Chapter 17 An Accurate Memory
AN ACCURATE MEMORY
The next morning, they got a call from Randy Kaustrowitz before they had gotten ready to drive to the precinct.
It was perfect timing because neither George nor Andi were overly keen to go there and meet Agent DeCapristo or Chief Savalle.
No matter how inevitable it was, they both had a silent understanding that in this case, procrastination was a good thing.
Randy had performed a small miracle and got a permit from Rosalie to talk to her mother though she hadn’t been overly happy about it.
“I think she hopes her mother has a bad day and you won’t get anything from her.
” Randy’s voice was a little hard to understand over the background of passing cars.
“Where are you?”
“On my way to the precinct.”
“What about the director? Shelby Delaine? Can we meet her as well?” George was still determined to talk to both women as soon as possible. Preferably one after the other.
“She has time for you this morning at ten. After meeting her, you can go to Tamika Byrnes. Lunch is at twelve, so you have to be done by then.”
“Thank you, Randy. You’re a lifesaver here.”
“I know. I thought I’d go and talk to Rosalie, Suzie, and Isabelle’s neighbors. Perhaps they had seen or heard something.”
It was highly unlikely that any of the neighbors would provide helpful insight, but it never hurt to have all bases covered. Especially with a case like this. “Thank you, Randy. We appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome!” Randy ended the call.
George checked the time. “We still have about an hour before we need to leave. Is there anything you’d like to do?”
Andi cocked his head. “It has nothing to do with the case, but we could think about what to do with your family when they come down.”
“What to do with my family?” George chuckled. “Why does this sound as if you’re forced to decide whether you want your teeth pulled or your nails ripped out?”
“Because to me it is probably worse than both?” Andi shrugged with a half-smile.
“You do know you don’t have to do anything, do you? If it gets too much, you say the word, and I will pack them up to go to a nice restaurant and then shuttle them back to their hotel.”
Andi stepped in front of him, and his fingers ghosted over George’s lips.
“No. I can’t. For one, your mother would never just let it be, you know that.
And I want to. We’re serious, George, we’ve established that much.
Being serious means getting to know your partner’s family, even if it’s just to reinforce that I never want to meet them again.
It’s hard for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it.
I just want to bitch about it as well.” Andi winked and pressed a soft kiss on George’s lips.
George leaned his forehead against Andi’s.
“Dear, after all you’ve been through on your own, you have every right to bitch to your heart’s content.
” He took a step backward. “Okay, let’s see.
My birthday is on a Friday, so they’ll likely arrive on Thursday.
I could meet with them on Thursday evening for dinner to get the worst of Mother’s ire dealt with.
Then, on Friday, we can have them over for brunch and have a nice stroll through the neighborhood.
Did I mention how great it is that you live in such a nice area of Charleston? ”
“Did I mention how grateful I am that you’re willing to sacrifice yourself for me?”
“I can hear the sarcasm, you know that?”
“Sarcasm? What sarcasm?” Andi’s face was the very picture of innocence.
“And now I know you’re just messing with me.” George turned serious. “I mean it, Andi. The house is your sanctuary. If, at any point, my family makes you uncomfortable, they’re out.”
“Thank you.”
This was another thing George loved about Andi. He always knew when to be serious, and he never made light of promises given to him. “If we leave now, we can get tea and coffee from that boutique coffee shop two blocks over.”
“Their peppermint sage tea is rather good.” Andi nodded his consent.
The tea and coffee needed companionship as Andi declared once they were at the place, which led to George buying two blueberry cereal muffins. His partner made no comment about George’s attempt to get a semi-healthy version of sugar and instead ate his muffin with gusto.
When he was done, Andi took a sip of the tea before he started to speak. “I’m curious as to how much Ms. Delaine is going to tell us about Suzie.”
“Technically, since she’s dead, she could be quite open. I guess it depends on her mood and her relationship to Suzie.”
“Wonderful. I love being at the mercy of strangers.”
“You’re going to love it even more when we go to the precinct afterward to tell Savalle and DeCapristo about what we’ve found.”
Andi gave an exaggerated shudder. Then he stilled.
“What?”
“DeCapristo is an FBI agent.”
“Yes?” George wasn’t sure where his partner was going with this.
“And we’ve worked with the FBI before. We have connections, so to speak….”
It took George a moment to catch up. “I’m not sure if Geena would appreciate being sucked into this.”
“And she has every right to tell us to fuck off. She will if she thinks we’re overstepping.”
That much was true. If Agent Geena Davis didn’t want to do something, she didn’t do it.
Period. The picture of a mule in front of a wet patch on the ground might come to mind when thinking of her.
George mulled it over for two seconds flat.
The truth was, he would love some deeper insights into Agent DeCapristo, and Geena was the easiest way to get them.
Of course, Shireen would probably be miffed that they hadn’t asked her to dig deeper into the agent, but that was a battle they would have to fight in the future, perhaps never if Shireen didn’t find out.
While DeCapristo was very much a fight in the present. He groaned. “Call her.”
Andi started typing on the screen of the console, and shortly after, the beeping of an outgoing call sounded through the speakers. After the third ring, Geena answered.
“George? To what do I owe the pleasure?” Geena’s voice was warm with a hint of amusement.
“Hi, Geena. Andi and I are both here. How are you?”
“Probably better than you two.”
“What makes you think so?” George was grinning from ear to ear. He loved talking to Geena.
“Because we talked only two weeks ago, which means it’s another six days till our next scheduled social call. The only reason I can think of for you to call me earlier is that you need my help. Hi, Andi, by the way.”
“Hi, Geena.”
