At Seddon Station (The Girls Book 5) Page 12

  “I went and got a haircut, and then I went shopping. I haven’t done that in so long. With Grandma and Grandpa in assisted living while they do their transitional therapy so they can come home healthy, I’ve had time to do all kinds of things. You want to see?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Belinda gave Carolyn a tour. She had her whiteboard up. She had taken thin black tape and had marked off areas of the board. “This will keep us more organized.”

  “It looks good.”

  “I got a special pill dispenser for Grandma. Grandpa’s is on back order. It’s got a timer on it. You program what pill is supposed to be taken at what time, and it dispenses it. An alarm goes off, and all Grandma has to do is take whatever pill or pills are in the little trough. I load it up once a week. Easy.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “It was super expensive, but Anna found me a great deal, and we might even get the insurance company to reimburse us for some of it.”

  “That sounds great. Has Anna been around today?”

  “She should be here any minute. I’m taking her to dinner. Just as a little thank you. Would you like to come?”

  “Oh, no, thank you, dear. You two go and have a good time.”

  “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened to any of us. I really can’t thank you enough, Carolyn. I just didn’t know how to reach out for help.”

  “I’m glad it’s all working out.”

  Belinda finished the tour of her new and improved approach to caring for her grandparents. She was quite organized. She and Anna had come up with a sound approach for boundaries and goals. The social worker from the assisted living facility where Belinda’s grandparents were currently living had a meeting with the three of them and helped to negotiate rules and ramifications.

  When Carolyn and Belinda had wound their way back to the front door, Carolyn gave Belinda a hug.

  “I’m proud of you, dear. You have done a great job. I’m sure your grandparents are very grateful for you taking such good care of them.”

  “I’m pretty proud of myself. Now that everything’s organized and we have rules, I’m actually beginning to think I can do this. I know it won’t be perfect, and they’re still going to get mad at me all the time—it’s just how they are—but now I feel like I’m doing a good thing. Like I’m helping them.”

  “You are. May I ask you a favor, dear?”

  “Anything.”

  “When Anna comes by, please tell her to give me a call or stop by when you’re done with your dinner. I don’t want to call her while she’s driving.”

  “I’ll make sure to do that.”

  Anna knocked gently on the door a little after nine. Carolyn was already showered and relaxing in her new robe and pajamas. She’d come across them online. The pants were lightweight cotton with a slightly abstract yellow rose pattern, and the top was a simple black cotton t-shirt. The robe was a waffle fabric the same yellow as the roses on the pants. The sole reason Carolyn had purchased the set was that every time she saw the yellow roses, she smiled.

  Carolyn opened the door to her friend.

  “You’re settling in. Are you sure you want company?”

  “Very. Would you like something to drink, Anna?”

  “I would love a cup of tea. Thank you.”

  “How was your dinner with Belinda?”

  “She’s a lovely young woman. I feel badly I ever thought such terrible things about her.”

  “Me too. We had it backwards from the start.”

  “It makes me wonder. What else have we gotten backwards?”

  “What do you mean?” Carolyn set a beautiful blue teacup on the table.

  Anna shook her head. “Just that people are so quick to judge. To jump to a conclusion. How many times a day do you look at something and think you understand what you’re seeing and have the completely wrong impression? I’ll tell you, when my Morgan first started dating her husband, I thought the whole O’Flynn family was nuts.”

  Carolyn laughed. “They are different.”

  “That they are. They have been so good to her, right from the very start.”

  “My Suzi and A.J., too.”

  “It makes me think.”

  There was a soft knock on the door. Carolyn answered and invited Belinda in.

  “I got to thinking after Anna came over here. I really want to show my appreciation for all you do. Isn’t there anything I can do? You could give Emmy the day off, and I could do her job. It would save you a little.”

  Anna wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly.

  Carolyn spoke gently. “Emmy?”

  “Yeah, I saw her put your bill under your door a while ago. I think it was right after you helped me with Grandma and Grandpa that terrible night. Not long after that. I just figured, you know, if she’s working for you, I don’t want to take any work away from her, but she’s always busy. There’s so many people in this building that use her service.”

  Anna jumped in. “I don’t know Emmy. What does she do?”

  Carolyn could think of no way to keep Belinda talking without letting her know that she too knew nothing about Emmy. As a cover, in desperation, she started to cough and excused herself to get a cup of water.

  Anna waited for Belinda to answer.

  “She cleans condos. Just the light stuff, really. A lot of the owners are either not able or not interested in doing light housework. She comes in and does dishes and dusts. She does the vacuuming and stuff. I was going to hire her to do our condo, so that I’d have a little more free time, but Grandpa doesn’t want strangers in the house.”

  “That sounds like a great service. Do you know Emmy’s last name? Maybe she does private homes outside this building.”

  “Baker, I think. I’m sure Carolyn has it.”

  Anna had smoothly changed the subject before Carolyn joined them at the table.

  Not minutes later, she escorted Belinda to the door and said they’d be in touch if they could think of anything they needed.

  “You got another note?” Anna’s voice was sharper than she’d expected.

  “Let’s focus on Emmy.”

