Patricia Rockwell - Essie Cobb 03 - Valentined (21 page)

Busting britches
! thought Essie suddenly.
There
are obviously more envelopes with cocaine arriving at Happy Haven than just
these two.  The one I found and the one Betsy got are probably just the tip of
the iceberg.  Who knows how many little packets of cocaine are arriving here
daily in the U.S. mail!  The police know this.  Supposedly, they have someone
undercover keeping an eye on things.
  She wondered if the undercover cop
was looking for the drug dealer or was watching her to protect her.  
Oh,
well
!  She couldn’t spend her time worried about that. 

Another thought crossed Essie’s mind. 
Why just
valentines?  Yes, her drug-filled card was a valentine and Betsy’s card was a
valentine.  But that didn’t mean that this drug scheme was restricted just to
valentines.  Why would a drug dealer function only during February?  There were
probably drugs arriving in birthday cards, anniversary cards, get well cards,
Christmas cards, and every other kind of card anyone could imagine.

She wondered how long this scheme had been going on
.  It
was obviously a small enough plot that it simply didn’t draw much attention to
itself.  It could have been going on for years.  Who would suspect an old
person who lived in an assisted living facility as being a drug dealer? 

Phyllis had wound down.  She was patting Essie’s hand.  Hand
patting always seemed to mean that the younger person who was speaking wanted
to have the older person who was listening to them agree to what was being said
and go about their business.  Essie got the message.  She thanked Phyllis and
headed back to her room.

She by-passed her chair and went straight to her bed and
plopped down on her spread.  In a second, she was sound asleep. 

When she awoke from her brief nap several minutes later, she
was refreshed and hungry. 
First things first.
  She checked her walker
basket.  The card was still there, still in its envelope on the top of the
pile.  She didn’t think anyone would come in during the day when they knew she
was in her room, but one never knew.  She rolled into her bathroom and did some
quick ablutions in preparation for lunch.

Essie Cobb, you rascal!
she said to her image in the
mirror. 
You managed to pull off this ridiculous ploy.  You also managed to
convince everyone that you are gaga over this unknown man.  You’d think people
around here knew you better than to believe that you’d be all doe-eyed over
some fellow you’ve never met
.  She grabbed her brush and fluffed up her
beautiful, shiny white curls.  Yes, she looked ninety, but she did have
sparkling blue eyes and a killer smile.  No wonder some guy in Boston had a
crush on her—even if he was a fake.

I wonder if I’ve spread the word enough,
she
thought. 
I can’t be sure that the dealer has actually received the word
that I still have the card.  Of course, whoever it is wouldn’t just forget
about that stash of cocaine.  They may be lying low and waiting for me to take
it out of my basket.  Maybe they figure I’ll eventually either throw it away or
put it in a drawer or display it on my television like Betsy did.

Either way, I can’t give up now.  Until something
happens, I need to keep up my efforts to flaunt my card around Happy Haven. 
I’ll have to think of other places in the facility where I might show the card
to people who might not know about it or who might not have heard about it. 
Until I’m positive that everyone here knows about the valentine, I need to keep
at it.  And I just need to hope that that undercover cop has my back, in case
the Happy Haven drug dealer becomes suspicious
.   She grabbed her walker
and headed out for lunch.

Chapter Twenty Six

“Love is like quicksilver in the
hand.  Leave the fingers open and it stays.  Clutch it, and it darts away.”

—Dorothy Parker

The chef’s Valentine’s Day lunch was even more charming than
his Valentine’s Day breakfast.  A tasty tomato soup provided the red.  Each
soup bowl was set in the middle of a plate which was rimmed with an array of
mini heart-shaped sandwiches with various delicate fillings.  Essie could hear
some of the men at other tables grumbling about the “sissie” food, but the
women were on the whole delighted. 

“I love Valentine’s Day!” proclaimed Marjorie.  “You can
almost feel the love in the air.”

“What I can feel in the air is deodorizer,” noted Essie,
ever practical, sniffing.  “It covers the smell from all the adult diapers.”

“Why are you so sour?” asked Opal. 

“I’m frustrated because I’ve been all over Happy Haven,
waving this fool valentine I made around, hoping that someone would try to
swipe it from me and prove that they’re the cocaine dealer,” she whispered. 
“And so far, no one has.”

“Essie,” said Marjorie in her school teacher voice, “you
don’t expect the dealer to just come up to you and grab that card, do you?  I
mean, really.  If this person has been able to remain undetected for, who
knows, years, they’re certainly not going to do anything so ridiculous to
jeopardize their set-up.”

