Rita Lakin_Gladdy Gold_01 (20 page)

35

Warning the Victim-to-Be

T
he girls and I crowd in to
the Feder apartment, a place we hardly ever visit. For a number of
reasons. We are rarely invited. And if we are, we are intensely
uncomfortable. So much furniture. Very large, ugly, heavy--totally wrong
for Florida. The pieces were undoubtedly expensive in their day, but
who would want them? There is only one narrow aisle for Esther's
wheelchair to traverse from room to room, and it must be difficult for
her to manage. No wonder she usually parks it at the front screen door
and stays there most of the time. I can't imagine living in a place so
claustrophobic. I don't know how Harriet stands it.

As the girls try to get comfortable, I start to work my
way up to why we are here. "I'm glad we caught you before you went to
work," I say to Harriet.

"You would have caught me all day. I've been switched to
the night shift."

Bella groans at that and Harriet eyes her curiously.

Ida looks at Harriet sadly. "Talk about bad timing."

"It's about your birthday," I say to Esther.

"What about it? You gonna make me a party?" She cackles.

Harriet gets it. "You're worried," she says quietly,
trying to downplay it.

I nod, as do the girls.

"What about?" Esther demands to know. She wheels her
chair deftly about to face us. Bella stares down at her legs. Evvie
pokes her for staring. Ida fingers her sharp Hadassah lapel pin
meaningfully. Bella sees it and giggles.

"Can't you change your shift back to day?" Evvie asks
Harriet, at the same time glaring warningly at the girls.

"No chance," she says. "I made a lot of people switch
schedules so I could take my vacation last week. I don't dare ask for
another favor."

"What are you talking about?" Esther says, her voice
strident now. She looks from one to another of us. Then she gets it.
"The night before my birthday. You think--" and with that she makes a
cutting gesture across her throat. "Eh, what a crock!"

"We don't want to take any chances," Evvie says. "Selma
and Francie were killed--"

But Esther interrupts. "Who says they were killed? Only
you girls, spreading rumors. I don't see any cops around investigating."

"Mom, be nice. The girls are only trying to help you."

"Who needs their help? I don't. And besides, Greta didn't
die just before her birthday."

"Mom," Harriet intercedes. "We all think Greta was killed
because she knew the killer."

"We?
We
all think? Suddenly these crackpots are
your new best friends? Ha!"

Harriet looks at us, extending her hands, helplessly. I
can see Ida getting red hot under the collar, just itching to say
something. I shake my head at her.

Esther keeps jabbering. "Then what about Eileen O'Connor?
Her birthday passed and she's still around. Too bad. She's such a big
mouth, getting rid of her would be a blessing."

"Can't you behave!" Harriet exclaims, embarrassed.

"Frankly, I think her leaving and going to stay with her
sister in Boca probably saved her life," I say quietly, trying to
ignore Esther's rotten remarks.

Esther folds her arms. "OK by me. Send me to Miami Beach.
I wouldn't mind a nice cabana for a week. You could also throw in a
Cuban beach boy while you're at it."

Harriet smiles wryly. "That's a great idea. If only we
could afford it."

"You would say that," Esther says sarcastically. "You
don't let me spend a dime on anything."

Bella is again staring at Esther's feet, but they stay
perfectly still under her blanket. Evvie pokes Bella. Sophie snickers.

"At least ask if you can have that one night off?" Evvie
is determined to ignore Esther's rudeness.

"I'll try, but you don't know my supervisor."

"Then we have to set up some kind of plan," I say.

"I agree," Evvie says. "We can all sit here with Esther
until you get home."

Ida wants to know what time her shift is over.

Harriet tells her it's four
A.M.

Sophie groans at that.

"Hello? Don't I have any say in this matter? I don't need
you. I don't want you," Esther says. "Don't do me any favors."

"Mom. This is no time to get stubborn."

"The whole thing's stupid anyway. Who'd want to kill me?"

From the looks on the girls' faces, I'd say, right now,
four people.

Harriet is exasperated. "Foolish old lady. Why would
anybody want to kill Selma or Francie? But they did!"

"Even if I believed all their
chozzerai,
you
think I'd be afraid? Just let that guy come. I'll be ready." Esther
makes boxing jabs with her hands as if to show what she would do.

Sophie laughs out loud.

"You think I couldn't?" Esther says, annoyed that they
are laughing at her show of bravado.

"Mom, please. Don't be ridiculous," Harriet says.

Bella tries appeasement. "What have you got to lose? We
could keep you company, play a little cards."

"Big shots! Nosy old biddies. Mind your own business."

Ida is up in a shot. "That does it. Let's go."

Sophie and Bella jump up with her.

Esther smirks and steers herself out of the cluttered
living room and heads down the hall to her bedroom, muttering to
herself. "As if I'd eat any food from some stranger! You have to be a
moron!" Now she is shouting. "Like the TV show, that's my final answer!"

Harriet shrugs. What else can we say? As we start out the
door, she whispers to us. "We'll talk later."

From the bedroom, Esther calls out again, "Don't forget
to send me a present. Just don't send food!"

We can still hear her cackling when we step outside.

Back to square one. What's that funny saying? No good
deed goes unpunished? We're going to have to find a way to save her in
spite of herself. From the looks on the faces of my angry cohorts, I'd
say I'll have a hard time convincing them.

Under her breath I hear Sophie mutter, "We shoulda let
Ida jab her."