Nineteen
On Monday, Penny made the familiar journey to Llandudno, and this time she stopped at the beauty supply depot to pick up the candy-coloured nail polishes Eirlys wanted so badly. The yellows, turquoises, and bubble-gum pinks made Penny cringe, but if that’s what her young customers wanted, who was she to disagree? She didn’t mind about something as trivial as nail polish colours, but on the matter of the tanning bed she was holding firm. No tanning.
Holding an inexpensive bouquet of carnations under her arm, she climbed the stairs of the Sunset Villas Retirement and Nursing Home. The door was locked, but a receptionist looked up when she saw Penny and pressed the buzzer that unlocked the door.
Penny smiled her thanks as she entered the reception area. It was meant to be tastefully and reassuringly decorated in timeless floral prints, but the area looked outdated and horribly overdone. Farther down the hall that stretched in front of her she could see elderly people, some walking about aimlessly with empty, vacant looks, holding onto the rail that ran along the walls, others dozing in parked wheelchairs. Trying to assume a briskness that would convey she knew where she was going and what she was doing, she headed off in the direction of the seniors.
“Excuse me!” the receptionist demanded. “Who are you here to see?”
Penny shifted the flowers under her arm, turned around, and approached the desk.
“I’m here to see Millicent Mayhew.” She hoped she looked a little more confident than she felt.
“Just a minute while I check. Are you on today’s visitors list?”
“No, I’m not. I didn’t know I had to get on a list. I thought that as I was in the neighbourhood, I could just drop in.”
The receptionist softened. “Yes, of course you can. It’s just that if we know in advance, we can put you on our list. We like to know who’s coming and going. I expect you’ll find Miss Mayhew in the dayroom. First door on your right. Please sign in here and then go on through.”
“Thank you.”
Penny did as she was asked, then retraced her steps and headed back along the corridor. You never forget the smell of a nursing home, she thought. When she had first arrived in Llanelen all those years ago, she had earned a bit of extra money giving manicures to the ladies in the seniors’ home. Word spread, and the manicures became so popular that she was soon able to open her own business. She wondered if anyone ever came here to do manicures and made a mental note to suggest the idea to Victoria.
Admitting that her heart wasn’t really into weekday sleuthing because she felt anxious if she was too far away from the building site, Victoria had decided to stay behind in Llanelen. There were contractors to oversee, materials to monitor, invoices to prepare, and all the rest of it. She had also reminded Penny that they now had two businesses to run—one in development and one that needed to be generating income.
It wasn’t fair to dump all the work on Eirlys’s young shoulders, she said, adding that she hoped Penny would get her investigation wrapped up soon so she could focus on her work.
“I didn’t sign up for this, you know,” Victoria had warned her. Penny had apologized and promised to get down to business right away. Or at least on Tuesday, at the latest.
She entered the dayroom and hesitated. She had no idea what Millicent Mayhew looked like.
“You look lost, young lady,” said a man in a wheelchair near the door. “Who are you looking for?”
“Millicent Mayhew.”
“Oh God, what do you want with that old cow? I know you’re not a relative because you’ve never been here before, and you’re not a friend because she hasn’t got any. So what do you want with her?”
He stiffened slightly. “Not a cop, are you?” Then he answered his own question. “No, you don’t have the look of the police about you.”
Penny thought for a moment. She had been tempted to tell him that the reason for her visit was none of his business, but remembering the endless boredom and isolation that many seniors in nursing homes experience, she quickly reeled that thought back and decided to humour him. And something about his cheeky smile and earnestness appealed to her.
“Know a lot about the police, then, do you?”
“Used to.”
Penny nodded, grinned, and pointed to an empty chair across the room in front of large windows that overlooked a well-kept garden.
“Could we sit over there and have a little chat? Would you like a push?”
She walked across the room pushing the wheelchair and then parked it so her new friend was turned slightly toward her but was still facing the room. Then she sat down, placed the carnations across her lap, and turned to him.
“I’m Penny Brannigan. I live in Llanelen. It’s a very long story, but I think Millicent might know something about a hit-and-run accident that happened a very long time ago. I want to talk to her about it. You seem to know her. Would you tell me about her?”
“Nice to meet you, Penny. I’m Jimmy.” He held out a cool, dry hand for her to shake. She could almost feel the bones inside it, but his grip was strong and firm.
“Actually,” said Penny, “I don’t even know what she looks like. Is she here?”
The two surveyed the room. Elderly people, some wearing bibs, sat in chairs or wheelchairs, most gazing vacantly into space. A wall-mounted television set was tuned to an all-news channel, but no one took any notice. Personal-care aides in pastel-coloured uniforms flitted about hauling someone up straight in a chair here and patting a shoulder there. Occasionally someone shouted out, startling the others.
“Depressing, isn’t it?” asked Jimmy. “And don’t think it won’t happen to you. So enjoy the time you’ve got left before it does.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Almost two years, for my sins. My legs don’t work as well as they used to, but the rest of me, including the important bits, works just fine, in case you’d like to know.”
Penny laughed. “Too much information, thanks just the same, Jimmy.”
He placed his hands on his knees and gave her a sly look, then gestured with his head across the room.
“That’s her over there by the television. In the pink blouse.”
Penny followed his gaze. Millicent Mayhew sat slightly to one side of the television, looking out the window, showing her profile.
She had a large pile of false grey curls on top of her head, with upswept hair beneath them. As Penny watched, Millicent raised a hand and patted the back of her head, gently pushing the hair upward. She turned her head slowly and, seeing Penny, narrowed her eyes and gave her a belligerent scowl. Penny felt a shiver run down her spine. If you were having a nightmare about Joan Crawford, she thought, this would be the look of pure evil that would leave you paralyzed with fear.
