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“I got a call from Miss Evans that Mr. Frankie hadn’t pulled his cord, so I went to his place. I knocked, but there was no answer, so I opened the door with my master key.” She swallowed audibly. “I saw him lying there. With the knife in his chest.” New tears began to roll down her cheeks. “I never saw anything like that before.”
“It’s okay to be upset,” Connor said, giving her a tissue. “Did you know Mr. Frankie well?”
Devon wiped her eyes. “No, but I don’t think anyone really did except Mr. Benny, Miss Georgia, and Miss Eloise. He didn’t get involved in group activities, and he wasn’t on my list to visit every day. He was independent.”
“Independent?” Connor asked.
“Yes, sir. He didn’t have assistance. Nobody helped him with bathing or meds or anything like that. I didn’t see him that often, to be honest. He kept to himself. But he was always nice to me when we passed in the hallway. A little growly, maybe, but nice. He’d always ask about my little girl, and he’d smile at the photos I showed him. He always remembered her name.”
“What is her name?” Kit asked, trying to get the young woman to relax even more. The question about her child seemed to do the trick.
“Mila. She’s two. That’s why I got my CNA right out of high school. I needed to support us. I’m…a single mom. My mom helps, but she’s strapped for cash, too.” She closed her eyes. “Sorry again. I ramble when I’m nervous.”
“It’s fine,” Kit assured her. “So you saw Mr. Frankie’s body. Then what happened?”
Devon cast an embarrassed look at Connor before turning to Kit. “Like I told Detective Robinson, I screamed. I was…shocked. I’ve found residents dead before, but never like that. I’m sorry.”
“It’s a natural reaction,” Connor said, gentleness in his tone. “Don’t be embarrassed.”
“Miss Evans wasn’t happy. I disrupted a lot of residents when I screamed. Especially Mr. Benny.” Devon’s lips trembled. “I hope she’s not still mad. I can’t lose this job.”
Kit couldn’t tell her everything would be all right, because she didn’t know if that was true. “What happened after you screamed?”
“A few of the residents rushed out to see what was wrong. Mr. Benny and Miss Georgia got there first because they live in the apartments on either side of him and they’d just come back up from breakfast. He’s at the end of the hall, you know. It’s one of the nicer apartments. But of course you know that. I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath, visibly trying to compose herself. “I closed the door so that they couldn’t see, but I was too late. Mr. Benny started screaming and Miss Georgia had to push him back into his apartment. I called Miss Evans and waited by the door until she came. One of the nurses came with her and stayed with Mr. Benny. The policemen came a few minutes later and one of them brought me down here. I didn’t do anything wrong. I swear it.”
Kit really wanted to believe her because she was so earnest, but the best criminals often were. “Which nurse came with the director?”
“Roxanne. She’s good with Benny and got him to calm down for a while.”
“She’s in with Mr. Dreyfus now,” Connor told Kit, then turned to Devon. “I’m curious about the way this place works. You mentioned independent residents. What are the other groups?”
“Miss Evans could describe it better, of course, but this is a continuing care facility. A senior citizen can come here to live before they need help, and then we can add on services as they need them. Everyone can get housekeeping and a dining plan. The food’s good, too.” Devon did seem to like working here. “They start out like Mr. Frankie, living like they would in any other apartment. Then, as they get older or have medical issues, we help them. Making sure they take their meds or bathing them or whatever. And if they get sick or fall, we’ve got a nursing home wing. When they’re better, they come back to their apartments. And there is another area for memory care. Those are the patients with Alzheimer’s or other kinds of dementia.”
“I think you explained it very well,” Connor said warmly. “Thank you. After you saw Mr. Frankie’s body, did you enter his apartment?”
Devon shook her head hard. “Oh no, sir. I did not. I watch cop shows on TV. That’s why I closed the door. I didn’t want anyone rushing in and trampling the crime scene. One of my feet might have crossed into his residence, but I yanked it back really fast. I promise.”
“Thank you, Miss Jones.” Kit gave her a business card and Connor did the same. “We’ve written our cell numbers on the back. If you think of anything or hear anything, please call one of us. I’ll provide Miss Evans with a list of counselors, in case you need to talk to a therapist. You might not need one, but please consider it—what you experienced could shake anyone up.”
Devon slipped their cards into her pocket. “Thank you, but if I need a therapist, I’ll probably call Dr. Sam. He was the one playing the piano this morning. He said I could always ask if I needed help.”
Once again, Kit felt sucker-punched at the sound of Sam’s name, but the feeling was quickly overshadowed by annoyance. “He talked to you already about Mr. Frankie?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.
Devon’s eyes widened, so Kit evidently hadn’t been successful. “No, ma’am. But he’s here at least once a month with the residents, and we talk sometimes. My little girl was pretty sick a few months back and I was a nervous wreck. He’s got a soothing way about him and…” She shrugged. “He helped. He must be sad himself, though. He was friends with Mr. Frankie. They had lunch together whenever he’d come to play for the residents. Mr. Frankie once said that Dr. Sam was like the grandson he’d never had.”
“Did Mr. Frankie have any enemies?” Kit asked, a little surprised that Sam hadn’t mentioned how close they’d been. But he had been in a hurry. And I was not…kind to him. She’d follow up with him later.
“I don’t know, ma’am. I don’t think so, but somebody killed him, so he had to have had at least one.”
True enough, Kit thought. “You’re free to go. But please don’t talk about what you saw, especially to the press.”
“I won’t. I liked Mr. Frankie. I want you to arrest whoever did this to him.”
Connor stood and held the door open for the young nursing assistant. “Miss Evans asked that you see her when we were finished. I think she’s going to let you go home for the day,” he added quickly, when Devon became alarmed. “Take care.”
Devon hurried away and Kit took a moment to check her phone. She’d felt it buzz with an incoming text as they were talking to the young woman.
She stared at the screen for a long moment, déjà vu hitting her like a rock.
