A Quilt in Time (A Harriet Turman/Loose Threads Mystery) (12 page)

“Did she say anything?”

“No, I acted like I belonged, and she didn’t challenge it.” Harriet crossed the larger hallway to Sarah’s room and stopped so abruptly Lauren bumped into her back.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s not here.” Harriet stepped into what had been Sarah’s room. “Looks like she’s moved out.”

She opened the closet; it was empty. The bed had been made with fresh sheets and looked ready for a new patient.

Lauren went into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet.

“No toiletries or anything in here.”

“Maybe she moved to the independent living area.”

Lauren came back.

“Wouldn’t we have walked past her room? That was the hall we started in.”

“Let’s check the rest of the rooms in this section to make sure they didn’t just move her.”

“I didn’t think she was ready to be on her own. Her arm is still a mess with that contraption sticking out of it. That can’t possibly feel good.”

Harriet led the way back into the hall and began peering into rooms.

“I thought Sarah might tell one of us if she was going into the shelter.”

“Really? This is Sarah we’re talking about.”

“You’re right. I hope she’s at the shelter. They aren’t going to tell us if that’s the case. If she doesn’t call, we aren’t going to know, unless we can come up with an excuse to visit.”

The two women reached the end of the hallway with no sign of Sarah. Harriet opened the door to the connecting hall.

“Shall we go see if the speeches are done? I still want to talk to the rest of her family.”

“Which one of them do you think is most likely to tell us where she went?” Lauren asked.

“Let’s start with the boyfriend and go from there.”

Harriet turned and headed down the hallway back to the reception area.

“How’s Sarah?” Aunt Beth asked when they’d rejoined their group. “I assume that’s where you two sneaked off to.”

“She’s checked out,” Harriet replied. “Or at least, she’s vacated the room she’s been in.”

“Did any of the caregivers know anything?” Robin asked.

“Everyone must be working on this shindig,” Lauren said and gestured to the podium, where many of the guests were now surrounding the VIPs. “We didn’t see anyone in the hallways.”

“They told us they’re starting tours of the facility in ten minutes,” Mavis reported. “They have snacks set up in the main cafeteria and suggested we go there before they start.”

“I think the family members are leading the tours,” Carla told them. “Maybe we should divide up so we get different guides.”

“Good idea,” Harriet said.

Carla looked down at her feet, letting her hair fall over her face.

“We better get moving,” Mavis said and led them out of the seating area toward the dining room.

“Wow, they spared no expense on the snacks,” Harriet said, pointing at a tray of chocolate truffles. “Those are a specialty of Chef James at the Cafe on Smugglers Cove. He handcrafts them himself.”

Mavis leaned in for a closer look.

“Those are handmade?”

“I’m not sure it still counts as handmade when you’re a trained chef and own a restaurant,” Lauren said.

Harriet picked one up.

“Whatever you call them, I’m having one.” She took a bite and closed her eyes. “He hasn’t lost his touch.”

The rest of the Threads each took one.

DeAnn tilted her face up and sniffed loudly.

“Smells like someone’s been baking bread all day.”

“That’s an old realtor’s trick,” Mavis said. “People will overlook some of the flaws in a kitchen if it smells of fresh-baked bread or chocolate chip cookies.”

Lauren smiled. “I don’t think it’s the smell of kitchen flaws they’re covering up.”

“Be nice,” Harriet scolded.

“Don’t tell me you couldn’t smell the place when we weren’t in the cafeteria or lobby,” Lauren said.

“Only in the nursing wing and memory care area,” Harriet said.

Two tables away, Aiden sat across from the blond receptionist, their heads nearly touching as they spoke in low tones. Harriet stared as they laughed, the blonde reaching across and playfully punching Aiden on the arm.

Aunt Beth wiped her hands on a cocktail napkin.

“That was amazing,” she said in a louder than normal voice.

“We better start going on tours.” Robin put her arm on Harriet’s shoulder and gently turned her away from Aiden and toward the new wing.

A group was gathering around Howard Pratt at the entrance to the memory unit.

“Mavis and I have this one,” Beth said and headed toward the group. A moment later, they disappeared down the hall, the receptionist stepped into the same space, and a second group assembled. Aiden got up with her and joined the group. The blonde led them toward the independent living hallway.

