Death Pays a Visit : Myrtle Clover #7

Chapter Two

Myrtle and Miles stared at her again.

"Repeat that please," said Miles slowly.

"Someone at the Home is a killer. But hasn't killed anyone. Yet." Wanda ate another cookie and watched their reactions.

Myrtle and Miles glanced at each other.

Myrtle said, "So Wanda, you know that there is someone at Greener Pastures who is planning to kill. So you're wanting us to investigate?"

Wanda nodded.

"You can see that someone is going to kill, but you can't see who the killer is? Because, obviously, knowing who it is would be very helpful." Myrtle tried to be patient. Wanda could be so cryptic. But she was somehow always right.

"It don't work that way," said Wanda morosely.

"Doesn't it?"

"No. It's like the hiccups. The Sight shows up and then it goes. I saw the plan. I saw the victim—the woman. I don't see the killer." Wanda looked sad now.

Myrtle felt more cheerful, though. "Oh! Okay, a victim. Now that we can work with. We could get to know her and try to prevent the crime from happening."

"What's her name?" asked Miles. He reached into the drawer of the end table next to his recliner and pulled out a small notepad and sharpened pencil.

"Don't know." Wanda studied her shoes, which were looking pretty beat up. The walk likely hadn't helped, either.

Myrtle rubbed her temples. Her head was starting to hurt. But it certainly wasn't going to help things to snap at poor Wanda. She said slowly and carefully, choosing her words wisely, "I think I'm looking at this from the wrong angle. Wanda, why don't you tell us what you do know?"

Wanda nodded again and stared at the floor. She spoke without the hint of any inflection in her voice, "They haven't killed yet. But they will and will try to more than once. Justice must be meted out."

Now Myrtle and Miles gaped at her. Because meted wasn't a word they necessarily thought was in Wanda's vocabulary. Where did these visions come from?

"Victim is a hard woman. Sharp tongue. She ... writes." Wanda shrugged. "That's all I know about her."

"Writes ... books?" asked Miles.

"Writes letters? Poetry? Tweets on Twitter?" Myrtle felt her frustration rising.

Wanda shrugged again and ate another cookie.

"How do you know all this, Wanda?" asked Myrtle. "Did a vision just interrupt you at the breakfast table one day?"

Wanda gave her a reproachful look. "The Sight just shows up. I do have a cousin there at the home, though. Cleans there. Randy. He thinks something's up, too. He dropped by to visit me yesterday and said so."

Myrtle said, "Are you sure you need an investigator? It sounds as if a security guard who just stood around and looked ominous might be better."

"Or maybe a bodyguard for the future victim?" asked Miles.

Wanda leveled them a look. "Y'all know how crazy it'd sound if Randy told them a psychic saw a death there? Greener Pastures'd just laugh and laugh."