Page 11 of The Murder Club

“The sheriff will have to follow up on Mr. Warren’s allegations of exploitation of an elderly person in my care. Not to mention the internal review from our board members and the state officials.” Lorene folded her hands, her chin tilted so she could peer down her long nose at Bailey. “Until that is all completed to my satisfaction, you will be on unpaid leave.”

“But—”

“Please gather your belongings and leave the premises.”

Bailey stared at Lorene, a surge of anger blasting through her. She’d worked for this woman for ten years, putting in overtime hours even when she was exhausted, taking on duties that had nothing to do with nursing, and pleading with the staff not to walk out after enduring one of Lorene or her sniveling son’s rampages.

She wanted to tell the woman that she could shove her job up her ass. That she wouldn’t return to the nursing home if Lorene got down on her knees and begged her. But the words lodged in her throat. She’d been raised by her elderly grandmother, who had drilled into her the importance of being polite. Even when you wanted to punch someone in the face.

“Fine.”

Spinning away, Bailey stormed her way toward the door, blinking away the threatening tears. She told herself they were tears of fury. She’d done nothing wrong, but she was the one being punished.

Deep inside, however, she knew that she wasn’t about to cry because of anger. She was hurt. It horrified her to think Gage was accusing her of manipulating his mother, and even potentially killing her, to get her hands on twenty thousand dollars. And instead of having her back, the woman who’d depended on her to keep her business running was throwing her under the bus.

She was headed out the door when Ward unexpectedly called out, “I’ll be in touch, Bailey. The will is being contested, but Nellie’s personal savings weren’t a part of the trust fund left for Gabe, or the lumber business. She could give it to whoever she wanted. I’m sure it will all be settled very soon.”

“Not soon enough,” Bailey muttered, not bothering to glance back as she slammed shut the door.

It was the closest she could come to telling them all to go to hell.

Intending to storm out of the building in a full-blown huff, Bailey was distracted as a door across the hallway was pulled open to reveal a man a few years older than her.

Logan Donaldson was the assistant administrator of the nursing home and the son of Lorene Donaldson. Having a mother as the owner was the only explanation for his position. As far as Bailey knew, he didn’t do any actual work.

He had thinning brown hair and a round face that didn’t have any similarity to his mother. Neither did his dark eyes and ready smile. He was average height and average size, with a fake tan that made his teeth too white. She’d once heard someone say that he had the personality of a used car salesman. She thought that was an insult to used car salesmen everywhere. Still, the elderly residents seemed to find him charming.

Go figure.

At the moment he was wearing a silk shirt that was left open to expose his chest and a pair of black slacks.

“Can I have a moment?”

Too polite to ignore his request, Bailey came to a sharp halt, folding her arms defensively over her chest.

“Your mother has said enough.”

He clicked his tongue. “Bailey, we feel just terrible about this, we truly do. But I hope you understand our position?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Your position of treating me like a criminal?”

“A criminal?” He tried to look shocked, glancing toward the door that Bailey had just slammed shut. “I was afraid Mother would be too harsh, but I can’t believe she would say something like that.”

“She accused me of coercing Nellie into giving me her money before killing her.”

“She didn’t.” He heaved a sigh as Bailey glared at him. “I’m so sorry. I hope you won’t take her seriously. She’s talking nonsense because she’s upset. No one would ever believe that,” he protested. “Certainly I don’t.”

Bailey snorted. She wasn’t going to fall for his faux sympathy. He liked to play the good guy to his mother’s bad guy, acting as if he actually cared about the staff members. Bailey had never been fooled.

“No?”

“Absolutely not. This is all the fault of Gage Warren and his nasty accusations.” He clicked his tongue. “Let me have a word with Mother once she calms down. I’m sure I can make her listen to reason and you’ll be back here.” Without warning, he reached out to grab her hand, giving her fingers a squeeze. “Where you belong.”

With a shudder, Bailey snatched her hand out of his grasp. His words felt more like a threat than a promise.

Chapter 3

Dom Lucier woke up early and made the fifteen-minute drive into Pike. He didn’t really have a reason. Lia had left the freezer overflowing with homemade meals, including a breakfast casserole, and Kaden had stocked the bar with Dom’s favorite whiskey. He could easily stay in the new, sprawling house for a month without needing to leave.

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