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Chapter 1
“Good morning, Kate,” said Melody as she pulled the cords along the window’s edge, drawing open the blinds, allowing the morning sun’s warm glow to illuminate the dimly lit room.
“Kate, dear, it’s time to wake up. Breakfast will be ready soon.”
Melody Logan, a certified nursing assistant, brought a cheery good morning to each of the residents as she prepared them for a new day. A sturdy but not quite plump blond in her early thirties,
Melody possessed that rare, but much desired, ability to care deeply about her patients.
Continuing with her morning routine, she chose a new set of clothes for Kate, laying them across the back of her chair.
“Katie, come on, let’s wake up now.”
Several of the residents were given sleeping pills to help them through the night. According to Dr. Raymond Culbertson, the town doctor, the lack of physical exercise contributed to the need for less sleep, causing restless nights, which then resulted in more daytime naps. The pills helped restore a more normal sleep cycle.
Melody touched Kate’s shoulder.
“Kate.”
She gently shook her arm.
“Katie.”
Kate lay with her back to Melody. Melody touched her hand to Kate’s face. She felt cold.
“Oh, no. Not Kate. Not my Katie.”
Melody took it hard when death came to claim her favorite residents, especially Kate.
Katherine Hodges, known by everyone as Kate, came to Wallace Manor six years earlier. She spent her entire life in Wallace, Colorado, a small rural community thirty miles from Denver and only twenty minutes from Greeley. Although Denver continued to grow in all directions, the town of Wallace seemed oblivious to the constant change, remaining untouched over the years. The locals preferred it that way. The self-sufficient town clung tightly to the past.
The citizens of Wallace fully supported their town. Their strong loyalty allowed the rural businesses to remain viable while most small towns met with collapse. Even with Denver only thirty minutes away, most choose to stay in Wallace for all of their daily needs. The beauty and barbershops stayed adequately busy, as did the grocery store and pharmacy. Wallace offered many city amenities without the traffic plus the added bonus of a friendly hello to each customer.
When you took your pet to the vet clinic not only were you greeted by your name, but your pet’s name was also remembered.
Many small towns lose their medical staff to larger cities, but the attraction to small town living, so close to a metropolitan city, allowed Wallace to maintain a small group of doctors and dentists who commuted as needed. The one-doctor town had access to several more. The newly constructed assisted living facility connected to Wallace Manor contained nurses and CNAs who were also born and raised in the area.
The residents were recognized as parents and grandparents of friends and neighbors in the community.
Melody had fond memories of Kate. Her granddaughter, Abby, and Melody were best friends throughout school. After school and weekends the two girls spent many hours at Kate’s home baking cookies and learning to sew and knit. Kate grew one of the largest vegetable gardens in town. Many times she took home the blue ribbon for her produce at the county fair.
She taught the girls the fine details of growing vegetables, but her passion leaned toward her flower gardens, consuming most of the square footage of her yard.
To this day, every time Melody plucks a large ripe tomato from the vine in her own garden, she thanks Kate for the lessons and memories.
She walked to the opposite side of the bed to look at Kate. All the color had drained from the old lady’s face. Her snowy white hair remained thick and full while the years sucked the strength from her frail body.
Melody took the brush from her bedside drawer and pulled it ever so gently through Kate’s hair, arranging it just the way she liked it. She stroked her cheek as she said her good-byes. After kissing her on the forehead, she drew a deep breath and returned to her job at hand.
Following procedure, Melody checked for vital signs. She went to the nurses’ station to make the call.
“Dr. Culbertson’s office.”
“This is Melody Logan from Wallace Manor. I need to speak with Dr. Culbertson.”
“Is this an emergency? He’s with a patient.”
“Yes, please.”
Marlene, who worked as Dr. Culbertson’s receptionist, tapped on the door of the exam room.
“Yes?” he responded.
“Melody Logan, on line one.”
“Excuse me for a moment,” he said to his patient.
He went to his office, preferring to take all calls from the manor in private. In a small town gossip flies quickly, and he felt the need to guard family privacy. He wanted the family to hear news from him or the staff, not the gossip line.
“Melody, what can I help you with?”
