Getting Old Is Criminal Part 16

I blurt, childlike, "What am I supposed to do while you're on the job?"

"Really, Glad, you're being thick. There's plenty to do around here. Find something."

With that, she turns and walks out her front door.

I call softly after her, "Don't break a leg, Miss Doris Day."

TWENTY-THREE.

IN THE GARDEN.

How clear the sky is. How fresh the air. Even

colors look brighter to her on this beautiful day. Flowers toss out their delicious scents as she day. Flowers toss out their delicious scents as she pa.s.ses one bed after another. The pond glistens as pa.s.ses one bed after another. The pond glistens as she and Philip jog around it. Evvie can't remember she and Philip jog around it. Evvie can't remember the last time she felt like this. If ever. the last time she felt like this. If ever.

She still treats me like the baby sister. Evvie bristles, thinking of her spat with Gladdy. She's only two years older, for goodness' sake, but she acts as two years older, for goodness' sake, but she acts as if she's the only one who behaves responsibly. She if she's the only one who behaves responsibly. She thinks she's in charge of our friends just because thinks she's in charge of our friends just because she's the only one who still drives, and now she she's the only one who still drives, and now she thinks she's in charge of me, too! What about all thinks she's in charge of me, too! What about all those years I helped raise her little Emily when she those years I helped raise her little Emily when she was forced to work after Jack was killed? Granted, was forced to work after Jack was killed? Granted, I love her daughter as much as I do my own I love her daughter as much as I do my own Martha, but that's grat.i.tude for you. Martha, but that's grat.i.tude for you.

Philip turns his head to look at her and Evvie giggles. Slow walking with the girls around Lanai giggles. Slow walking with the girls around Lanai Gardens didn't prepare her for this. She keeps up Gardens didn't prepare her for this. She keeps up with him as best she can. with him as best she can.

"Am I moving too quickly?" he asks with a look of concern. look of concern.

"Just fine. I can keep up."

"I know you can." But he slows slightly anyway.

A couple of women jog past them. The women grin widely at Philip, flirting outright, ignoring grin widely at Philip, flirting outright, ignoring Evvie. Philip grins back. Evvie. Philip grins back.

"You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you?"

"I plead guilty. Women are the much nicer s.e.x. They're so soft and pliant. Are you soft and pliant, They're so soft and pliant. Are you soft and pliant, mon amour mon amour?"

Evvie blushes. "You're a fast worker."

"At our age, I should go slow?"

With that, they both break out laughing.

Philip is serious now. "Let me tell you something about me. I was raised by an elderly aunt after my parents died. She was the only family I had left. She gave me so much love, and when she became terminally ill, I was devastated. I was only left. She gave me so much love, and when she became terminally ill, I was devastated. I was only thirteen at the time. But I knew it was up to me to thirteen at the time. But I knew it was up to me to take care of her. It took so long for her to find take care of her. It took so long for her to find peace. It was a blessing when she finally died." peace. It was a blessing when she finally died."

"You mean, as a thirteen-year-old, you took care of her alone?" care of her alone?"

"Not quite alone. Auntie was very rich. Our whole family had been rich. We had servants to do whole family had been rich. We had servants to do everything. But I was the one who nursed her." everything. But I was the one who nursed her."

Evvie stops to sit on a bench for a short rest. She can't take her eyes off him. She's never heard a can't take her eyes off him. She's never heard a man speak so gently and so kindly. man speak so gently and so kindly.

"So, you see, as a very wealthy man, I could spend my time as I wanted. I traveled, even dallied spend my time as I wanted. I traveled, even dallied with work for some years, but once I reached a with work for some years, but once I reached a certain age, I knew I had a mission. I owed it to certain age, I knew I had a mission. I owed it to my beloved aunt Dorothy. I wanted to ease the my beloved aunt Dorothy. I wanted to ease the pain of older women. I wanted to be with them, do pain of older women. I wanted to be with them, do whatever they needed until . . . they needed me no whatever they needed until . . . they needed me no more." more."

"And this is why you're attracted to me? Because of my illness?" Because of my illness?"

He sits down next to her and takes her hand. "In this case my attraction is much more than "In this case my attraction is much more than that." that."

