magical cures 07 - a charming fatality (17 page)

I followed him.

“Can she do that?” I asked. This Jenny Rossen was a real pain in a lot of people’s lives.

“When you are the majority shareholder, you can do anything.” He threw the box in the car and walked back in, leaving me outside.

The only person I knew I had to see was Pearl. Faith all but confirmed that Pearl knew something and when I touched her last night, I knew she was the one I needed to talk to.

Growing up in Locust Grove, you heard about the old folks’ home, but never went unless you were part of a Girl Scouts group or church group. Darla didn’t let me participate in those types of activities, but Oscar’s Uncle Jordan did.

Long story short, Oscar’s Uncle Jordan raised him and did so in a way Oscar wouldn’t find out he was a spiritualist. Jordan was against our heritage. So much so, he was the one who ended up killing my father along with Oscar’s parents, sending Jordan to prison. Still, he did take Oscar to church groups and tried to get Oscar to be part of groups like the Boy Scouts, making me very envious for their life of normalcy.

The Locust Grove Convalescent Home sat on a hundred acres in the country. Tall oak trees lined the long drive, giving shade to the cars underneath. The red building was adorned and decorated with large cement molds of fleur-de-lis along the circumference of the roof. In the distance were several small cottage homes, all looking the same, with a tiny porch on the front only big enough for one rocking chair. I had heard those were for elders who could live on their own until it was time that they no longer could and moved into the communal living area.

I pulled into the parking lot, found one of the visitor spots and parked. When I got out, I looked around. On the side of the building was a covered outdoor patio where it looked as if some of the residents were playing cards, shuffleboard and ping pong. To the left of the building there was a pool dotted with elders wearing blue water caps. They were lifting their arms in the air following a much younger woman in the front.

“Can I help you?” A woman with a garden cart walked by. She was older and had a floppy hat with a drawstring tightly snugged around her chin. Her thin long-sleeved white shirt helped ward off the heat of the summer sun. She wore capris and a pair of those plastic shoes with holes all over them. She leaned on the cart that was filled with potting soil, gardening tools, and a potted Gerbera daisy. “You look to be lost. New for sure.”

“I’m looking for the office.” I had suddenly realized I had no idea what was Pearl’s last name.

“Thataway.” She pointed her gloved finger in the direction of the building. “I best be on my way if I’m going to make it over to Jenny’s before five o’clock.”

“Jenny?” I asked wondering the odds of it being the Jenny I was looking for.

“Jenny Rossen. She insists she gets her daisy before five o’clock. Persnickety she is.” The old woman used the back of her hand to push the hat up from over top her eyes. “If I’m gonna make it there by then,” she looked at her watch, “I better get going.”

“It’s only three o’clock.” I glanced at the potted flower.

“You see all them people?” Her hand waved in front of us at the patio and the pool. I nodded. “I’m pretty popular around here so I have to say my hellos when I pass. I can’t be a snob.”

“Oh, of course not,” I said with a smile.

She was cute and social. It made me wonder what type of grandmotherly figure Darla would’ve been. Definitely the hippy type any child would love and connect with.

“Listen,” I leaned in. “I’m friends with Burt, Jenny’s son, and that is exactly who I came to visit. Why don’t you give me her cottage number and the flower and I’ll take it to her.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” The woman shook her head. “It’s part of my job.”

“But every night? Don’t you want a night off when I’m going over to see her anyway?” I did my best sweet-talking.

“Well,” she picked up the pot and handed it to me. “I’d love to be able to participate in the beginning of water aerobics at four-thirty. Because of Jenny’s daisy I’m always twenty minutes late.”

She pulled back the shoulder of her white shirt and showed me the bathing suit strap underneath.

“Great. You enjoy your class.” I held the pot close to me. “Which cottage is hers?”

“Cottage? Burt didn’t tell you?” The woman’s lips turned down. “Well, I’ll keep my mouth shut. She’s not in a cottage. Jenny was moved to assisted living over a year ago. Room 214.”

“Assisted living?” My head clouded over. Were Burt and Jenny snowing people over? What was going on? There was only one way to find out. Head to room 214.

I didn’t have to use my witchy gift to realize room 214 was located on the second floor. And since I had flowers, no one questioned who I was or why I was there.

