Flowers for Her Grave

Chapter Six

Casey spent the evening in her over-priced hotel room going over plans for classes. The schedule for the next few days would include a dizzying array of sessions, including Pilates, step, low and high impact aerobics, abs, body sculpting, BODYPUMP, Zumba, circuit training, yoga, boot camp, and senior exercise. Sissy had decided to wait on any individual personal training until Casey actually had the position. There had been a day in the past Casey could have taught every one of the classes in her sleep, but with all that had happened the last year and a half, it was like returning to another very foggy world.

Casey also went shopping, and invested in some workout ensembles. From what she’d seen at the Flamingo, her usual shorts and T-shirt wouldn’t cut it, and her Dobak wasn’t conducive to all-day exercise. Casey avoided the skin-tight Spandex, opting for gym shorts and tank tops, which were a bit colorful, but would do the job. If Sissy actually hired her, she would find something more her own style. She did, however, get a new pair of cross-trainers, which she could use no matter what happened.

“So, what do you think?” Death asked.

Casey was in one of Reuben’s old, over-sized T-shirts, and lay in the very comfortable, very cozy bed. Her eyes had just begun to close when Death jerked her back awake. “About what?”

“The Flamingo. The job. Sissy’s clothes.” Death lay on the far side of the king-size bed in a nightshirt like the one Scrooge would’ve worn. All that was missing was the cap.

“The Flamingo itself isn’t quite my thing, but the job would be great, for a while, anyway.”

“And Sissy’s clothes?”

“She seems nice. And professional.”

“But the clothes, Casey, the clothes are hideous.”

“Personal choice, L’Ankou.”

“Right. I need to remember who I’m talking to. You’re not exactly Fashion Central.”

“I never asked you.”

“But what about the last two instructors? Aren’t you curious?”

“About their clothes?”

“About what happened to them. What exactly they did. Who the woman was who put the last guy in her will. And what if there were others?”

“They’re gone, okay? That’s all I care about. The residents have a clean slate, as far as I’m concerned.”

“But the last two guys were scoundrels. At least the one was. The one before him was just unqualified.”

“Goodnight.”

“Okay, fine. But can you at least turn on the TV?”

Casey pulled the covers over her head, and Death gave up.

Five-thirty rolled around awfully early, but Casey was ready. She wasn’t surprised to find herself alone as she drove to the Flamingo. Death wasn’t exactly a morning person. Or spirit. Or whatever.

She signed in with the Flamingo’s guard and walked across the empty lobby. The bar was closed, of course, with no sign of Jack. The shop on the other side of the room looked just ready to open, and the smell of coffee and muffins wafted across the air, making Casey’s stomach rumble.

Casey arrived in the aerobics room fifteen minutes early, but already a group was forming. All women, and all of the age they would be heading out to work before eight. They eyed Casey with a look of half appraisal, half defiance, so Casey smiled and behaved in as non-threatening a manner as she could. According to Death, women weren’t always excited to be around her, either because of her low body fat percentage, or because she could beat the crap out of them.

Casey thought perhaps the woman she’d seen in the lobby that first day would show, but no one who entered came even close to her stature and presence. Casey was disappointed, but not surprised. A woman like that probably had a dojang or dojo she attended. She was obviously much more than someone who wanted a tight butt, or a reason to dress in Spandex. Casey hoped she would at least see the woman in the lobby again sometime, so she could start up a conversation. She would like to have an ally—although with women like that there was no telling if she would be an ally or an enemy. Casey would simply expect the better of the two choices, but be prepared for the worst as well.

She found the CD of ocean sounds and slow music she’d chosen the day before and got the sound system set up, including the mic pack, which she clipped to the back of her shorts. She was hooking the mic over her ear when someone thrust a hand in her face.

“Andrea.” The woman’s light hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, her eyes still puffy from sleep. “Welcome to the Land of the Dead.”

Casey shook her hand. “Excuse me?”

