Wendy Delaney - Working Stiffs 01 - Trudy, Madly, Deeply by Wendy Delaney

Wendy Delaney - Working Stiffs 01 - Trudy, Madly, Deeply by Wendy Delaney

Author:Wendy Delaney [Delaney, Wendy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery: Cozy - Humor- Coroner's Investigator - Washington
ISBN: 1625280092
Publisher: Wendy Delaney
Published: 2013-07-27T00:00:00+00:00


Chapter Fourteen

I took Gram’s seat, next to Arlene. I had questions about the senior center and knew that she’d have some answers.

Arlene patted my knee. “You made a good looking couple out there.”

“We’re not really a couple. He was just …” Actually, I wasn’t sure what he was doing besides screwing with my head. “… helping me with the steps.” In his own inimitable way.

“Yes, he’s good.” Arlene arched her thin eyebrows. “Probably in more ways than one.”

We were heading down a path laced with innuendo landmines, and I needed to make a quick course correction before anything exploded onto the gossip circuit.

“So, I noticed Jake out there with Suzy,” I said to shift Arlene’s attention away from Steve and me. “He’s quite the cutie patootie and a good dancer, too.”

Arlene folded her hands in her lap and sniffed. “He’s all right. Most of the ladies here seem to like him.”

What the heck? I thought I’d picked a safe subject. Obviously not.

“He’s fairly new, isn’t he?” I asked, watching him change partners and take one of the Gray Ladies into his arms.

“Jake Divine has been with us since the first of the year. Ambitious type if you ask me. Ginny recommended him to Monica.”

“Who?” Virginia Straitham?

“Monica Gerrity …”

The corners of Arlene’s lips turned down at the mention of Monica’s name—clearly not her favorite person.

“… you probably haven’t met her yet. I doubt she’s the Duke’s Cafe type. She’s from LA,” she said as if Monica had smuggled some smog from the Los Angeles basin in the moving van when she headed north. “Took over as director after Ginny.”

“Virginia Straitham used to be the director here?”

“Honey, doesn’t your granny tell you anything?”

Apparently not nearly enough. “I guess you’ll have to fill me in.”

“It was an interim position since Ginny was on the board of directors when Nancy got married and moved to Arizona. Lovely man. Divorced twice but an excellent dancer. I hope it works out for her.”

Whatever. Nancy’s dancing partner wasn’t the person I wanted to hear about.

“An interim position for how long?”

“Oh, five, six months,” Arlene said, waving to Jayne and Ernie as they passed us on the way to the punchbowl. “They’re so cute together. They’re dating, you know.”

“I’ve heard.” I leaned closer, willing Arlene to focus on one thing at a time so I could connect some dots. “So, Virginia took over this position last year sometime?”

“Around April, I think.”

Jesse Elwood’s death had been in April. Not that the two things were connected, but all roads today seemed to be leading me to the senior center.

I stared at Steve while he danced with my grandmother. Based on how he had been spending his Tuesday nights, he’d obviously reached a similar conclusion. “And you say that Virginia Straitham recommended Jake.”

Arlene tucked her arms under her breasts as she leaned back in her seat. “Some friend of her grandson’s, I think.”

Dancing with Sylvia, a smiling Jake passed in front of us.

“He seems friendly,” I said.

Personable eye candy—a perfect dancing



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