Part 6 (1/2)
”What time? We'd like to pa.s.s on the information to his friends.”
”Oh, don't worry. I'll tell them.” She said it with such relish I could imagine her rubbing her hands together in antic.i.p.ation. In the blink of an eye, she'd recovered from the shock and was getting ready for the gossip circuit.
”Come on,” Meghan said and opened the door.
”Wait a minute! What happened to him?” the woman called from behind us. ”Hey, don't you want your decaf?”
We walked the five blocks home at a fast clip, both happy to reach our front door. But I wasn't sure whether we should be happy or not when we heard the message Detective Ambrose had left on the answering machine, asking me to call him at the station the next day.
NINE.
ON SAt.u.r.dAY MORNING, I got Ambrose's voicemail. I dutifully left my name, number, and the time I called, hung up and dialed Caladia Acres. They transferred me to Tootie Hanover's room, and she answered on the second ring.
I asked how she was doing.
”As well as can be expected, I suppose.” Her voice was dull, the delivery flat.
”I have some information from the funeral home,” I said.
”You're very efficient.”
”Well, Meghan is, really. And we're happy to be able to help. But they can't have a funeral until the morgue releases...” I took a breath ”...well, releases Walter.”
”It's all right to say it.” ”
I know. I'm sorry” Another deep breath. ”The mortuary antic- ipates it will be at least a week and could be more than two weeks before they can do that, so the funeral may have to wait.”
”Oh, no.”
I hated this to drag out for her and had said as much to Meghan when she'd told me about the delay. She'd mentioned a possible alternative that might afford Tootie some modic.u.m of closure. After determining that neither she nor Walter had any particular religious affiliation, I suggested a nondenominational memorial service on Monday, two days away. She agreed and said when the time came she wanted her son cremated. That brought up another th.o.r.n.y subject.
”Do you know if Walter had a will?”
”He never said anything about it to me”
”Maybe I should look for one? I can go through all his things if you'd like. My housemate would help. Box up what's useable and donate it, save anything you might want.” ”
I don't know,” she said.
I couldn't really blame her for being reticent. ”I understand. You barely know me”
”It's not that. You're a good girl. I can tell.”
That made me squirm. I didn't feel like a good girl. I felt like someone who wanted to find out as much as I could about Walter while I still had the chance. But no matter how I felt, if we didn't clean his place out, his landlady, Mrs. Gray, might just bring in someone to haul everything away, including photos and other mementos Tootie might want.
”It's too soon,” I said. After all, Walter had only been dead two days.
After a long pause she said, ”No, of course not. You go ahead and take care of it, if you don't mind. I'm not as mobile as I once was, and I'd rather someone who knew Walter went through his things.”
”If you're sure, I'll talk to his landlady and have her let me in. If she has any questions, she'll probably call you for confirmation.”
”That'll be fine. I'm pretty easy to reach.” Her thin, dry laugh sounded forced.
”One last thing,” I said. ”Meghan said the funeral home would place the obituary with the local papers, but neither of us knew what information to include. May we tell them to contact you for that information?”
When she spoke, there was even less energy in her voice than before. ”Yes. Of course. I'll expect the call.”
As soon as Meghan's client left, I checked her office. It was empty, so I went in and sat down on the loveseat opposite her desk. Minutes later, she came in from the ma.s.sage room, rolling her shoulders.
”That,” she said, ”was a big guy. A big, tense guy.”
”Get your workout for the day?”
”I'll say. Hey, I don't have any more clients until this afternoon-you want a quickie?”
Meghan's ma.s.sages turned me to mush. ”Love to, but I've got too much to do”
I updated her on my conversation with Tootie Hanover.
She turned in her chair and took down two thick white towels from the shelf behind her. ”I'm still surprised you told her about someone being over at Walter's that night.”
She'd told me over dinner the night before that I shouldn't have given his mother something else to worry about. But Tootie was stronger than Meghan realized and certainly more interested in the truth than in being kept in the dark for her own good just because she'd pa.s.sed a certain age.
”You have to meet her.”
”I hope to, soon.”
”She gave me-us, actually-permission to go through Walter's things.”
”Have you called Detective Ambrose back?” she asked.
”He wasn't in. I left a message.” ”
”The police might not like it if we go through his stuff.”
”Why? They sure as heck don't seem to be doing anything to find out what happened to Walter.”
I thought you wanted to do this to help his mother.” ”