  “Yes, let’s. Now we know that a woman named Emmy is close enough to touch, and you didn’t tell us about the note. That means you were closer to danger than we knew.”

  “I’m not in danger, Anna. Obviously, if Emmy is in this building all the time, and all she has done is left a couple of notes, she wishes me no harm.”

  “A couple? Just two?”

  “The one you saw and one other.”

  “May I ask what the second one said?”

  “Remember.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yes. We need to track down this Emmy and see if she’s our Emmy.”

  “I think the name Emmy Baker with a witness saying she saw her put a note under your door is about all the evidence we need.”

  “Okay, then let me phrase it this way: I’d like to talk to Emmy.”

  “Please tell me you don’t intend to do that alone.”

  “If the opportunity presents itself.”

  “Carolyn, how about we make an appointment with the woman and do it away from your building? We can confront her someplace neutral. Maybe have a large male there just in case she’s as crazy as her mother.”

  At the look on Carolyn’s face, Anna knew she’d overstepped.

  “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”

  “If—and it’s a big if—Emmy is mentally ill, it’s a problem I would like to help her deal with. Perhaps she can lead us to her mother. I’d like to help her, as well.”

  “Obviously, you’re not one of her favorite people, Carolyn. She has left you multiple threatening notes. I think it would be foolish not to take threats into consideration.”

  “I’ve been called worse. Threatened more. I’ll think about it.”

  “Please promise me you won’t do anything until we’ve discussed it.”

  “I can’t p
romise I won’t talk to her if I see her, but I won’t go out of my way to find her until we have discussed it further. Anna, please remember, as much as I value our friendship, this is my decision.”

  ELEVEN

  ANNA HAD SHOWN up at Carolyn’s door bright and early.

  Carolyn was already dressed and had spent a bit of time thinking about what it was she would say to Emmy when she made the call.

  “I talked to Adeline early this morning. She would like your permission to have Roland—or one of his people—talk to Emmy, just to get the lay of the land.”

  “No. I want to do this on my own. If you would like to help me find her, I would appreciate it, but no hired guns.”

  Anna shook her head. “I got the phone number from Belinda. Would you like me to call her and arrange a meeting?”

  “Do you promise not to bring Roland and his people in?”

  “Carolyn, we sound like children. Please, even if Roland and all of his people were there, she wouldn’t know. If she is unstable, it could be helpful to her. You don’t want to put her in the position of doing something that will have negative ramifications. That wouldn’t be at all fair.”

  “True. I’ll not have Roland or his people there, but I will be very careful how I approach her. I believe it would be best if I called her myself.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Quite.”

  Anna reluctantly gave Carolyn the number. It was useless to try to keep it from her. Any number of people in the building had the number, and all Carolyn would have to do is knock on doors until she found one of them. The mood she was in, Anna knew that Carolyn would knock on every single door if it were necessary.

  Carolyn excused herself and called from her bedroom.

  Anna couldn’t sit still. She made her way to the kitchen and tried to find something to keep herself occupied and optimistic. A big order, considering.

  Carolyn joined her before long. “The number has been disconnected.” She looked Anna straight in the eye. “You’re sure this is the number Belinda gave you?”

  “I swear on my head.”

  “Well, darn it, now what?”

  “If you’re bound and determined to find this girl, I’ll help you. It really shouldn’t be too difficult.”

  It turned out to be more difficult than Anna had envisioned. She’d contacted the church again. They hadn’t heard from Emmy’s mother Zelma, and although they were worried, they’d chosen to give her room to another person in need. Members of the congregation had feelers out, but to date, no word on Zelma. The lead volunteer confided she had never had any contact with Emmy, but the woman asked that should Zelma or Emmy be found, all contact information be given to their volunteers.

  Anna tried several of the services that people in the building used. Emmy was a private contractor. She underbid the bigger businesses, and her work was always fast and flawless. Fast and flawless had been her tagline of sorts. Unfortunately, her approach didn’t leave a lot of time for building friendships.

  With Carolyn’s permission, Anna got in touch with her contact at Roland’s company for a basic background check. With the new information, Emmy wouldn’t be quite so generic a figure, and maybe they could now come up with something that would help track her down.

  Anna made it very clear Carolyn was willing to be billed for whatever time was spent on the project. Andy, the young man that actually did the work, told her there would be no charge, that it was only a matter of putting Emmy’s name though some databases. He’d call when and if he had some information.

  The girls decided to put all their cares aside on Saturday and hit the spa. They stuck with their tradition of a full day of pampering with a break at a little restaurant across the street at midday.

  Anna was able to get her favorite technician on short notice, but both Adeline and Carolyn were happy enough using someone new. The owner, a beautiful young woman with exemplary skills, gave Adeline a brow tint and shape and suggested a number of products she might enjoy.

  By the time the girls arrived at A.J. and Cara’s for dinner, they were relaxed and happy.

  Suzi and Evelyn greeted them at the door.

  Something smelled wonderful.

  Carolyn was the first to comment. “My goodness, it smells like Cara has outdone herself this evening.”

