Quarry in the Quince Read online

  Intending to return home once again, Doreen stopped at the end of Wendy’s alleyway, checking out a tree that she hadn’t seen in a very long time. She took a picture of the fruit, when a woman on the other side of the fence said, “Hey, are you stealing my quince?”

  “Oh my,” Doreen said, as she tried to stand tall enough so she could see over the fence and could see the woman on the other side. “I took a picture of it,” she admitted. “It’s beautiful. I haven’t seen a quince tree in a very long time.” Since she couldn’t see over the six-foot-tall fence, Doreen found a better view through a gap in the wooden fence.

  “They’re not common anymore,” the older lady replied.

  She wandered toward Doreen using a cane, her legs more bowed than anything. It was amazing that she could even walk, as both knees seemed to go in opposite directions. This was probably Esther, who Mack had mentioned was the lady with the quince jam.

  “But that tree’s been here for almost as long as I have.”

  “Wow,” she muttered. “And it’s in such great health.”

  “Unlike me.” The other woman gave a cackle. “But then I’m ninety-five years old, so I have a right to not be doing so great.”

  “I’m so sorry if you’re struggling,” Doreen noted gently. “It is a beautiful tree.”

  As she went to back up, the woman asked, “What’s on your shoulder?”

  Thaddeus stood tall and now peered over the fence.

  “Oh, this is Thaddeus, my African Grey parrot.”

  “You have a parrot on your shoulder?” The woman seemed fascinated with the idea.

  “Well, he is a pet,” Doreen explained.

  “Why doesn’t he fly away?”

  “He doesn’t fly well to begin with,” she noted, “and we’re friends.”

  The woman stared at her for a long moment. “You know that, in my day, we probably would have considered it a pest.”

  “You mean, like the crows?”

  “A murder of crows is always around here,” the woman noted, shaking her head. “If I had a BB gun, I’d have taken them out a long time ago,” she muttered. “Making a mess of everything, stealing everything.”

  “Do they come into your yard and take stuff?”

  “If I drop something and leave it in the yard, they sure do,” she noted. “You have to clean up behind you. Otherwise they steal everything.”

  “Well, that’s kind of a cleaning up too, isn’t it?”

  “I suppose,” she grumbled, “but they’ll get at the quince as well. It always blows me away that every critter in this world knows when my fruit trees are full of ripe fruit, just ready for harvesting, and bang, I’ve got ants. I’ve got raccoons. I’ve got birds. All of them just taking off with my hard-earned fruit.”

  “I’m sorry,” Doreen replied. “It would be nice if they at least shared.”

  “Well, they have their version of sharing versus my version of sharing,” she noted, and then she laughed. “And who am I kidding? At my age I can’t be climbing the trees nor be bothered making jams and jellies anymore anyway. And nobody left to eat them.”

  “Is that what you do with the quince?” Doreen asked, looking up at the tree. “This tree’s much bigger than I thought.”

  “And it’s just because it’s so old,” she stated. “It’s had branches break a couple times over the years, but it always sprouts fresh and young again. Too bad people don’t do that.”

  Looking again at the woman’s crippled legs, Doreen nodded. “Wouldn’t that be nice,” she said gently. “And do you live here alone?”

  The woman gave her a sharp look. “Sure do. No nursing home for me. At least not yet.”

  “Not while you can still look after yourself, I presume.”

  The woman cackled. “Exactly,” she replied. “Some old folks’ homes are around here, but I wouldn’t want to go into any of them.”

  “I’m only familiar with Rosemoor,” she admitted. “My grandmother lives there.”

  She looked at her and nodded. “That’s where I know you from.”

  Doreen stared at Esther in surprise. “You know me?”

  “Well, it depends. Do you have a dog and a cat at your feet?”

  At that, Mugs barked several times.

  The older woman moved down the fence, and, hearing a noise, Doreen saw a gate open up nearby. And there was Esther, leaning heavily on the gate frame. “It is you,” she added, but this time there was more delight than suspicion in her words. “You’re the one who solves all those mysteries.”

