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Jake woke up in his bed. He was having such a vivid dream. He was out on his yacht and the weather was perfect. There was enough wind to keep the sails full and when they were properly trimmed the boat fairly flew across the tops of the waves and he revelled in it.Earlier in the night, he’d dreamed of his wedding day. He had a big speech to make, and he was nervous. He grinned. Most of his career, he’d faced down huge lecture theatres full of pimply teenagers and smaller ones, with older post-graduate students, but back when he got married to the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, public speaking wasn’t his forte. She was not just beautiful; she was driven and so very smart. There was no question that she was every bit his intellectual equal, but her field was medicine, a marginally less hostile to women environment than his own field of engineering. Of course, when she’d really started making her mark and threatening the men for the promotions as well as the academic grant funding that they assumed was their God-given right, the ugly misogynistic side of her colleagues had raised its head. Still, she was equal to the challenge, but that took place years after they got married, on a beautiful summer’s day down by the Bay.As Jake’s alarm clock went off, he remembered that he wasn’t working today and he rolled over to suggest to Abby that they take the boat out, before it got too late in the season to be enjoyable.As he opened his eyes and his arm was already outstretched, he realised that Abby wasn’t there. Also, he remembered that he had sold the boat years ago. As if it would have been appropriate for him to spend the day out on the ocean when he should have been visiting his wife in the nursing home?She hadn’t lived at home for many years. Her early onset dementia diagnosis had put a stop to all their retirement plans. In fact, he was still working when she needed extra care, and he’d felt compelled to put her into a home.
Their daughter had offered to give up work to take care of her, but Jake couldn’t allow that to happen. Clarke was now a consultant, a trauma surgeon at the top of her hospital’s pecking order, having followed her mother’s footsteps into medicine. If she’d quit, she would have been forced to give up her spot on the training program, and she might never have achieved this milestone.A few years later when Jake had actually retired, he went into the home to visit Abby every day. She didn’t always recognise him, and when she did, she would complain that he hadn’t visited for months. It was better when she thought he was someone else, and they could just spend time together.The nurses told him it didn’t matter if she didn’t remember the visit; she enjoyed it while he was there and was noticeably calmer afterwards. It still ate Jake up inside to see her like this, and he felt like he was never quite doing enough. He felt like he himself was dying a little every day watching her fading away. Likewise, he mourned a little piece of his wife every day as she became less and less like the woman he’d fallen in love with.
Finally, she actually passed, and he could stop mourning her. It was like he’d done all his mourning for his wife while Abby had still technically been alive. Or at least her body was, while her mind drifted further and further away. Jake sighed and pulled the covers back. Abby might be dead and gone this last summer, but he was no closer to working out how he was meant to start living again.He got up and made his way slowly to the bathroom. He showered and shaved and carefully snipped out a few errant nose hairs. It wasn’t that he was trying to look younger. Jake Griffin was under no illusions as to his actual age, but he felt that he owed it to everyone around him to make some kind of an effort.He dressed and walked into the kitchen. It was beautiful. Big enough for a large family and to prepare for dinner parties of as many as twelve at a time. They’d only been blessed with the one daughter, but he could remember the parties they’d held well. Abby the centre of attention, holding court with her bold ideas and charismatic energy. She was a gifted orator as well as a talented medico. She knew what she was talking about, and she was good at defending her point of view.Jake pulled down the jar of coffee beans from the shelf to the left of the sink. He spooned out a few tablespoons and put them in the grinder. One it was finished he carefully measured out enough for his machine. Then he realised he’d automatically scooped out twice the quantity he actually required for one person, so he returned some to the jar for the next day.Jake prepared his coffee using his beautiful coffee machine. He maintained it himself to make sure it kept producing the finest espressos. He couldn’t allow the scale or other contaminants to build up. Besides, pulling the machine apart and putting it back together was practically an engineering challenge all by itself.After eating and rinsing his breakfast things and placing them in the dishwasher he went to his walk-in wardrobe.
Sailing was out, but he could still get some exercise walking in to the shops. He pulled out a sports coat and examined it. He reached automatically for the lint brush located on the shelf next to boxes of belts and rolled ties. Just because he hadn’t made plans to meet anyone didn’t mean he should allow his standards to lapse. He assiduously brushed every last piece of fluff off the shoulders of his jacket before putting it on. He reached for a tie but decided that there was no need for such formality today. People didn’t wear them so much now and he prided himself on not being stuck in the past. As an engineer, he was always interested in the latest technology and kept abreast of all the latest developments in his field.It was a nice day, and Jake felt refreshed as he returned to the house a few hours later with his favourite newspaper under one arm. They seemed to run out faster and faster these days. Funny, considering that all the press he read seemed to suggest that fewer people were reading them.At least Jasper at the newsagency remembered to always keep one aside for him. Jasper and Maya had really branched out with their business. They sold a range of things for the house as well as newspapers and magazines. He’d asked Jasper about it, and he’d merely shrugged and suggested he needed to do what he could to keep the customers coming in. Jake had assured him that the personal attention to his customers would surely be enough, but the young man had merely shrugged and smiled in a way that didn’t erase the frown between his eyebrows.
“They said that retail was tough, but I’d always wanted to own my own business. They said if you had researched your market and knew your customers it would be survivable. From what I’ve seen out here.” Jasper indicated the strip of small shops and restaurants that passed up Arkadia Avenue, with a smattering of For Lease and ‘Closing down sale’ signs “it’s not.”Remembering Jasper’s words, Jake tipped the young waiter at the cafe a little extra when he had lunch.He separated the newspaper into sections and read through until he found an article he thought Clarke would enjoy. Artificial Intelligence and the arts. He’d often wondered if his daughter had considered being a professional artist. She’d always threatened to do so when she was a teenager, and it had led to some stand up arguments between Clarke and her mother. Her mother had insisted that no matter how good Clarke was, her art was only ever going to be a hobby.Jake wasn’t quite so hard over on the matter. Clarke was their only daughter, and they had been able to set aside lots of savings for her. If she had needed them to bankroll her until she became commercially successful, that wouldn’t have been a problem for them.****Monty and Harper entered the heavy wooden door with the shiny brass plate on it that announced that this was the home of Forest Private Investigations. Inside the reception area was clean, empty and mostly featureless. Beyond the reception desk, Lexa Woods, though she used the surname Forest in a professional setting, prepared for her new clients. Her office wasn’t sexy, it wasn’t noir. It was simply serviceable, boring and just as unromantic as her ex had always warned her it would be.Lexa couldn’t have stayed in her old job though. It was stifling her. She’d gone as far as she could before she was going to strangle her commanding officer. All the extra work she’d put in, the extra efforts she’d gone to in order to find the additional information to not just merely solve a case but to address the underlying causes that had led to something going wrong in the first place. She’d tried to be a team player, but they hadn’t appreciated her contribution. Lexa figured she was a lone wolf. Perhaps she just wasn’t built for teamwork. That’s what her final report, the one that didn’t recommend her for promotion had said.Lexa turned her attention to her new clients, once she’d shown them to her visitors chairs next to her desk and hung their coats up on the rack next to the door. She recognised the brands. They weren’t from clothing designers she could afford.“So, what brings you here today, Mr and Mrs Green?“It’s Hannah.” The woman stated. Lexa raised one eyebrow and turned to the man for clarification.“My mom.”“Go on.” Lexa prompted.“She’s living in this retirement village…” he began.“And she’s not being cared for properly? Elder abuse?”“No, no. They’re lovely. All the staff are fantastic. She’s so well looked after and she’s happy, but a piece of jewellery; a family heirloom, has gone missing.”“She hasn’t just lost it? Put it down somewhere?” Lexa caught a flash of annoyance in the woman’s tone and a smaller one in the man who had seemed quite mild mannered.“That’s what the management said when they refused to call the police.”“But you don’t agree?”“No, she’s very careful with her things.” The man insisted. “When we suggested it might have stolen, they refused to take it seriously. I mean any number of the staff could have taken it; the whole sector is under paid. And the other residents seem to be in and out of each other’s rooms all day. They’re just not taking it seriously.”“Is the jewellery valuable?”“So, so.” The woman pulled out a photograph. Lexa examined it carefully in the light. She couldn’t tell what the stones were or if they were even real. She thought it was a bit too ornate. Definitely not her style. She wasn’t much for flashy jewellery, unless you counted the fancy watches she aspired to own.“And insured?”“Look, it’s not about the money, it’s a family heirloom, ok? We don’t have so many, and we really want to be able to hand it on. Our son Jordan has just started dating a lovely young woman named Hope. We are hoping that one day they have a little girl. That necklace rightfully belongs to her. Not whichever thief has taken it.”“And would you care to name a price you’d be prepared to spend on investigating this matter?”“Money’s not really a problem, Ms Forest. We just want this item back.”****Clarke checked her letterbox, cursing the smattering of leaflets that still littered her box despite the “No Advertising material” sticker she’d placed on it. She made note of the assorted real estate, plumbing and electrical firms whose logos adorned the leaflets. As if she’d utilise the services of any firm that can’t even read a sign that simple? The only leaflets she’d ever kept were takeaway menus and she enjoyed the big hardware catalogues that reminded of her of trips to the enormous temples to Do It Yourself she’d used to visit with her father. He used to call it a religion; one where people were reminded of their own fallibility as they tried to replicate the efforts of people who actually knew what they were doing. Luckily her father was not one of those people – he really did know what he was about, or perhaps he simply didn’t overextend himself by picking out tasks he didn’t have the skills for. Her ex had always been critical of her take out habit. As if she had even been around enough to contribute her share of cooking! Her work had always come first. She claimed that as a military police officer she was constantly dragged away. Clarke suspected that she actually volunteered for every after hours stake out; maybe to further her career, maybe just to escape their increasingly desolate home life. When she hadn’t gotten the promotion she wanted, she’d quit and started her own business. The business threatened to keep her away from home even longer and be even more dangerous than her current line of work.Clarke had given her an ultimatum then. Me or your job. Her ex had picked the wrong option.
She knew that fighting over cooking was a stupid rock to choose to die on. Logically she could have taken a leaf out of her mother’s book. She’d spent a whole day every weekend preparing casseroles and similar pre-prepared dishes for the week ahead. Clarke didn’t care about the practicality or even the health benefits. If she never saw another casserole, she’d die happy, and she had an innate horror of eating the same meal day after day like she and her dad had been forced to when she was a kid. Obviously, her dad could have cooked too, but in those days, it wasn’t nearly as common for a professional man to contribute anything other than his salary to the upkeep of the home. Maybe a few odd jobs, keeping on top of the garden and taking out the trash. The plethora of home delivery services now available was a true miracle, in Clarke’s view. Even if too many of the delivery riders ended up in her operating room, taking one risk too many in attempting to satisfy as many customers’ hungry tummies in the shortest possible amount of time. She’d seen a few elderly folks knocked over too, and she hoped her dad Jake was taking care. She searched through the leaflets and found the envelope she was half expecting.It was addressed to her in her father’s careful handwriting. She would recognise the penmanship anywhere. People didn’t learn to write that way anymore. He was no doubt using the fountain pen that she and her mother had given him when he got his PhD. Of course, she’d been a baby; the gift was only in her name, but she’d heard the story so many times and the graduation photos were displayed prominently in their living room as she’d been growing up, so she still felt like an active participant in the story.Inside the envelope was, to no great surprise on Clarke’s part, a newspaper clipping, meticulously cut out, with a single note saying ‘Dear Clarke, saw this and thought of you. Love, Dad’.Clarke rolled her eyes. She’d already read the article. Online. Like normal folks. She’d asked him to stop, to save the money he was spending on stamps, or better still, just send her an email with some details of his life. Like, how he was doing, what he was up to. Even some nonsense about the neighbours. Clarke suspected Jake needed a hobby. Idly she wondered when she’d next have a day rostered off when she could go and see him in person.
