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“No, I didn’t know. I called Georgia and asked if she knew about Frankie’s son, and she told me his name was Gerald and that Frank had been a Wilson before marrying Ryan. So I googled Frank Wilson. I was…well, stunned. I had no idea that Frankie was a cop. You knew, though.”
Both detectives nodded.
“I met him ten years ago,” Kit said. “Just briefly. Only long enough to shake his hand. Frank Wilson was a legend in the department. None of us knew he’d changed his name to Flynn.”
“I never knew he was a cop.” Sam looked Kit in the eye. “I would have told you.”
“I know you would have,” Kit said, her expression softer. “I shouldn’t have even asked that. If it makes you feel better, I don’t think many people at Shady Oaks knew.”
“I was thinking that his killer might have been one of his old cases. But now that Kent’s dead, I don’t guess that’s a strong possibility.”
“Not off the table, though,” Kit said. “Let’s go back to Kent Crawford cheating on his wife. Did either you or Mr. Flynn suspect who the other woman might have been?”
“I didn’t know. If Frankie did, he didn’t tell me. It’s clear that there were a lot of things he didn’t tell me.”
“What made you and Mr. Flynn suspect infidelity?” Connor asked.
“Again, a lot of little things. His wife would stop by Shady Oaks thinking he was there when he’d taken a long lunch or left early. Once she came at ten a.m., when I was playing piano for the residents’ dance class. She waited until the class was over and asked me if I’d seen Kent. I had to tell her no and I could see that she suspected something. Her eyes filled with tears and I wished I could say something to comfort her, but…” He shrugged again.
Kit’s eyes narrowed. “Did she confide in you?”
“If she did, I couldn’t tell you.”
Kit sighed. “She did.”
Yes, she did.
“Was it in a professional capacity?” Connor asked.
Yes, it was. She’d shown up on his therapy schedule, wanting advice. And it had been so very awkward. “Again, I can’t tell you what was discussed in private, but I noticed other things. Mrs. Crawford’s skin is very pale. Her makeup is always flawless, and her lipstick is never bright or bold. Always light pinks. But I saw bright red lipstick stains on Kent’s shirts a few times. More than once, Kent came back from one of his long lunches smelling like perfume. It wasn’t Mrs. Crawford’s perfume because she said she was allergic to strong scents and never used them.”
“When was this?” Connor asked.
“The perfume was maybe six, eight months ago, but that stopped. He still takes the long lunches, though, and I’ve seen a lipstick stain on the collar of his shirt as recently as a month ago. Not bright red anymore. This one was more of a burgundy wine color, but I only got a glimpse. It definitely wasn’t light pink. He’d whisk off to his office to change his shirt right away, as soon as he came back from lunch. Maybe he wasn’t seeing the same woman. I don’t know.”
“So Kent Crawford wasn’t a straight shooter like Miss Evans would have had us believe,” Kit said thoughtfully. “Do you think there was anything between Mr. Crawford and Miss Evans?”
Sam blinked. “I don’t know. I never got the impression that they particularly liked each other, but it is possible, I suppose. She respected him. Was always singing his praises to prospective residents.” He exhaled. “I guess she’s going to have to hire someone new.”
“Is there anything else you can think of?” Kit asked. “Any irregularities or strange behaviors at Shady Oaks—either the staff or the residents?”
“Oh, there are a lot of irregularities. Lots of affairs among the residents. Yes, I know,” he said when both detectives winced. “Sex among the retirement set is off the charts. There have been a few catfights among the ladies—it’s always the ladies fighting over the men. When I first started volunteering, there was a hair-pulling fight in the dining hall when one of the ladies was caught stepping out with a married man. His wife had to be pulled off the ‘Jezebel’—her word, not mine—and ended up grabbing the other woman’s hair right off her head. It was a wig, so there was no pain involved, but it was a sight, I must say. Both those women have since passed, as has the cheating husband. Now Miss Eloise is the major femme fatale of Shady Oaks. She’s usually the first to stake a claim on any new male resident, but there haven’t been any fights in a while. But I don’t think that’s what you’re referring to.”
Kit looked pained. “No, but now I’m visualizing that woman holding the Jezebel’s wig.” She gave her head a little shake. “Mr. Flynn was married to a woman before he married Ryan. Did he ever speak of her?”
“Not to me. Only of Ryan. He was devoted to him.” He sighed quietly. “To his memory, anyway. Now they’re together again. So there is that.”
Sadness shadowed Kit’s face. “I suppose so,” she murmured.
Sam remembered how her voice had broken when she’d talked about the victims on their previous case and wondered if she felt so deeply for every victim. He suspected that she did, but that she’d never admit to it.
He wanted to take her hand, wanted to give her comfort, but she’d made her wishes clear. “I wish I could help you, but he never spoke about his life before Ryan. All I know is what I read online this afternoon.”
“Thank you,” Kit said, and then her gaze sharpened. “We hear you talked to Benny Dreyfus today, too.”
Sam sighed, knowing that this had been coming. “I did. Miss Evans asked me to calm him down so that he could speak to you. But he was past the point of calm. He had to be sedated.”
“Did he say anything to you?” Connor asked. “Even if it didn’t seem related, we’d like to know what he said.”