  A.J. walked into the room. He laughed. “Are you ready? What you’re smelling is the work of your favorite granddaughter, Suzi.” He gave his sister a look only a big brother could get away with.

  “Suzi cooking?” Carolyn couldn’t hide her surprise.

  Cara joined them. “Not only does she cook, but she cooks well. It’s all on Evelyn. Giving birth has changed Suze. For the better. I actually caught her cleaning one day.”

  The girls laughed.

  Suzi and Cara got busy in the kitchen while the girls accompanied A.J. and Evelyn to the backyard. It looked so different with the fence in place. The flowers were all blooming, and the kids had taken the framework they’d made for the wedding and put it over the table. It was a metal tube frame with fabric and round lights interspersed with twinkle lights. There were also twinkle lights in some of the bigger trees. It lent a party atmosphere to the already stunning yard.

  The girls sat at the glass outdoor table.

  “Can I get you a pillow for your back, Gran?”

  “No, A.J., I’m just fine.”

  “Can I get anything for the rest of you?”

  “You can hand that niece of yours right over here.” Anna smiled. When she extended her arms, Evelyn got excited and reached for her.

  With Evelyn visiting with her favorite older women, A.J. went into the house to see if there was anything he could help carry out from the kitchen to the patio.

  Moments later, the kids were carrying tray after serving dish. All of it looked wonderful and smelled better.

  They’d set up a table just outside the slider and placed each dish in a previously determined spot. Some were balanced on overturned clay pots. The whole look of the table was casual and party perfect.

  After serving themselves and seeing that Evelyn was happy in her highchair, chasing peas and other bite-sized food around her tray, the whole family sat and enjoyed their dinner.

  “Suze, I can’t tell you how good this dinner is.”

  “Thanks, Gran. Cara was bound to rub off on me some day.”

  “Too bad it wasn’t sooner,” A.J. teased.

  Once dinner was done, Adeline and Anna insisted on clearing the table while Carolyn played with Evelyn and the kids relaxed.

  “I put the kettle on for some tea, I hope that’s alright.”

  “Perfect.” Cara smiled.

  It was during that cup of tea the girls described all that they had been through trying to get help for Belinda and her family.

  Carolyn shook her head. “I just can’t imagine how Belinda felt. With her grandparents being so difficult.”

  Anna shook her head. “They should be glad they’re at home instead of some facility. The caretakers would have gotten tired of their shenanigans in short order.”

  Suzi sipped. “I think it’s so sad when families put their elders in a bad facility.”

  Anna shrugged. “That’s about all they would be able to afford. Places are expensive, and it isn’t long before normal folk run out of money and then they’re stuck in whatever situation the government will provide.”

  Cara put her cup down. She replied in a voice so gentle she wasn’t even sure she’d said it aloud, but there was no doubt once the words had escaped. “Thank God that will never happen to any of you.” She seemed kind of shocked that she’d said it out loud. “I’m sorry, you know what I mean. You guys all have a place to be.”

  When none of the girls commented, Cara couldn’t keep quiet.

  “Gran, you would be with us, and Anna is going to live with Liam and Morgan, and Adeline, you have your choice of homes, and your youngest daughter would kill if anyone tried to take you from her, but you’r
e always welcome here.” Cara shrugged and pulled a face trying to lighten such a serious subject.

  The girls looked stunned.

  Anna was the first to get her voice. “I will be with Liam and Morgan? What makes you say that?”

  “I thought you knew. I assumed you guys had talked about it. I’ll never learn. I should just shut up.”

  Anna gave her a look. “Don’t you stop talking now.”

  “Okay, but if this is some big secret, I’m sorry. Liam and Morgan have been looking for a house. They found a great one. It has four bedrooms upstairs and a full junior suite downstairs. The suite downstairs has its own bedroom and living room with a little stackable washer and dryer in a closet. There’s a mini kitchen, just a little fridge and microwave, but it has a kitchen sink and cupboards and everything. It’s cute and functional. The suite even has its own entrance for privacy; then it has a cute French door that opens from the suite into the family room so that everyone is really living in the same house. When I asked why they picked that house, they said the suite was for you. Morgan said she’s much closer to you than she is her own mother, and she wants you with her whenever you’re ready. Liam is one hundred percent behind her. They’d have you move in tomorrow if they could.”

  Anna didn’t know how to respond. It had never dawned on her, not in a million years, that her Morgan had ever given any consideration to her future care, let alone had a plan and a husband willing to agree.

  She was stunned into silence.

  A.J. addressed his grandmother. “One of the reasons we bought this house was so that we would have plenty of room if you ever wanted to stay.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  Cara spoke quietly. “I always dreamed of having a multigenerational home. I thought I’d lost that dream when my mother died, but then I realized, if you’d have us, we could still have that dream.”

  Carolyn was touched. “But what about your father?”

  “Oh, he’ll never move in with me. He’ll stay at home until he’s unable to care for himself—if he ever gets to that point—and then he’ll move in with Troya. It’s one of the reasons that she became a nurse. I could have talked my mother into it if my dad went first, but with Mom already gone, Dad’s definitely going to live with Troya.”