She pushed inside the house after dropping the clipping, leaflet and envelope in the recycling bin and turned the lights on as she walked towards the kitchen. She opened up the fridge and looked dubiously at the contents. There was an Indian leftover that looked appealing, but she wasn’t quite sure how long ago she’d ordered it. Otherwise, there wasn’t enough of any other ingredients to make up a whole meal. She brought the food order app up and clicked on one of her regulars without a second thought and went into the bedroom to get changed into something more comfortable.****Lexa was chatting to her friend Anya and former colleague about her latest case. Anya had left the military many years before and gone to college.She ran her own business too, as a lawyer, dealing mostly with property conveyancing. Lexa was sure that Anya lived vicariously through her seedier jobs to get her through the most boring part of her work. This latest one wasn’t seedy though it would probably intrigue her.“What do you think, Ahn? Heirloom jewellery, bottomless expense account? If it was so valuable, why even take it into the retirement community?”Anya shrugged. “It’s probably important to the old lady to have her own things around. Why are they so sure it hasn’t been lost? Have they looked under the bed?”“Well, I get the sense it hasn’t been the only thing that’s gone missing. Harper mentioned that other relatives had expressed similar concerns. When she and Monty spoke to the manager and they refused to get the police involved, it just made them even more determined to get to the bottom of things.”“So, how are you going to do your investigation, Lexa? You’re not really ready to pull off the senior citizen look quite yet.”“Tell that to my knees!”“If they’re anything like mine they only feel 110 years old. Hang on. I’ve got it. You need an insider.”“A resident?” Anya nodded. “But any of them could be the thief.”“Well, recruit your own – don’t you have any elderly friends or relatives?”“I’ll think about it.”After a fruitless search amongst the veterans at her golf club, Lexa reluctantly pulled out the template for the classified advertising section of the local paper.She zoomed Anya for moral support.“Am I really doing the right thing? This is going to cost something ridiculous.”“If you want to solve the case, you’re going to have to do something. Otherwise, you’re morally obliged to return the retainer to that couple and forget about it.”Lexa had mentally spent it already. Giving up so soon was not an option.“So, what should I put down?”“You paying me a commission here? Joking.”Lexa growled. Anya’s new mechanic girlfriend was rubbing off on her best friend.“Sorry Woods. You should write ‘Wanted, Man 75-85, good with technology.’ That should do it.”“Why a man? Just a bit sexist, don’t you think?”Anya shrugged. “There’s fewer of them in nursing homes. Your guy will be a hit. All the old women will be falling over themselves to sit next to him at dinner and answer all his questions.”“Anya! Gross.”“Don’t you ‘gross’ me. One day that could be us.”“Nah, we’re going to start the lesbian little old ladies’ home and sign up all the sexy young nurses.”“Keep dreaming, little Lexy.”“Bye Anya. Thanks for your help.”****Autumn was definitely in full swing as Clarke prepared to go over to visit her dad. It was on the other side of the city, down by the bay he loved so much, so she packed a scarf just in case. The distance was one of the reasons she hardly saw him. That and her work schedule was a bitch. She’d rather endure the extra shifts rather than think about whether or not she should have said something different to her ex. Perhaps then they wouldn’t be exes? Not for the first time, she considered whether or not she should move closer to Jake. She earned enough now and had her own car park at the hospital, so she didn’t need to live close enough for quick public transport. Rank really does have its privileges, she’d found.Just in case he really was up to something, she’d called in advance to make sure that Jake would be home. He promised that he would ‘clear his calendar’ way too quickly for her liking.He made her a coffee and pulled out some delicious, clearly store-bought, pastries. Clarke sat on the couch glancing out at the view and put her mug down on the coffee table. The one that she’d been told off for painting at without putting down sufficient newspaper to protect it first.“Dad, how do you spend your time all day? Do you really just read the paper and send me these clippings?”“No, of course not.”“No?”“No, I do the crossword too. And sometimes the sudoku. A little housework. Maybe tend to the garden.”Clarke fixed him with a look and Jake swallowed hard. He’d forgotten how susceptible he was to reacting to his own blue eyes glaring at him icily. To be sure, it was a very poor attempt at levity. The garden was almost entirely bare. It consisted primarily of hard landscaping and artificial grass, with a few evergreen shrubs in raised concrete beds that a gardener attended to a couple of times per year. There was even an automated watering system to look after them, to save the home occupants extra time. Now he was not short of time, but he didn’t know where he would start. Should he pull up the artificial grass? Grow vegetables? Install a hydroponics system. Ha, maybe he could supply all his neighbours with weed?Clarke wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily.“Dad, you’re fit and healthy for your age, you’ve got all your marbles. You need a proper hobby. Or maybe some volunteer work? Plenty of charities are always on the lookout for helpers.”“I’m not going to stuff envelopes or deliver meals on wheels. I despise golf, and don’t even get me started on lawn bowls.”“Well, why don’t you look for a part time job then? Just something to get you out of the house. To help you to make some new friends.”
Jake had shooed her out of the house then. Clarke didn’t come over all that often, and he wasn’t going to ruin it with arguing with her about this inane idea that she’d gotten into her head. What was the point of being retired if other people were telling you what to do? He didn’t want to burden her with any more of his negativity. He was lucky to have his daughter. Plenty of people had multiple children and none of them ever came to visit.He was proud of his daughter and sorry that her last relationship hadn’t worked out. She was a good kid and deserved every happiness, but that didn’t give her the right to tell him what to do.The following day he went out to pick up his newspaper and brought it home, as usual. He resisted the urge to cut out an article for Clarke and went straight to the classifieds‘Man wanted.’ It caught his attention. That was hardly surprising. The ad seemed to be written for him. He was assuredly a man; he met the (lower range) of the age criteria, and as an engineering professor (emeritus), he’d like to think that he knew a thing of two about technology. He pulled out his smart phone and emailed the address provided. The response came back almost instantaneously. Before long, he had pulled up the public transport planner to work out how to get to the office for the interview and a whole day worth of adventures planned out. He was close enough to Christmas that he’d be able to knock over all his present shopping in one hit. Even if all he was planning to buy was something for Clarke and gift vouchers for his regular service providers. A little something for Jasper and Maya too. They were always looking out for him.
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Lexa groaned as she bid farewell to the latest unsuccessful candidate. Endless men, sitting around with newspapers, broad sheet and tabloid, filled the reception area of her office. Her ad had been too successful. Anyone walking past would wonder if it was Santa Claus auditions; there were few other items likely to attract so many elderly gentlemen. Her friend Anya had agreed to act as reception as moral support but also as a second opinion, to observe what her candidates were actually like, when they weren’t in the interview hot seat. In the event she found her miracle man, she would be on hand with contract and non-disclosure agreement at the ready.She just hoped that they all took their papers with them. She wasn’t sure her office recycling service even took newsprint anymore. Most of her paper waste was shredded and went to the local cattery. Ninety-nine percent of her business was transacted on-line anyway.The first few candidates had been hopelessly unsuitable for her purposes.After trying to ask them a series of questions, she thought she’d simplify things.“I need you to send me a message.”The next candidate looked at her expectantly through thick rimmed glasses. “My number is 0378 757 319” He just sat there, saying “Sorry?”Lexa smiled thinly, stood, and thanked him for his time.Not one seemed to be able to complete the task. A quarter of them weren’t even carrying a cell phone. Another quarter couldn’t unlock it and admitted that they only carried it so that other people could find them.Finally, one man had this phone out the moment she said ‘send’ and had her number in looking up at her expectantly for her to dictate the rest of the message.“Jake?” she said, astonished looking into familiar blue eyes behind the black rimmed glasses. “Lexa, is that you? I haven’t seen you for ages. I hadn’t made the link between my daughter’s fiancé and PI Forest.”Lexa blushed. “It’s me. I don’t use my actual name professionally. My work pisses off too many people, and I don’t need to be stalked in real life.”“That’s true. I remember Clarke being worried about you. I’m sorry. I don’t imagine you’ve seen her lately.”Lexa shook her head.“I’m even sorrier. You were good for her. Good for each other.”Lexa snorted. “She didn’t think so.”The silence extended to the state of being awkward. Lexa looked down and touched the manila file on her desk.“Are you interested in the job? You’re now my preferred candidate.”“Seriously, but what was the message I was supposed to send?”“There wasn’t one. I just wanted a quick test to see who can actually use a phone. You’re the first person who has come close to passing the test. I need someone for an investigation, to infiltrate a group of people, and they need to be able to use digital surveillance technology.”“Say what?”Lexa shrugged. “I just need someone who can manage a smart phone, some apps, and operate a few gadgets to collect audio visual material.”“Sounds exciting. How long would it be for?”“Hard to say, but it will be literally 24 7 for potentially up to a month.”Jake rocked back a little at that, and Lexa pressed her lips together, waited for him to reject the whole idea out of hand. Instead, he set his jaw, nodded and smiled.“Why not? As Clarke tells me, I need to do something with my life. This sounds like the most intriguing thing I have ever even contemplated being part of.”“So, you’d be up for this? You would be my inside man.”“Oh wow. Sounds exciting. And the technical skills? You want me to infiltrate a strictly locked down facility and shut down a dangerous chemical plant that’s threatening all its neighbours. You know, toxic gases, acid fog?”Internally, Lexa groaned. Clarke had always said that Jake had wanted more adventure in his life and that he had told the best stories around the campfire when she was a kid.“I’m sure you’d be perfectly qualified for that role too if that’s what I needed, however it’s not exactly what I’m after. I’m investigating a jewellery thief in a retirement community. I need you to move in, temporarily of course, get to know people and find and follow up leads.”“Doesn’t sound quite so exciting, but at least I’ll get fed and have a comfortable bed at night.”“That’s the spirit. In fact, I checked. Not only do the rooms have the best comfort rating in the city, the chef is said to be excellent, and they even have a daily happy hour. We’ll meet up in person every few days and I’ll be in touch regularly, a few times a day.”“Is that why you gave me the phone number?”“No, that was just the test to see if you could really keep up with the technology, but yes, save it.”Jake nodded; he’d clearly recalled her talking about the surveillance technology. From what Lexa could make out, he was sharp as a tack and ready for an adventure. She should have called him first and saved the money on the classified ad but had had no idea if he was even still speaking to her after she and Clarke broke up.“This is sounding exciting already. What’s the first challenge?”“Indra Didi Cordero“Is she the prime suspect?”Lexa stifled a smile. “She’s the manager. Before we can have you move in, we need to convince Indra that you’re a legitimate potential resident.”