Chapter 7
“SO YOU FOUND SOMEBODY?” brEE ASKED.
“I’m hoping so. She’s coming over later to meet your grandma.”
“I think I’ll come back,” said Bree. “That way I can be sure you haven’t hired a serial killer to take care of Gram.”
Zona ignored the snark. “She’d probably be thrilled if I did,” she said, and Bree snickered.
They’d moved their conversation away from the ugly past. Good. Now, all Zona had to worry about was her mother.
LOUISE WAS AWAKE and back on the couch, Bree keeping her company when the potential caregiver arrived for her interview at four. Louise was not looking thrilled.
“I really think I could manage on my own while you’re at work,” she said right before Gilda arrived. Neither her daughter nor her granddaughter believed her. Zona didn’t think Louise even believed herself.
“Remember, it was your idea,” Zona reminded her.
“I was in the hospital, on drugs. I’ve changed my mind.”
The doorbell rang. “Too late. You may as well meet her.”
Gilda Radovich looked like a LEGO woman come to life.
Her body was short and square and so was her face, and her straight, dark hair was cut in a no-nonsense chin-length bob.
She had hefty arms and looked like she could wrestle an alligator to the ground.
She would have no trouble getting Louise in and out of the shower.
Or helping her up if—heaven forbid!—she fell.
“I’m Gilda,” she announced when Zona opened the door, Darling at her side, wagging a greeting. Gilda accompanied this with a smile that looked . . . Yes, even her squared-off lips made Zona think of LEGO. She was a walking social media filter.
“Thanks for coming,” Zona said. “We really could use some help.”
“Nobody calls me unless they do,” Gilda said as she stepped inside.
The minute she did, Darling, the welcoming committee, felt it important to jump on her and give her some doggy love.
“Down, dog,” Gilda commanded, trying to block Darling with a raised knee.
Gilda’s knee couldn’t reach high enough and Darling didn’t discourage easily. He barked and tried again, determined to brace his paws on her chest.
“Down!” Gilda cried. “This dog is going to knock me over.”
Zona doubted that. It would be easier to knock over a truck. “Bree, can you take Darling away,” she called.
“He’s high-spirited,” Louise said from the couch as Bree came over to grab the dog’s collar.
“Don’t put him outside,” Zona was quick to say as Bree led him away.
“I’ll put him in Gram’s room,” Bree said, and hurried Darling off.
“Sorry about that,” Zona said to Gilda as she led the woman into the living room.
“Dogs and children, they all love me,” Gilda said with a shake of the head as Darling’s whines followed them. “I don’t know why.”
“Do you have a dog?” asked Louise.
“Oh, no. No time,” Gilda said. “Dogs are too messy. Believe me, I’ve spent enough time changing adult diapers. The last thing I want to do is have to pick up a dog’s poop.” She plopped onto the couch opposite Louise, who was half frowning. “I’m Gilda.”
“I’m Louise and I really don’t need help,” Louise informed her.
“Probably not much,” Gilda agreed. She turned to Bree, who was coming back into the living room. “Who are you?”
“This is my granddaughter, Bree,” Louise answered for her.
“You look strong enough to help your grandma,” Gilda observed.
“I can,” Bree said, and sat down on another chair. “When I’m not working,” she added.
“Bree is going to go to nursing school,” Louise bragged.
Gilda nodded approvingly. “Good career choice. If you don’t let yourself get burned out.
All that being on your feet. Make sure you always wear support stockings.
And never forget, doctors aren’t gods, even though they think they are.
Oh, and never marry one. My friend Gail married a doctor, and he has made her life miserable ever since.
” Gilda shook her head over her friend’s foolishness.
“That man is a control freak. Their children are grown, but she still won’t leave him.
He keeps telling her she’d never make it without him.
Disgusting. I never trusted the man. I’m good at reading people. ”
And talking about them.
Bree looked at Zona and raised her eyebrows. Who is this woman?
Zona shrugged. She’s available, that’s who she is.
Gilda pointed to Louise’s cast. “How’d you break your leg?”
“I fell. I was on a cruise.”
“That’s too bad,” said Gilda. “Travel can be dangerous. You never know when disaster’s going to strike. My cousin took a trip to London, and when she was waiting for the train to Croydon, she fell off the platform.”
“Was she hurt?” Louise asked, wide-eyed.
“Oh, yes. Broke her neck and died.”
Louise gasped. “That’s horrible. Did someone push her?”
“We’ll never know,” Gilda said. “Of course, you don’t have to go far from home to get hurt.
One old fool of a man I was called in to care for got on his grandson’s hover board at Christmas.
