“
Thanks,” Mike said. As he waited, a frail blonde teenager in a pink robe and house shoes came walking down the hall.
She caught Mike’s eye and smiled.
He smiled back. “How’s it going?”
“
Good, but even better when I get a new kidney. Got one you’re not using?” And then she giggled.
It dawned on him this must be Caulfield’s daughter. Before he could answer, he saw Caulfield come around the corner at the far end of the hall. The expression on his face was anxious until he spied the girl.
Mike pointed. “I think someone’s looking for you.”
She made a face. “Uh-oh, caught again. That’s Daddy. Ah well, back to jail I go.”
The giggle was gone, as was the twinkle in her eye. Even her shoulders slumped as she began to retrace her steps. As soon as Caulfield reached her, he slid an arm around her waist to steady her and they disappeared around the corner.
“
That’s tough, a young kid like her being that sick,” Kenny said.
Mike nodded.
Moments later the head nurse was back with two other nurses at her heels.
“
This is the list of names you wanted as well as two of my nurses who were on duty that night. The blonde is Erin Morgan. The brunette is Loretta Fisher.”
“
Is there someplace private where we could talk for a bit?” Mike asked.
She pointed to the small office behind the desk. “You can use my office. Just close the door and you’ll have all the privacy you need.”
“
Thanks,” Mike said as he nodded at the two nurses. “We won’t be long.”
The women led the way into the office. As soon as they were all inside, Mike shut the door.
“
I’m Detective Amblin. This is my partner, Detective Duroy. Did Nurse Glenn tell you why we’re here?”
“
You wanted to talk to nurses who were on duty for Mrs. Sadler’s last night. We were both here.”
“
Our questions are regarding Mrs. Sadler’s husband. Did either of you see him come to visit her that night?”
They both nodded as Loretta spoke. “He always came about the same time every night. Probably after he got off work and ate. He worked at one of the Caulfield mines.”
“
I need you to think back carefully. Did you hear or see anything unusual happen between them that night?”
“
What do you mean?” Erin asked.
Mike didn’t want to lead them into an answer, but it was obvious his questioning wasn’t specific enough.
“
Anything that was out of the ordinary for them, like, did you happen to overhear an argument, or did one or both of them act upset?”
Loretta shook her head. “No sir.”
Erin hesitated before she answered. “No, I didn’t either.”
Mike caught the look on her face. “Please. This is important. You’re not telling anything out of turn. You’re not breaking any code of secrecy. We’re trying to find out who murdered her husband. If you know anything, no matter how unimportant you think it might be, please tell us.”
Erin glanced at her friend and then back at Mike. “I didn’t hear it personally, but I overheard Susan talking about it on break that night.”
“
Who’s Susan and talking about what?” he asked.
“
Susan Ellison. She’s an LPN who pulled a double that night. This is her day off.”
Mike checked the list. The name and contact info was on it. “Okay, exactly what was Susan talking about?”
“
When she went into the room with Mrs. Sadler’s meds she walked in on an argument. She said Mr. Sadler was crying and asking her the same question over and over. What’s his name? What’s his name? She said Helen was crying, too. Susan excused herself, gave Helen the meds and left.”
“
I’ll be damned,” Kenny muttered.
“
Did either of you happen to see Mr. Sadler leave?”
“
I did, but he didn’t say anything. He just left her room as usual then about halfway down the hall he started to run, like he wanted to catch the elevator before the doors shut, but he didn’t make it. He had to wait for the next one.”
Mike glanced at Kenny and guessed they were both remembering the same thing – watching Jessup Sadler take off out of the parking lot like his tail was on fire.
He took a card out of his pocket. “Thank you, ladies. If either of you remember anything else, give me a call.”
They left the office.
Victoria Glenn eyed them curiously, as if expecting them to share what they’d learned.
“
Thank you for your help,” Mike said, and then they were gone, leaving Glenn with her curiosity still intact.
****
Justin’s heartbeat was finally settling as he got Callie back into her room. It had been unnerving to walk in and find the room empty, and he could tell she was irked that he’d gone looking for her as if she was a runaway toddler. He’d seen that same expression a thousand times on her face when she was little and hadn’t gotten her way.
“
It’s great to see you up and walking around. I just don’t want you to overdo it,” he said.
“
I only made one loop around the floor before you showed up. That’s not overdoing it,” she said, as she crawled up into bed.
He ignored the comment by throwing out a suggestion he knew she would like.
“
Want to play some cards?”
Her eyes brightened. “Uno! I love Uno.” She got the deck of cards out of the table beside her bed. “You shuffle, Daddy. My hands are too shaky.”
He tweaked the end of her nose. “Oh yeah, I’ll shuffle. I’ll put the Caulfield shuffle on this deck.”
Callie giggled.
Justin smiled at the delight on her face. It had been too long since either one of them had anything to rejoice about. As he began to shuffle, Callie plumped her pillows and settled cross-legged on the bed with the tray-table between them.
“
How’s Nana feeling?” Callie asked, as Justin continued to shuffle.
“
I don’t know. I haven’t talked to her today.”
Callie frowned. “You should call and check on her. It will hurt her feelings if you don’t.”
“
I was afraid I might wake her up if I called. I’ll be home later and check on her then.”
“
What if she needs to see a doctor?” Callie asked.
Justin began to deal. “Mr. Newton is there. He’ll look after her just fine. If she thinks she needs a doctor, he’ll get her there.”
“
Oh right, I forgot about him.” Callie began smiling as she sorted through her cards.
