Shadows in the Night [Hawkman--Book 12] (5 page)

Hawkman nodded. “Kevin or I will not allow anyone into your room unless you give the okay. We will also accompany you on your walks or any other function you want to attend. George says you like to play bingo. If we spot a problem, we might ask you not to drink or eat anything until we can check it out."

She frowned. “I'll agree, but I don't like it."

"That's the way it has to be if you want protection.” Hawkman glanced at his watch and stood. It's getting late, so we'll leave you now. I'll check in with you tomorrow."

"Thank you,” Maggie said.

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As Kevin and Hawkman moved down the hallway toward the elevator, a little hunched-backed woman strolled by. She stopped, narrowed her eyes and shook a finger in the air. “What are you two men doing coming out of Maggie's room behind closed doors? Does George know about you two? You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Just wait until I tell him."

Before either one could open their mouths to respond, she walked away, shaking her head. They stepped into the elevator, chuckling.

"I don't think you'll find this job very boring,” Hawkman said, as the door slid shut.

"Mrs. Hampton appears to be a spitfire. I'm sure she'll see to it I stay on my toes,” Kevin said, as they walked out the front door to their vehicles. “This is really a lovely place. I wouldn't mind living here."

"I'd hoped we'd get a guided tour of all the amenities, but time grew late and I didn't want to tire Maggie out. She said something about a workout room, movies, puzzles and all sorts of entertainment. Everything is here for their enjoyment. Maybe she'll take you around and show it off."

"I'm sure it isn't cheap."

"I don't know, but maybe I'll get some idea of the cost when I speak with the Business Manager, which I hope to do tomorrow,” Hawkman said, as they parted ways to their respected vehicles.

Hawkman arrived at Morning Glory Haven around eight-thirty Friday morning. His gaze took in all the people traveling the hallway, then shared the elevator with a couple, and nodded at a few others as he headed toward Maggie's apartment. He knocked, but didn't receive an answer and decided to find the dining room. Going back to the first floor, he stopped a man in the corridor, and asked for directions to the cafeteria.

The man laughed. “I can tell you're a visitor. It's not called a cafeteria; it's a full fledged dining room.” He waved a hand. “Follow me, I'll show you."

When they reached the entry, Hawkman couldn't believe what he saw. The room had dozens of tables covered with colorful cloths, and fully set place settings with fabric napkins. The food smelled delicious, and everything appeared sparkling clean. The whole area emitted an air of elegance.

When he spotted Maggie and George at a far corner table, he turned to the fellow who'd helped him and touched the brim of his hat. “Thank you. I see the people I want."

The man smiled, gave a salute, and left.

George saw him coming, and pointed to an extra chair. “Good morning. Have a seat."

"How are things going with you two?” Hawkman asked, as he joined them.

"Have you had breakfast?” Maggie asked.

"Yes, thank you. This is really a beautiful dining room."

"It's open all day and you can have any meal you want at any hour."

"Maggie had a rough night,” George interjected.

She slapped him on the arm. “Oh, George, he's not interested in my dreams."

"What happened?” Hawkman asked with concern.

"She had a horrible nightmare and howled so loud it awoke people across the hall. They immediately called 911 and the paramedics had to break the lock to get into the room, because they couldn't get Maggie to answer the door. When they finally got in, she'd awakened herself and couldn't figure out why they were beside her bed."

"It scared me so, I didn't know what to do. So I screamed again.” She giggled. “It's kind of funny now, but it sure wasn't at four this morning. I'm really quite embarrassed, Mr. Casey. The strange thing is I didn't even know I had yelled so loud."

"Happens in dreams. Just glad to see you're okay. Did the door get fixed? I didn't notice any damage when I went up?"

"The handyman put in a new identical lock before we left for breakfast."

"Have you ever had an incident like this before?” Hawkman asked.

"Never. I think that's what frightened everyone. They had no idea why I was making such a ruckus."

"Has your night medication been changed?"