Fell off and broke his hip. Let me tell you, after a certain age, you break a hip and it’s the beginning of the end. ”
This was cheery stuff. “Mom’s doing fine,” Zona said.
“I can tell, you’ve got spirit,” Gilda said to Louise. “And you’re still young so you’ll be up and around in no time,” she added, and Louise preened. “You know, I’m not doing much of this anymore, but after talking to your daughter I had to meet you,” Gilda continued.
Louise raised her eyebrows. “Oh?” she prompted and looked at Zona.
“You’re a writer, right?”
“Well, I want to be,” said Louise. “I haven’t written anything yet.”
“I love mysteries,” said Gilda. “I could give you ideas. I had one woman . . . I’m sure her husband was trying to kill her.”
Louise leaned forward. “No.”
“Oh, yes,” Gilda said with an emphatic nod.
“He had her on this strict vegan diet because, according to him, he was worried she was going to gain weight while she was recovering from foot surgery. But it wasn’t a balanced diet, and she wasn’t getting enough calories to keep a bird alive.
I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen.
He wouldn’t even let her have the dark chocolate I brought her.
She was wasting away, looked like a skeleton. Let me tell you, I kept my eye on him.”
“Is she okay?” asked Louise.
“Thank God, yes,” Gilda said, then added, “For the moment. I still go by and visit once in a while, just to check on her. She still doesn’t look very good if you ask me. Too gaunt. I don’t trust that man.”
“You never know about people,” said Louise. “When a person dies mysteriously, it always turns out the murderer was somebody no one suspected. Unless money is involved. Then you know right off the spouse was behind it,” she added.
“You sure do,” Gilda agreed. “Did you watch the Deathline episode about the honeymoon killer?”
“Oh, my gosh, yes,” said Louise, and the two began dissecting the story of the supposedly distraught husband who had wound up making sure his new wife met with an accidental death after heavily insuring her.
Yep. Gilda would be staying.
“Hopefully, we don’t have any killers around here,” Zona said, bringing them back to the reason they’d called Gilda. “Gilda, what do you think? Can you help us out?”
“As long as you don’t need me to stay the night. I don’t do graveyard shifts.”
“We don’t really need you at all,” Louise said, then added, “But I wouldn’t mind some company.”
“May I show you around?” Zona offered.
Gilda nodded. “Yes, I want to see how your bathroom is set up.” She eyed Louise’s cast. “Doing sponge baths for now?”
“Yes, until the swelling goes down and after that I get an even clunkier cast,” Louise said sourly. “Then at least I’ll be able to shower.”
“That’ll be a pain in the patootie,” predicted Gilda, the little ray of sunshine.
“We have a shower chair arriving tomorrow,” Zona said. “And I’ve ordered rails for the toilet.”
“Excellent,” Gilda approved. “I’ll get you through this. Don’t you worry,” she assured Louise. “Let’s check out the living environment,” she said to Zona.
“And while you’re at it, honey, get Gilda some of that lavender lemonade you made,” Louise said.
It looked like Gilda was not only staying, but she was also going to become part of the family.
An hour later all had been arranged. Gilda would be stepping in when Zona was at work, helping Louise with her personal needs and making lunch. And, at the rate they were bonding, probably staying for dinner. But not, she was quick to inform Zona, taking the dog for walks.
Both she and Bree left just as Martin arrived with dinner. Soon they’d need traffic lanes. Louise was not going to be bored during her recuperation.
“Why don’t you keep Mom company while I get this plated,” Zona said to him as she took the giant bag of food.
“Happy to. Look at you, you poor thing,” he said to Louise as Zona went to the kitchen to dish up. What her mother was missing out on in fun was being more than made up for in sympathy and attention.
Zona set things up on the dining room table, and they all settled in to eat with Darling looking longingly on.
“Not for you, baby,” Louise said to him. “Zona will get you a dog biscuit.”
Zona had been about to dig into her chow mein, but she went to the kitchen and fetched a treat for Darling. She should have remembered to put on her Fitbit. Heaven knew she was certainly getting her steps in, and it would have been interesting to see how many.
She’d settled back at the table when they heard the rumble of Alec James’s diesel truck and saw it pull up into his driveway. “Looks like our new neighbor is home,” said Louise. “Have you met him, Martin? I haven’t had a chance to say more than hello.”
“He seems like a nice enough man,” Martin said, and reached for an egg roll.
“I think he’s single,” said Louise.
“I’ve seen a woman over there who drives a red PT Cruiser, so don’t start making plans,” Zona told Louise. “Anyway, I’m not looking for anyone,” she added. Just as a reminder to her mother. Okay, and herself, too.