#The Pacific View Retirement Community was like an elegant campus spread over multiple acres of manicured gardens. The main buildings were covered in a pale brown render and the brass letters that made up the name were polished within an inch of their life. The foyer area was tasteful and business like and didn’t in anyway suggest this was a retirement facility. They were due to meet the manager there at two o’clock.Indra Didi Cordero walked out of her office and shook their hands. She was wearing a business pants suit in light grey with a sharp red shirt. Physically, she wasn’t any taller than Lexa, but she seemed much more imposing. She wore her hair cropped close to her head, had dark skin and a scar on her cheek that suggested she’d seen a fight or two, and came out the winner. When she spoke though, she was all polished and professional. She had the confident demeanour of a businessperson who knows she has an excellent product to sell. She was quite clearly a formidable woman.Lexa imagined that one would have to be, to deal with hundreds of residents, their family members and a big staff every day.She was no nonsense but still down to earth and welcoming as she showed them through the facility. Her pride in and knowledge of every aspect of the space was clear. She still had time to greet residents and staff alike by name as they passed, asking after children, partners and plans for the upcoming holiday season.The meal room was bright and airy. The tables were modern and easy to wipe down, but each one had a decorative table setting for Christmas. Lexa pointed it out to Jake and Indra noticed.“In the warmer months, we change out the seasonal decorations for flowers fresh from our gardens.”Lexa also noted the counters heaving with self-serve fruit and snacks and there was a tidy beverage area for tea, coffee and soft drinks. As they passed the kitchen, she glimpsed a team of chefs wearing proper outfits and neat checked hats.They visited an empty room which Indra said would be available for Jake straight away if he was looking to move in before Christmas. The bed was bigger than he expected, at least king single, and the room was tastefully furnished, with wooden bookshelves and a desk large enough to do hobbies or spread out a newspaper. The window opened out over the gardens, and while this was the least interesting time of year, the work of the gardeners was clearly visible. One was active with a leaf blower, keeping the footpaths clear of debris.“The footpaths are completely flat, and wide enough for two wheelchairs to pass one another. There are gentle ramps rather than steps, so that residents on walkers can get some fresh air too.”Jake noted the bathroom approvingly. It was clearly designed to be accessible, including a shower recess with no lip to step over, grab bars on the walls and the toilet seemed slightly higher and had fold down arms on both sides in case a resident needed extra help to stand up again. Even with these practical features, the taps and fittings seemed high quality and the overall impression was more like a space in a high-end hotel rather than a hospital.Indra shone with pride as she showed off one of the classrooms. Inside a dozen or so residents were partaking in a painting class. Each student seemed equipped with proper paint, brushes and easels and a couple of instructors roamed the room offering advice and encouragement.“We believe that it’s never too late to learn a new skill or hobby. We also offer regular classes using the U3A principles.”“U-3-A?” asked Lex.“University of the Third Age.” Jake responded more quickly than Indra could. “It’s the chance to take classes in things that interest you, something totally unrelated to your professional life.”“Not just take classes. You can also lecture if you’ve got a particular interest. We have students joining us who aren’t even resident here. It enables us to offer a broader range of classes.”“I think my lecturing days are behind me, Ms Cordero. I was a professor before I retired.”“Oh, really?”Jake nodded. “City University. Civil and environmental engineering mainly. You know, major earthworks, bridge approaches, areas impacted by major water flows, both riverine and tidal, coastal defences, that sort of thing.”Indra looked impressed, and Lexa could feel Jake’s pride swell. She knew that he was a tall man, but now he just seemed to stand up a little straighter.The piece de resistance of the tour was a huge living room spilling out onto a sunny veranda. Rather than being a big impersonal space like an airport terminal, it had been broken up into dozens of miniature zones, with grouped seating, tables both low and high, nooks with televisions, and shelves of books and games. There were a few groups of residents dotted around chatting or playing cards, and a member of the catering team was walking around offering refills of tea, coffee and water.“You should see this room of an afternoon. Happy hour commences in about an hour, and we often serve buffet meals outside when the weather is nice.”“Happy hour happy hour? Like with actual alcohol?”“Of course. Everyone here is an adult. Obviously, we have non-alcoholic beverages too. Drinking isn’t compulsory...”“But it helps!” Jake added and winked at them.Indra tried to stifle a grin and Lexa didn’t bother to hide her smile. Jake’s wit hadn’t declined since she’d seen him last, at least.“I meant...” Indra was trying to put her professional persona back on “that some residents are on medication that means that too much alcohol isn’t recommended. We try to cater to everyone at Pacific View Retirement Community.”Lexa spotted Jake taking note of a couple of gentlemen playing chess. Honestly, if he was acting, he was doing a simply unbelievable job. To Lexa he seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect of living here, however temporarily.They passed the medical rooms, which were, just like the rest of the facility, clean, bright and tastefully decorated. Jake pointed out that the posters were up to date and in good condition, and that the privacy afforded that was the same or even better than at regular medical centres. There appeared to be plenty of staff around, and none seemed rushed off their feet or too busy to stop and chat. At every step of the way, he could see the care and professionalism with which people were treated at Pacific View.They returned to Indra’s office where Jake confirmed that he was very interested in moving in as soon as possible. Indra passed over a stack of forms to Lexa to take away and fill in on her father’s behalf. “So, we’ll be delighted to have you Mr Griffin, but I just have to ask. You’re not like our regular residents. You’re more … enthusiastic.”Lexa’s heart fell.“In what way, Ms Cordero. Pacific View is clearly what every senior citizen dreams of.” Jake looked perplexed, and Lexa was reminded of how Clarke used to get a furrow in between her eyes when she was similarly bamboozled.“Well actually, most prospective residents have to be dragged here kicking and screaming by their relatives, usually after some kind of major crisis.You on the other hand are fit and well. Your daughter told me on the phone that you only recently gave up your driver’s licence. What exactly are you looking for with us, because you certainly don’t need our regular level of nursing care.”“There’s things you start to suffer from in old age that aren’t immediately obvious, you understand?”Indra frowned. “Well, we’ll still need it in the medical form. That’s in the pack your daughter’s holding.”“This complaint isn’t exactly medical, Ms Cordero.”“Oh?”“I’m lonely.”Indra looked embarrassed before her confident facial expression resumed. Lexa rested her hand on Jake’s. She knew he wasn’t acting now, and her heart broke a little for him.“Well, we can certainly fix that Mr Griffin.”“Please, call me Jake.”“Of course, Jake. I would be delighted if you would call me Indra.”
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Jake and Lexa went through the new resident application pack together and ended up splitting it up to get it done faster. When it had been submitted, Lexa picked up Jake to take him out for a meal. “Could be a while before you escape for a real meal again.”“Pah, I’m not worried - the food at Pacific View sounded great.”“Well, if you change your mind, don’t hesitate to call me. Or grab an Uber if you just need to get out of there for a break. Happy for you to put it on the expense account. The client really wants us to find this necklace, and money’s apparently not an issue.”“What about my place?”“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure it’s well looked after.”Lexa was happy to keep an eye on Jake’s house while he was at Pacific View. Mentally, she resolved to get her ladder over and make sure any maintenance tasks, like cleaning out gutters, were taken care of before he got back, so that he wouldn’t try to do anything rash when he returned. She imagined that he would be itching to get home after a week at Pacific View, no matter how nice it looked at the inspection. Lexa personally couldn’t imagine anything worse than living in an institution like that. It reminded her of living in barracks, just with nicer facilities and no room inspections.The facility had their own van which showed up punctually at nine a.m. A big guy jumped out of the van and Lexa opened the door to him before he could ring the bell.“Hi, I’m Lincoln, from Pacific View.”“Nice to meet you. I’m Lexa, this is my father, Jake.”“I can’t believe that Pacific View has its own removalists.” Jake was in awe.Lincoln smiled and shook his head. “No Sir, I’m on the maintenance staff. We insist on sending the van to make sure no one tries to move unsuitable things into the facility.”“Unsuitable?”“You know, drum kits, pet snakes, large items of furniture, barbecues, dangerous electrical items.”“Seriously?”“Oh yes. Someone tried to move in a heater that was over fifty years old. It would have been a serious fire hazard. Full of dust and…”“No electrical safety cut out feature if it fell over, like more modern equipment.” Jake finished for Lincoln who nodded and smiled.“So, what attracted you to work at Pacific View?”“I’m actually studying to become an aged care nurse. Pacific View is really flexible with the hours I woke so that I can still attend my classes. They’ve let me do nearly all the practical components of my training there as well. My wife already works there as an aged care nurse. Don’t tell her I said that, but I wouldn’t get on her bad side if I was you. She’s Indra’s protege, and that woman doesn’t miss much.”Lexa puzzled over that. Monty Green was adamant that his mother’s necklace was not the only item that had gone missing recently. How was that possible if Indra and her team were so on top of their game? She would have to keep a close eye on the woman. Maybe she was a suspect after all?#When they arrived at Pacific View, Lincoln grabbed a trolley and insisted on personally dropping every crate off in Jake’s room. Lexa had offered to help but he’d waved her off.“It’s no bother, Ms Woods, and I’m happy to do it. Besides, we’ve had too many unqualified trolley drivers run straight bang into the walls. As it’s my job to patch and paint after any damage, I’m really just saving myself work in the long run.”Lexa bristled at the implication that she wouldn’t be able to handle a trolley, but the big man just laughed.“I’m not saying that you would cause damage, just better safe than sorry, right? It’s all part of the service. How about you and your dad go for a walk. I’ll be able to pick up the empty packing crates whenever Jake is finished with them.”It was good advice, and they happily walked out to the gardens. Jake and Lexa now each had a pass to enable them to get in and out of the buildings. Indra had impressed on them that they mustn’t lend the pass to anyone else, neither resident nor visitor, and if it was misplaced, they should let her know straight away so that the original card’s access rights could be cancelled and a new one issued straight away.“Security of our residents is critical, Ms Woods. We want to be able to keep everything as accessible as possible, but we can’t do that if we are concerned that unauthorised people are on the site.”Lexa had nodded in agreement, but her mind was still trying to work out how the burglar must have been able to get in.The gardens were every bit as good as they’d looked from out of Jake’s new window. Lexa and Jake found a wooden bench, with solid arms to help residents get up and down if they needed a boost. It looked over a small pond being enjoyed by a couple of ducks and surrounded by more landscaped gardens.Lexa had gone over the workings of the audio device and the miniature camera until Jake was proficient, but it wasn’t the technology that bothered him, so much as the human factors.“So, what exactly should I be looking out for?”“Anything suspicious, obviously, but the key thing at first is to settle in. Make some friends, make everyone’s acquaintance. See if you can confirm whether or not anything else has gone missing. Then we can try to look for patterns.”“Patterns?”“Yes, were similar things taken? From what sort of location? Patterns of movement too – see if you can find out who would be able to access the areas where things are going missing.”#When Lexa said her farewells, it was almost lunch time. Jake postponed unpacking his things in favour of going to the meal room early. He recognised the two gentlemen he’d seen playing chess the day before and one of them motioned to him to join them.“Hello there, Mr New Guy. I’m Thelonius and this is my buddy Marcus, how about you come join us?”