The plaque on the wall pointed me right according to the numbers of the room. The red carpet had gold diamonds dotted throughout. Some of the doors had wreaths while others had nothing. Next to the room numbers were their names. Room 214 was bare and it made me sad. I knew if Darla was somewhere like this, I would make sure she had fresh flowers and a wreath.

At least Jenny had the flowers.

I knocked on the slightly open door.

“Come on in, Ida.” An elderly voice called from behind the door. “You are early today.”

I stepped inside and opened my mouth. Nothing came out when I realized Jenny Rossen was a very petite grey-headed woman who wore a house dress and used a cane. A blind person’s cane. She tapped the edge of the cane on the floor and shuffled her house-shoed feet across the room.

“What beautiful color did Burt send today?” she asked.

“Um. . .” There was a lump in my throat. There was no way this woman had anything to do with Burt’s death nor did she even know he was dead.

“Purple, Ms. Rossen. A beautiful purple Gerbera daisy.” Pearl swooped in and grabbed the pot from me.

“Pearl is that you? Where is Ida?” She was confused.

Pearl put the pot in front of Jenny and took her hand, placing it on the clay exterior.

“She decided to do water aerobics early tonight. She will be back tomorrow.” Pearl turned her head and glared at me.

Jenny cocked her head to the side with a blank stare my way.

“Pearl, is someone else in the room?” Jenny asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” I spoke up, ignoring Pearl’s evil glare. “I’m June Heal.” I took a lotion from my bag and walked over to them.

“June, from the new product line Burt has told me about?” Jenny questioned.

“Yes, ma’am.” Pearl stepped away with the planter tucked in her arms and let me put my lotion out in front of me. “Here.” I took Jenny’s hand and placed it on the ornamental bottle.

The bottle glowed. Pearl stepped back. Her eyes as big as saucers. I leaned my head back. The pain in my heart was almost too great for me to bear. The stress free lotion was channeling all the pain Jenny Rossen was going to feel when she found out Burt had been murdered.

“June?” Jenny broke the jolt of energy digging into my soul.

“I. . .” A tear broke out of my eye and down my cheek.

“I think it’s time for Ms. Rossen to have her dinner. If you don’t mind, Ms. Heal, visiting hours are over.” Pearl stepped up and took the lotion from me. “I’ll be sure to give Jenny some of this fine lotion you have left for her.”

Pearl’s words stung. Faith’s words hit me.  Pearl? Was Pearl the killer?

“Pearl, how is your momma?”  Jenny asked. “I haven’t heard her laugh in a couple of days.”

“She’s fine, Ms. Rossen. I’ll be sure to tell her to stop by and see you when she’s on her way down to bingo.” Pearl took Jenny by the arm and led her over to her bed. “Ms. Rossen, you take your afternoon nap and I’ll put the Gerbera on the windowsill for it to get a little sunshine while you rest your eyes.”

“June, aren’t you going to say goodbye?” Jenny held her arms out as her legs dangled from the side of the bed. “I’m so glad you are here. Burt told me you were working hard. I don’t know why on earth he ever wanted to buy a company that sold women’s lotions. Especially since he’s never left home or been married.”

“Now you rest.” Pearl laid a blanket over Jenny and turned back to me.

Before I could ask Jenny what she meant by saying Burt was never married and he owned Head To Toe Works, Pearl had dragged me out of the room, her fingernails dug deep into my skin, leaving little indentions when she let go.

“What are you doing here?” Pearl questioned. “That woman is fragile. As if you didn’t see for yourself. And what was wrong with that bottle?”

“You need to tell me everything you know. Who broke into my store and who killed Burt Rossen?” I ignored her question and asked my own questions.

“I’m not telling you nothing!” She put her finger in my face. “I have a good gig going here with my momma and you ain’t going to ruin it. Do you understand me?”

She grabbed me when we heard the elevator doors open and none other than Tiffany Rossen stepped out. Pearl jerked me around the corner and planted herself up against the wall.

“What is she doing here?” Pearl asked with a trembling voice. “This is not good.”

“Pearl, what is going on? There is no time to pretend you don’t know something,” I said in an urgent voice.

