Read Online Snow Blind-J Collins 4 by Lori G. Armstrong - Free Book Online

lately.”
    Everything in her kitchen was proportioned for her wheelchair. She took two dainty gold-rimmed teacups from a drawer and placed them on matching saucers. Then she lifted a crocheted tea cozy from the teapot and poured the steaming liquid into the cups.
    “Carry those to the table and I’ll rustle up some cookies.”
    While she fussed, I peeked in the sugar bowl.
    Yep. Sugar cubes. I snatched one with the fancy small silver tongs and thought of Martinez. He loved the damn things.
    Reva rolled up to the side of the table without a chair and slid a plate of Walkers butter cookies in the center. “There. So tell me, Miss PI, what brings you here on such a nasty day?”
    I sipped my tea, hoping the sugar would mask the flowery taste. “I had an appointment with Luella. But right after I got here she had to deal with . . .” Hell. I didn’t know if Reva had heard about the dead guy yet.
    “Walter Jumps High’s bloated body.”
    “You knew about him?”
    “I was making my morning rounds when that redheaded punk puked in the hallway.” She blew on her tea. “I wasn’t surprised. Walter was severely diabet-ic, severely overweight, and had heart attack written all over him. Not that he did anything to change his bad habits, so no one wanted anything to do with him.
    Like those of us who don’t have family, he mostly kept 68

    to himself.”
    That was a little unsympathetic. Because he was Indian?
    “Besides, this is an old folks’ home. Someone is always found dead. It’ll be old news by noon.”
    “Well, it was a shock to me first thing, especially when Luella was the first one called. Shouldn’t that responsibility fall to a nurse or someone qualified?”
    “Usually it does, so I think they’re short-staffed today. Used to be one of the nurses from Acute Care would do rounds with Security. Now those minimum-wage idiots do the checks. If they feel like it. I told you what happened to my friend.” Reva chomped on a cookie. “Why were you going in room 208?”
    Talk about an eagle eye. “I thought I was discreet.”
    “Don’t worry, no one else noticed. But I was surprised to see you going into Vernon Sloane’s room.”
    “Do you know him?”
    “Not really. Like Walter, he kept to himself until Luella took over. She acts like him playing chess with other residents will cure his decline into dementia. It’s surprising he’s still allowed to live by himself, especially since all he ever talks about is his stupid car when he does deign to leave his room.”
    “I kinda got that.”
    “Did his family hire you?”
    “Why?”
    “That’s the thing. I didn’t know he had family since I’ve never seen him with anyone.”
    69

    A weird tingle danced up my spine. “Maybe they prefer to meet privately.”
    She shook her head. “Trust me, anyone who has family visit makes sure everyone in here knows they have family, because so many of us don’t.”
    “You’ve never met his granddaughter?”
    “Nope. What’s she look like?”
    “Young. Blond. Really pretty.”
    “I would’ve remembered her. Did you ask him about her?”
    I nodded. “He didn’t know her at all.”
    “Shame. If I had grandkids, you can bet I’d be parading them up and down the hallways in a dog-and-pony show.”
    “You don’t have kids?”
    “Nope. My husband and I weren’t particularly upset by it at the time. Kinda lonely now.”
    I reached for a cookie and saw Reva squinting at my chest. “What?”
    “That’s quite the necklace. Lovely color. Matches your eyes. Did you get that from your sweetie pie?”
    Calling Martinez my sweetie pie? Right. My fingers automatically twisted in the thick silver chain. “Yeah.”
    “What is that? A sapphire?”
    “A star sapphire.” I’d had to look it up online since I’d never seen a stone like it.
    She leaned forward and whistled. “That is one big stone. What is it, about fifteen karats?”
    “Twenty, I guess.”
    70

    “He must really like you, sweets. Is there a