“Dr., Kate, er… Katherine Hodges passed away during the night. I checked her vitals. There is no palpable pulse, no blood pressure and no respirations.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I finish with my patient.”
Laura Payne, the Director of Nursing at the manor, joined
Melody as she returned to Kate’s room.
“Would you like me to call the family and the mortuary?” she asked.
“No, I think I can handle it,” replied Melody.
“I just thought since you were so close to Kate that maybe you’d like to go home.”
“No, that’s why I have to stay. I feel like I’m part of Kate’s family.”
Laura, a tall, slender, brunette with a keen business sense, handled the nursing staff. She remained firm, but friendly. Most manors have a rapid turnover of employees, but with Laura onboard there were fewer sick calls and no-shows. The staff liked her and didn’t want to disappoint her. She made it a point to learn as much about each resident as possible, going on daily rounds just as the aides did.
She also greeted visitors, explaining the changes in their family member who resided within the walls of Wallace Manor. In one month she will celebrate her twelfth year of employment.
Diane Pratt, a new aide, joined Melody in Kate’s room.
“I’m here to help you get Kate ready for her family. I’m not sure what to do,” she said with a trembling voice.
“Is Kate your first deceased resident?” asked Melody.
“I’m afraid so.”
“We need to clean her up just as if she were still alive. I’ve got to make a couple of calls then I’ll be back to help you.”
Diane remained with the body while Melody called Abby.
“Hello.”
“Abby, this is Melody.”
“Melody, how great to hear from you. What’s up?”
Melody paused, before answering.
“It’s Grandma, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” replied Melody, choking back tears.
“Did something happen to her? Is she ill? Did she fall?”
“Kate passed away in her sleep, Abby.”
Silence told Melody her words hit hard. Then she heard the sobbing.
“I’ll call Paul and we’ll drive right over.”
Next, Melody called Michael from Winegard Mortuary.
Melody joined Diane and they finished preparing Kate’s body.
“Her granddaughter, Abby, and her grandson, Paul, will be here soon,” explained Melody. “They both live in Denver.”
“What happens next?” asked Diane.
“After the family has had their time with her the mortuary will come by and take her body. The rest is up to the family unless Kate has already made the arrangements.”
When Abby and Paul arrived, an aide escorted them to Kate’s room. Melody stayed with Kate. With the fresh bedding and her body neatly groomed, Kate looked as if she were sleeping.
Abby rushed to Melody in tears.
“Tell me she didn’t suffer. I know I should’ve come to see her more often,” she sobbed.
“Abby, she went peacefully in her sleep. Yesterday, she enjoyed a trip outside in her wheelchair to look at the flowers. We talked about all the flowers she used to grow.”
“Melody, I’m so glad you were here. It’s like she always had family around her.”
Melody ran her hand down Paul’s arm as she stepped out of the room. When their hands met, he squeezed her fingers tightly before releasing them. Abby and Paul said their good-byes then went to search for Melody.
“What do we do next?” asked Paul.
“Winegard’s will take her to the mortuary. You’ll need to visit with them.”
Once the brother and sister left, Melody called Winegard’s to let them know the family was no longer in the building. She and the other aides walked down the halls closing the doors of any residents who might be able to view the body leaving. Staff members kept the residents who were out of their rooms busy, not allowing them to return until the Chevy Suburban carrying the body had driven away. This routine repeated itself often.
Wallace Manor and its staff experienced the loss of up to ten residents per month.
For some strange reason the population of Wallace rarely changed. For each death there seemed to be a birth. Even though many of the young people moved away after high school never to return, those who did return brought with them a spouse. Very often that spouse brought family from a previous marriage or parents who wanted to live nearby. As the families grew, the natural balance of Wallace remained steady.
The same held true for Wallace Manor. When one resident passed on another waited to move in. The aides busied themselves preparing Kate’s room for the new arrival. It all seemed so cold and impersonal, yet dying is a natural transition.
Most of the town turned out for Kate’s funeral service. Cindy, the Wallace Library director, stood quietly behind the crowd.
Being new to Wallace, and with Kate spending the last six years in the manor, the two never met. Many of the other mourners were patrons of the library who Cindy knew. She felt it was a kind gesture to appear at the graveside services of as many citizens as time would allow.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” came a voice in Cindy’s ear.