“You have to learn patience, Essie,” added Opal, obviously
agreeing with Marjorie.  “Surely, the person wants that card back and they’re
probably trying to figure out a way to get it back.  I bet they’re quite aware
that you have it—or they think you have it.  You just need to be patient and
watch.”

“Opal, what do you think I’ve been doing all day?  Every
muscle in my body aches from traipsing all over Happy Haven showing off my
card.”

“I hope you were cautious in what you said, Essie,” said
Marjorie, shaking her head.

“Of course,” replied Essie.  “I put my acting skills to the
test.  I’m sure I made everyone think I was enamored of this secret admirer
person who sent the card and my vanity was motivating me.”

“I’m sure no one would ever think that,” said Opal, deadpan.

“Well, what would you suggest I do, Opal?” demanded Essie.

“I told you, Essie.  You should leave all of this to the
police.  Let them ferret out this individual.  You don’t have any idea what
you’re getting yourself into.  If this person discovers what you’re up to, that
you’re working with the police, so to speak, and that you’re attempting to set
a trap for him, heaven knows how he may retaliate!”

“Indeed, Essie,” added Marjorie, “Detective Abbott told us
to keep quiet about all of this.  He didn’t say make a fake valentine and try
to catch the culprit by waving it around everywhere!”   She shook her little
soup spoon at her friend.

The women continued sipping their soup as they spoke in
whispered tones, bent over the center of the table.  Fay was slumped in her
chair, snoring quietly, having downed her soup without a sound while her
friends were arguing.

Santos arrived with dessert, a rich chocolate cake topped
with raspberries.  He set the treats at each woman’s place and removed their
soup dishes, leaving politely without a comment.  Fay evidently smelled the
cake and awoke abruptly and dove into the cake with gusto.

“Santos is certainly quiet today,” noted Opal.

“Essie probably scared him at breakfast, quizzing him so
much about poor Grace Bloom!” suggested Marjorie.

“Oh, birds’ turds! I was hardly quizzing him!” responded
Essie, licking some chocolate off of her lips. “I merely asked him why he was
taking meals to Grace.  And, if you recall, he never answered.  If that doesn’t
indicate that something fishy is going on, I don’t know what does!”

“Now what could be fishy about Santos taking meals to Grace
Bloom in her room, Essie, if indeed that is what he is doing?  That seems like
a perfectly lovely thing for him to do!” said Opal.

“So why does he have to keep it a secret?” asked Essie.

“Maybe Grace doesn’t want anyone to know she’s sick,”
offered Marjorie.

“She’s not sick, Marjorie!” cried Essie.  “I’ve seen her at
dinner and other people have seen her in the building too!”

“You know,” added Opal, “I bumped into Grace during the
blood pressure check a few days ago.  We actually chatted a bit.  She seemed
fine to me.  Although she didn’t stay long.  She just got her check and then
headed back to her room.  She used to come to Quiz Bowl all the time, but I
haven’t seen her there in quite some time.  I mentioned to her that we missed
her, but she never said why she hadn’t been in a while.”

“For heaven’s sake, Essie,” added Marjorie, “you don’t think
Grace is the cocaine dealer, do you?”

“No, Marjorie!” snorted Essie.  “I don’t!  But I do think
something strange is going on in her room and she and Santos are in on it.”

“And they don’t want you—or anyone else to know about it!”
added Opal.  “So honor their wishes!”

“But what if it’s something bad?” asked Essie.  “Something
that threatens Grace?  Or Santos?  Don’t you think we should investigate and
find out?”

“Essie,” said Opal calmly, “we should not be investigating
Grace Bloom or anyone else!  And neither should you!”

“You people are too complacent!” replied Essie.  “You’d all
just stand around while the snake flung apples to Eve in the Garden of Eden!”

“I would, unless the Lord told me to step in and stop it!”
retorted Opal.

“The Lord appreciates initiative!” said Essie.  “Look at
Noah.  He built a giant boat and people thought he was nuts but he didn’t let
them stand in his way.  And when the cocaine dealer came knocking and the rain
poured down, Noah could say ‘I told you so’!”

“Listen, Essie,” said Opal with a sigh, leaning back in her
chair.  “Obviously, I or we can’t stop you if you’re determined to go ahead
with this plan of yours.  So, I guess, what I want to say is, I think you’re
crazy, Essie Cobb, but if you must act like a loon, I will be your backup.” 
She gave Essie a short, forced grimace.  “Marjorie?”

“Of course,” replied Marjorie.  “I’m with you, Essie.  But I
agree with Opal.  You’ve really gone over the top on this one.  Drug dealers
are not just nosy neighbors.  They have guns.  They kill people.    I worry
about you.”  She suddenly stuck out her lower lip and a tear dripped down her
cheek.

