Retirement Can Be Murder

CHAPTER 22

Each time they broke the kiss, they started it again. They said it was too unprofessional, too public, too soon. It didn’t matter. He pressed her softly against the wall and felt the imprint of the wallpaper brush against his hands. He traced the blue flowers on her dress with his index finger. Then he started vibrating. Mel’s voice was a whisper.

“What is it?”

“Ignore it.” He kissed her cheek. “It’s just my phone.”

It stopped. A second later it started again. She moved back to let him answer it.

“No,” he said and kissed her again.

It rang another time. He took it out and looked at the screen. He didn’t know the number. It was someone from a Sarasota area code. But he didn’t know who.

“Do you have to get it?”

“I don’t know why they keep calling.”

It stopped. They smiled and looked at each other. She pulled his hair forward and he brushed it back.

“Did I mess up your hair?”

“You did.” Then it vibrated again.

“Damn it.”

“You can get it.”

“I better.”

He pressed the send button and listened.

“Hello?” a voice whispered. “Is this seventy one ate rake?”

“What?”

“718, umm, 7253?”

“Yes.”

“Hurry!”

“Gary? Is that you?”

“Hurry Jacob, I don’t have much time.”

“Why are you whispering?”

“No time.”

Mel looked up and Jake shook his head.

“Gary, what’s seventy one ate rake?”

“It’s how I remember your number. It’s a pneumatic device.”

“Do you mean a pneumonic device?”

“I imagine that the number seventy one ate you. Your number spells out your name.”

“But my name isn’t ‘rake.’”

“I get around it,” he said a little louder. “I don’t have time to explain. I stole Sheryl’s telephone.”

“You stole her phone?”

“She’s playing bridge on the other side of the room. You have to rescue me from her. A good man leaves no soldier behind.”

He sighed. Mel was pulling chapstick from her purse and running it over her lips.

“OK Gary, I’ll be there soon.”

He hung up the phone and Mel nodded. He reached forward and grabbed the hand holding the chapstick.

“Wait.” He kissed her again.

“Hi.”

“I have to go do this.”

“I know.”

“But I’ll call.”

As he walked out the hallway, he still didn’t know what had happened. He ran up the path as quickly as he’d come down. He remembered why he’d come in the first place. Abram. Then he realized it was night. If Abram still walked every night after dinner, he’d find him on the sidewalk, not in the building. Maybe on the same route Charlotte had taken to the beach.

When he went in the common room, all the women looked in his direction and then immediately looked back to their cards. He quietly picked up Gary’s cane and crossed the room to hand it to him.

“Are you OK?”

“Jacob,” he whispered, “thank you.”

“What happened?”

“She wouldn’t release me!”

“Stay quiet, we don’t want them to hear you.”

“Let’s go, now.”

He got up and started moving toward the door. He looked exhausted.

“I talked so much. I don’t know what I meant or didn’t mean.”

“I can’t believe it, but you seduced her.”

“I wish you hadn’t made me do it.”

“No time to argue. We’ve got to find Abram Samuels.”

“What did you find out about him?” They looked back. Sheryl was staring at her cards. For now.

“I didn’t find out anything. But I think I know where he is.”

“Let’s go.”

“We have to tell them. It would look weird if we snuck out.”

Jake yelled.

“Sheryl, we have to run. There’s a news emergency. We have to take a picture of some beaches.”

She yelled across the room.

“Will you be capturing the eternal sunsets on film?”

Gary hit his free hand against his forehead.

“Jacob, don’t ask.”

They emerged into the night and started walking down the main path.

“It’s a long shot, but we might run into Abram.”

“Do you think we will find him?”

“Maybe not. But we have to try.”

They walked along the path, their route lit alternately by overhead lights and small ones half buried in the ground. No one else was out. Gary tapped his cane on one of the lights.

“He walks every night?”

“Yes.”

“That means that the night that Charlotte went to the beach…”

“I know. He was out here. Or maybe he was there on the beach too, with her.”

They scanned down the path but couldn’t see anything more than a few feet in front of them. Suddenly, Gary grabbed Jake’s arm. Jake turned to him and saw that he was shaking.

“What’s wrong?”

“Jacob, I would never betray Meryl. That woman Sheryl. She listened to everything I said. That hasn’t happened in years.”

“Right.”

“It scares me.” He let go. “I wanted you to know.”

They continued down the path, Gary’s cane tapping the concrete lightly every step. They could see the beach on the left and hear the water spitting on the sand. Jake pointed.

“Right here, this must have been the way Charlotte got here.”

“But how did she get here without her walker?”

“Somebody took her.”

Then they both fell silent. Standing on the beach, looking outward, was a man wearing a brimmed hat. Jake couldn’t see the color, but he guessed that it was red.

“I think that’s him.”

“Abram?”

“Abram Samuels. And see that concrete building right there? The concession building?”

“Jacob,” Gary whispered, “now might not be the best time for snacks.”

“I don’t want snacks, Gary. That’s where they found Charlotte.”

“Oh. Of course. They probably aren’t open anyway.”

“They found her there, in back of the building.”

“So they aren’t open?”

“Gary.”

“I’m sorry. I got hungry in that room, talking so much. It takes a lot of energy to say those things. Have you ever had a pretzel with chocolate on it? They are surprisingly good!”

“I’m sure. Wait, what’s he doing?”

Abram was walking closer to the water, to the wet foot of the beach. He took off his shoes and sat down on the sand. He looked out at the water and sat very still.

“I want to go up to him.”

“Should we disturb him?”

“Who knows when I’ll get another chance? And we’ve met before. I can make it seem like a coincidence.”

“There are no coincidences.”

“Is that one of your lines for Sheryl?”

He just lifted his cane and pointed it toward Abram. He had already gotten up and was walking the other way. Jake headed down the stairs to the beach and motioned for Gary to stay in place. Abram turned around when Jake was about twenty feet away, but then he kept walking.

“Mr. Samuels, please wait just a second.”

Abram looked back, the hat casting a shadow over his face. He kept his hands in his pockets. Jake wouldn’t have been sure it was Abram if he hadn’t recognized the red brim on his hat.

“Hello. Usually I don’t see anyone on these late night walks.”

Jake looked at his watch.

“Mr. Samuels, it’s 7:30 PM.”

“I know. I cannot change the fact that I am a nocturnal creature.”

“Do you always walk here?”

“Not always. I changed my route recently.”

Jake moved closer, but he still couldn’t see Abram’s face. It was just a shadow under the hat. Jake’s notebook was still in his pocket, turned to the same page. He looked back but couldn’t see Gary.

“Mr. Samuels, I was wondering-did you see Charlotte Ward the night she passed?”

The hat tipped down and his hands came out of his pockets. Jake tensed. He noticed the sound of the waves again, crashing louder than before.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Did you see her?”

“Was I unclear?” He started walking again, more quickly. Jake followed, his feet mashing down the sand.

“I just want to get an idea. It’s not a big thing. I need to know more about her.”

“Why should I talk to you about that?”

“Why shouldn’t you?”

“It’s personal. So good night.”

“Wait-”

He kept walking away and Jake let him go. He watched him go up the other set of steps and back to Sunset Cove. Gary was still waiting at the beginning of the path, and Jake shook his head.

“Something’s wrong.”

“What happened? I stayed up here like you wanted.”

“I know. Thanks.”

“So what happened? I saw him look at you and then walk away. Did you fight?”

“Yeah, he walked out on me. Wouldn’t answer any questions.”

They walked back to Jake’s car. Gary led.

“So what do you think it means? Why did he walk away from you?”

Jake looked back at the beach one last time.

“Because he’s running from something else.”