She shook her head. “No."

Hawkman rose and patted her shoulder. “I'm glad everything turned out all right. Now I've got to go do some poking around. I'll talk with you two later."

She grinned. “I wish I could go snooping with you."

Hawkman shook his head. “We can't let them know what we're doing. If you tailed me around, I'm afraid it would be a giveaway."

Leaving the Hamptons to finish their meal, he turned the corner into the lobby area, and noticed a woman come in the front door with a badge on her jacket. He watched her walk down the hall and enter a door labeled ‘Business Manager'. Standing at the front desk, he waited patiently for the person who staffed this position. Finally a woman came around the corner with a handful of folders. After placing them on the surface, she glanced up and smiled.

"Can I help you, Mr. Casey? If you wonder how I know your name, I was at the meeting. I'm Julie."

"Pleasure to meet you, Julie. Could you tell me the name of your Business Manager and what the person does?"

"Lisa Montgomery. She keeps all the records of the residents of the Independent section from the day they check into Morning Glory Haven to the day they leave. It includes their nearest relatives, any special instructions and a little of their health history."

He pointed toward the door he'd seen her enter. “Is that her office?"

"Yes."

"Do you think she might have a minute to see me?"

"I'll sure check"

"Thank you."

She scurried around the corner, then returned within a few seconds. “She'd be happy to see you. You may go right in."

When he entered the large office, Lisa stood at one of the several filing cabinets lining the walls. She had on two inch heels, but they still didn't make her look much over five feet tall. Her pastel blue suit's straight lines helped melt away some of the pounds she had around her middle. The short pixie style of her frosted brown hair flattered her face with soft curls, and the gentle smile she presented, put him at ease.

"Hello, Mr. Casey. I've been expecting you to drop in. Please have a seat."

"Really?” he asked as he took the chair in front of her desk.

"At the meeting, when I heard the Hamptons had received threatening calls, I assumed you'd want to check and see if other patrons had similar problems."

Hawkman rested an arm on the desk. “Are you open for employment? I could use a woman with your uncanny scrutiny."

She laughed. “No, I've got all I can handle with this job."

"You are absolutely right about my being curious. Also, I'd like to know about the deaths that have taken place in the home the last six months, which include three of the Hamptons’ friends."

"Really? What does that have to do with threatening phone calls?"

"I'd like to find out if any of those people received such calls."

"I don't know how I can help you there, other than give you the names of their next of kin."

"That's excellent. Can we start on this today?"

"Sure."

He removed the small recorder from his pocket. “Would you mind if I recorded our conversation? I'm not good at taking notes."

"Fine with me. I use one, and decipher from it later when I have time."

Hawkman felt like this woman might be of help in gathering information for the case. “First, how many deaths have taken place in the past half year?"

She pulled a large ledger to the center of the desk and flipped it open. Running her finger down the columns, she glanced up at him with a frown. “I hadn't counted these up lately, and don't like what I see."

"Oh?"

"There have been seven residents who have passed away in the last six months."

"Is that high?"

"Definitely. I remember it went through my mind that we had numerous openings come up in just a short time. Of course, there are always some who don't like our facility and want to leave or find it too expensive for their budgets. Sometimes it gets so busy I miss things, which is no excuse on my part."

"You're human, and there are occasions when life becomes a challenge just to keep up."

She looked at him over the rim of her reading glasses. “You're very kind, but my boss might not be so understanding when I bring this to his attention months later."

"Let's look into these deaths."

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Knowing he wouldn't have time to decipher the recording before talking to Maggie and George, Hawkman removed a small pad of paper from his pocket along with a pen. He could fill in the blanks later.

"Ms. Montgomery, would you be allowed to give me the phone numbers of the next of kin of these individuals?"

"Please, call me Lisa. We were told to cooperate with you, and I really don't see a problem. The children or spouses would be able to give you more details than I'm allowed to indulge, and probably more than I know."