“Oh, scoops of poop!” said Essie.  “Marjorie, Opal—and Fay. 
Are you still awake, Fay?”  Fay opened her eyes.  “I appreciate all of your
support, really I do.  But, truly, there’s not much you all can do to help.  I
just have to wait and see if the drug dealer takes the bait I’ve set for him.”

“Well, I for one intend to keep an eye on you,” said Opal. 
“If you don’t show up for your meals right on time, you can be assured that I
will come looking for you.”

“Me too!” added Marjorie.

Fay pointed at herself and nodded.

“Thank you, dear friends,” said Essie.  “I know you all have
my back.  And keep your ears open.  If you hear or notice anything unusual
about the mail, Grace Bloom, Santos delivering meals, anything at all related
to these mysteries, please let me know right away.”

The women agreed to Essie’s requests and having finished
their chocolate cake and coffee, wiped their mouths and headed out of the
dining hall.  Essie rolled herself out, still pondering the issues she had
discussed with her friends at lunch.

As far as the fake valentine’s card went, she believed that she
had shown it to as many people at Happy Haven as she was capable.  Obviously,
not everyone who lived or worked at Happy Haven had seen it, but surely, the
cocaine maven on the premises must now know that Essie still had the card and
was no doubt trying to figure out how to get it.  He had already attempted to
search for it in her apartment without success.  Essie guessed that he was
thinking that she kept the card with her and if her behavior of this morning
was any indication, he would have that belief solidified by now.  He probably
was trying to figure out a way to get the card from her without her being aware
of it.  That would mean that he would either have to come into her apartment
while she was sleeping and take it from the walker, which would be very risky. 
Or, he could attempt to sneak it from her walker basket sometime during the day
when Essie wasn’t aware.  Unfortunately, those moments were few and far
between, mused Essie.  She took her walker with her everywhere she went and the
basket in the walker seat was always within a few feet from her at all times. 
Essie realized that the dealer was probably experiencing a real dilemma.  He
probably realized that there were very few opportunities to grab the card from
Essie’s walker, because of her regular behavior.  As Essie contemplated this,
she thought that it might be wise to participate in some Happy Haven activities
that would allow the dealer greater access to her walker.  Hmmm, what
activities might those be?  Obviously, she didn’t intend to actually just leave
the walker alone somewhere where the dealer could take the card without Essie
knowing.  No, she had to find some things she could do where the walker would
apparently be left unattended, but where she could still keep her eye on it, surreptitiously.

She stopped at the front desk where Phyllis kept sign-up
sheets for various activities going on at Happy Haven throughout the day and
for upcoming days.  She saw sheets for “grocery trip,” “museum field trip,”
“library trip,” and other places outside of the building.  These held no
interest for her.  Also, they wouldn’t be appropriate for her plan as it would
be unlikely that the drug dealer would follow her on the Happy Haven bus to a
field trip. 

There were other sheets for in-house activities.  She looked
these over in an attempt to determine something she could sign up for which
would not only announce her presence at a particular location at a particular
time (which she reasoned would be advantageous for the dealer), but she was
looking for an event or activity which would allow her to be separated from her
walker at least for a while.  Her eye landed on sign-up sheets for various
exercise activities in the building’s small gym on the second floor.  Essie had
been to the little gym a few times, but found it boring.  She believed that she
got plenty of exercise just rolling around the Happy Haven halls at the
breakneck speed she usually went.   There was aerobics, dancing, and other high
energy-sounding events listed.  Essie eventually settled on yoga.  She didn’t
know much about yoga but what she did know was that yoga was a relatively
gentle activity without much bouncing and running, something she didn’t care
for at all.  She picked up the attached pencil and signed her name for one of the
spots in the yoga class at two o’clock that afternoon.  She glanced at her
wristwatch.  It was past one, so she realized she’d better get going if she was
going to clean up and change.  She headed back to her room.  After her regular
bathroom visit, she went into her bedroom and sat on the edge of her bed and
attempted to determine which of her various slacks and tops would be
appropriate for a yoga class.  As Essie had no tights or leotards, which she
understood were the
de rigeur
uniform for such a class, she opted for a
loose pair of old trousers with elastic around the waist.  Over this, she added
a very loose knit top that allowed more than her usual amount of movement.  It
took her almost a half hour to change out of the outfit she had been wearing and
pull on this new outfit.  She appreciated DeeDee’s morning help in dressing
even more as she struggled to drag the slacks on over her feet and up her
spindly legs without too much damage to her arthritic fingers.  Finally, after
adding her socks and tennis shoes, she rose and looked at herself in her
dresser mirror.