  Even as the older woman looked on in delight, the murder of crows flew in to land on the quince tree above them. Esther immediately whacked the tree with her walking stick, trying to chase them away. Then she turned to glare at Doreen and saw the smile on her face. Doreen immediately wiped it off.

  “Sorry,” she replied. “I guess they’re quite the pest, aren’t they?”

  Esther shrugged. “Whatever. I guess.” She turned and looked back at Doreen and stated, “And, if you’re bored, you might as well solve another mystery round there.”

  “Oh, what’s that?”

  “Somebody has been dumping my garbage,” she declared, with a snarl. “And that’s really irritating.”

  “Probably raccoons,” Doreen guessed.

  The woman stopped and looked at her with a side-eye glance. “Gee, I didn’t think of that myself,” she muttered sarcastically.

  Doreen winced. “Have you watched anybody or seen anybody hanging around? Do you have any cameras around the place?”

  “No, I don’t have any cameras.” She waved her hand about but didn’t bother to turn around. “I’ve lived here all my life,” she explained. “Haven’t needed cameras, and the occasional bear has run by and the occasional raccoons too, but generally they leave my place alone. But now, two out of three nights, my garbage has been dumped. Like two weeks ago. So I don’t even put it out anymore. I take it out now on the morning of the trash pickup, so I don’t have to worry about it. But that means the smell collects in the house,” she added. “Hate it.”

  “Where does your garbage bin go for collection?”

  The woman turned, looked at her, and then pointed toward the alleyway. “It goes out where you’re standing every Monday.”

  At that, Doreen nodded. “And you put the garbage out every Monday morning?”

  The woman nodded. “I do now,” she replied, “but don’t worry about an old lady and her headache.” She shook her head. “I’m sure you got something much more constructive to do.”

  Not knowing if that was sarcasm again or not, Doreen watched as this interesting character walked inside her fence and slammed the gate closed on her.

  “Have a nice day,” Doreen called over the fence. She heard just a harrumph on the other side. “You might enjoy Rosemoor,” she added, not sure why she brought it up. Obviously the older lady didn’t want to talk to her.

  At that the other woman cackled. “Not likely. People die there.” And, with that, she went into her house, and Doreen heard the door slam shut.

  It was hard to argue with that philosophy. As Doreen had found out too, a lot of people died at Rosemoor, not all of them in a good way. But she could hardly hold the entire center at fault for that. Besides, her grandmother absolutely adored being there. But it did worry Doreen, after Peggy had killed Chrissy, that maybe Nan’s life was in danger.

  And, on that note, Doreen called her grandmother as she and her animals walked back toward home. “You up for a visit?” she asked.

  “Always,” replied her grandmother gaily through the phone. “Hopefully you’ve got the animals with you.”

  “Yep, we’ve done a lot of walking today,” she noted, “so we’re a little tired.”

  “I’ve got the tea on,” she replied, “and treats for everyone.”

  Chapter 5

  And, with that, Doreen smiled and told Nan, “We’ll be there in a little bit.”

  It took a little longer to get there than
normal, but Doreen wasn’t in any rush, and she was a little more tired today. But then you know? A couple pieces of toast, a little bit of cheese, and the last of the peanut butter didn’t go a long way in terms of energy production in her body. And she couldn’t really buy any groceries until that check cleared. She didn’t have the money for the gardening yet either.

  She finally made it to the Rosemoor parking lot, and the animals pulled her eagerly toward Nan. Doreen dropped Mugs’s leash, and Mugs raced ahead to find Nan on the patio, waiting for him. She crouched down and gave him a big welcome, as he barked and danced all around her. She looked up, smiling, to find Goliath standing completely disinterested on her flower box, but his tail twitched, until Nan walked over and gave him a cuddle too.

  When Thaddeus and Doreen finally stepped onto the patio, Nan said, “It is so lovely to see you.”

  Doreen bent down and gave her grandmother a hug. “And you too. How are you feeling?”

  “Ah, I’m fine. You know that,” she replied.