Evvie's heart flutters in her chest, and she suddenly regrets having lied to Philip about being ill. Her job was to find out if he was guilty. But what's Her job was to find out if he was guilty. But what's she's sensing in this lovely man makes her want to she's sensing in this lovely man makes her want to blurt out the truth. That she's here under false pretenses. But something stops her. blurt out the truth. That she's here under false pretenses. But something stops her.

Philip kisses her hand and looks deeply into her eyes. "It would break my heart to lose you." eyes. "It would break my heart to lose you."

TWENTY-FOUR.

BACK TO LANAI GARDENS.

Breakfast is a nightmare. I feel at a total loss.

Everyone is talking about Evvie and Phil, even my moribund group. For a change they're not kvetching about their dead spouses and sad lives. Today it's "Who is she-that hussy in red?" "She's only here a couple of days and she acts like she owns the place."

And from the eager babbling of people at other tables, all of whom by now have noticed the absence of the new twosome, I conclude that they are the sole topic of breakfast conversation.

And we promised Hope Watson we would keep a low profile. Wait until the gossip mill reaches her ear; she's going to have a fit. I eat quickly and excuse myself. Since my sister has made it clear I'm

not needed, I'm heading back to Lanai Gardens to check on my girls.

I park in a guest spot, since my old Chevy is in its own s.p.a.ce, and head for the entrance to my building. I'll check the mail and then I'll listen to my answering machine. Maybe Jack called, I think, but in my heart I don't believe it.

"She's not there, she's here, stop dialing." I hear my cell phone ring just as I spy Bella hanging over the rail of her floor. Bella waves agitatedly to me. Then I see Ida come out of Bella's apartment. "Come up, hurry."

I cross the courtyard to the building opposite mine, where Evvie and Bella have their apartments, and hurry up the stairs. I'm too nervous to wait for the elevator.

Hy and Lola, who live next door to Bella, pop out of their place as soon as they hear our voices. Mister b.u.t.tinsky has to stick his two cents in. He announces excitedly, "Sophie's gone nutsoid." He whirls his finger around his head to make the point.

"What happened?" I ask the girls.

Hy insists on answering for them. "She called nine-one-one in the middle of the night."

Ida shakes a fist at him. "Shut up, yenta."

He shrugs. "I was only trying to be neighborly." With an injured last glance, he pushes Lola back into their apartment and slams the door behind him.

"That man," Ida says. "I wanna string him up from the lamppost."

"Never mind him. Tell me."

Bella is quivering. "We're just about to go to the hospital to visit her. Denny said he'd drive us."

"Well, I'm here, I'll drive. Let's go." As we hurry to the elevator, I say, "Talk."

Ida catches me up. "She called for an ambulance at two a.m. We didn't know. We didn't hear anything. When we got up everybody was phoning or knocking on our doors. We called the hospital. They said she was resting. She's not in intensive care, so they said we could come at visiting hours."

Denny is standing by his car. I thank him but tell him I'm driving over. He is as caring as ever. "I hope Miss Sophie is okay."

I indicate that Bella and Ida should get into my Chevy. It's closer than the Caddy.

"Where's Evvie?" Bella asks as I start to drive.

"She's very busy being a detective," I say in a very cool voice.

Ida is sharp. "You both met Philip?"

"You could put it that way. I'm here and she isn't. The red dress and boa did the trick. Get it?"

Ida's eyebrows rise. "I think so."

Bella looks puzzled but I don't bother to explain.

"Fill me in. What's been going on?" I ask.

Bella looks to Ida to do the explaining. "Where do I begin? A couple of days ago we all went for a walk. We get to that stop sign on the corner near Phase Three? And Sophie stops. We start to cross the street and she won't go. We tell her it's safe, no cars coming."

"She won't move. Like she was digging her heels into the cement."

"We ask her why," Ida continues. "She says she's waiting for the light to change. I had to tell her twice that it was a stop sign, not a light."

"How bizarre," I say, now really beginning to worry. I don't want to begin to think about how serious this might be.

Bella gets more excited. "Tell her about the ants. You know how Sophie hates ants in her kitchen. Or any bugs."

Ida shakes her head. "I get a hysterical phone call from her. She's screaming, 'Ants!' Bella was with me."

"We were playing gin rummy," Bella interrupts.

"We rush over to her apartment and she's standing in the corner of the kitchen whimpering and swatting newspapers at the walls.