Penny turned back to Jimmy. “I see what you mean. Tell me about her.”
He cleared his throat. “Nobody likes her. Nobody trusts her. She cheats at cards. They only let her play bridge with them because she’s good at it, and there aren’t that many bridge players around who still have it up here.” He tapped his temple. “If you know what I mean.” Penny nodded.
“She keeps to herself. Doesn’t allow anyone in her room. What’s she got in there that’s so valuable? Even I’ve never been inside her room, and a locked door never stopped me before.”
Penny raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, back in the day I did a little breaking and entering, among other things.”
“Oh, so that’s how you know the police.”
“It’s how the police know me, more like.”
He leaned closer to Penny. “I don’t think you’ll get very far talking to her. She won’t care what you think or what you suspect. Why should she?” He tapped Penny on the arm. “I think your time would be better spent having a look around that precious room of hers.”
He nodded. “She lives on the ground floor, just down the hall. Why don’t we take a look-see?”
“What if she goes back to her room?”
“They’re going to set up for a game of cards in a minute. That’ll keep her out of the way. Tell you what. I’ll wait outside the door, and if I see her coming, I’ll give you the signal and we’ll bugger off out of there.”
Penny straightened up in her chair and nodded at him.
“I think you’re right. Let’s go.”
“Not so fast. This requires a bit of planning. You’re forgetting a few things.”
“What?”
He held up a hand and mouthed gloves.
“Right!” Penny whispered.
“Wait here.” Jimmy scooted off in his chair and returned a few minutes later with a small blanket over his legs.
“Ready? Let’s go. You push.”
The two left the room, aware of many pairs of curious eyes following them.
They proceeded down the hall at a leisurely pace, until Jimmy told her to stop. The door to the room was open.
“I thought you said—”
“This isn’t her room,” Jimmy interrupted. “Hers is two doors down. Here you go,” he said, reaching under the blanket on his lap and pulling out a pair of purple latex gloves. “Put these on. And this,” he added, handing her a white jacket. “Obviously you don’t watch enough films, or you’d know when you’re up to something or when you’re in a place where you’ve got no business being, you should try to blend in. People who look as if they belong can go just about anywhere. Now give me your credit card so I can get the door open. I like American Express, if you’ve got one. They’ve got a bit more give in ’em. Gets the job done faster.”
Penny handed over a Visa card.
“Sorry, this is all I’ve got.”
“Well, it’ll have to do, then, won’t it? Right now, girl, push me up to her door and then stand beside me so you’re on the side facing toward the dayroom.” Penny did as she was told. Jimmy fiddled about for a few seconds, listening intently, smiled, and then gently pushed the door open.
“In you go. I’ll wait here. And another thing. You always need to plan your escape. If I start to sing ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,’ you need to get out right away, pull the door shut behind you, and push me off to the right. There’s a lift there, and we can hide out on the second floor until the coast is clear.” He gestured with his head. “Go!”
Penny slid through the door. The room was dark, with curtains drawn. She switched on the light, turned slowly around, and then gasped.
The room was an Aladdin’s cave of paintings. Almost every inch on every wall was covered with artwork. Reeling from the impact they made on her, Penny peered at one and saw the signature she was expecting, in the lower left corner. “A. Jones.” And another and another. “A. Jones.” “A. Jones.” Views of Liverpool and Llanelen, all done in the distinct Alys Jones style that Penny had come to recognize. She couldn’t take them all in. She walked slowly around the room, trying to count them but feeling so frightened she had to stop at twelve.
Grateful for the gloves, she yanked open the top drawer of the bureau and riffled through the contents. Nothing. She moved through the other drawers and saw nothing unusual. By now her heart was racing so fast she thought she would collapse. And just as she pulled open the drawer on the bedside table, she heard Jimmy starting to hum softly.
She felt an unbearable tension, trumped by an irresistible drive to continue. She flipped over the contents and felt her fingers wrapping around a small vial. There were two, and a syringe. She glanced at the label. Potassium chloride.
She shut the drawer, closed the door behind her, grabbed the handles of the wheelchair, spun Jimmy around, and headed down the hall.
“Please be there,” she said, trying to catch her breath. The lift was there and they clattered on, pushed the button for the second floor, and a few moments later, found themselves in a small sitting area. Penny bent over, with her hands on her thighs to catch her breath, then threw herself into a chair and placed her hand over her heart.
“Did you see what you wanted to?” Jimmy asked.
“Oh, yes, and then some,” she said with a gasp. “Just let me catch my breath.”
Jimmy watched as she slowly recovered the ability to speak.
“By the way,” she asked, “did you ever meet a Detective Inspector Davies?”
“I remember a Sergeant Davies. You didn’t want to get on the bad side of him, but he treated you fair, like.”
“Well, good,” said Penny, reaching into her handbag for her mobile. “I’m glad you liked him because you’re going to be meeting up with him again in a few minutes.”
“Aw, now, wait a minute, Penny,” said Jimmy. “Steady on. I was just trying to help, that’s all. And now you’re calling the cops on me.”
Penny looked aghast.
“God no, Jimmy! Not you! Milllicent. Gareth’s going to be very grateful to you when I tell him what you did.”
“Oh, Gareth, is it now?”
Penny nodded as she spoke a few words into her phone.
“He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“Well, in that case, here’s your credit card back.”
He looked a little sheepish.
“And your bank card. Oh, and the twenty pounds I owe you.”
Penny laughed.
“Jimmy, you’re incorrigible! I’ve had my purse with me the whole time. How did you do that?”
He cracked his knuckles and grinned at her.
“Kind of exhilarating, isn’t it?”