“DeAnn and I will take blondie,” Robin told Harriet. “See if you and Lauren can get the boyfriend. Connie and Carla, see if you can find Sarah’s mother and ask her where Sarah went. She must be here somewhere.”

“Rod, would you mind doing some snooping?” Harriet asked Connie’s husband.

“That’s why I’m here. What did you have in mind?”

“There have to be some nurses’ aides or caregivers in the other wings. With the family busy giving tours, it’s the perfect chance to grill them.”

“Say no more.” He picked up a plate and put a selection of chocolates on it then filled another plate with small cookies. He covered both plates, picked them up and headed for the assisted-living wing.

A dark-haired man in an expensive-looking suit appeared at the intersection of the assisted-living unit and the main dining hall.

“Come on,” Harriet said to Lauren. “Our guide is in position.”

Seth introduced himself as Howard’s son and the company pharmacist. He had the rich sort of voice opera singers and television news anchors possessed. Harriet wondered if it was natural or something he’d cultivated with years of practice.

When the group got to the memory unit, he explained how the entrance hallway was crisscrossed with motion sensors and monitored with security cameras. In addition, residents would be given a difficult-to-remove bracelet with a microchip embedded in it that would set off an alarm if the resident tried to escape the area without checking out. It also had GPS capabilities. It was all very state-of-the-art.

Lauren leaned toward Harriet.

“Somebody donated a pile of money. I installed the software on that baby—it has some customizable parts. It’s an expensive system.”

Harriet had tuned out what Seth Pratt was saying as she studied him. He was aware of his audience. His jokes were well-timed, but his smile never quite reached his eyes. It was clear to her he saw tour guiding as beneath him.

She looked surveyed the group around her. They seemed to be mesmerized. He probably got that a lot.

When the group broke up to look into one of the four empty rooms that had been staged for the tours, Harriet used the opportunity to speak to Seth.

“Do you know where Sarah is?” she asked without preamble.

“Who?”

“Sarah. You know, your fiancé.”

“This is not the time nor the place for this discussion.”

Lauren joined them, blocking Seth’s path back to the group.

“We’re friends of Sarah’s, and we want to know where she is.”

“She’s in her room. Not that it’s any of your business.” He started to turn away, but Harriet stopped him with what she said next.

“No, she’s not. Her room is empty and has been cleaned out.”

Seth stared at her. She could tell this was news to him.

“Who did you say you are?”

“We’re friends of Sarah’s, but I think you already know that. She used to quilt with us before you stopped her from coming to our group.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. As for Sarah—not that it’s any of your business—I’m sure she just changed rooms. She probably got tired of having so many visitors.”

So, he did know who they were.

“You must have a record on your intranet,” Lauren said.

“As I said, this is not the time or place for this.” Seth turned his back on them and continued his practiced speech about the activity room that included dolls and stuffed animals and a variety of sensory activities designed to stimulate the brain.

“That’s interesting,” Lauren murmured. “He has no clue where she is.”

“Let’s hope the rest of the group has had better luck,” Harriet replied.

Aunt Beth and Mavis were sitting opposite Robin and DeAnn at a six-person table in the cafeteria when Lauren and Harriet returned from their tour.

“Any sign of Carla and Connie?” Harriet asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Or Rod?” Lauren added.

Mavis looked toward the front of the room.

“Here come Connie and Carla.”

Lauren collected two chairs from a vacant table and fit them between hers and Harriet’s.

“Have a seat and tell us what you learned.”

“Sarah’s mother didn’t seem to know she’s not here anymore,” Connie reported. “And I don’t think she’s lying. She’s very mousy. And she seemed very nervous. She kept looking past us while we talked, and she jumped when a door slammed. Something or someone has her spooked.”

“She blamed Sarah for her own injuries, too,” Carla added.

“That’s terrible,” Harriet said. “Her boyfriend claimed not to know she’d left, but he seems slick. I couldn’t get a good feel for his truthfulness.”

“Me, either,” Lauren agreed. “My money’s on him being a liar, but he did seem surprised when we said she was gone.”

Robin took a sip from her paper cup of coffee.

“The sister was seriously perky. She was lobbying Aiden for an internship at the vet clinic, so she gave us the bare minimum information.”