“I’m Jake, nice to meet you both. Say, were you the ones playing chess the other day?”“You play?”“I haven’t for a while, only against the computer. Can I watch to start?”“Of course, we’ll have a game set up after lunch, you’re more than welcome to join us.”Jake enjoyed his lunch, even more for having something to look forward to afterwards. Staff collected orders, and he was impressed to see that meals came in large and small servings. His gnocchi dish with a creamy pancetta and mushroom sauce was beautifully cooked and came with a small side salad. Even Clarke would be impressed that he was finally eating some vegetables without her nagging.He pulled up a chair to watch the game and decided he definitely wouldn’t be outclassed by his new friends, though it would be a tight match. Marcus lost the first game and Thelonius stood up and shook his hand.“Better luck next time, old man. I must go and circulate.”“Jake, will you play?”“Absolutely. What does he mean by circulating? Is there something wrong with his veins, does he need to get the blood flowing in his legs?”Marcus smiled. “No, he’s the president of the Residents’ Council. Tomorrow morning, he faces re-election at the Annual General Meeting. You don’t want to miss that.”“Really?” Jake wasn’t sure that he could recall an AGM that he’d ever enjoyed attending.“Sure, it will be a real event. Diana Sydney is standing again so Theo wants to go and shore up his vote. I hear she’s been campaigning at the beauty centre all morning.”“Beauty centre? I don’t remember that on the tour.”Marcus laughed. “It’s more of a drawcard for the fairer sex. There’s no question that it’s always popular. My mother loves it.”Jake watched as Thelonius mingled with different groups of people. Never spent a second longer with any particular group before he was off again. Huge smile, Thelonius really did have great teeth, a gentle touch to the arm or shoulder, and poof! He was off to join the next group.“My goodness, he really is a pro, isn’t he? Was he a politician, you know, before?”Marcus smiled and shook his head. “No, but he has a real gift, don’t you think? He was a CEO of a major defence prime. Aeronautical engineer, originally. He must have spent half his career in and out of politician’s offices to shore up acquisition funding.”“I am an engineer. Was, I mean. In academia. That’s a very different kind of politics, if you know what I mean. What about yourself?”“Well, I was in education too. Principal of a big public high school.”“Do you miss it?”“Not the constant funding pressures. I suppose I miss some of the kids - occasionally you’d have the troublemakers turning the corner and managing to graduate. Once I wasn’t in the classroom anymore, the most satisfying part of my job was mentoring the younger teachers.”Jake could imagine that. He thought that Marcus had compassionate eyes.“No offence to you academics, but the new teachers fresh out of university aren’t getting the skills they need to manage a classroom. And classrooms are getting more complex, not less. Parents are less supportive too. I spent a lot of my day encouraging teachers and helping them develop strategies to survive. The attrition rate is far too high.”Happy hour was due to commence, and the game was far from over. Reluctantly, Jake agreed to pack it up and recommence tomorrow. Marcus seemed to know everyone, and Jake was looking forward to being introduced.#“Jake, are you sober?”Lexa squeezed the bridge of her nose and checked the time on her wall clock. Just past seventeen hundred- five pm in civvie speak. She’d head off home after this call. She could not recall Jake as giggly as he was right now. Not in all the years she’d been with Clarke could she remember him sounding so loose. If she wasn’t sure that Indra would have noticed a joint being passed around, she’d be wondering if he was high.“It’s better than high school, Lexy!”Lexa winced at the nickname.“You got drunk in high school?”“No, I was a surfer, in the late sixties. Girls wanted me. Guys wanted to be me. My parents didn’t care how long I grew my hair, as long as I got into uni and stayed there long enough to avoid the draft.”Lexa paused to see if he’d keep rambling.“All I meant, was I haven’t been so popular since high school. I met half the residents and had a drink with most of them. So many women. Even the former president of the residents’ council. I swear I’m not making this up. I heard her purring to her friends. ‘Smart, good jawline, walks without assistance’. They all want me Lexy-loo.” Jake started laughing again and Lexa groaned. It was the worst impersonation of an older woman that she’d heard in ages. And she hated being called Lexy-loo.“Seriously, Jake. You sound like a horny teenager. Was anyone there sober?”“Sober? So what? No one here is driving. You gotta live a little, Lexa! This place is better than a resort! Preferred bedtime is eight pm, but happy hour kicks off shortly after lunch.Lexa groaned and rubbed her temple. It sounded like Jake was living large. What would Clarke say? Obviously, Clarke would discover what was going on at some point. Clarke was going to kill her. #Clarke had endured three long shifts in a row and had forty-eight hours to recover. She eventually forced her way out of bed, showered and found enough sad looking ingredients in her fridge and cupboard to pull together something resembling breakfast. She got dressed and went to collect the mail that she’d noticed was overflowing out of the box the night before when she’d driven in somewhere around midnight. There was the usual array of advertising material. She mentally added the new manicure place to the list of firms she refused to visit on account of the fact that they ignored her ‘no advertising material’ sticker. She also had a water rate notice but blessedly no mail from her father. She felt the corners of her mouth twitch up and felt kind of bad all at once. It sounded like she’d gotten through to him. About the mail at least. With another forty hours before she even had to contemplate work again, she’d have time to go and visit him, to see how he was. Just because she didn’t want him to keep sending her newspaper clippings didn’t mean she wanted him to feel abandoned. She tried to call him, but the phone went through to voicemail. Later in the afternoon he called her back, but didn’t actually say anything. Clarke grinned, Jake was notorious for pocket dialling her. Her smiled dropped when she heard loud music and voices in the background. It seemed so … out of character, even though maybe he was just following her advice to get out more? It reaffirmed her decision to go and see him.She waited until closer to dinner time to make sure he’d had time to get home from wherever he had been. When she arrived, the lights were off, which was odd. She climbed up the steps to the door and knocked loudly, as well as ringing the doorbell. He had a degree of industrial deafness from construction sites he’d visited, and he didn’t always hear the higher pitched bell if he’d taken his hearing aids out. He usually had no problem with hearing knocking though. She became increasingly concerned and started wandering around the house. Most of the curtains were drawn as you’d expect this time of day in winter, but something felt off. No sound of a television playing or anything else.She was walking back towards the car when a neighbour arrived home. She knew this neighbour thankfully. Raven had always kept an eye out for Jake. Clarke seemed to remember that she was some technical trade and always got on well with Jake, being able to talk on the same level.“Raven, it’s a relief to see you. Do you know where my father is? When was the last time you saw Jake?”“Clarke, didn’t you know? A van came here from that flash retirement community up on the hill. What’s it called again? Sea View? Pine View? Something view.”“Pacific View?”“That’s it. The one whose advertising makes out that it’s more like a plush hotel than an old people’s home. Well, they put a bunch of his boxes in and drove away, and he followed a few minutes later in a normal car.”“Could have been an Uber? But what would dad be doing with them? He swore never to go back to one of those places after mum died.”Raven shrugged. “Your bet’s as good as mine. Maybe give them a call? Or go visit in the morning.”
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Clarke looked up the reception hours at Pacific View Retirement Community that night and set her alarm for the next day accordingly. She didn’t normally set an alarm to go off while she was on her break between shifts, but this was an emergency.The receptionist was polite but insistent when Clarke arrived, having enjoyed zero luck on the phone.“No, even though you are here in person, we still aren’t able to confirm if a Mr Jake Griffin is a resident at Pacific View or not. No, I understand that you say that you’re a relative of one of our residents, but unless you have a court order of some kind, I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to discuss our residents, nor to confirm or deny if they live here.”“Can I at least speak to a manager…Roma?”Clarke pointedly read the woman’s name bar, which was conveniently written in large letters, presumably for the elderly residents’ benefit.“Yes, absolutely, but Indra is conducting rounds at the moment. She should be back in half an hour so if you would be prepared to wait.”Clarke went and sat down and tried to ring her father again. Yet again her call went straight through to voice mail. He was normally so good about answering it. Maybe rather than being here, he’d actually been admitted to hospital? Jake’s neighbour was generally pretty reliable, though, so Clarke was prepared to wait.Clarke strained her gaze to peer down the corridor deeper into the facility. She got up and paced for a bit, trying to get a better view until the receptionist frowned at her.“Ms Griffin. If you can’t wait quietly, I’ll have to ask you to leave. If you step one foot over that line, I’ll be forced to call the police to have you escorted from the premises. Do you understand me?”Clarke nodded in defeat and reluctantly returned to her seat.After what seemed like an eternity, she heard a familiar voice. She glanced up to check that the overly efficient receptionist was engrossed in her work and leapt to her feet to scamper down the corridor.“Dad!”“Clarke? What are you doing here?”“I could ask you the same question.”“Who’s she?” A short-haired, dark-skinned woman who didn’t bother introducing herself entered the conversation.“She’s my daughter…”“In-law,” Lexa interjected. “Clarke’s my wife. Clarke, this is Indra Cordero, manager of this facility.”The receptionist caught up with them then. To Clarke’s grim delight she looked decidedly more ruffled and much less put-together than she was behind the safety of her computer monitor, refusing to answer her questions.“I’m sorry, Ms Cordero, she just ran off. She was waiting to see you.”“To see me?” Indra raised one perfect eyebrow. “Well, I guess I don’t need to see you now. I have the answer I was going to ask you.” She glared at Lexa and Jake. “That doesn’t mean I don’t still have questions.”Lexa quickly intervened quickly. “Darling let’s go to Jake’s room and talk there. We don’t want to create a scene here now, do we?”Clarke ground her teeth and found it took all her energy not to lash out. Still, she followed them. Lexa knew that was something she hated. One of Abby’s concerns had always been about keeping up appearances. Somehow, channelling her mother had the effect of reducing Clarke to the rationality of a pre-teen.Lexa thanked Indra’s receptionist for looking after Clarke and the other two headed back to the foyer.Jake opened the door and made an elaborate show of welcoming Clarke to his humble abode.“Cut the crap dad, Lex. What the hell is going on?”“You told me to get a job, kiddo.”“I what? I did.” Clarke’s brain wasn’t quite keeping up. “But what work are you doing here. And what would you be doing with her?” Clarke spat out the last word as though it was poison. To her childish delight, she grinned when Lexa recoiled and took a step back.“Keep your shirt on, Clarke. Lexa needs an inside man, someone to be her eyes and ears inside Pacific View.”Clarke glared at Lexa.“And why does PI Woods require eyes and ears inside Pacific View?”“That would be classified, Clarke. If I told you, Lexa would be required to shoot you!”Lexa intervened before her ex-fiancé completely lost her temper.“My client wants a jewellery theft investigated. We think there has been a spate of them. From all reports, the staff seem to be involved in a cover up.”“Really?”“Really.” Jake spoke confidently and both women turned to him.“It was all they could talk about at the AGM.”“What AGM?”“The annual general meeting for the residents’ council. Diana Sawyer took on Thelonius Jaha for the presidency. She claimed that there was a big cover up and a whole bunch of people came forward. Thelonius kept saying that people have probably misplaced things and that these allegations against the management are unfounded and a complete disgrace.”