"Let's start with the one who passed away six months ago. I'm going to jot down the names and phone numbers in case I have a chance to call them before I get to the recorder."

"Okay, you ready?"

"Yes."

"Marion Carter. It appears she only has one child, a son. His name is Jerry Carter. I have his address, would you like it too?"

"Yes, addresses would be very helpful."

Hawkman jotted down the particulars.

"Faith Lambert passed away the same month. She has two children: a daughter, named Janis Hamel, who lives here in Medford and a son, William Lambert, who resides in Texas. The next month Jacob Thompson died. He has two daughters. Lillian Nichols lives in Grants Pass, and Nancy Walker, lives in Klamath Falls.” After giving the data, she continued. “Ronald White's records list his only survivor as his wife, Edna. She lives in Medford."

Lisa read off the last three, which Hawkman recognized as the friends George had quoted. She filled in the information he didn't have.

When she finished, he glanced up from his notes.

"That's quite a list."

"Yes, and it bothers me very much."

"Did the same doctor look after these people?"

"That's classified information. Each resident in the Independent Living area takes care of his or her own medical problems, so you'd have to get such information from relatives."

"Do you have records of their health problems and medications?

"Also classified."

"Who manages the work schedules of the employees and outside contracts?"

"Perry Foster is our Staff Coordinator. His office is next door."

Hawkman rose and extended his arm. “I've taken enough of your time. You have quite a complicated job. I really appreciate your help. I might need your assistance periodically and hope it will be all right to drop by."

She stood and shook his hand. “No problem. It was a pleasure. I just hope there's no one in our organization threatening the Hamptons, or frightening any of our residents. It's scary to think about."

"Hopefully, it won't take long to get to the bottom of the problem. Have a good day and thank you again."

Hawkman left her office, flipped off his recorder, and journeyed back to Maggie's room where he found her and George watching a television program.

"How are you feeling, Maggie, after that stir you caused during the night?"

George laughed. “Leave it to my ball of fire to get noticed."

Maggie gave him a playful swat on the shoulder. “I don't like that kind of attention."

He pointed a finger at her. “Not only that, but I've already heard from a couple of your women friends telling me about strange men lingering around your room."

"Good grief, nosey old ladies. So I'm having an affair. What business is it of theirs?"

Hawkman raised a hand. “I need to interrupt this conversation and ask some questions."

Both turned their heads toward him, as he sat down on the overstuffed chair. He took the notepad from his pocket. “I've discovered seven deaths have occurred in this home during the past six months. The woman in charge of records is disturbed by this fact. I'm going to read the names of the deceased and would like you to tell me if you knew any of these people."

The Hamptons gave Hawkman their full attention.

"Marion Carter."

"Yes, I knew her,” Maggie said.

George shook his head. “The name doesn't ring a bell."

She gave him a disgusted look. “Of course, you knew her. She loved to sing songs and would have everyone joining in."

He snapped his fingers. “I remember her now. The tiny mite of a woman with only one leg. She rolled around in her wheelchair, always laughing and spreading cheer wherever she stopped."

"Yes, she's the one."

"I wondered where she went."

"Probably heaven."

"Did you know her well?” Hawkman asked.

"No, but everyone adored her. She was always the life of the party."

"How did she lose her leg?” Hawkman asked.

Maggie tapped her cheek. “I really don't know. I think she'd lost it before coming into the home. My guess would be diabetes."

"Okay, how about Faith Lambert."

George raised his hand. “I remember her. A real dud. Complained all the time; we hated to have her around. Strange I can remember her name and couldn't remember Marion's, who loved life and sparkled all the time. I guess the complainers seem to attract more attention."

"Did either of you know her well?"

"No,” Maggie said. “We avoided her at all cost. No one wants to be depressed, but that woman brought a black cloud wherever she went."

"Jacob Thompson?"

"Strange man,” Maggie said. “He'd stand outside your door and when you opened it, you almost jumped out of your skin. I shooed him away several times. Even George told him to ‘get lost’ one day."