Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
A fter the whole debacle with Benedict, Ray and I retreated to the little garden area behind Tranquility Terrace. Ray, shoulders slumped, sat on one of the wooden benches, clutching his notepad in one hand while he rubbed the back of his neck with the other.
I jumped up onto the bench beside him, giving him my best “don’t beat yourself up” look, but he wasn’t paying much attention. He was too busy muttering to himself about how he could have gotten the whole thing so wrong.
“Benedict,” Ray mumbled. “I can’t believe I thought it was him. Lockpicks in the bag, the secret door—it all lined up. But no, of course it couldn’t be that easy.”
I flicked my tail, letting him vent. Don’t feel so bad. Even I thought it was him. But hey, you’ll figure it out. We’ve been in worse scrapes.
Before Ray could spiral further into self-pity, Rick strolled over from one of the garden paths, a tuna sandwich in hand and a tool belt slung low on his waist. He was humming to himself, clearly on a lunch break. As soon as he saw Ray, though, he raised an eyebrow.
“Ray, buddy,” Rick said, sitting down on the bench next to him. “You look like someone kicked your dog... or your cat, in this case.”
Ray sighed, flipping through his notepad without really reading it. “Just made a fool of myself back there, Rick. Accused Benedict of being the thief.”
Rick chuckled and took a bite of his sandwich. “Yeah, I heard. You really thought Benedict was sneaking around with those shaky hands of his?”
Ray groaned. “Not my finest moment.”
Rick shrugged. He pulled out a little piece of tuna from his sandwich and held it down toward the ground. Mortimer, who had been lounging nearby in his usual “too cool for school” fashion, lazily rolled over and padded up to Rick’s feet, accepting the tuna morsel like the royal sovereign he believed himself to be.
I narrowed my eyes at Mortimer. Oh, so that’s how it is? You get to eat lunch, and I’m stuck here with nothing ? The smell of the tuna drifted up, and my stomach growled. Rick’s sandwich smelled like heaven.
Rick gave Mortimer another piece of tuna, not even looking at him as the cat munched away.
I edged closer to Rick, eyeing the sandwich. Maybe if I sit right here, looking pitiful enough, he’ll drop me a piece. I’m much more deserving than Mortimer.
Rick glanced over at me, catching the look. “Oh, Earl wants in on this, too, huh?”
I purred softly, You bet I do. Just drop the tuna, Rick. Let’s not make a big deal of it.
Rick gave me a tiny piece. It was delicious.
Ray, oblivious to the tuna negotiations happening beside him, leaned back on the bench, tapping the notepad with his pen. “You know what’s been bugging me?”
Rick wiped his hands on a napkin. “What’s that?”
Ray flipped to a page in his notebook, showing the rough drawing of the map he’d found in the attic. “This. The map. At first, I thought it was some kind of maintenance plan—maybe rooms that needed fixing up.”
Rick squinted at the drawing then shook his head. “Like I told you, I’ve never seen it.”
Ray frowned. “So, I wonder what it could be for. It was recent, up in the attic with no dust, and the rooms marked were rooms that were stolen from. You haven’t seen anyone with anything like that, have you?”
Rick leaned back and tossed another piece of tuna to Mortimer, who was now practically sitting on the man’s shoes, waiting patiently. “Hmmm… well, it does sort of remind me of that paper that Gina uses to keep track of when patients get their meds.”
But Ray’s eyes narrowed, the wheels turning in his head. “Right. She’d have to keep track of that. And a person that is used to keeping track might also keep track of other things.”
Rick raised an eyebrow. “Sure, that makes sense.”
Ray sat up straighter. “Exactly. And no one would think twice about seeing her go in and out of residents’ rooms.”
Looking a little surprised, Rick nodded slowly. “Yeah... Gina’s in and out of those rooms more than anyone. Always checking on people, especially the ones who are, y’know, not doing so great.”
Ray stared at the map, realization dawning on his face. “If Gina made this map, she could’ve been keeping track of which rooms she’s hit already. She’s careful. Systematic.”
I sat up a little straighter. Good job, Ray! Let’s get her!
An energized Ray jumped up from the bench. “Rick, thanks. I think you just helped me crack this thing.”
Rick chuckled, standing up and brushing off his hands. “Hey, don’t mention it. Just glad I wasn’t on the suspect list.”
Ray grinned. “Don’t worry. I know who I need to talk to next.”
I followed close behind as Ray walked back inside, my mind already racing ahead to the confrontation with Gina. We had her now—at least, I was pretty sure we did.