“Did you keep notes of who said they lost things?” Lexa asked, turning away from Clarke for a moment.“I did. I’m going to talk to each one of them in turn.”“Sounds great. Will you give me a call when you’ve had a chance to catch up with them?”“Wilco, Lexa!” Jake replied, grinning broadly.“Wilco?” Clarke said flatly.“Will comply!” Jake said with all the enthusiasm of a seventy-year-old about to turn eight.Clarke sighed and stood up.“Shall I see you out, Clarke?”Clarke nodded and Lexa stood and grabbed her slim laptop bag that doubled as a handbag. Clarke could only roll her eyes. Of course, Lexa wouldn’t own a regular handbag yet. She’d only left the military a year ago, and obviously old habits die hard.Lexa took her on a bit of a tour on the way out.She pointed out the different accommodation corridors and the way to the big common areas. Clarke couldn’t help but be impressed by the quality of the fittings and the decorations that gave everything a festive air. The corridors were carpeted. No doubt they would have been a menace to keep clean, but they would keep the noise down from footsteps and reduce echoing, as well as being softer if someone frail fell over.She saw another corridor with big double doors and a large sign over the top.“ ‘The Neighbourhood’: that sounds cosy. Is that more accommodation?”“Yes, I think so.”“How come it’s secured like Fort Knox? Oh, I know. It’s the dementia unit, isn’t it.”Lexa nodded.Clarke shuddered. “I should have guessed. Mum lived in something like that before she died. I’m amazed that my dad agreed to let you talk him into this nonsense. If anything happens to him, Lexa…”“It won’t!”“It’s bad enough that you went into such a stupid, dangerous line of work. How dare you involve someone else I care about!”Clarke’s blue eyes flashed, and Lexa chose not to call her out on what she said. There was no reason to believe that Clarke cared about her anymore – it was clearly a slip of the tongue.They walked in silence back to the reception area.Indra was talking to the receptionist, Roma. As they approached, she stood back to catch their attention.“Goodbye Lexa. Clarke, so good to meet you. We’re sorry that we didn’t meet you sooner, but you’ll be back for the family Christmas party, won’t you? We can easily increase the numbers at this stage.” Indra looked so confident that Clarke almost said yes before she even thought about it.“Oh, I can’t.”“Can’t? It’s Christmas.”“I’m a trauma surgeon, I often end up having to work Christmas Day. It’s nothing unusual for me, and it’s too late to swap shifts this close to the day.”“Well, that’s fantastic Clarke, we celebrate European style here at Pacific View - on Christmas Eve. We have a much smaller buffet meal on Christmas Day, as some families pick up their relatives and take them home for the big day and others pop in and out between their other destinations. It’s too disruptive to get everyone fed and keep everybody in the festive mood with everybody coming and going. So, I’ll count you in then? Do you have any dietary restrictions I should pass to the chef?”Clarke shook her head, defeated. “No, I eat everything. Count me in.”“Lovely to meet you, Clarke, and don’t be a stranger. Lexa’s here every day or two, but there’s no restrictions on Jake having multiple visitors at once.”#Jake called Lexa the next day to provide her with an update.“OK, I’ve been asking around. At least three people have lost things lately.”“Only three?”“I’m being careful to weed out anything where there’s a bit of a doubt. Thelonius wouldn’t be entirely wrong that a lot of people have trouble keeping track of their things around here. These three seem to be generally well-organised and they could show me photos of them wearing the items recently. It’s definitely not the case that they are thinking of something that they have given to their kids, or didn’t bring with them to Pacific View.”“Good thinking. What are the items?”Lexa wanted to do a little jig for joy. Clarke might be angry with her. She’d called her up the previous evening and given her an earful about what she would do to her if anything happened to Jake, and they’d agreed to have a meal to discuss what was going on. Lexa had promised it would be her shout, to explain everything and to apologise for not keeping Clarke informed.Given that every time she spoke to Jake he seemed to be doing better and better, and the way that he anticipated her questions before she could even ask them, only solidified her confidence that she’d made the right call to choose him.“So, David Miller, retired police officer. He was gifted a valuable watch when he retired from the precinct. He was sure he had it a few weeks ago, when he went to the station pre-Christmas party, but hasn’t seen it since the beginning of December.”Lexa pulled out her notebook and opened a new page to take notes.“Go on.”“Marie Byrne, retired US army major, has had her dog tags stolen.”“She says stolen?”“Yes. She’s turned the room upside down. She says she was meticulous about placing it over the end of the knob on the bed frame every night. I know they don’t sound valuable, but she also had her parents wedding rings and her mother’s engagement ring on the chain. Marie Byrne’s as OCD as they come. If you want to annoy her, just slightly move something on her table when you visit. She notices straight away that something has moved and fixes it again. It’s almost unconscious. She doesn’t even lose the train of her conversation as she’s doing it. This isn’t someone who just leaves things in their pockets so that they get lost in the washing machine.”“No, it doesn’t sound like it.”“And the last one is Callie Cartwig. I wasn’t sure whether or not to include this one, as she insists that the items she lost aren’t valuable.”“What did she lose?”“Earrings. Great dangly things with feathers and fake gems. She wore it as part of a dress up outfit for Halloween. She went as a fortune teller.”“Dare I want to know what the rest of them came as?”Jake laughed. “No, probably not. They take their social calendar very seriously around here.”“Well, see what you can learn about their routines. Are they in the same friendship circles? Have they got anything in common that might give an opening to a prospective thief?”“I’ll get onto it, but I wanted to let you know as soon as I thought we had some new leads. Whoever is pilfering things has definitely not limited their attention to Hannah Green’s necklace.”“That’s excellent work Jake. Please keep it up.”#Jake had been organised in seeking out any additional cases of missing valuables, but he had also been enjoying spending time with some of the other residents. Not all of them. Marie Byrne was an acquired taste, but he’d agreed to join Callie Cartwright’s bridge group.He was also having a ball watching the soccer on the television with Marcus Kane and his best mate Jacapo Sinclair. Occasionally Thelonius Jaha joined them, but it was normally more fun when he was absent. They were all fans of the local Polis City team who were having their most successful season in years, and the staff were happy to provide them with bowls of snacks and some drinks so that they could replicate the big game experience in one of the TV nooks with a big screen. Jake couldn’t believe how much fun it was to watch the game with other people. He’d watched matches with Clarke when she was little and had taken her to all her junior games, but this was even better. Abby had disapproved of him shouting at the screen, and felt it was setting a bad example to Clarke. With the other blokes, there was no holding back - they were all equally one-eyed Bears fans. The Polis City Polar Bears were having a season for the ages, but they’d all been watching long enough to know that the leader at the halfway mark is no guarantee to be holding up the trophy at the end of the season.“How about we go and see a home game?” Jake asked.“Seriously. That would be fantastic, do you think it’s doable?”“I can’t see why not. I’ll get three tickets - senior discount, and we’ll get an Uber there and back. Couldn’t be easier. If we split the car between the three of us, it will be very reasonable.”Sinclair looked dubious, but Marcus had clearly gotten caught up in Jake’s enthusiasm. Jake got hold of Lexa the next day to get her to organise the tickets.
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Lexa waited nervously in the main dining section of the Italian Restaurant, Del Popolo’s. Clarke’s shift had run late the day before and they’d had to postpone, but she’d already texted an hour ago to say that she was finished for the day and would be on her way soon. Lexa remembered that she normally showered when they met for dinner after work. She hoped that Clarke recalled the best parking spots. She’d offered to pick her up, as a courtesy, but Clarke had refused. She supposed that she was trying to keep her away from her new address, though when Clarke said that it made no sense for Lexa to drive towards the hospital when the restaurant was around the corner for her place, she wasn’t wrong. She assumed that Clarke had found an apartment near the hospital. She’d mentioned that had been the plan when they separated, but it wasn’t as though Clarke had given her an update. It was none of her business.If she was trying to hide her address, she was severely underestimating Lexa’s ability as a private investigator, as well as her trustworthiness. Although, truth be told, she knew it had taken every skerrick of her self-control not to look it up. If she had done so, she was well aware that the temptation just to drive by, to see what it looked like and maybe catch a glimpse of her ex would have been impossible to resist. It’s just that if Clarke looked sad, or if she had someone over, she just knew it would eat at her, and she would have to do something. Then she would not just be a stalker, she’d be getting into all sorts of shit. She wasn’t aiming to be a creep. Nor did she want to get some kind of a record. She didn’t plan to take on the kind of job where it was necessary to be armed, but she did still want to hold a gun licence, just in case. Clarke might have said she was reckless about her own safety when they broke up, but she was positive that wasn’t the case.When she spotted the blonde hair, damp from the shower and curling slightly, she leapt up and pulled Clarke’s seat out. Clarke looked at her in surprise, and she flushed. It had always been her habit. Maybe she should have chosen a different restaurant? This one had been a regular of theirs. It had been easy to suggest it rather than thinking of somewhere new to eat, but there were a lot of memories here. Every little win or date night, this had been their go to venue. Maybe not for the huge celebrations - buying a house, returning from deployment. They’d gone somewhere incredibly flash in the hills outside the city when Clarke had passed her training to become an attending. That had been a weekend away they’d been looking forward to for years, but when Clarke had said that with her increased income, Lexa could choose a safer job than her military police role, it had just descended into arguments. Lexa had loved her work and never begrudged taking on a job out of school that had allowed her to support Clarke through her studies. She certainly hadn’t expected Clarke to try and get her to quit as soon as the going was financially good. If she had had her way, she’d still be working in her old unit. With the promotion that she’d been so sure she was due for. She shook herself off. That was the past. Working for herself was her future, and she was excited about her new business, even if it had been the last straw for Clarke that she’d refused to get some safe but boring job. Working in customer service - as if! She could walk dogs or even take up a lawn mowing business. Clarke had even had the temerity to suggest that she didn’t need to work at all if she didn’t want to. She rolled her eyes. That weekend she’d wondered if Clarke even new her.They’d both said things they’d regretted. She’d give anything to be able to turn back time and have the conversation again without the insults.Lexa already had a drink in front of her when Clarke arrived. She’d barely picked up the menu when the waiter appeared, brandishing a bottle of the house red and waving his eyebrows encouragingly at Clarke.Clarke looked surprised, then her face relaxed into a grin.“Antonio, you remembered!”“Of course, bella. It’s been a while.”Clarke nodded, and Antonio promised to be back in a second to take their orders. He didn’t push, and Lexa remembered how much Clarke always appreciated it when the staff here remembered them. It had been a while though. She’d dropped by to pick up take away, but she didn’t imagine that it was close enough to the hospital for Clarke.Clarke ordered the seafood linguine. Lexa remembered it was always her go to, unless she felt like the pizza.Lexa watched as Clarke toyed with the wine stem between her fingers. Surgeon’s fingers. Precise in so many ways. She’d once joked that Clarke should insure them. Clarke had initially thought she’d meant that she should protect the value of her student loans and then nearly spat out her wine when she realised what Lexa had been implying. Even if she had done so, she was sure that Del Popolo’s would have welcomed them back. Worse things no doubt happened to the impeccably pressed white fabric table cloths.