“That’s what we call ourselves. The six-o’clock crew. We don’t exactly want to be here at this ungodly hour, but it makes the most sense in our schedules.”

Casey laughed. “Gotcha. I’ll try to make the session enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable? I’ll take bearable.” The woman grinned and found a spot on the floor, between two others who looked just as asleep as she.

When the clock read six, Casey turned on her mic. “Good morning. My name is Daisy Gray. I’ll be doing your classes the next few days as kind of a try-out for the job, so if you have comments, you can direct them to Mrs. Williams. Are you ready?”

There was a collective groan, and Casey started the music. By the time the hour passed and the women had stretched, sweated, and held positions most normal people couldn’t halfway manage, they were finally starting to wake up. When Casey turned off her mic, Andrea and another woman came to the front.

“That was great,” Andrea said. “Better than the last instructor, for sure. You’ll be back tomorrow morning for aerobics?”

“I’ll be here. Anything in particular you like to do?”

“Like to do? Not exactly. Whatever gets our blood pumping, I guess.”

“She’s not bringing men, Andrea. At least no one’s tried that yet.” The other woman slung her towel around her neck and gave Casey a slow smile. “I’d be up for it, though. Give me a good man in the morning, and I’m ready to go for the day.”

“Krystal!” Andrea laughed. “You’re awful.”

“What? It’s true.”

Casey didn’t doubt it. Krystal, with her curvy body and bleached blonde hair, looked like she spent a good bit of the time attracting the opposite sex. Even Casey could feel her magnetic pull. It was amazing that while Andrea, the first woman, had the same coloring as her hottie friend, she definitely had the girl-next-door appeal, while Krystal was undoubtedly the femme fatale.

Casey looked around the all-female class. “Do men ever show up for this?”

Andrea giggled. “Never. But there are some over in the weight room right now, praying for a glimpse of Krystal as she leaves.”

Krystal shrugged. “It’s my gift to them.”

Andrea swatted her, but smiled at Casey. “The last two instructors were guys, but they don’t really count, as far as attendees.”

“You didn’t like them?”

Krystal harrumpfed, and looked at her fingernails, like she had more important things to think about.

“They were all right,” Andrea said. “Richie is a total sweetheart and Brandon was super buff, but neither one really fit here. I sometimes think people here didn’t give Richie enough of a chance, but it wasn’t up to me.”

Krystal took a step away and pulled at Andrea’s arm. “Enough about him. Come on.”

Andrea gave Casey one last smile. “I guess we’re off then. Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

There were no more classes until eight-thirty, the empty hour and a half being time that would be filled with personal training, should Casey get the job. But once it got close to eight-thirty, people began to trickle in for step class, much more lively than the group at six. This was more of a mixed bag, age-wise, but again it was all women. Casey had a feeling any interaction she might have with men would take place in the weight room.

Sissy bounced in, this time in a raspberry-colored warm-up suit, with lipstick to match. The contrast with her orange hair was enough to make Casey go a little cross-eyed. Sissy came right up front. “Pilates go okay?”

“Great. Nice group of women.”

“They are.” Sissy hesitated. “I suppose you met some of them? Maybe one named Krystal?” An unreadable expression flitted across her face.

“Yes. And her friend Andrea.”

“Andrea’s a nice girl. I’m glad she’s here.”

Not Krystal, though, apparently.

“Ah, here’s Laurie. Laurie! Over here!” It was the woman from the pool the day before who’d been leading the water aerobics. She approached slowly, as if unsure what was going to happen once she got there. Casey decided her original assessment held—Laurie was a fit forty-something, her dark hair obviously helped along by a bit of color, and her skin beginning to show signs of age around the eyes and mouth. It probably didn’t help that she was tanner than what would be natural, and probably had been most of her life. Right now the fine lines were accentuated by her obvious anxiety.

“Laurie,” Sissy said, “this is Daisy Gray. If she gets the job, you’ll need to work with her on a schedule. We can’t have her working every hour of the day.”

“Of course. I’ll do whatever I can.”

