Page 32 of The Murder Club

The words were casual, as if Dorinda had no idea that the stupid will had turned Bailey’s life upside down.

“Seriously?” she demanded.

“I’m quite serious.”

Bailey licked her suddenly dry lips. “Did she tell you why?”

“Oh yes.” Dorinda folded her hands together, her expression tightening with obvious disapproval. “She caught Gage stealing her belongings when he last visited.”

Bailey was shocked. Gage Warren was exactly the sort of man who would steal from his own mother, but she couldn’t believe that he’d visited the nursing home.

“I didn’t know that he’d been to see his mother.”

“It wasn’t actually a visit,” Dorinda corrected her. “He crept into her room while she was sleeping. It was his bad luck that she woke up and caught sight of him searching through her drawers. By the time she could fully come to her senses he’d darted out of the room, but not before he’d taken her cash and a very expensive emerald ring.”

Bailey shared a quick glance with Dom. That was why Gage had so loudly accused her of stealing the ring. She returned her attention to Dorinda.

“Did Nellie contact Zac?”

“No, she told Logan Donaldson.” Dorinda’s disapproval deepened. “You can imagine how he reacted. He warned her not to make a fuss and promised that he would take care of it.”

“Who’s Logan Donaldson?” Dom asked.

Bailey wrinkled her nose. “His mother owns the nursing home. I don’t know what he actually does, beyond walking around trying to look important.” She sent Dorinda a puzzled glance. “How was he going to take care of Gage stealing from his mother?”

“He wasn’t going to do anything.” The older woman sniffed in disdain. “Nellie knew that. So did Gage. The Donaldsons don’t care about anything but the reputation of the nursing home. That’s when Nellie decided to take matters into her own hands.”

“By changing her will?”

“Yes. She told me that she couldn’t take away the lumberyard or the house. Her husband had been adamant that their property be kept in the Warren family, but she had her own money that she intended to leave to the one person who had shown her kindness since her move to the nursing home.”

Bailey was silent as she processed the realization that there was proof that she hadn’t coerced Nellie into giving her money. Even if Nellie hadn’t called Zac and given an official report, she’d publicly shared the information that—

“Wait.” Bailey sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes narrowing. “If Nellie told Logan that Gage had been stealing her belongings, Logan would have told his mother what was happening. She probably even knew Nellie was going to change her will.” Anger blasted through Bailey as she recalled the humiliating scene she’d endured as Lorene Donaldson pretended she couldn’t be sure whether or not Bailey had been tricking old people into leaving her money. And then Logan acted as if he was the good guy who was going to convince his mother that she was being hasty. “Those . . . assholes.”

“She swore that she hadn’t known anything about Gage stealing from Nellie. And she promised she’d take the information into consideration.” Dorinda rolled her eyes. “Whatever that means. But I agree. They’re both assholes.”

Bailey struggled to regain control of her raw sense of betrayal. It wasn’t like she was surprised that the Donaldsons were willing to trash her reputation rather than let the scandal threaten their business. But she couldn’t believe that Lorene would ignore Gage’s abuse of his mother. If she truly cared about her residents, she would have called Zac and made an official report of the theft.

Sensing the older woman’s concern, Bailey forced a smile to her lips. She didn’t want Dorinda regretting her decision to share what she’d discovered.

“Thank you, Dorinda,” she murmured. “It was awful to be accused of abusing someone in my care.”

“No one would believe such a thing,” Dorinda assured her. “Not in this town.”

Bailey wasn’t nearly so certain. “Thank you for letting me know.”

As if sensing her tangled emotions, Dorinda gave the dogs a pat on the head, her gaze moving to Dom.

“I see you’re in good hands. I’ll talk to you later.”

Dorinda was stepping onto the porch when Bailey realized the older woman might be able to offer even more help.

“Wait.”

Dorinda turned back. “Yes?”

“Did you happen to notice anyone in my backyard today?”

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