“So, I spoke to my dad.” Clarke started.“Has he found any more thefts?” Lexa asked, too quickly. Clarke frowned at her.“No. He didn’t talk about the …” she glanced around furtively. “You know, the Situation.”Lexa winced. Clarke would never have made a good investigator.“He said you were organising tickets to the soccer. Did you want a contribution?”Lexa shook her head. “No, I’m happy to put this on expenses. Maybe in the future for the next time he wants to go?”Clarke nodded. “He just sounded so excited to have found some people to go with. Thank you for looking out for him.”Lexa smiled. “He’s settling in really well. The way half the women look at him, I’m amazed he hasn’t started dating.”Clarke’s smile dropped.“Clarke, I’m sorry.” Lexa could have kicked herself for her insensitivity.Clarke waved it off and took a sip of her wine. “No, I need to get over it. He is a catch, for his age. Mum. She went downhill so fast, that I don’t think she ever said anything, but I’m sure she wouldn’t have wanted him to be alone for the rest of his life. When I was talking to him last night, he was just so excited to have company. I knew he was lonely, but when he was talking to me about Marcus and Jacapo it really struck me that he didn’t even have any buddies. When he retired, he was spending every day visiting my mother. He wasn’t taking up a hobby or meeting new people, and I think he must have lost track of all his work colleagues.”Lexa nodded. She could relate. Only a handful of her former workmates had stayed in touch. Working for herself meant that she didn’t see a lot of people in those regular day to day interactions that you can’t avoid normally. She’d never realised how much they’d kept her sane.“Instead of being angry at you, I should apologise. This case of yours is doing him some good.”Lexa blinked. She hadn’t expected Clarke to apologise. Before she could say anything, their food arrived. Before she could even say anything, Clarke had requested the pepper for her pasta and the chilli oil for Lexa to drizzle on her cappriciosa pizza with extra anchovies.When they had made a proper dent in their mains, Clarke asked how Lexa was going with linking the confirmed thefts.“So, have you found out what links the missing things so far? Could it be cleaners, or something like that?”“I don’t think so. They’d be pretty heavily scrutinised in a place like that. Your dad discovered that they did have something unusual in common.”“Oh?”“They all left the facility just before noticing that something had gone missing.”“Isn’t that a regular thing?”Lexa shook her head. “Hardly any of them drive. The facility runs a shuttle service during the day to get them to different appointments. You know, specialist appointments, lawyers. That sort of thing.”“I take it you’ve looked into that angle?”“I have. The same driver drove all three of them.”“Oh?” Clarke looked intrigued.“Yes. Emori Frika. I’m looking into her record. While I’m at it, I’ll check out the other staff if I can.”“Is there anything I can do?”Lexa went to shake her head but then paused. “Did you say that you were going to the Christmas thing?”“On Christmas Eve?”Lexa nodded.“I don’t think that Indra woman would let me live it down if I was missing.”Lexa grinned. “She’s a bit scary, isn’t she? I’m still working out her angle. My clients only got suspicious when she was so resistant to involving the police. It just doesn’t seem to add up to me. If you’re there too, we might be able to ask around. Run a few different lines of inquiry.”Clarke said she was too tired for dessert after that. Lexa was ready to part ways before Clarke offered to drop her home. It wasn’t necessary. For a winter’s night it was surprisingly mild, but Lexa felt herself to be unwilling to cut her time with Clarke short, so she agreed without hesitation.Once safely inside the door, she sighed deeply as she hung up her coat on the rack. The hooks on the right hand side of the coat rack hardly had anything on them. Normally, she didn’t even notice, but after having an exceptionally pleasant night out with Clarke, her absence inside the home they’d once shared was far more glaring than normal.#Jake was bouncing with excitement as the day of the soccer game arrived. Lexa had brought him his Polis FC scarf, as well as some mail that had been building up at his house. Marcus Kane and Jacapo Sinclair had teased him about the effort he’d gone to for the game, but they were giddy as school boys too, underneath.Before the match, they’d visited a pub near the ground. It was too loud with excited fans to hear each other, but they could still enjoy a beer and some wings as they watched the crowd with the sky blue scarves and hats, and the occasional jersey glimpsed underneath big coats as they poured down the boulevard towards the stadium.Lexa had found surprisingly good seats in amongst the home fan ticket holder area and Jake and his new friends sat down to enjoy the game. They were ideally located at the end of the row. Jake wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but they were seated only a hop, step and a jump away from the men’s toilets as well as the nearest bar.The first half was a tight game. Polis had a fierce rivalry with the Azgeda Ice side. They’d missed out on playoffs in the last two years at the hands of this team, and with a new coach weaving his magic and bringing his best young striker from his previous outfit, he’d been able to take the home side from also-runs to real contenders for the title.Just after the half time break, the opposition centre right back, a nasty piece of work named Roan Winters brought down their forward with an ugly sliding tackle from behind when he was on a clean break towards the goal. There was nervous trepidation as the Polis medical team came out to wield their magic. It didn’t take long for the magic water bottle to take effect. The moment the field referee showed the red card to the Azgedan defender, he was back on his feet and running forward, racing to be part of the contest for the free kick. He scored off a neat header, wrong footing the keeper, and the game was a free for all after that.Against ten men, the Polis players made what had been a close match resemble a preseason romp against their own ‘B’ side. The end result of five-nil hardly reflected how even the first half had been.It mightn’t have been sensible to go out for dinner afterwards. Or to another bar for a drink after that, but somewhere around eleven pm they made it back to Pacific View to darkened hallways and a dimly lit up reception.They each tried their pass cards to get in, to little effect. Jake had tried using his credit card at first, and he doubted the other two were any more co-ordinated. They were probably badly underestimating how surreptitious their entry attempt were as suddenly all the lights came on and the doors flew open to reveal Indra and a very fierce looking Octavia standing behind her.“What on earth is going on? We don’t exactly have a curfew, but everyone is settled down for the night and you mob are carrying on like unruly teenagers.”Marcus looked at Jake and Jacapo Sinclair in horror, clutching at his chest and collapsing in a heap.An ambulance is called while Octavia closely monitors him. He’s conscious, barely. When the paramedics arrived, they stabilised him enough that he came good for a moment. He insisted on passing a message to Jake, and eventually they relented, provided he promised to keep it quick.“Jake, please, the Christmas party tomorrow. Can you go see my mother and bring her to the festivities? She’s Vera Kane, she lives in the Neighbourhood wing.”“The Neighbourhood wing? She won’t know who I am!”“My mother doesn’t know who I am most of the time either, Jake. It doesn’t matter. She’s happier when someone is with her than when they’re not. It’s not important who they are or whether she remembers later. She’s happy as long as someone is spending time with her. Promise me?”“Of course.”The swinging doors closed behind and the ambulance tears off into the night, lights and sirens switching on when they hit the end of the landscaped driveway and turn onto the main road.
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Lexa sat impatiently in her white Toyota in the car park at Pacific View. There were clearly more cars in the visitors’ car park than she was used to, though considering every resident would be hoping to host at least some family members for the Christmas Eve celebration, that didn’t exactly require the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes to anticipate. Lexa kept glancing out the window for any signs of Clarke’s far more ostentatious deep blue coloured convertible. Any car would stand out more than Lexa’s. However much Clarke had always joked that Lexa was made to drive a jeep, ideally a forest green one with all the features to take them at least a little bit off the beaten track, the sensible choice had been a car she could use for stake outs. One that anyone could drive past and not realise had been there for the entire day.The only thing Lexa thought it lacked was a teensy bit extra power to follow someone through traffic and a far more lumbar-supportive seat. For all Clarke’s fears that being a private investigator was dangerous, she thought the injury she was most likely to suffer was a sore back from sitting around so much.At least it gave her time for sitting around thinking about solving the problems her clients brought to her. She didn’t much like having time to wonder where someone was. She checked the time again. Clarke was now ten minutes late.Their meal the other evening had felt so right. So comfortable. As though they’d barely been apart at all. Lexa had gone home feeling unaccountably hopeful. She knew that this was ridiculous. Clarke had merely agreed to catch up again from time to time to discuss Jake, probably, and by some miracle she wasn’t furious anymore about Lexa employing her dad to help solve the missing jewellery case. That was hardly a declaration that she wanted to get back together again, though it was a thought that once kindled in Lexa’s chest, was hard to extinguish.Finally, she saw the telltale shape of Clarke’s convertible and got out of the car.“Sorry, Lex. My shift was delayed.”Lexa glanced at Clarke’s still damp hair and nodded that it was fine. She would have needed to get cleaned up after her shift at the hospital. She’d clearly gone all out with the residents chosen dress to impress’ theme. She was wearing classy dangly earrings, a shimmery blouse on underneath her coat and dressy pants and heels. Lexa had made an effort too. She’d gone with a long sleeved green shirt and a festive waist coat. Her hair was down in waves, over one shoulder and she’d done her eye make-up just so. She’d almost changed her mind when she remembered that she’d worn something very similar on the night that she’d proposed to Clarke, on a night home in a period of leave in the middle of one of her deployments.She’d booked Polis’ best French restaurant, saying that if Clarke couldn’t get time away from her hospital training program to meet her in Paris, then this would have to be the next best thing.She suspected Clarke would have been rooting for the ugly sweater and jeans dress code she’d normally be happier in during her break between shifts, given that she hasn’t got any more days off work this side of New Year’s. Lexa glanced forward to kiss her cheek and Clarke turned to face her at the same time. The result was awkward. Lexa’s lips glanced the side of her mouth, and she sprang back with an apology on her lips.“It’s ok. Don’t worry about it. Let’s go find dad, though from the sounds of it, he’ll be too busy living it up with his new mates to be sweating the time.”Lexa smiled and indicated that Clarke should lead the way.As they walked up the long drive from the further visitor park where Clarke had been able to jag one of the last spots, Lexa updated her on the investigation. “So, there are two employees in particular I think we need to investigate further. Emori Frieksen and John Murphy. They both have criminal records, and the staff records suggest that they’re living together.”“Like, they are together?”“Or at least in cahoots. They might just have one address and be living elsewhere.”“So, what sort of criminal background?”“Emori’s is more relevant. She’s got a history of burglary in company. It even made the news. She’d pretend to be injured on or on the side of the road between Polis and Arkadia. When an intending good Samaritan stopped to check that she was ok, her accomplices would spring out from behind trees, take everything valuable and then they would all take the car and drive off into the distance, leaving the car owner without funds or a phone to call for help.”“Nice! And Murphy? Do you think he was one of her off-siders?”“Hmm. It’s a good theory, but he was probably in prison when she was at the height of her offending. He was sentenced to some serious gaol time for grievous bodily harm.”