Casey smiled at her. “I watched a bit of your water aerobics class yesterday. I liked the way you led it.”

Laurie relaxed visibly, her shoulders dropping and her eyebrows traveling upward. “Really?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve taught in the water. Perhaps you could give me some pointers? Get me up to speed?”

Laurie smiled, taking several years off her appearance, just like Del’s smile had the day before in the weight room. “Well, sure, I’d be happy to. Do you have time before your class at one?”

“I’ve got Zumba at eleven, and then I need to grab something to eat.”

“We can eat together.”

“Sounds good.”

Laurie smiled again, and found a place in the middle of the group.

“Okay, ladies!” Sissy clapped her hands, and the chattering ceased. “This is Daisy. She’s doing our classes the next few days, and may be staying on. So give me feedback, to help me know whether to hire her, or not.”

Great, Casey thought wryly. At least there’s no pressure.

“All yours,” Sissy said, and took her place in the middle of the front row.

Casey started the CD, turned on her mic…and froze. Death stood in the back row of the class, waving and smiling and wearing an outfit that would have fit in Flashdance. Leg warmers, headband, the whole works. Casey closed her eyes, but when she opened them, Death was still there.

She would just have to deal.

“Good morning, ladies, my name is Daisy Gray. Let’s start with some slow up and downs.”

She took them through an easy, low-impact session, so she could study them and see where they rated in the proficiency scale. She suggested extra platforms for some, fewer for others, and always gave an alternative exercise for those who might have bad knees. Death had a great time in the back, spinning and jumping and generally being a distraction. By the time class was over, Casey was ready to wring Death’s neck.

Sissy trotted up and grabbed Casey’s hand. “Wonderful class. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. Was it what you were hoping for?”

“Even better.” Sissy clasped her hands. “I think I’ll come back this afternoon for BODYPUMP.”

“Great.”

The women filed out, sweaty but happy, thanking Casey and saying they looked forward to the next day.

When they were all gone, Casey rounded on Death, who was still stretching. “Thanks a whole lot.”

Death paused, halfway in a squat. “What? That was a great class.”

“Could you have been any more distracting? And what is that get-up? Are you auditioning for Fame?”

“Well, I am gonna live forever.”

Casey groaned and drained her water bottle. “From now on, you cannot take my classes.”

“Why not?” It wasn’t Death asking. It was Laurie, who’d apparently been in the locker room.

“Oh. Not you,” Casey said. “Of course you’re welcome to take whatever classes you want.”

Laurie looked around the empty room. “Then who were you talking to?”

Casey waved toward the door. “Someone who just left.”

“Oh. It wasn’t Krystal, was it?”

Oh, boy. Another woman worrying about the bombshell from six AM.

“Nope. So, I’ll see you at noon?”

“I’ll come by to get you.”

“All right. See you then.”

Again time was built in for personal training, so Casey meandered over to the weight room, where several people sweated on the cardio equipment. She walked through the maze of machines, familiarizing herself with what was there so she would be able to put together programs. When she got to the free weights she tried them out to find where she stood—it had been months since she’d touched a barbell. She did better than she’d hoped, and stopped pumping when she realized she was gathering an audience. She set the weights down, waved to the onlookers, and meandered over to the weight machines, trying her luck at those.

Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, she was back in the aerobics room, picking out music for Zumba, which was basically a dance class. The class consisted of all new faces this time, except for Death, who now wore skintight Spandex and a smile. Casey ignored the back corner, and led the again all-female class through the exercises.

The class sped by, and the women seemed happy with their workout, clustering around Casey and introducing themselves afterward. Not that she would remember any of their names after one session. Laurie came in as the last of the residents trickled out, Death studying their clothes as they passed.

Casey smiled. “So, where can we get some lunch around here?”

“Don’t you want to change first?”

Casey looked down at her sweaty outfit. “You’re right. Give me a sec.”

Casey hated leaving Laurie alone with Death, but there was no alternative. She couldn’t exactly tell Death to beat it with Laurie there listening.