“You’re wise beyond your years, Geena. We’re in the middle of a case and an agent from the FBI is giving us some grief. We’re also suspicious as to why she’s involved with our case in the first place. Do you think you could do some digging?”
“I can certainly try. What’s her name?”
“Agent Susannah DeCapristo.”
“Hmm, can’t say her name rings any bells. Then again, the agency is huge. Give me a few days.”
“Thank you, Geena. You’re the best.”
“I know.” She ended the connection, which was typical for her. She loved having the last word.
“The queen is in position.” Andi tapped the screen to get back to the main menu.
“Did you just compare Geena to a chess piece? You don’t even play!”
Andi shrugged. “It just came to mind.”
“Well, it’s not incorrect. Let’s hope Geena can find something useful for us.” George set the blinker before he turned onto the long driveway leading to the parking lot of Paradise Home.
Shelby Delaine was already waiting for them in her office when the receptionist led them there.
She asked them to take a seat and then stared at them from behind her desk.
Shelby was in her early sixties, if George had to guess, a plump woman with a mass of dark hair that surely had once been as black as a raven’s wing but was now interspersed with enough silvery strands to make it look lighter.
Her whole demeanor was that of a woman who was used to taking charge and doing hard work.
“Detectives George Donovan and Andrew Hayes. I have to admit I don’t know what to make of your request for an appointment. The officer asking for it was quite evasive.” She raised one slim brow.
“I’m sorry if Officer Kaustrowitz came across as impolite.
He’s fresh from the academy and still learning.
” George thought it best to give this preemptive apology to appease the director.
“As to why we wanted this appointment, we’re investigating the death of Suzie Monahan, and I understand she was an employee here? ”
The way Ms. Delaine’s eyes hardened didn’t bode well. Next to him, Andi leaned back a bit, indicating George should take it more slowly.
“Yes, Mrs. Monahan was in our employ.” The director didn’t say more.
George put on his best smile reserved for charming older women. It had no visible effect. He sighed inwardly. It would have been preferable if Shelby had started talking of her own volition.
“Ms. Delaine, let me be frank. We’ve already talked to Tucker Monahan, Suzie’s husband. We know about her kleptomania.”
The director’s eyes turned to flint, and her expression hardened to the point where George thought she could double as a marble statue in the Uffizi Gallery. And then he understood.
“We’re not here to investigate as to why you let somebody with a psychological condition work in your house. On the contrary, we find it admirable that you gave her a chance.”
“Until it bit me in the ass.” The amount of self-deprecation in the woman’s voice almost made George flinch.
“You took a chance on somebody who apparently didn’t have it easy in life. Even if it didn’t work out, you at least tried. Which is more than most people would have done. I’m sure Suzie appreciated it, even if her illness proved stronger in the end.”
It had been the right words. The director visibly relaxed. “She was such a good nurse. The old folks loved her. And she was so sure she had a handle on it.”
“Is that the reason you didn’t write anything about it in her employer’s reference?”
“That and I knew she wouldn’t have been able to get another job.
She promised she would look for a job with fewer temptations.
Plus, I’m not entirely sure if a medical condition such as this doesn’t fall under medical confidentiality.
It’s a very gray area, and I had no intention of getting caught up in a lawsuit. ”
“Understandable.” George glanced at Andi who was now sitting in a relaxed position. “Tucker also told us Suzie never stole anything valuable?”
“No. For one, the people here aren’t rich.
No diamond necklaces or ruby rings lying around.
We usually ask family members to hold on to anything of real value.
When there is no family, we have these things stored in our safe.
Though, as I said, nothing that’s worth more than a couple of thousand dollars.
And kleptomania, as you surely know, isn’t about the value of what is taken. It’s about the taking.”
“Yes, we know that. Do you happen to have a list of the items that were stolen? Have they been returned to their owners?”
Shelby nodded. “When I finally realized, or rather, admitted to myself, what was going on, I confronted Suzie. She had it all hoarded in the basement in a broom closet nobody used anymore. She had somehow found the key to it and it was all there. Just to be on the safe side, I took pictures of every item, noted the estimated worth and who it belonged to. Then the stuff was returned, and Suzie was let go.”
The pain in the director’s voice hit George harder than he would have expected.
To be betrayed by somebody you trusted, somebody you gave a chance, it had to be terrible.
Shelby started rummaging in one of the drawers of her desk, finally lifting a binder in the air.
She put it on the desk and shuffled it toward George.
“Here’s the list. I hope it helps you with your investigation.”
“Thank you, Director Delaine. And thank you for making the time to talk to us. You’ve been a great help.”
She nodded. “It was more of a pleasure than I would have thought. I was told you’re going to talk to Tamika Carter?”
“Carter? I thought her name was Byrnes?” George cocked his head.
“It is now, but while she was married, she used her husband’s name, Carter. After he died, she went back to her maiden name, though with her Alzheimer’s, she now reacts better to Carter.”
“Oh, good to know. Thank you, we’ll keep that in mind.”
The director nodded. “A word of advice, detectives, though I have a feeling you’re more empathetic than some of your colleagues I’ve met.
Alzheimer’s is a bitch of an illness. Don’t expect too much from a talk with Tamika.
She has good days and bad ones, and sadly, the bad ones are starting to get the upper hand.
Whatever you want from her, you probably won’t get it. ”
George nodded, got up, and held out his hand. “We are aware. Again, thank you. This,” he held the binder up, “is great.”
She shook his hand first then Andi’s, not once commenting on the fact that his partner hadn’t said a word during the entire conversation except for the greeting and now a short goodbye. They left her office and went back to reception and from there they were taken to Tamika’s room.