“What? A violent offender in a home full of vulnerable elderly adults? What were they even thinking?”“Arguably his crime was a one off. He was stoned or drunk or both, waving an illegally acquired fire arm around in his house and making a hell of a racket. The neighbour upstairs banged on the floor and yelled out for him to can it. He just fired randomly into the ceiling and ended up hitting someone in the spine. He didn’t even try to run away. The police just found him sleeping off the intoxicating substances on his couch when they broke in the door.”“So, what do they do now, you know, at Pacific View?”“Emori is one of the drivers, and you remember that one of the things all the confirmed victims had in common was that they needed to be driven to an appointment of some kind immediately before something went missing.”“So, she’d be able to tip Murphy off. What does he do?”“He’s the head chef.”“So, do you have a plan?” “We follow them, obviously. No drives today but plenty of visitors. Opportunity to steal new presents or valuables from visitors as well.” Lexa looked meaningfully at Clarke’s earrings, and Clarke blushed at how closely Lexa must have taken in her outfit. “I’ll try to keep tabs on Murphy if you follow Emori.” Lexa flashed a photo. A dark-haired, dark-eyed woman with a dramatic tattoo around one eye glared back at the viewer. It was clearly a police mug shot. “She’s easy to spot, it’s not just the tattoo. One of her hands and lower arms looks all mangled. Not sure if it was a burn or an industrial accident. Might have been a birth defect? Are you ready for this?”“Ready as I’ll ever be, Clarke said through gritted teeth. ****Roma stopped them as they entered the reception area.“Ladies, just who I was looking for. We’re updating our visitor passes. If you don’t mind leaving your drivers’ licences here while I log them into the system, they’ll be ready to go when at the end of the day.”Clarke nodded and handed her licence over. Lexa did likewise, more focused on looking out for Jakes’ sandy greying hair amongst the other ageing residents of the facility. He should have been easy to spot. He’d asked her to bring her his favourite green velvet smoking jacket and shirt. She’d needed to buy him a new one - the old one he probably hadn’t worn since before Abby got sick, and it was yellow with age. She’d always wondered if Clarke’s hair would age like Jake’s. The sandy blonde effortless transferring into salt and pepper. Not that she was likely to find out now.Contrary to Clarke’s prediction, Jake was not far from the foyer, obviously looking out for them too.“There you are.” He pulled them into a quiet nook where they could talk without interruption.“Marcus has been taken to hospital, after our game yesterday.”“Oh no! Is he ok?”“They won’t tell us much. He’s been taken to Polis General. Clarke, I should have asked you first, you might have been able to discover something.”“Careful, Dad. I can’t just sneak around the patient admission system without permission.”“No, but you’d know which ward was most likely to house cardiac patients.”“God, Lexa really has infected you with this investigator stuff, you know? A cardiac patient, did you say?”“Nonsense. I was always like that. Anyway, am I right? He was carted off clutching his chest. Indra did let slip that he had a history of heart problems before that fierce nurse intervened, Olivia? Ontario?”“Octavia?” Lexa suggested.“That’s the one! She’s kind of scary.” Jake agreed.Clarke nodded. “I guess I could look around tomorrow if I have a break between surgeries. Write him a card or something, so I’ve got some reason for looking for him.”“That’s a good idea. Anyway, I promised him I’d accompany his mother down to lunch. I’ll have to go and get her soon. We’ll all sit together, obviously, but I’ll introduce you to my friend Callie who can show you round until I can bust Vera out of the Neighbourhood wing.”“His mother is a resident here too?”“That’s right. Marcus would probably be fine to live by himself, but he’s never married. Always looked after his mother and then when she was too much to look after at home, they both moved in here.”Lexa nodded but frankly couldn’t think of much worse. Before she could voice it a bustling woman with shoulder length dark hair and kind eyes interrupted them.“Jake, are these lovely young ladies the ones you were telling me about?”“Yes indeed, this one’s Lexa and her wife Clarke.”Callie smiled at each one and it was evident how she’d earned her laugh lines - the smile and her wrinkles matched perfectly.“That’s my cue to go and get Vera.” Jake pushed himself up off the conveniently located armrest and headed towards the dementia unit. Clarke and Lexa looked worriedly after him. Of all the things he’d needed to do during his residence at Pacific View, this was always going to be the thing he found most challenging.“I’m sure he’ll be fine girls. His key gives him complete access to get back out again, certainly during the day. Now, the beauty centre was doing mini-manicures today. I took the liberty of booking us a few spots. I don’t imagine it’s a section of this fine establishment that’s really on Jake’s radar.”Lexa smiled and excused herself quickly. “I need to quickly make a call and check on something in the kitchen, I’ll join you shortly.”Callie put a hand on Clarke’s shoulder before she could escape and steered her in the opposite direction, where the sounds of voices and laughter spilled out.“Wow.” Clarke couldn’t help herself exclaim. The beauty centre was at least as big as the health clinic she’d seen on her last visit, and there were two chairs left for her and Callie. Remembering her mission, she glanced around to see if the staff member called Emori was here. No dice, and before long, Callie had distracted her again while they waited for Monroe to be finished with her last client.“Good thing Lexa was delayed. Gives me a chance to talk to you alone. I was looking out for the two of you when you arrived. Different cars, that kiss. Things aren’t ok, are they?”Clarke gasped with astonishment.“Does Jake know?” she continued, as though Clarke had confirmed her suspicion.“Hang on, why do you think things would be wrong. I’m happily married.”“Really, dear? Where’s your ring?”Clarke brushed her hand against her left one. “I never wear it at work. I was in a rush to get here.”“And outside of it? There’s no indentation in the skin. No tan mark.”“I…I don’t tan.”Callie gently took Clarke’s right arm and indicated the line made by her watch band.“You two didn’t arrive together. Don’t look at me like that - I was excited to meet Jake’s family; I was watching out the window for you. That kiss. That was the first for the day, right? You tried to kiss like friends do, but you failed.”“So what? We had an argument.”“Hmmm?”“It’s all over between us.”“Do you mean that Clarke? The way you followed her with your eyes when she left the room. You’re still attracted to her, right?”Clarke shrugged. “We said too many shitty things to make things right.”“It’s never too late to make things right, not when you’re on this side where the grass is still growing. How about start saying some nice ones to counter them? Starting with ‘I’m sorry and I want a do-over’?” Clarke set her jaw, and Callie had the gall to laugh.“You think I don’t know what I’m talking about? I can understand that. I was married to my dear Frank for sixty years. You young ones are so smart.So much better educated than my generation - Jake said you were a surgeon, right? Something I learned early on that they don’t teach you at that fancy university was that you should never go to bed after an argument without sorting it out first. And it’s never too late to apologise if something is worth saving.”Before Clarke could protest that it wasn’t that easy, Jingle Bells started playing over the PA system. Zoe Monroe, the beauty centre co-ordinator, intervened at that point.“I’m terribly sorry ladies - we can postpone your appointment until after lunch? We need to finish up here for now, as that music is the sign that it’s time to get together for pre-lunch drinks.”She winked at Clarke. “It’s best to get a spot close to the doors of the kitchens and act decisively. There’s no time to delay if you’re standing between a septuagenarian and a complimentary glass of fizz. They’ve mastered the art of leading with their elbows since before you were even conceived!”Clarke spotted Lexa who grabbed her and took her aside while Callie was temporarily distracted.“My investigations were successful. John Murphy doesn’t personally hold an ‘access all areas’ card but any member of staff will open up for him when he’s delivering meals. And Emori was the driver on duty for all the people with missing items, including Mrs Green. They just arrange a special meal delivery and Murphy can clean out the joint before the resident returns.” In the far side of the room, Jake spotted them. He started heading over with a well-dressed grey-haired woman they assumed to be Vera. Before they could cross over to them Indra and a very smug looking Roma were approaching from another direction.“You two need to come with me.”Clarke looked at Jake who spotted them, but they couldn’t not follow the centre director without creating a scene.Indra closed the door but didn’t sit or invite her visitors to sit down either. Roma leant against the closed door, blocking any attempt at an exit.“So, Clarke, Lexa if that’s even your real names. You aren’t exactly who you said you were. Do either one of you with to tell me what’s going on here?”“We’ve checked out your licences. Different surnames. Different addresses. None of it matches what Lexa here wrote down on Jake’s admission paperwork. Are you perpetuating some kind of fraud against the old man? We take any kind of allegations of elder abuse very seriously around here.”“Well, pity you weren’t as interested in solving cases of theft. And, yes, it’s true, Jake is actually Clarke’s father, not mine.”“And Lexa and I are still married (technically), even if we’re not living together right now.”“But by all means, call the police. Tell them that you refused to involve them when credible accusations of theft were made. I’m a private investigator.My client engaged me when you were dragging your feet trying to locate a priceless family heirloom.”“So, Private Investigator Lexa, what did you learn?”“I learned that you have a range of shifty characters here with both the access and the opportunity to rob these elderly folk blind. Emori, your driver and John Murphy the cook. Both have serious criminal records and their living together now.”“That’s hardly a crime, Ms Woods.”Indra sat down and sighed.“Now do you see why I wouldn’t involve the police? You have practically accused two of my staff of being responsible for serious crimes with no information whatsoever other than their criminal records and the fact that they’ve found one another. The police would have dug around for their records and declared it an open and shut case just like you have. That’s not fair, is it? Around here, we believe in giving people second leases on life. New friends and support for people lonely and living by themselves and new jobs and training for people who’ve fallen afoul of the law. Obviously, plenty of our staff hold working with vulnerable people certificates, we comply with all regulations, but we work hard to find jobs for people who are willing to work but are being held back by their criminal records. If they’ve done the time, they’ve paid for their crime, and they deserve a chance to become integrated back into society too. Not with people like the pair of you looking down your noses at them.”Indra paused for breath, but continued before Lexa could intervene.“We employ a range of ex-cons around here and we’re proud of their work. We don’t tolerate any back sliding, but I will protect my people from lazy police officers and apparently lazy investigators too. Murphy started his cookery training in prison, but he finished it at the local technical school. Any of the local restaurants would have been fortunate to have had him as an apprentice, but because of his prison time they won’t give him a start. We took a chance on him and now he runs the kitchen. Their loss is our residents’ gain. The food at Pacific View is fantastic and we intend to enter him into the local catering competitions this year. Don’t be surprised if Pacific View picks up a couple of awards against the big restaurants.”There was a knocking on the door. Indra ignored it. A few seconds later it came again.“Director, I know you’re in there. Open up.”“I’m sorry, can you come back later? We’re busy here.”“Actually, Mrs Kane and I have something relevant to share with all of you, right now, if you’ll allow us to come in?”Indra looked like she wanted to say no, but Jake had already opened the door, pushed Roma aside, and placed a very shiny necklace in the middle of Indra’s compulsively clean desk.Lexa gasped, and Indra’s eyes widened in recognition.“Mrs Kane and I have drinks to get back to, but just to let you know, there’s plenty of things where that came from. Vera’s done a fantastic job of looking after the entire collection. You might want to check that out.”
