Page 15 of Dangerous December
“Nora told the boarders that we’d be here this afternoon. So how do you want to handle this?” Beth asked.
“I don’t. Hand me an M16—”
Startled, she looked over her shoulder at him. “Awhat?”
“Hand me an M16, give me a mission, and I’m good to go. But I no longer fit into this everyday life in the States. How am I going to help these folks? If my mother cared about them, she should’ve allowed us to hire the appropriate staff.”
Beth suppressed a shudder, imagining the kinds of dangers he’d faced all these years. “I’m not sure these people evenneeda staff.”
“Then aren’t there other options—like low-cost public housing?”
“Not nearly enough in the county, and none here in Agate Creek. The economy hit this town pretty hard over the past few years, so I don’t suppose there are any plans, either.”
Dev looked unconvinced. “I knew she’d turned the house into some sort of boarding house, but her country club and golf buddies were always her primary focus. I still can’t imagine my mother doing this.”
Privately, Beth agreed. Vivian Sloane certainly hadn’t possessed a warm heart when it came to welcoming a young daughter-in-law into the family. What made her soften—just a little—during the last few years?
“Nora has been overseeing things since your mother passed away, and that’s what her report said. Did you read your copy?”
“Just the first few pages so far.”
“She explained the whole operation and listed the current residents. We’ve got just four adults left, and one has a young son with her.”
Dev’s eyebrows rose. “A child?Here?”
“There are homeless families everywhere. At least this mom has a safe place for her son to live.”
“How long have they all been here?”
Beth shuffled through the papers in the folder. “According to the records, the current boarders moved in during the three months prior to your mother’s heart attack. Elana and her son Cody arrived just the week before.”
She looked up and caught a flicker of uneasiness in Dev’s eyes. “But good news—residents do benefit from being here, and then they do move on. There were actually two more women and a gentleman who left a few weeks ago.”
“Successfully, I hope.”
“All have their own apartments now, and have jobs in town. Nora has checked in on them several times.” She bit back a smile at the grim set of his mouth. “This isn’t some dangerous mission, Dev. It might actually be fun.”
“Right. If ‘the blind leading the blind’ isn’t a recipe for failure.”
“We’ll do fine. I suppose we should talk to them as a group and allay any fears they may have, then meet with them individually. What do you think?”
He sighed.
“Ready?” She crossed the wide plank floor of the porch, noting the half-dozen Adirondack chairs and rockers with bright red cushions and a checker set sitting on a table. She hesitated, then rapped on the front door.
A few moments later, a somber, gray-haired man peered out a beveled windowpane in the door before he opened it.
“You must be Vivian’s boy.” He gave Dev a narrowed look. “And...you must be Beth Carrigan. We’ve heard about things changing around here.”
“We’re coming on board to help out. Right, Dev?” She looked over her shoulder and winced at his dark expression.
“Folks here are worried. Most of us have been waiting in the parlor to hear what you have to say.”
“And you are?” Beth asked, extending her hand.
“Carl White. Thirty-two years on the railroad line till my heart gave out.” He thumped his barrel chest with his fist. “Got a pacemaker and new valves—a real overhaul. Almost ready to go down the tracks again.”
But his face was ashen, and he sucked in a rattling breath after each sentence. If he was planning to go down the road, she hoped it wouldn’t be very far.
