Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
T ranquility Terrace had the kind of atmosphere you’d expect from a creaky old Victorian. Dark wallpaper, oriental rugs, and the scent of something medicinal lingering in the air. The effect made me feel both amused and uneasy, like this was a place where time stood still—pleasant but just a little too calm, like the quiet before a storm.
Mrs. Hargrove led us into the common room, where a few residents were waiting. They made a mismatched group of personalities, all eyeing one another with that mix of suspicion and boredom you only found in places like this.
“Everyone, this is Ray Leonard and his... partner, Earl,” Mrs. Hargrove said, gesturing toward us.
Mrs. Hargrove pointed atan elderly man in a worn cardigan who was sitting by the window. “And this is Ethan Sanders.”
Mr. Sanders barely looked up, giving us a grunt. “Private detectives, eh? We’ll see about that.”
Mrs. Hargrove turned toward a white-haired woman whose lips were painted with bright-red lipstick. “And this is Martha Bixby.”
Martha fluffed her hair and smiled. “Lovely to meet you.”
“And beside her, Sally Johnson, Natalie Cartwright, and Josh Jenkins.”
The three seniors nodded.
“And that’s Daisy Landon over there.” Mrs. Hargrove pointed at a small woman who wore a bright-pink shirt and was sitting in one of the chairs.
Daisy leaned in, her smile bright. “Welcome! Hope you can solve this mystery quick. We need some excitement around here.” She gave me a quick scratch behind the ears, and I couldn’t help but purr.
“And over here is Mr. Benedict,” Mrs. Hargrove said, gesturing to the older man in a pinstriped suit who was trying to shuffle a deck of cards. He gave us a dramatic bow.
“Benedict the Magnificent,” he corrected, flashing a smile. “Retired magician. But I still know a few tricks.” He made a card disappear from his hand, then he flicked it back out of nowhere. Honestly, the trick was not very impressive, especially since his hands were shaky and he dropped the card.
A blonde in scrubs bustled in, holding a small paper cup. “Time for your meds, Mr. Benedict.” Her gaze flicked up at Ray, and she frowned.
Mrs. Hargrove introduced Ray and me to Gina, the resident nurse.
“Gina here is the real magician.” Mr. Benedict took the cup and knocked back the pills without even taking a sip of water. “Saved me when I had a heart attack last year.”
Gina blushed, giving him a modest smile. “I was just doing my job.”
“Just doing your job? You’re a regular Florence Nightingale.” Benedict winked. “Without Gina, I’d be performing card tricks in the afterlife.”
“Same here,” Mr. Billings grumbled from his spot by the window, his thick eyebrows furrowed. “Heart attack nearly did me in too. Gina saved me.”
Sally, sitting nearby, crossed her arms. “She saved me too. Flu so bad I thought Mortimer was waiting to see me off.” She gave Gina a quick nod. “And that chicken soup you made? I swear it pulled me back from the brink.”
Looking a little uncomfortable with the attention, Gina replied with a soft laugh. “I’m just happy to help.”
Ray smiled at her. “Seems like you’ve saved quite a few lives around here.”
Gina shook her head, clearly wanting to move the spotlight elsewhere. “It’s what I do.”
With that, Ray turned his attention back to the group and focused on the real reason we were here. “So, I understand some of you have had things go missing?”
“Gone without a trace,” Mr. Sanders said, his smile fading as he twirled the deck of cards in his hands. “My gold cuff links. One day, they’re on my dresser, the next—they’ve disappeared like one of Benedict’s bad magic tricks.”
“And you’re sure your door was locked?” Ray asked.
Mr. Sanders gave him a look. “Of course. The door was locked, the windows shut tight. It’s like the thief walked through the walls.”
I hopped up onto a chair, my ears twitching.
Ray turned to Martha. “You had something stolen, too, right?”
“Emerald necklace,” she said bluntly. “One of a kind. It was on my nightstand when I went to bed, gone by the time I woke up. I had the flu—bad. So bad that Mortimer was lurking outside my door, waiting for me to kick it.”
Sally shot Mrs. Hargrove a hard look. “If you’d listened to me about security, none of this would’ve happened.”
Mrs. Hargrove stiffened but didn’t argue. “We’re looking into the security options, Sally.”
Sally sniffed. “Too little, too late. I say we call the police.”
That caught my ear. Ray stiffened. I knew the police most likely meant Ray’s ex, Vivian Moretti. She was a detective now with the local police, and Ray still carried a torch for her. He blushed and got all tongue-tied around her.
Viv was cool as a cucumber, though I thought maybe she still liked Ray too. The way her gaze lingered on him just a bit longer than necessary and her tendency to smile whenever he stumbled over his words gave her away. I wasn’t sure what had caused the rift between them, but I was glad it hadn’t carried over to me… Viv still gushed and cooed over me every time I saw her.
“I don’t think we need the police,” Ray stammered.
Sally didn’t look convinced. “No? This is serious.”
“Ray is a serious detective,” Mrs. Hargrove said, her voice firm. “I’m confident he’ll get to the bottom of it.”
I watched her closely. There was something in her tone, a hesitation that made me wonder. Maybe she didn’t want the police involved for her own reasons—though I wasn’t sure what those were.
With the matter of the police settled, Ray continued asking questions about the thefts.
“Can anyone think of any unusual activity recently?” he asked, jotting down notes. “Visitors who seemed out of place, or maybe noises during the night?”
Martha shook her head. “Nothing, except for the usual creaks and groans of this old place.” She glanced up at the ceiling as if the creaks and groans came from it.
“And what about staff changes?” Ray pressed, glancing at Mrs. Hargrove. “Any new hires recently?”
After hesitating, Mrs. Hargrove replied, “Nope, everyone has been here for quite some time.”
I padded along the edges of the room. A strange draft was blowing, even though all the windows were shut. I tilted my head. The air didn’t smell like a fresh breeze—it smelled like dust, old wood, and neglect. My eyes followed the ceiling line. The draft was coming from above. I made a mental note to explore the upper floors later.
“My watch got stolen,” Mr. Billings grumbled, taking a newspaper off the table. “Family heirloom. Gold. Gone without a trace.”
Ray nodded, jotting that down. “So, no signs of forced entry?”
“None,” Billings said, crossing his arms. “And I check my door twice before bed. It was locked. I don’t trust anyone around here.”
I flicked my tail, thinking the situation over. No forced entry. Valuable items gone without a trace. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that someone in this building had sticky fingers.
“And my mother’s brooch was stolen just last week,” Daisy added.
Ray gave her a sympathetic smile. “That must’ve been upsetting.”
Daisy’s eyes flicked toward Gina, softening. “It was. But Gina helped calm me down. She’s always been such a help.” She paused then added, “We go way back. She’s taken care of me here and at Green Pines.”
I perked up at that. Green Pines? I made another mental note. That was a small detail, but small details often turned into big clues.
Ray scribbled one last note in his book. “All right. Thank you all for your time. We’ll start investigating and let you know as soon as we find anything.”
Mrs. Hargrove gave us a tight smile. “Thank you, Mr. Leonard, Earl. I trust you’ll get to the bottom of this soon.”
“We’ll do our best. I’d like to start by inspecting the rooms,” Ray said.
She nodded. “They are all on this floor. We try not to put residents in the upstairs rooms, as many of them are unsteady, and we wouldn’t want anyone to fall down the stairs.”
“Of course not. So where should we start?” Ray glanced up to see if anyone would volunteer.
“You can look at mine.” Daisy jumped up from her chair. Pretty spry for an old human. “It’s the first one right over here.”