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Jake and Vera returned as quickly as they came, leaving a stunned silence in their wake. The necklace sat in the middle of Indra’s desk. Thanks to the complete lack of surrounding clutter, it completely dominated the space, and no one was even willing to catch another persons’ eye, as they were all completely unable to work out what to say next.Indra glared at Lexa who returned it. Roma kept opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish that was hoping for extra food. Finally, Clarke stood up.“How about instead of sitting here accusing each other of stuff, we go and check out what else is in Mrs Kanes’ room?”They all stood, even when Indra tried to convince Clarke and Lexa that they were not permitted to come. Lexa insisted that they would be joining the Pacific View staff, and that she would not hesitate to act upon threat of calling the police herself.Indra’s swipe card opened up the door to Pacific View’s dementia care wing, The Neighbourhood, and then she quickly located Vera’s room and opened up. The room was nothing special, tidy with a carefully folded rug on the armchair and a matching throw at the foot of the tidily made-up single bed. Maroon slippers stood neatly at the entrance door, with a space where Vera’s ‘outdoor’ shoes no doubt normally rested. It was what they discovered when Roma opened a cupboard that was extraordinary.It had been converted into shelves and each one was incredibly well organised. Watches in one section, jewellery in another. Each one had a paper tag and a thin piece of thread and there was a folder on the table.The missing earrings, dog tags and watch that Jake had been informed were missing were easy to find. The numbered tags no longer were legible, but there was some kind of entry in the folder. Clearly Vera’s cataloguing system had been in place and followed religiously for many years, even as her ability to write properly had started to deteriorate. There was an absolute myriad of other items and Lexa couldn’t help shaking her head at how long a period they must have been collected over.Indra coughed to get everyone’s attention.“Roma, can you document all these items, and compare them to missing property reports? It’s going to be a mountain of work to get all the lost items back to their owners. You two are coming with me back to the lunch. We’ll work out what to do afterwards.”****As expected, Jake was asked to leave the facility that afternoon. He wanted to keep his promise to Marcus to keep an eye on Vera, but they assured her that she would likely sleep the rest of the afternoon.On the plus side, that meant Jake was able to visit Marcus on Christmas Day. Clarke had no difficulties tracking him down on the cardio ward and Lexa picked Jake up to take him home after the visit. Jake insisted that she stay for the rest of Christmas Day so that when Clarke returned after her shift, he could tell them both what he’d learnt.Lexa didn’t mind, and helping Jake settle back into his home had been a far more productive Christmas Day than she’d been expecting. She made a grocery list to help him out when the shops opened again on Boxing Day and brought over the food that she had prepared at home for her own meagre lunch, and he had pronounced it ‘not quite Pacific View standards’ but still very good.Clarke reached Jake’s place at dusk with extra chocolates and treats she’d been given at the hospital and a bottle of real champagne.However angry she had been at Lexa’s stunt in employing her father on a case, she couldn’t deny that they’d succeeded in their mission, and victories deserved to be celebrated. When Christmas cake and glasses of champagne had been distributed and they were settled into Jakes’ comfortable blue leather lounge setting, he leant forward.“So, do you want to hear what I learnt when I spoke to Marcus?”Both girls leant forward nodding furiously.“So, Marcus’ mother, Vera has had dementia for years. I’m convinced that Marcus only lived at Pacific View because of his mother; he seems perfectly fit to me, though he mentioned he mostly lived with his mother; he never married and only intermittently lived away when his work took him to interstate locations. Vera was a lovely lady and mother and son got on well. Marcus had said that she was always a little bit batty, or perhaps eccentric was a better term, but with Marcus’ assistance she’d been in and out of The Neighbourhood for respite care for years. Then when he had the first of his cardiac episodes, the doctors convinced him he shouldn’t be her primary carer at home anymore and they both moved into Pacific View.“And did the stress of move into nursing care turn her into a kleptomaniac?”“I’m getting to that. Be patient, young grasshopper! Besides, isn’t it only stealing if you mean to intentionally deprive the owner of an object from possession of that object?”“Who’s the detective now, Jake? You sound like you’re a lawyer.”He shrugged. “I saw that on one of the criminal investigations shows I watched. Besides, it’s entirely relevant in this case. Do you want to guess what Vera did for a job?”Clarke and Lexa looked at each other and shook their heads.“No idea, Dad, just tell us already!”“She was in show business.”“What??”“Yes, she worked in wardrobe for the film industry for most of her career. She was in charge of the warehouses of items down at one of the big studios. Did you know she thought I was Paul Newman, you know, the famous actor, when I came to pick her up? I don’t scrub up to badly, for an old guy.”“Dad! Get to the point – what has that got to do with the missing items?”“Well, she accused me of not returning a necktie after the last film we worked on together. I told her that maybe she’d misplaced it, and she opened up that cupboard and insisted that she could find any object there. I asked her about necklaces, and lo and behold, Mrs Green’s necklace was the first one that she pulled out. I asked her if I could borrow it for Lexa to wear at the Christmas lunch and she was delighted with that idea. She carefully scribbled something in her folder, and removed the tag, and off we went!”“So, she didn’t take all those items?”“Well, she did. Off tables and even out of people’s rooms. During the day, she was always so friendly; most people were happy for her to come in for a chat. Obviously closer to sunset, her Alzheimer’s symptoms affected her more, but during the day she was free to wander around inside the whole facility. As far as she was concerned, she was just picking up items from the star’s dressing rooms and returning them to where they should be stored.”****“So, case closed then?” Clarke asked“Yep. I spoke to Monty Green briefly this morning, and he and Harper are going to keep the necklace at their place now. He’s going to settle up the expense account, and I’ll transfer the last of what I owe to your father for pay across.”Jake heard the last part.“No, need to rush, Lexa. I wasn’t really doing it for the money. It’s been a blast. When’s the next case?” Jake grinned like an over-aged schoolboy.“You mean the next time you need someone to go undercover?” Lexa glanced at Clarke who held her gaze meaningfully.“Well, obviously it would need to be a suitable role. Something safe but interesting.”Clarke visibly relaxed.“You’ll clearly be the first person I call, Jake, but a lot of the things I do aren’t interesting at all.”“Still, keep me in mind. I can do some of your stakeouts. Who would look at an old bloke just sitting on a park bench, feeding the pigeons? You’d be amazed how invisible old people are, Lexa. You and Clarke won’t always be young and beautiful.”Lexa rolled her eyes. Clarke was still beautiful. She’d probably always be gorgeous in Lexa’s eyes, though she was acutely aware of her own wrinkles forming around her eyes and the occasional grey hair that made her wonder if she should talk to her hairdresser about getting her hair coloured.“But haven’t you got plans to follow up your hobbies? Indra did say you were welcome to keep visiting Pacific View to see your friends, and the University of the Third Age centre there want you to keep coming.”“I don’t see why I can’t do both, Clarke!”****Clarke walked Lexa to the door. Lexa turned to her as she went to go.“It was nice working with you Clarke. I’ve only just found you again and I miss you already. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas, ok?”“No doubt you’ll be hiring dad soon – then we’ll meet again, yeah?”Lexa took a deep breath. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t willing to risk waiting.“I don’t know when that will be, though, and I don’t want to wait. Can we meet again now? Like soon? Let me take you out for dinner, to say thank you.”Clarke thought back to what Callie had said at Pacific View during their manicure session. The woman must have been practically psychic, and Clarke decided she’d had enough fighting with her own feelings.“I’d like that. Are you free Thursday?”****EpilogueThe following nine months flew by.They didn’t just go out for dinner once, but they ended up scheduling a date night once a week. They were only one month into the routine when they both admitted that they were both looking forward to it as the highlight of their weeks.Clarke apologised for her criticism of Lexa’s business and Lexa showed her more about how it worked in order to assure that it wasn’t as dangerous as Clarke had feared. Even if this was partly because she’d started rejecting some of the jobs that were more likely to lead her into dangerous situations. She had never taken on the role of private investigator in order to get rich quick. Her military pension made her enough for day-to-day expenses, so building up the business more slowly wasn’t such a big sacrifice. Not when it meant that she got to spend more time with Clarke.In spring, they agreed to hire the house in the nearby mountains that they’d first visited when they were young and first in love for a romantic week away. It was there, in between hiking and toasting marshmallows on the open fire every evening, that they admitted that they were falling in love with each other now too. Slowly yet inexorably they were rekindling their romance and building a fresh relationship out of the ashes of the old one. It wasn’t the same, and in many ways it was better. More honest. They were more open in their communications. They knew that each one had made a choice to walk away but that they were both ready to turn around and come back to the other one. This time for good.In August, Lexa co-ordinated the builders she and Jake had chosen to reconfigure his house into two apartments. He’d agreed that it was a lot of real estate to keep clean and maintained, but he didn’t want to leave the memories behind. Besides, he’d miss the gardens he’d planted with Abby, before Clarke was born. With Clarke and Lexa upstairs, he’d gained two extra willing workers, and they each had the benefit of knowing that the other one was close, without being in each other’s faces.Clarke had to admit that living in the house she’d grown up in wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. She even accepted that the commute isn’t too bad now. The new light rail line was almost door-to-door to her hospital and continued on to the downtown. It was miles better than when her mum worked at the hospital.Jake used it a lot too. He only had to take a connecting service to get to the stadium to watch Polis FC play. He got season tickets with Marcus, who made a full recovery from his operation, and Jacopo Sinclair came most of the time. When Clarke’s shifts permitted, she and Lexa would join them. When the Polis FC women’s team bought the last franchise to enter the national professional competition, the five of them were amongst the first to become season ticket holders. Jake tried to insist that you really can teach old dogs new tricks, but realistically they all enjoyed the matches. It was a fraction less crowded, and the Polis team were quickly moving away from the relegation zone.True to Indra’s word, Jake is made to feel welcome when he returns to Pacific View to visit. There was a bit of snarkiness from some of the residents, but he eventually settles back into the Universit of the Third Age classes he’d been part of. The organising committee was even working with him to put together a class on famous landmark constructions and how they were built. He also attends the U3A centre closer to his home and soon has lots more friends he either pop around the house or whom he meets at the closest coffee shop.He loved having Clarke and Lexa living upstairs. The main kitchen and entertaining areas were shared, but they each had the privacy of a kitchenette and their own sitting room and bathrooms.With all three of them sharing the garden load the results are clear to see. From the driveway to the large backyard and the veranda with views over the city to the distant ocean, flowers were in bloom in every garden bed and planter box, ready to help celebrate Clarke and Lexa’s vow renewal ceremony.They’d terminated their divorce proceedings once they’d gotten back together, but they wanted to formally recognise their change of heart.Anya came to officiate over proceedings. Lexa wasn’t convinced she’d found her calling as a celebrant, but she presided over the ceremony for the price of her meal and her share of the open bar.“Ok, love birds. That’s the formal part of the vows. Now you can kiss the bride. Err, your wife. Um, just kiss each other, all right?”A few minutes later she disappeared into a secluded part of the garden with Jake’s next-door neighbour and the unseemly haste left no one too surprised.Lexa took her time removing the veil that Clarke was wearing. They were wearing their original wedding dresses, slightly adjusted for the passing of the years, and Lexa was just amazed that they’d both kept them. Clarke was nibbling her bottom lip as Lexa leant forward. Clarke released her lip and revelled in the touch of Lexa’s lips to hers.