Retirement Can Be Murder

CHAPTER 5

“Jake, what are you doing here?”

Mel stood at the door with her hands on her hips. Her hair was mussed and she had a folder in her arms. They stared at each other for a moment and then he let her by.

“I was here to speak with Charlotte. We met the other day.”

“She’s the resident you’re interviewing?”

Charlotte nodded.

“Hello Melissa. How are you?”

“I’m good.”

Jake looked at Charlotte. She didn’t seem nervous or upset. She carried the same posture she’d had before. Then Mel turned right and saw Gary.

“Oh. You’re here. How are you, Gary?”

“I have a new lease on life!”

“OK. Well…that’s good.” She looked left again. “Charlotte, I’m sorry-I just got here. I didn’t even realize an ambulance had shown up until a few minutes ago. Usually, Eddie calls me when he arrives, but this time he called me once he left. What happened? He said everyone was all right. Did you fall?”

She was speaking quickly and breathing heavily. Jake wanted to go to her and comfort her, to touch her bare arm and feel the goose bumps. He stood still.

“I’m fine,” Charlotte said. “Actually, nothing happened to me. This man, Gary, fainted.”

“Oh. That makes a lot of sense.”

Gary looked up.

“Melissa, I never asked you if your ankle healed. Are you doing well? Such a nice young lady shouldn’t have any handicaps.”

“What happened?” Charlotte asked. Jake sighed.

“Gary was taking a photo for the paper. He kept telling Mel to take a step back. She took a few steps too many and ended up falling into a five-foot ditch.”

Mel looked at her leg.

“I’ve healed up well, Gary. I haven’t been able to run. I, uh, was growing tired of it anyway.”

“Wonderful!”

“You run?” Jake asked.

“Yes, I did.”

“So do I. I run.”

They smiled. Charlotte and Gary looked at each other. Gary started arching his eyebrows again, and Mel took it as her cue to leave. She said goodbye and walked out the door. Gary seemed pleased.

“I’m glad her ankle’s better.”

Charlotte frowned.

“That was interesting timing, wasn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

Jake opened his notebook again.

“It was interesting that she would choose to burst in at that moment, exactly when I was going to reveal my story. I think she is a well-intentioned girl. But she isn’t beyond stopping a woman like me from telling the truth.”

“I’m sure it was a coincidence.”

“You’re compromised.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you two smile. You’re on her side. I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“Of course you can.”

“Can I?”

“Yes.”

“Then check if she is outside.”

He sighed. Gary swallowed and Jake could see his Adam’s apple rise and fall from across the room. He heard the air conditioner humming as he got up and walked to the door. Right before he looked in the peephole, he realized something. He wasn’t sure what he would see.

He saw nothing.

Nobody.

“It’s fine. No one’s there.”

“Good. Perhaps I was being overly suspicious.”

“When I was on the other side, in heaven,” Gary announced, “they told me not to hold grudges. They said I should trust in my fellow man.”

Jake tried not to laugh.

“You think you went to heaven?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t realize you’d had time for conversations.”

“Many.”

“So you really think you died?”

“If I didn’t, then how would I have known to trust my fellow man? Logic, Jacob. Wisdom.”

Charlotte coughed again and Jake looked at his empty notebook. She focused her eyes on his.

“Trust is good. But sometimes, certain parties have interests that are more important than trust. Like money. Power. Jealousy. Those are all the things I’ve encountered in the past month.”

“I see.”

“Are you willing to be a part of this?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“So will I,” Gary said. “By the way, do you have any cookies?”

“Cookies?”

“Yes, Or crackers. Anything will do. You see, I am a diabetic.”

“Oh.” She looked toward her kitchen. “I can check if I have anything.”

“He’s not a diabetic,” Jake said. “He just says that when he’s hungry.”

“No, I will find you something.”

When she used her walker it changed her. She seemed alive when she was sitting, leaning forward. But her back didn’t straighten when she stood. It was stuck that way. When she stood she looked as old as she was, and the effort made her seem tired. Jake wanted her to keep sitting.

“Don’t worry about him. Tell us your story.”

She complied and breathed in. She looked scared but started talking.

“Recently, Sheryl Goldfein hasn’t invited me to play bridge. I’ve played bridge with them for the past five years, every single week. Now they won’t let me play with them anymore. It’s an outrage.”

Jake sighed. He rested his pen on his notebook, but she just sped up.

“I have gotten better, if anything.” She was excited. “And they just got an extra day each week to use the common building. It’s unfair. I don’t know why she did it, but quite a few things I’ve found are suspicious.”

“I see.” Jake closed the notebook. “Gary, what do you think?”

“This is the story I died for?”

Charlotte sniffed.

“I think you should write a story about this Mr. Russo. It has betrayal. All of a sudden, everyone hates me. It’s Shakespearian.”

“Everyone hates you?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I’m sorry.” He stood up. “I should probably be going.”

He was too busy to be nice. He had to be aggressive. He couldn’t waste the day listening to stories about bridge games.

“I don’t understand.” She was shaking. “I’m making waves in this community, and nobody else here likes it. Your readers should know.”

“Right, I’m sure.” Being tough was as hard as he remembered. “Gary, I can get your stuff.”

“Thank you Jacob.”

Charlotte stayed seated, leaning forward. She held her arm out one last time.

“There’s more.”

Her eyes were shinier now. It seemed like she might cry.

“Yes?”

“I received a threat on my life.”

He put down Gary’s camera case and sat down in the chair.

This was worth getting out his notebook.