Read Beware the Orchids (A Shady Acres Mystery Book 1) for Free Online

move furniture?” I planted fists on my skinny hips. Had the woman lost her mind? “Perhaps you could hire someone from a temporary agency?”
    “Great idea!” Alice clapped her hands. “Take care of that for me.” She whirled and clomped away.
    Someone really needed to teach that woman how to walk in high heels. “Doesn’t she realize I have enough work to do?” I sighed and turned to Heath. “What would you like to eat?”
    “A little bit of anything that looks good. Thanks.” He leaned his crutches against the chair next to him.
    Obviously his injury hadn’t affected his appetite. I grabbed two plates and got in line behind a couple of women I hadn’t met yet. There had to be a way for me to meet all the residents. Perhaps an ice cream social? A place where mingling wouldn’t seem out of place.
    “Oh, Myrna. Maybelle was harmless.” A silver haired lady used tongs to pluck a couple of slices of ham from the platter.
    “Maybe not. What if losing her teeth was nothing more than a ploy to be nosy?”
    “What are you worried about? It’s not like you have any secrets.”
    “You’d be surprised what secrets I have!” Myrna stomped her foot and bypassed the other lady in line.
    “For Pete’s sake.” Her left behind friend shook her head. “I doubt she’s hiding anything important enough to kill over.” She took her plate and headed for a nearby table.
    Interesting. I filled mine and Heath’s plates with fixings to make sandwiches, grabbed single serving bags of chips and headed back to join him. “What is Myrna’s last name?” I asked, setting his plate in front of him.
    “Smith. Why?” He lifted the top of his bun and frowned. “No mustard?”
    I tossed him a packet from the basket on the table. “Who is the woman to your right with the silver hair? Don’t look!” I said as he turned his head.
    “Then how am I supposed to know who you’re talking about? That’s Ann Wilson.”
    I spread mayonnaise on the top bun of my roll. “If you were to suspect someone in Shady Acres of being capable of murder, who would it be?”
    “Hmm.” He glanced around the room. “Bob Satchett is a bit of a hot head. Came here about six months ago. Keeps to himself. Then, there’s Harry Weasley. He doesn’t talk to anyone, attend any functions, nothing. The only time you see him outside his cottage is at meal times.”
    “He looks a bit like Mr. Toad.” I clapped a hand over my mouth. “That was not nice.”
    “Apt description.” He bit into his sandwich. After swallowing, he continued, “I don’t think you should take my word for things, though. I don’t get along with Bob, so I might be a bit biased, and I know little to nothing about Harry. You need to find a way to question these people.”
    “Maybe I should just come right out and ask them if they murdered Maybelle and see how they react.” I was about to that point. The poor woman had been dead for almost three days and I knew nothing, and doubted the police knew much more. Her death might go unavenged.
    Speaking of the police… Officer Lawrence appeared in the doorway, scanned the room, and made a beeline for my grandmother’s table. He pulled out a chair and sat down. Seconds later, Grandma’s giggles reached my ears. Surely, the officer wasn’t here on a social call?
    Wait. If Grandma could get into his good graces, she might be able to siphon information. Lots of things were discovered over pillow talk, or forms of talking thereof.
    After lunch, I cleared mine and Heath’s plate and headed for the manager’s office to use Alice’s phone to call a temporary service. I didn’t have my laptop and WiFi set up yet and had no way of finding phone numbers. If Alice wanted me to do her job, then I’d use her office.
    I knocked on the door in the main building that said ‘Manager’ and entered when no one said anything. I sat at her cherry wood desk and ran my hands over the polished wood, noting that I was in desperate need of a