Death Pays a Visit (A Myrtle Clover Mystery Book 7) by Elizabeth Spann Craig Page B

surprised but ecstatic to see Myrtle before the assigned time. Not wanting to test her luck, she quickly grabbed her keys and hopped into her car.
    Red’s eyebrows rose when he saw Miles with his mother. He’d always seemed to like Miles and enjoy talking with him, but when he saw Miles’s grimly determined face, he must have realized this was some sort of a business visit. “What can I do for you?” he asked as Miles and Myrtle sat down on the sofa together.
    Myrtle nodded at Miles. This was going to be his show. He had the best shot at convincing Red that there was something that needed to be investigated.
    Miles took a deep breath and seemed as if he were trying to find a starting place that didn’t involve Wanda the Psychic. His expression grew pleased as he found one. “We want to report a suspicious death that went unnoticed,” he said smoothly. “Your mother and I were visiting at Greener Pastures yesterday when we spoke with a resident who was convinced her life was in danger. Last night she died and a couple of witnesses report hearing unusual sounds coming from that room. We tried to approach it through the correct channels and relayed our concerns to Greener Pastures—Darla was the staff member. She categorically denied that anything was amiss and basically just dismissed us. So we thought we’d report it to you, Red, since we don’t know Darrell as well.”
    Red leaned his head back on his navy blue recliner and looked thoughtfully at Miles. “Which resident is this?”
    “Mickey Pelias,” said Miles.
    Red nodded. “She’s called me before to tell me she felt threatened there. But, of course, there’s nothing I can do without an overt threat from an individual or without some kind of a break-in.”
    “So you believed her?” asked Miles, eyebrows drawing together in surprise.
    “I didn’t not believe her, let’s put it that way. She wasn’t flaky, but sharp as a tack. And she had the type of tough personality that might rub people the wrong way. But, again, there were no specific threats to address. It was more that she just had a sense of danger and she didn’t seem like the paranoid type to me.” He paused, staring at the ceiling for a moment to collect his thoughts. “So, there was a witness who heard something? More than one? And Greener Pastures didn’t call the police?” This part seemed to concern him.
    Myrtle and Miles exchanged glances. Myrtle said, “Well, one witness was Ruby Sims, who the staff treats as an unreliable witness. She’s, as you would put it, flaky. But she called me before dawn this morning to tell me that Mickey was dead and that she had heard thumping noises from her room. Ruby was convinced that Mickey was murdered.”
    Red sighed. “Yes, I think I know that Ruby Sims. It’s unfortunate that Ruby probably can’t supply the most helpful information, but if she got the impression of a scuffle of some type, that’s important to know. Who was the other witness?”
    “An Inez Wilson. She’s credible, but apparently has a reputation for being a bit of a drama queen,” said Miles. “According to the Home, anyway.”
    Red nodded, thinking. Then he said abruptly, “I’ll make a phone call.”
    Myrtle blinked in surprise. “To Darrell Smith?”
    “No—to the state police. The SBI needs to handle this part. The medical examiner will need to be alerted, and a forensic team should go to Greener Pastures. I’ll fill Darrell in right afterward.” He was already fishing his phone out of his pocket and moved into the back of the house briefly to talk.
    Jack, who’d been playing with toys back in his bedroom, came running out on his sturdy little legs and gave Myrtle a big hug. He handed her some sort of superhero toy for her to admire, and she and Miles oohed and ahhed over it to Jack’s delight.
    A few minutes later, Red came out from the back of the house. He had that restless, frustrated look about him as if he wished he could jump in his police cruiser