“
What are you grinning about?” Justin teased. “Don’t tell me I gave you good cards already?”
She giggled again and wiggled her eyebrows at him.
Justin laughed out loud.
Callie played her first card and then gleefully whooped when Justin had to draw from the deck right off the bat.
“
You are such a card shark,” Justin said, as he had to draw twice more before he could play.
She pursed her lips. “I play like a Caulfield, don’t I, Daddy?”
Justin paused. “How does a Caulfield play?”
“
Nana says Caulfields’ always play to win, no matter what it takes to make it happen.”
Justin felt like he’d just been slapped. It took all his control not to get angry.
“
Well, Nana’s not one hundred percent right. We play to win, but not at any cost. We play fairly and obey the rules, right?”
Suddenly Callie was serious. “Yes, we do. Always. I don’t want to make God mad. He might not find me a new kidney.”
Justin blinked. What the fuck had his mother been teaching his child while she’d been ‘helping out’?
“
Honey. God isn’t punishing you. And your kidney transplant does not hinge on how good God thinks you are. I don’t know where you got that, but that’s a crock of shit.”
Callie giggled. “Daddy. You said a bad word.”
Justin sighed. “Yes, I did, and I may say a few more before the night is over if you wind up beating me again at this blasted game.”
The moment passed as the game continued, but Justin had a whole other set of issues to discuss with his mother besides her health when he got home.
****
Poppy didn’t have much to say on the way to the funeral home and John wasn’t in the mood to strike up a conversation. He was sick to his stomach just thinking about the task ahead. By the time they pulled into the parking lot he was shaking.
“
Johnny?”
He killed the engine. “Yeah?”
“
She wasn’t mad at you. Ever.”
“
Well, she should have been,” he said, then glanced at her expression and realized a new level of despair had been added to Poppy’s situation. “Are you okay? I mean, after what you found out, are you mad at her?”
“
I’m numb, Johnny. I don’t know how I feel. Are you ready?”
“
Yeah.”
They walked hand in hand up the walk and into the funeral home.
Truman Epperson greeted them as they came inside.
“
Good afternoon, Poppy. Hello John, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“
Thank you,” John said. “We’d like some alone time with Mom. Is anybody in there?”
“
No. There’s no one in the viewing room with your mother at this time and I’ll close the door and make sure you’re undisturbed until you’re ready to leave.”
“
Thank you,” John said.
He felt a rush of anxiety as Poppy’s grip tightened. This whole thing was a nightmare, but they would get through it together. As soon as they entered the viewing room, Truman promptly closed the door behind them.
Poppy gasped. The room was still cold, but Helen’s casket was no longer the only thing in the room. It was awash in flowers. John’s gaze went straight to the casket at the end of the room, but she couldn’t quit looking at the array of floral tributes. Yesterday the shelves had been empty. Now there wasn’t a space to be had and some were sitting on the floors and against the walls.
“
Go on,” she said, urging John forward.
He moved toward the casket. Poppy followed a few steps behind. She waited, expecting him to speak, but his eyes were closed and his face was streaked with tears.
“
Johnny, just say what’s in your heart.”
He reached into the casket, touching her cheek with the back of his finger then stifled a shudder, unprepared for the absence of life.
“
God, Mom, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t come back when you were still here. You were the best mother a kid could have and when you needed me most, I wasn’t there for you. If I could, I would do everything different, but I can’t. I know you and Dad are together. It’s the only thing that makes this disaster bearable. I’ll take care of Poppy and I’ll make sure the police don’t quit until we find out who killed Dad. I promise.”
Poppy laid her cheek against his shoulder. “She looks pretty, doesn’t she, Johnny?”
Tears were streaming down his face, but his heart was lighter, the way it used to feel when he was a boy and he’d finally confessed to some misdeed.
“
Yes, she does. The dress is her favorite color. Did you do that?”
Poppy nodded.
“
You’re the best,” he said softly.
Poppy pulled a handful of tissues from the box on the table and put them in his hand. He wiped his eyes and blew his nose and then turned around and hugged her in what felt like desperation. It took a few moments for them to gather themselves, and when they did, she began pointing out the flowers.
“
When I was here yesterday, there weren’t any flowers. Now look. Mama would be so touched to know how many people cared about her like this.”
“
Can you tell who they’re from?” he asked.
“
Usually the cards are pinned on the bows somewhere, or somewhere within the leaves.” She began to search, and to her surprise, only a few had cards. The rest of the arrangements and potted plants had none. “I’ll ask Truman. He’ll know.”
John turned to the casket for a final look then turned away. “I’m ready when you are.”
They left the viewing room, pausing briefly to scan the guest book.
“
Look at who’s already been here,” John said, running a finger down the list of names. “Guys from Dad’s shift at the mine, women from Mama’s Sunday school class, people she worked with at the paper mill, even some of your friends from The Depot. Here’s Vic Payton’s name. Didn’t you tell me he’s the manager now?”
“
Yes. Engaged to the boss’s daughter, too,” Poppy whispered.
“
Hey. Here’s a name I didn’t expect to see,” John said.
“
Who?” Poppy asked.
“
Justin Caulfield. Can you believe it?”
Poppy frowned. “Probably still riding that guilt trip from firing Daddy. Oh... wait, here comes Truman. I’m going to ask him about those flowers.”
“
Is there anything I can do for you?” Truman asked.
“
There are a lot of flowers in the room without cards. Were they already removed?”
“
Oh, no, they came that way. But the deliveryman said that they were all purchased at once by the same person.”