll think of something.”

“Hopefully the manager won’t come down here and blow our cover. He might call the cops or something.”

Marley chuckled. “Just relax, Abby. There’s no law against snooping.”

The parking space marked 132 was empty, and the blinds in the corresponding apartment were closed.

“Now what?” Abby looked discouraged. “We might as well go.”

“Wait.” Marley pointed to a scraggly looking planter in the walkway that led to unit 132. There, mixed in with the dirt, were some cigarette butts. “Do you think?”

“Joan’s?” Abby glanced nervously around, as if she expected someone to jump them from behind.

“Maybe so.” Marley casually opened her purse, removed a clean tissue from the little packet she always carried, and, using the tissue, gathered up several of the butts, loosely wrapping them in another clean tissue. She slipped this little packet back into her purse, then zipped it closed.

“Well, it looks like nobody’s home,” Marley said loudly. “I suppose we should go.”

“Yes.” Abby nodded eagerly. “Let’s go.”

They walked quickly back to the car, but once inside, they both started to giggle like schoolgirls. And as Abby drove away, they burst into loud ripples of laughter.

“Oh, that was fun,” Marley finally said. “It reminded me of sixth grade. Remember when we TP’d Don Gibson’s house on Halloween?”

Abby nodded. “I do! And remember how we freaked out when Mr. Gibson stood on the porch in his long johns, and how he was yelling that he had a shotgun and knew how to use it?”

“Caroline practically wet her pants, she was so scared.”

They both started laughing again, recalling other details of that wild evening. Then the car grew quiet, and Marley began thinking about Caroline. She must be feeling awful with her mother’s life hanging in the balance and the law treating Caroline like a criminal.

“Do you think those were really Joan Wilson’s cigarette butts?” Abby asked as she turned toward the hospital.

“I sure hope so.”

“I’ll bet they could run a DNA test on them. Wouldn’t that prove something?”

“Undoubtedly.” Marley patted her purse. “Also, they can determine if the cigarettes are the same brand as the ones found in Mrs. McCann’s bedroom.”

Abby chuckled as she pulled into a parking space. “Nice work, Sherlock.”

“You, too, Watson.”

“I do feel a little guilty for lying to the manager,” Abby admitted.

“All done in the line of duty,” Marley assured her. “I think God will forgive us.”

They hurried into the hospital to find that only Janie was in the waiting area. They quickly relayed their findings, and Janie told them that Caroline was with her mom. “Mrs. McCann’s been moved to ICU. She’s stabilized but not conscious. Caroline just went in there a few minutes ago.”

“What should we do with the evidence?” Marley asked.

“Why don’t you let me handle it,” Janie suggested. “I plan to act as Caroline’s attorney anyway. Hopefully she won’t really need my help. But she has so much on her mind right now between her mom’s injuries and the burned-out house. The least I can do is to cover the legal angles for her.”

“Oh, I hadn’t even thought about the damage to her mom’s house,” Marley said. “How bad is it?”

“Well, I poked around a bit when I took Chuck over there. I put him in the backyard with some food and water and he seems okay for now. But the house is definitely not habitable. Mrs. McCann’s room is badly burnt, and the rest of the house has considerable smoke damage.”

“Poor Caroline.” Marley shook her head. “She so didn’t need this.”

“I know.” Janie sighed. “I told her that she and Chuck can stay with me tonight.”

“Or she can stay with us,” Abby offered.

“Or me,” Marley said, “although I’d have to put her on my couch.”

“Well, my house is closest to the hospital,” Janie pointed out. “We might as well stick with that plan for the time being.”

Marley removed her precious evidence from her purse, handing the wad of tissues over to Janie. “I was careful not to actually touch the cigarette butts,” she told her. “And these are clean tissues. I didn’t have a plastic bag on me.”

“Actually this is perfect.” Janie looked at the small white bundle. “Plastic bags hold in moisture, and that can damage the evidence. This is great.”

Abby patted Marley on the back. “See, you really are a good sleuth.”

“Speaking of sleuths”—Janie glanced at her watch—”maybe I should pay Detective Alberts a visit while he’s still on duty.”

“And I should probably get home to start dinner,” Abby said a bit reluctantly. “Otherwise Paul might use this as an excuse to run out and eat a triple cheeseburger or some other form of heart-attack-on-a-bun.”

“I’ll stick around here for Caroline,” Marley offered. After Janie and Abby left, Marley sat down and tried to pass the time by perusing the old magazines in the waiting room. When Caroline joined her, Marley could see that she’d been crying.

“How is she?” Marley asked gently. Caroline began to cry even harder. Marley enveloped Caroline in a hug and let her cry.

After a while, once the crying stopped and they were both blowing their noses, Caroline described her mom’s condition. “I just don’t see how she can possibly survive this. Burns … damaged lungs … and the Alzheimer’s.” Caroline took in a jagged breath. “I don’t like to question God, but the truth is, I wonder. I mean, why would he allow my mom to suffer like this? What is the purpose?”

Marley had no answer.

“The poor woman didn’t have a great life to start with. She did get some peace after my dad died. But even that was cut short by the Alzheimer’s. I just don’t get it.”

Marley thought hard, wishing for something to say that would comfort Caroline. Again she came up empty.

“Now she’s just lying there all bandaged up, unconscious and possibly suffering in silence, breathing on a ventilator. It all feels so senseless. Really, she would be better off dead.”

Marley remembered something. “Didn’t you say that your mom had made a living will back before her Alzheimer’s got bad?”

Caroline nodded sadly. “She did.”

“Well, if it’s like the one my parents had, wouldn’t it mean that no one is supposed to use any artificial means of life support to keep her alive?”

“Something to that effect.”

“So why are they keeping her alive on a ventilator? Why don’t they allow her to die peacefully, like she wants?”

“Because of the police.” Caroline wiped her nose. “Janie said that until the investigation regarding the fire is resolved, the police can get a court injunction instructing the hospital to keep my mom alive indefinitely.”

“Oh dear.” Perhaps the findings of Marley’s investigation would change the law’s perspective. She quickly told Caroline about the apartments and the cigarette butts. “In fact Janie is taking the evidence to the police right now.”

Caroline threw her arms around Marley again. “What would I do without the support of my friends?” she cried. “You guys are the best. Better than family!”