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“Where do I sign?”
“At the bottom,” he said.
“Thisshould show you I forgive you more than anything else,” she said. “I kept adding to it like that man suggested, and for such a long time. It’s certainly grown. I still think I should donate at least part of it to the library.”
“I promise I’ll make a donation in your name. The library’s wonderful for this community, but we need to look out for each other first.”
“You’re right.” I heard a scratching sound like a pen on paper. “Could you help me get onto the bed? I’ll lay down until the nurse says it’s time for me to leave.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” he said. “You won’t regret this.”
Footsteps approached our way.
We scooted to the side and leaned against the wall.
I heard a rustle of fabric as he helped her.
The nurse scooted over to us. “She must be done by now. Give us a sec, and I’ll call out. You can come in afterthat. She’s leaving soon, though. I’ve already gone through her discharge instructions. Her boyfriend is here to take her home.” She cracked the door and slipped inside.
Boyfriend? Why hadn’t the nurse named Alfred as Sue’s husband? And why didn’t the whole town know they were married?
When Melly’s glance met mine, I could tell the same thoughts were crossing her mind.
The nurse opened the door again and gestured to us. “Come on in. I’m going to pack her things, and I’ll get a wheelchair and someone to take her to the front door soon.”
“We don’t need much time,” I said, urging Melly inside the room ahead of me.
“Hello,” Sue said, smiling Melly’s way. She’d dressed in dark pants and a loose white shirt and lay on top of the blankets. Her long gray hair had been secured in a ponytail at her nape, and her pale blue eyes sparkled. “It’s sweet of you to stop by.” Her gaze slid to me, and her smile remained true. “You must be Elrik. It’s nice to meet you.”
A raised table spanned the opposite side of the bed, holding a plastic water pitcher, a glass half-full of water, and a pile of papers resting on top of a manilla envelope.
“Thanks for letting us stop by to ask you a few questions,” I said as I eased around the foot of the bed, determined to get close enough to see what the papers might reveal, if anything.
Sue’s face fell. “Yes, it’s a tragedy. I can’t imagine what happened. I know one thing though. Rose didn’t do it.”
“I don’t believe she did either,” Alfred said. “I mean, she’s getting on there in age, and I’m sure her mind’s not as sharp as it used to be. Perhaps this is a case of someone with early dementia making a simple mistake.”
“My grandmother’s mind is as good today as it was twenty years ago,” Melly said with a frown.
He shrugged. I looked him over. About Sue’s age or perhaps a few years younger, Alfred sat in the chair beside the bed, his hand resting on Sue’s thigh. Like her, he wore dark jeans and a t-shirt, his with “Got Milk?” emblazoned on the front.
“Whoever put the Xylitol in Grannie’s punch knew what they were doing,” Melly said with a growl. “As for Grannie’s memory, I was with her when her doctor did a full dementia screening. She does it every year for older patients. But Grannie passed without one hitch.”
“She’s as sharp as she was when we were in high school,” Sue said. “Detective Carter will find out who did it and they’ll pay.”
Was Alfred involved? It was hard to say.
Why were they keeping their marriage hidden?
Because I knew our time was limited, I asked them a few basic questions, determining they’d arrived as Grannie was about to go to the bathroom. Sue helped Grannie Rose into the stall and waited a moment to make sure she didn’t need help before coming back out into the main room. The bathroom was located in the hallway between the church and the function room.
The nurse bustled in while I was quizzing them. She gathered Sue’s belongings and put them in a plastic bag emblazoned with the hospital’s logo.
“I love that punch,” Sue said wistfully. “It’s one of the few good things Rose can do.”
Melly huffed.
“What?” Sue said with a low laugh. “Your grandmother’s mittens are not as wonderful as she’d like everyone to believe.”