  “Well, I know that you’re fine now,” she noted, “but you did give me a scare recently.”

  “Yes, something that you have given me lots of times.” She arched a brow at her granddaughter.

  Doreen laughed. “Very true. Very true. But, hey, I didn’t get attacked on the last case.”

  “No, I noticed that,” she stated. “I’m sure that made Mack happy.”

  She flushed at that. “He did mention something about it.” She chuckled. “Finally.”

  “And it seems like you’re a little more comfortable with the fact that he cares.”

  “I’m working my way toward it,” Doreen admitted. “But I’ve also warned him that I need the divorce taken care of before I go too much further.”

  “Ha,” Nan replied. “You know what? The sooner you go further, the divorce will matter less and less.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Doreen argued. “I want to get divorced, so that I am legally and emotionally free.”

  “Right, we’re back to all those lovely morals and ethics and things that get in the way of a fun time.” Nan laughed. “Tea’s ready. I don’t suppose you ate, did you? Because I stole a few treats from the kitchen.”

  “Nan, you’re not supposed to do that. Remember?”

  “I know, but I can’t resist. They’re so good.”

  “So did you steal them for you because that’s allowed?”

  “Well, I did,” she declared. “I just stole so many that I can’t eat them all,” she explained craftily.

  Doreen rolled her eyes at that but then gasped, as Nan pulled away the tea towel covering two baskets and exposed many little pies. “What are these?”

  “They’re meat pies,” Nan stated, grinning broadly.

  “And these two?” Doreen asked, as she pointed to a second basket.

  “Dessert pies. I got a peach and an apple. But these? These are chicken pot pies, homemade in the kitchen. So I brought you two. Didn’t know if you would eat them both now or maybe take one home later.”

  “But what about you?” she asked.

  “I’ve already had three.” She laughed, placing her hand to her tummy.

  She had said it in such a guilty tone that Doreen had to chuckle.

  “They are so good,” Nan added.

  “Well, I’m thrilled for you,” she murmured. “And for me.” She sat down, with the animals gathered around them. Mugs, now sensing that maybe some treats were on offer for him, stood up on his back legs to sniff the table. “No, you don’t,” she told him. “I get to eat these. You have lots of dog food at home. I’m the one who doesn’t.”

  “Why would you want to eat dog food at home?” Nan asked, looking at her in horror.

  Doreen shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I hope not,” Nan muttered, frowning at her. “You’re not that broke, are you?”

  “That broke? No, I’m just the regular kind of broke,” she replied, “but not to the point of having to eat dog food yet.”

  “Don’t say yet,” Nan replied. “That’s never a good thing.”

  “No, maybe not.” Doreen laughed.

  Meanwhile Nan got up and brought back treats for the animals. They were all happy to see that.

  “I can’t say that I would be thrilled at having to eat dog food. I did get a check from Wendy today, and I got it in the bank, but I’ll have to wait a couple days for it to clear.”

  Nan nodded. “I never had to worry about that. I always had money in the bank account to cover it.”

  “Sure,” Doreen admitted, “but, if it doesn’t clear, I’m really in trouble.”

  “Right,” Nan agreed. “And I guess you have all your utilities to pay, don’t you?” Nan shook her head. “It’s nice that Rosemoor takes care of that here.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Paying bills is kind of a pain.”

  Nan chuckled. “But it’s nice to have an electric washing machine and a fridge and all the other good things that make life easier, more convenient,” she noted.

  “I know. I know. And it’s silly because those conveniences are definitely something that I really do enjoy having. But having to pay for it? Well, I can’t say I enjoy that part too much.”

  Nan chuckled. “No, I get it,” she stated, “but, hey, you’re doing so well on your own.”

  “Maybe.”

  At that, Nan popped up. “Let me go grab the teapot. I made tea too.” And she disappeared inside.

  Doreen picked up one of the meat pies closest to her and took a sniff. It smelled absolutely divine. And almost immediately her stomach growled.

  As Nan returned, she said, “Eat, child, eat.”