“Mr. Burt owned this place when he met that witch of a woman, Tiffany, at the bar that night.” She spoke fast. “They had a one-night stand and she came here looking for him, ranting and raving how he got her pregnant and he was going to make an honest woman out of her. Ms. Rossen is so sweet and kind, she would’ve died if she knew Tiffany and her flashy ways, so Mr. Burt kept his momma a secret from Tiffany all this time.”

“How do you know all of this?” I asked.

“I have a degree in accounting and I was the onsite accountant here. I kept the books,” Pearl said.

“None of this makes sense.” I had heard of some crazy and off-the-wall things in my life, but this took the cake. “You left a good job here to work on the factory line?”

“That ain’t the half of it.” She pulled me closer after she took another look around the corner. “When Tiffany couldn’t get her little lotion company off the ground,” she quieted.

“Tell me, Pearl.” I knew this was the part I needed to hear.

“I was in my office in the administration building going through the books and something was off. The numbers weren’t adding up. Of course we were off a few dollars here and there but when it became thousands of dollars a month, I knew they were cooking the books to pay for her little lotion company.”

“Cooking the books?” I tried to follow her as close as I could but I just didn’t understand.

“Tiffany wanted her lotion company to do well, so she made Burt take from the old people. Their money. Changing their wills for Tiffany and Burt to become the beneficiaries.” Pearl gulped. “When I confronted them, Tiffany said they wouldn’t hurt my momma since my momma lived here and then they demoted me to that factory. If I didn’t keep my mouth shut, Tiffany threatened to price my momma out of here and I just couldn’t afford to put her anywhere else making factory money. As long as I kept my mouth shut, they would take good care of momma.”

“What about Mac?” I rolled my hand in front of me to hurry her up. My gut told me time was of the essence.

“Tiffany had gone in and bought that bar right underneath Mac.” She shook her head.

“The woman.” I gasped remembering what Mac had said. “Mac said something about a woman, but I thought he was talking about Jenny.”

“Well, Mr. Burt had a lawyer come here and he changed his will without telling Tiffany. He made his momma the beneficiary of the company. I was here visiting my momma and he dragged me in to be a witness. He said he trusted me.” There were tears forming in her eyes. I felt sorry for the pain she was in. “He said that Tiffany had gone crazy when she found out he changed the will because the paralegal from the law office didn’t know better and sent the papers to the house.”

“And that is how she found out about Jenny?”

“No.” Pearl shook her head. “She found out about Jenny when the Gerbera pot bill he sends his momma came to the house. It was around Christmas. Tiffany showed up here with these deviled eggs and nearly killed poor Ms. Rossen.” Pearl’s eyes grew. “I think she put poison in them.”

“Jenny never found out about Tiffany being her daughter-in-law?” I asked.

“Never. Burt said he didn’t care if he went to jail. Over his dead body would she meet his momma because his momma couldn’t take the stress Tiffany had put him through.” Pearl jumped when we heard a scream coming down the hall in the direction of Jenny Rossen’s room.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Pearl and I rushed back down the hall and tried to open the door but it was locked.

“Burt never locked the door because Ms. Rossen has been blind for as long as I have known her and he wanted to make sure she could get out in an emergency.” Pearl beat on the door.

“Help!” The faint cry of the little old lady was heard from underneath the door.

I grabbed the handle and tugged.

“Pearl, I’m going to ask you to turn your head and close your ears.” I wasn’t about to take no for an answer. When I saw she did what I asked, I grabbed the handle and channeled all of my energy into the handle to open it. I knew it would take all of my energy, but it was worth saving a life.

With the handle hot under my hand, the door flew off the hinges, sending me and Pearl to the ground.

Pearl looked at me with fear in her eyes but didn’t say a word as she got up.

Tiffany Rossen was standing over Jenny Rossen with a bed pillow stuck across Jenny’s face. Jenny’s legs were shaking, her hands gripped the edges of the pillow but she wasn’t strong enough to get Tiffany off of her.

“Get off of her!” Pearl grabbed Tiffany by the backs of her arms and wrangled her to the ground.

Like a caged animal, Tiffany clawed Pearl with the longest nails I had ever seen. The two of them wrestled around while I went to Jenny’s bedside. Jenny was unconscious but still alive.

“Use the oil in life and death.” The highlighted words came out of my mouth without me even thinking about it.