The sound of Sheriff Tate’s voice made her skin crawl. Having pursued most of the single women in town, he remained perplexed as to why he had not been able to romance Cindy.
“I don’t have a boyfriend, thank you.”
“Oh, come on now. Don’t tell me all that time you spent with
Karst he didn’t try to put the moves on you.”
“Detective Karst and I are just good friends. Not all men are as slimy as you.”
Tate’s flesh grew red from beneath his collar as it rose to his face. He routinely used women and proclaimed himself to be quite the charmer until this ice queen moved into his town.
Cindy saw right through him, having lived in the city most of her life. She quickly learned to spot the snide Casanova types. She stared straight ahead, willing her eyes not to make contact with his. She hoped if she ignored him he would slink away as quietly as he came.
After a few moments, she relaxed the tension in her body until she felt an arm slip around her waist from behind. With one quick movement she thrust her elbow into his stomach, causing him to expel all the air from his lungs with a loud sound. It worked; he removed his arm.
“Well, that’s a fine hello,” moaned a painful voice.
Cindy, startled, turned face-to-face with Detective Glen Karst.
“Oh, my God, Glen. I’m so sorry. I thought you were Tate,” she tried to explain.
“That’s one hell of a thing to say,” he whispered. His loud response when Cindy so roughly planted her elbow into his midsection had already disturbed the rows of people in front of them.
“No, no. He was just here asking about you. I called him slimy and he left.”
Glen fought to hold back one of his hearty laughs at the thought of Tate trying to pick up Cindy and her response to his advances.
“Priceless,” he said. “I wish I could’ve been here.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “Did you know Kate?”
“No, not really. I do know her granddaughter’s husband.”
“How do you know him?” she asked, straining forward to catch a glimpse of the man they were discussing.
“They live in Denver and he’s an ER doc at one of the hospitals. Unfortunately, we’ve had to have many discussions about gunshot victims and other unsavory topics. He’s a cool guy. I bumped into him last night and he mentioned he’d been in my hometown for a few days and would be back today for his wife’s grandmother’s funeral. I thought I’d pay my respects.”
“How’d you slip away from work?”
“I had an early court case that moved along much faster than expected. I thought I’d come to the service then run home for lunch before going back to work.”
Detective Glen Karst worked for the Denver Police Department. He and Cindy became friends while investigating a series of deaths in Wallace.
“I haven’t seen much of you lately,” she said.
“Hell, I’ve been meeting myself coming and going. Between my open cases, new cases, the dogs and working on the house, I barely have time to sleep.”
“You do look a little rough around the edges,” she said, noticing his two-day-old beard.
His hand rubbed the stubble on his face. “I’m thinking about taking on an undercover assignment.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“No more than anything else. Hell, just driving to work every morning is dangerous. Life’s dangerous.”
The graveside service ended and the crowd dispersed. Cindy stood near Glen wondering if she should walk away or invite him to join her for lunch. She chose the latter.
“Would you like to go grab a pizza or something?” she asked.
“You know, I’d love to, but I want to check on Mieke.”
Glen, every inch a cop, owned two German Shepherds and a Corgi. Mieke, the younger of the two Shepherds, was retired from the police force after suffering from a bullet wound. Glen adopted her then bred her to a stud dog from the department. In just a few days she would whelp her first litter.
“Maybe another time,” said Cindy.
“Why don’t you follow me home. I’ve got some meat and Kaiser biscuits. I even think there might be a bag of chips somewhere in the pantry. We can grab a bite while we talk and I can check in on Mieke.”
All eyes were upon Cindy and Glen as the townspeople retreated to their cars to drive back to the church for a lunch sponsored by the ladies of the church Kate attended.
“Let’s get out of here. I feel a little squirmy planting the seed of gossip,” said Cindy.
“I’ll meet you at the ranch.”
Glen climbed into his pickup then darted out of town to his slice of heaven in the country. Having grown up in Wallace, when he returned a few months earlier to buy the old Watkins’ farm, he felt like he was home again. Now he had a place in the country, fresh air and acres of room for his dogs to run and explore.