Fifteen minutes later, after a speed shower, Casey and Laurie sat in a little café across the street.

“The Flamingo has breakfast and dinner—if you like bar food—but you’ve got to go out for lunch, unless you want to make your own.” Laurie made this sound like it was the least appealing of any other option. “Most of the residents eat somewhere close to work, except for the retirees, who hang out at the neighborhood restaurants. You’ve got your variety just on this road—Italian, Amish, Chinese, you name it. There’s more exotic stuff on the other side of town—Japanese, Cuban, Ethiopian. Not all of the closer ones are great, but it doesn’t get boring, at least.”

It was no wonder the residents needed so many exercise classes. If they ate out every meal they would be complete blimps, otherwise.

“So how have you enjoyed the morning?” Laurie said. “Do you like the variety? What do you think of the facility? Has Sissy said whether or not you’ll get the job?”

“No, she hasn’t. Yes, I enjoyed it. And the facilities are great.”

“The senior ladies are especially appreciative. They like the attention, and it keeps them from growing too restless during the day when their husbands are out sailing or playing golf. Not that the older men don’t use the fitness facilities, because they do, but usually the weight room, and swimming laps. They don’t do classes.” She giggled. “Could you see it? Old, saggy guys trying to kickbox? They’d throw their backs out for sure.”

“I don’t know,” Casey said. “I’ve seen older men who have done a great job—”

“And some of the younger women. Can you believe them? They show up in their tight little outfits, with the perfect make-up. It’s like they think they’re going to land a man at aerobics.”

“Maybe they’re just more comfortable going out in public afterwar—”

“At least with water aerobics the old ladies wear one-pieces instead of skimpier ones. I certainly wouldn’t want to see that first thing in the morning, or even in the afternoon.”

“Good lord, this woman never shuts up, does she?” Death stood beside the table, tablet in hand, chomping on chewing gum, and wearing the typical server outfit of a striped shirt, khaki pants, and an apron. The nametag on the shirt’s breast pocket said El Muerte. “Do you think she’s ever going to order, or is this merely a ‘working lunch?’”

“If you’ll excuse me,” Laurie said suddenly, shivering and casting a glance around at the other tables. “I’m going to use the little girls’ room. We can talk water aerobics when I get back.”

“Of course.” Casey breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone.

Death took Laurie’s seat across the table. “What’s her problem all of a sudden?”

“You mean other than somehow feeling that you’re in the room?”

Death shrugged. “Not my fault she’s a head case.”

“No, she’s not. She’s just nervous.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know. Me taking the job. What I think of the place, and of the people. I’m not sure. Maybe she’s worried I’ll take her spot.”

“Has she said anything about the last guy?”

“Not a peep.”

“Bet you could find out some good stuff if you asked. It would all come gushing out, the way she goes on.”

“Oh! Daisy! You’ve found our little café.” Sissy came waltzing in, blinding Casey with her fruity brilliance, and plunked down right in Death’s lap. She ran her hands over her arms and glanced at the ceiling. “They keep it so cold in here.”

Death made a face and squeezed out from under Sissy, pointing at her in a threatening manner. “Some people are just too giddy to live.”

Casey waved, as if swatting away a fly, and Death’s image wavered. Casey’s hand went numb, so she tucked it under her arm. “Laurie brought me over.”

“Laurie? Is she here?”

“In the restroom.”

“I see.” She hesitated, then said, “Laurie does a very good job as a sub for our main classes. I told you before she’ll help manage your schedule when you start full time.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I wasn’t supposed to say that yet.”

“Say what?”

Sissy took her hand away and leaned forward. “That we’re going to offer you the job.”

“Really? Already?”

“I’ve had a dozen women stop by my office this morning to say how much they loved your class. They about went nuts when I told them we were also adding a self-defense course. I’m afraid if I don’t give you the job right this minute the residents will have my head!” She beamed at Casey.

“But what about my references? What about checking me out for a week?”

Death laughed. “Are you trying to sabotage yourself?”

