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Time seemed suspended as he waited.
Then she nodded once. “If I win—and I will—you’ll go fishing with me on my sister’s boat. We’ll get rid of that phobia of yours.”
“It’s not a phobia. It’s an…intense dislike.” He hated boats. He hated water. But he really liked Kit McKittrick, so his answer was a no-brainer. “But it’s a deal.”
She extended her hand and he shook it, holding on longer than he should have. Her throat worked as she swallowed, and then she gently pulled her hand free. “It’s a deal. Now go to sleep and let me work.”
Sam returned to the sofa bed, his heart lighter than it had been in a very long time. He might not sleep, but insomnia suddenly didn’t seem so bad.
Chapter Sixteen
Shady Oaks Retirement Village
Scripps Ranch, San Diego, California
Thursday, November 10, 8:00 a.m.
“Thank you for breakfast, Miss Georgia,” Kit said.
Georgia shot her a disapproving look. “Least I could do considering you didn’t sleep a wink last night. That’s dangerous, Detective. I can send you off with a nutritious breakfast, but what if you need good reflexes today and you’re too tired? You could get hurt. Or worse. And how would your lovely parents endure that?”
Sam, the traitor, swallowed a smile and made no move to change the subject for her.
Eloise, the troublemaker, didn’t even try to hide the gleam in her eyes. “They would be despondent, Detective. And what about poor Sam? He’d be devastated.”
Sam narrowed his eyes at the old woman. “Leave me out of this, Miss Eloise.”
Kit sighed. “I caught a catnap in your recliner,” she said for the third time. “I slept enough. I will be fine.”
Georgia sniffed. “That’s what they always say. What are you going to do next, Detective?”
“I have a million calls to make.” To every retirement home, nursing home, and hospital on Roxanne Beaton’s résumé. And to check the other three nurses’ finances, to see who had the biggest motive to steal four million dollars’ worth of coins. None of the four had criminal records. They were all squeaky clean. But one of them had to be the thief. And the thief was most likely the killer. “So I’ll be at my desk all day long. No excitement, no car chases. Just boring paperwork.”
Georgia skewered Kit with a gimlet eye. “You were up all night and all you came up with is phone calls?”
Kit smiled brightly. “Lots of phone calls. I’ll talk to you all later.” She grabbed her cup, plate, and silverware to put into the dishwasher, but hesitated, sobering. “Be careful, ladies. I don’t know who’s responsible for all this, but I have a feeling that they’re close. Don’t wander off without letting the officer outside know where you’re going, and stick together.”
Eloise scoffed. “We’re octogenarians, Detective. What would we do if someone did come after us?”
“We’ll shoot them,” Georgia said grimly.
Kit’s eyes widened. “With what? I thought weapons weren’t allowed here.”
Georgia shrugged nonchalantly. “Neither was recreational weed up till 2016, but that didn’t stop Eloise from smuggling it in.”
“Georgia,” Sam gasped. “You have a gun?”
“Shh,” Georgia hissed. “Tell the whole world, why don’t you?”
Sam closed his eyes. “Oh my God. You don’t have one, do you, Eloise?”
Eloise patted his hand with her misshapen one. “Like I could pull a trigger if I wanted to. No, dear boy. I do not have a gun. But now I’m getting one. Can’t have Georgia being the biggest badass in Shady Oaks, can I?”
Sam groaned.
Kit dropped her chin to her chest. “Is it at least registered, Georgia?”
“Of course it is. I’ve practiced with it, too.” Georgia sighed quietly. “I was mugged shortly after I moved here, Detective. I’d gone to the grocery store alone and some little asshole pushed me down and stole my purse. I was scared. Frankie took me to a shooting range and taught me to shoot. Which made sense later when I found out that Frankie had been a cop.”