  Doreen looked at her. “I was waiting for you.”

  “Oh, don’t, don’t.” Nan waved her hand about. “I’m not eating anyway, and you should never stand on manners here,” she added.

  Doreen never really understood what that phrase meant, but she was quite happy to take a bite. As she bit into it, juice dribbled down her chin. She snatched a napkin and dabbed at her chin. “My, that’s delicious.”

  “Isn’t it?” Nan crowed. “I’m always happy to have them try new things here, but, wow, this has been such a great experiment.”

  “No, you’re right,” Doreen agreed. She quickly polished off the first one and then gave a happy sigh, as she sat back. “You know what? That was truly delicious.”

  “Well then, eat the second one.”

  “I think I’d rather take it home and eat it later,” she murmured, “if that’s okay with you?”

  “Absolutely it is,” she noted. “Besides, you can have a dessert one now too.”

  She chuckled and watched as Nan poured tea. As soon as there was tea, she picked up a dessert pie and sniffed it. “Oh my, this smells so good.”

  “Yep, it sure does. And it tastes just as nice.”

  “You’re lucky that Rosemoor cooks for the residents but also that you have your own kitchen too, so you can bake and cook when you want to as well. And you get to bring food back to your apartment,” she added. “Then you have snacks for later.”

  “Not that I need them,” Nan noted. “When you think about it, I have a lot of meals here already taken care of that I don’t need to store food for later, but sometimes it’s … Sometimes I don’t feel like going down to the dining room, or I just want to have a bit of time alone,” she explained. “And, in that case, it’s always nice to have a bite in my apartment.”

  “And can you go down at dinnertime and take a plate back?”

  “They don’t really like it, but, yes, we can.” She smirked, and then she shrugged. “The food here is great, but, when they do something like this, well, you know a few of us might pick up a little bit extra and share.”

  “Of course you do.” Doreen chuckled. She took a bite and realized that she had the peach one. “Wow,” she mumbled, as the full flavor hit her. “This is beautiful. The peaches taste so fresh. And this is a real homemade crust. Just wonderful.
”

  “I think so too.” Nan grinned. “Now you can see how I could eat so many of them that I felt sick.” At that, she nudged her teacup closer to Doreen.

  Doreen obligingly picked it up, had a sip, and took another bite. By the time she was done eating, she sat back and finished off her cup of tea. “You know I don’t come here just to eat.”

  Nan laughed. “That’s good”—she nodded—“because lots of times we don’t have food for you. So it’s a good thing … that’s not why you come.”

  She laughed. “Absolutely it’s not why I come. I come to see you.”

  “And you got a check from Wendy, so that’s huge too.”

  “Yes, thankfully,” she noted. “I can pay off those utility bills sitting there, nagging at me, and get a few groceries.” But she frowned at that because, of course, now that she had remembered she had the utility bills to pay as well, she wasn’t sure how much money she actually had left for groceries. She sighed. “It would be nice to get some of that auction money in.”

  “It’s coming,” Nan stated. “It really is.”

  “I suppose,” Doreen agreed reluctantly. “It just … it’s taking its sweet time.”

  At that, Nan snorted. “Anytime you’re waiting for something, it always takes forever. And, if you didn’t need it and if you didn’t care, it would be there in a heartbeat.”

  “Well, I certainly won’t try to make it look like I don’t care,” she replied, laughing, “because, of course, it … it does matter. And, you know, groceries are a little thin on the ground right now.”

  At that, Nan looked at her in surprise. “You are eating, aren’t you?” she demanded.

  “Sure,” Doreen agreed. “You just gave me food.”

  Nan frowned at that. “I did, but I didn’t give you very much.” Then she stopped, looked down at the rest of the pot pies, and noted, “And you’re much taller than I am, so you need a lot more food.”

  “I’m fine,” Doreen replied. “You just gave me a wonderful treat, and I have two to go home with.”

  Nan settled back at that. “I do worry about you.”

  “And I worry about you,” she added. “I spoke to an older lady today who knew you and me.”