“I know,” Sissy said, “I’ve picked some doozies in the past. But I have a good feeling about you.”

No wonder the last two guys had been trouble. Sissy was the head case, not Laurie.

“So will you take it?” Sissy said.

“Well, yes. I’d love to.”

“Wonderful! I can’t wait to tell them.”

“Tell who what?” Laurie was back.

“That we’re hiring Daisy. She’ll be moving in today!”

“Already? Today?”

“Of course. People are ready for some stability again, and I don’t want to let Daisy slip through our fingers. She’ll be perfect, don’t you think? Completely opposite from our last instructor. You should be able to work with her very well, don’t you think?”

What was that that flitted across Laurie’s face? Embarrassment? Fear? Disappointment? “I’m sure we’ll do fine.”

“Good. I’ve told Daisy you teach several classes, and will do your best to help her out with her full schedule.”

“Of course I will. You know that. I’ve already said that.” She gave a faltering smile. “The residents will be very happy.”

“Yes, they will!” Sissy jumped up. “I have to go tell everyone!” She practically sprinted to the front door, then came running back. “I forgot my lunch!” She grabbed a take-out bag and zoomed out the door.

Laurie eased into the chair Sissy had vacated. She picked up the menu and studied it with more concentration than Casey thought necessary.

“Hmm,” Death said. “Suddenly she’s not so chatty.”

Laurie looked up. “So, did you order yet?”

The real waitress, whose nametag said Vanessa, came over just then, looking much more professional than Death had. She neither chewed gum nor regarded Casey and Laurie with disdain.

Casey and Laurie gave their orders, and the waitress smiled and left.

Death watched her go, head cocked. “What ever happened to good old diner waitresses? Food’s no good without that touch of grumpiness.”

“Is everything okay?” Casey said to Laurie.

Laurie gave her a quick smile that wasn’t quite convincing. “Sure, it’s just…don’t take this wrong, but I thought she was going to see how things went for a week before actually hiring you.”

“Wow,” Death said. “Rather blunt, isn’t she?”

“I thought the same thing,” Casey said. “She surprised me. I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“Oh, no, I’ll be okay.” But Laurie’s focus had obviously gone elsewhere. “It’s just…I was kind of hoping she’d consider me for the position. But I guess that’s too much to ask.” Her mouth drooped. “You’d think she’d be happy to have someone from in-house instead of hiring a stranger again. No offense.”

“No offense taken,” Casey said.

Laurie waved a hand. “There’s really no point in me getting all upset. Sissy probably never even thought about hiring me, anyway.”

Laurie looked like she was done talking so Casey said, “I was wondering what went on with the last couple of instructors.”

Laurie almost knocked her water glass over, then wiped up the drops with her napkin. “Nothing. Nothing went on with them.”

Death laughed. “Which obviously means something did. With her.”

“I mean,” Casey said as gently as she could, “why did they leave? You’re obviously worried about what harm I could do. Is there anything I need to look out for? Or avoid?”

Death snorted. “You mean other than scamming old ladies and getting yourself written into their wills?”

“Oh,” Laurie said. “I…” She took a deep breath, composing herself. “Richie, Richie Miller—he wasn’t the last one, but the one before that?—he was having some trouble keeping up.”

“He was old? Out of shape?”

“No, not at all. He was young. And cute. What I meant was he wasn’t up-to-date with fitness. He still thought we should do Richard Simmons tapes, and sit-ups the old-fashioned way. A sweetheart, really, everybody loved him, but…” She shook her head. “He had no idea what he was doing.”

“Why did Sissy hire him?”

“I can’t imagine. Except he was adorable. And friendly. Everybody liked him. The problem was that people kept getting injured, and he didn’t know how to deal with it. He eventually had to go.”

But Sissy hadn’t fired him, from what Del, the guy in the weight room, had said. “What happened?”