Squeals of joy erupted from the backyard when the dogs heard his pickup arrive. He thought it best to go inside and change from his suit into more casual detective attire before letting his dogs climb all over him. His daily work wear consisted of Wrangler jeans, boots, and a blazer.
He would let his girls into the house with him during lunch, knowing they would mind their manners with Cindy if he told them to. They only were allowed to be lap dogs with certain, very understanding, guests. He grabbed some treats and joined them in the backyard for a few moments before Cindy arrived.
Somehow he always manages to reach his destination much sooner than anyone else, but swears he doesn’t speed…much.
The dogs sounded the alarm that a strange car had entered the property. Glen quickly examined Mieke for any signs of distress or labor. She bounced around totally unaware of her delicate condition.
Cindy, feeling very much at home at Glen’s house, began setting out food for lunch. He did have a nice selection of deli meats and cheeses. She guessed sandwiches were his mainstay while living alone.
He washed his hands then joined her. He pulled down a bag of salt and vinegar chips from the top shelf of the pantry. Cindy set the table with wine glasses and took a chilled bottle from the refrigerator.
“Help yourself, but I’m on duty today. No wine for me. I’ll grab some milk.”
His cohorts often chastised him for drinking milk with lunch, or any meal, for that matter.
“I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t thinking,” she said. “You know, this might very well be the first meal we’ve shared where you haven’t had a beer or a glass of bourbon.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t say I liked it this way,” he said, as he eyed the large bottle of Buffalo Trace bourbon on the counter calling out to him. “I know you’re always accusing me of speeding,” he said, as he took a huge bite of his sandwich then swallowed. “But
I was concerned when you took a little longer than I expected to get here. I considered calling you to see if you had a flat or something.”
“No,” she smiled devilishly. “I stopped by the store, for this.”
She leaned forward to open a bag she set aside on the table. A chocolate pecan cheesecake appeared.
Glen’s eyes sparkled as he smiled and said, “Dear lady, you do know how to spoil me.”
Cindy laughed, “It’s no secret in this town that your passion for dessert is cheesecake of any variety. When I went through the checkout Becky was in line behind me. She asked if the cheesecake was for you. I told her we were going to grab a quick sandwich at your place. She said to tell you hi.”
“How is Becky?”
“I think she’s doing better. She’s decided to keep her job at the vet clinic.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear it.”
Becky and Cindy were unwittingly drawn into one of Glen’s cases, causing Becky extreme confusion and emotional stress.
Glen makes it a practice never to involve civilians in a case, but when things happen in small towns it’s inevitable that some will be drawn in and possibly hurt as a result.
“You know, I feel bad I haven’t been by the hospital to check on Josie but once since she regained consciousness,” said Glen.
Josie, Cindy’s neighbor, had a bad fall rendering her unconscious, complicated by a broken hip. She was one of the town’s people who fell into the hands of the criminal Glen arrested.
“She understands how busy you are. But she does ask about you often. I think I’ll stop in to see her after work. I’ll tell her we had lunch. She’ll be happy to hear about you.”
Cindy noticed Glen repeatedly checking the time.
“Do you have to get going soon?”
“Actually, I do. I need to run out and check on Maggi’s dogs then I’ve really got to head back to Denver.”
“Maggi Morgan?”
“Yeah, I had her dogs shipped here from Wisconsin. I’m holding them until she gets back from wherever the hell she is.”
Maggi Morgan, a mystery writer and one of Glen’s friends, had her dogs abducted and he found them while working on a recent case. The dogs had been abandoned at a boarding kennel. He recognized them almost before they recognized him. After the happy reunion he had them sent to his farm where he’s holding them for Maggi.
Cindy has an enormous passion for books and Maggi Morgan is one of her favorite mystery writers. She knew Glen was a friend of hers and they worked together on her books.
“I hate to impose on our friendship, but is there any way at all that I can be here when you reunite her with her dogs? I’d really like to meet her.”
“Absolutely. She’s locked away writing somewhere. She’ll check in with me when she returns. It could be in the middle of the night, ya know. Once I tell her the dogs are here she’ll drop everything and drive out.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind getting a call in the middle of the night if it’s to meet Maggi Morgan.”
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