DONNIE TURNER

From the kitchen window, Donnie watched the two detectives knock on Number One, wait for a minute, and then walk towards his porch. He had the door open before they could knock and invited them inside.

“I’m Donnie Turner.” He flourished his arm in a mock courtly bow. “Your perfect informant. I’ve lived on this street my whole life.”

The female cop shook his hand. “I’m Detective McPhee. This is Detective Walsh. May we talk with you for a few minutes about Iris Blum? You know that she’s missing?”

“Yes, of course. Everyone knows everyone’s business on Azalea Court. Especially my wife. Evelyn has already posted Iris’s photo on Facebook and made leaflets. She’s out now, distributing them around the neighborhood.” Donnie handed a leaflet to each detective, not sure if he should feel proud of Evelyn’s quick involvement, or if this would be another instance where people criticized her for getting too mixed up in other people’s affairs.

“That was fast. When’s the last time you saw Mrs. Blum?”

When had he seen her? Not for many days, for sure. Weeks, maybe. “She hasn’t been outside much. Didn’t put her flower garden to bed this year like she always does in October and November. My wife has gone over there several times—Evelyn is a nurse, and she’s very fond of Iris—but Dr. Blum hasn’t let Evelyn see her. Always says she’s napping or something. That’s why Evelyn called you folks this morning. She was so worried.”

McPhee nodded. “We’ll talk to Evelyn later. You said you’ve lived here your whole life? How long have the Blums lived next door?”

“They came in the early 1950s. That’s when Dr. Blum started working at the state hospital. My mom worked there too, as an attendant. She and Mrs. Blum became good friends. Their daughter Lexi and I were born within weeks of each other in 1960. Our two families were pretty close until my parents divorced and then my mother died.”

Donnie pictured his mother’s photo albums with those curvy black corners that fell off when the glue died of old age. Family lore had it that he and Lexi, both only children, shared their childhoods like siblings. Black and white photos documented birthday cupcakes smeared across their faces and joyful splashing in backyard wading pools. He even used to be sweet on Lexi, decades ago, before he met Evelyn, but Lexi never seemed interested. He wondered about her sometimes, what her life was like now that she had left Azalea Court. She did something with landscape design, he thought. Seemed like she had turned into an odd duck.

“What can you tell us about Dr. Blum?”

Donnie laughed. “He’s a shrink, what else do I need to say? He used to work long days at the state hospital. Always seemed head-in-the-clouds. I never understood the guy. He wasn’t very friendly either, not like Iris.”

“Do you have any idea where Mrs. Blum might have gone? Where she liked to walk when she went outside?”

“She used to love walking along the Mill River, but I don’t know if she can still manage the hills. She never had a vegetable plot in the Community Gardens, but she used to help me weed mine from time to time. The last few years she sat on the bench and kept me company.”

“We’ll certainly check the river and the gardens,” Detective McPhee said. “Any other thoughts about where Mrs. Blum might have gone? Or anyone who might have had difficulties or issues with her?”

Wow. Were the detectives thinking that someone hurt her, or kidnapped her? That put things in a whole other perspective. Should they all be worried? Donnie shivered.

“No,” he said. “Everyone liked Iris.”