“Well, everybody thinks he took off, because one day he just didn’t show up for classes. What the residents don’t realize—and this is confidential, of course—is that Sissy gave him an ultimatum. He had to leave immediately or she’d sue him for every person who’d gotten hurt. She said she’d better never see his face again or he’d be sorry. So he left. No one’s heard from him since. It’s too bad, really.”

“Was it really all his fault people were getting hurt?”

“Of course not. But Sissy—well, people—needed to have someone to blame. Like I said, he wasn’t really qualified for the position, but he wasn’t a bad guy. Most of the people who got hurt were doing too much, and he wasn’t firm enough to rein them in. I wish…” She shook her head.

“What?”

“I wish I could have taught him a few things, but I wasn’t actually on staff until later. And even then…” She looked away. “Sissy makes it very clear I’m second best.”

Casey grimaced. She’d noticed Sissy was a little short with Laurie, but she’d hoped it was just the stress of hiring a new person. “So what about the next guy? Did he know what he was doing?”

Laurie went pink, and picked at her napkin. “Yes, he was…more equipped for dealing with the job.”

“Ooo,” Death said. “Equipped. I can guess what she means by that.”

Casey glared at Death, and turned a sympathetic eye toward Laurie. She’d obviously been burned by him one way or another.

Before Casey could ask anything else, the waitress set their plates in front of them and filled their water glasses. “Anything else you ladies need right now?”

Casey smiled up at her. “I think we’re good. Thank you.”

The waitress left, and Casey dug into her BLT, hoping she hadn’t set back her relationship with Laurie by asking too many questions.

Laurie picked up her sandwich, but held it above her plate without eating. “The last guy, his name was Brandon. Brandon Greer. He was…a lot more qualified than Richie. He had an actual personal training certificate, and an amazing résumé. He certainly knew what he was doing.”

In more ways than one, apparently.

“So what happened with him?”

Laurie set her sandwich down and rubbed her hands on her napkin. “He got a little too close to some of the women. Older ones. Widows. Turns out he was just a…just a con artist in disguise.”

“So Sissy fired him?”

Laurie nodded. “I—We never saw him again. Sissy told him to leave, and it was like he just vanished. He completely disappeared after he walked out the door. I mean, he’s nowhere.”

“Which means,” Death said, “that our dear Laurie here has looked for him.”

“I’m sorry,” Casey said. “It sounds like you miss him.”

Laurie’s head shot up. “I don’t. I don’t miss him. He was— I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“But—”

“Congratulations on the job. We’ll talk about water aerobics later, okay?” She grabbed her purse, threw a twenty onto the table, and hustled out the door.

“Well, that went well.” Death sat in Laurie’s chair and peered at her uneaten sandwich. “Wish I could eat this. You going to?”

“No, but I’ll take it back for her. She can eat it later, once she regains her appetite.” She took another bite of her own sandwich and chewed it slowly.

“Uh-oh,” Death said. “I see thinking going on.”

“I’m just wondering. You haven’t seen either of those guys, have you? Richie or Brandon?”

“You mean, like, are they dead? Not that I remember. And I would. Although Florida is one of my most frequent destinations. All the old people, you know. But my mind is like an especially efficient steel trap, and they’re not in it.”

“Efficient? More like annoying. Your mind is an annoying steel trap.”

“Don’t mock me. I remember everybody who goes to the other side. Tons of people go from down here in the glorious Sunshine State, and they’re each up here in the old brain trust. Forty-seven people from Raceda last month, and none of them was named Richie Miller or Brandon Greer. The last person to go from the Flamingo complex was five weeks ago and that was absolutely an age thing. Nothing suspicious at all.”

Casey finished up her fruit plate. “So that means these guys fell off the map on their own.”

“Or they were told to fall off the map.” Death shrugged. “But what does it matter? They’re gone, you’re in. Why and how they left isn’t your concern.”

“You’re right. It’s just…weird. And I’m especially curious, seeing how I’ve just made myself fall off the map.”

“Then it seems to me you’re in the right place.”

“Yeah,” Casey said, feeling suddenly content. “I guess I am.”