F Is for Fugitive

work?"
    "Not that I ever saw. If she'd had some, you wouldn't have caught her livin' like this."
    "You were living here at the time of her death?"
    "We had an apartment a couple blocks over, but it wasn't much better."
    We talked on for a bit, but I couldn't elicit any more information. I got back to my room at six o'clock, not much smarter than I was when I'd started out. I typed up a report, fudging the language to disguise the fact that I hadn't gotten much.

Chapter 12
----
    I ate an early dinner with the Fowlers that night. Ori's meals had to come at fixed intervals to keep her blood sugar on track. Ann had made a beef stew, with salad and French bread, all of it yummy, I thought. Royce had problems with the meal. His illness had sapped his appetite along with his strength, and some deep-seated impatience made it hard for him to tolerate social occasions in any event. I couldn't imagine how it must have been to grow up with a man like him. He was gruff to the point of churlishness except when Bailey's name was mentioned, and then he shifted into a sentimentality he made no attempt to disguise. Ann didn't show much reaction to the fact that Bailey was the preferred child, but then she'd had a lifetime to get used to it. Ori, wanting to be certain Royce's illness didn't outshine her own, picked at her food, not complaining about it, but sighing audibly. It was obvious she was feeling "poorly," and Royce's refusal to inquire about her health only caused her to double her efforts. I made myself inconspicuous, tuning out the content of their conversation so I could concentrate on the interplay between them. As a child, I didn't experience much in the way of family and I usually find myself somewhat taken aback to see one at close range. "The Donna Reed Show" this was not. People talk about "dysfunctional" families; I've never seen any other kind. I turned up my interior volume control.
    Ori put her fork down and pushed her plate back. "I best get things picked up. Maxine's coming by in the morning."
    Ann took note of how much Ori'd eaten, and I could see her debating whether to speak up or not. "Did she switch days again? I thought she came on Mondays."
    "I asked her to come special. Time to spring-clean."
    "You don't have to do that, Mother. Nobody does any spring cleaning out here."
    "Well, I know I don't have to. What's that got to do with it? Place is a mess. Dirt everywhere. It gets on my nerves. I may be an invalid, but I'm not infirm."
    "Nobody said you were."
    Ori plowed right on. "I still have some use, even if it's not appreciated."
    "Of course you're appreciated," Ann murmured dutifully. "What time's she coming?"
    "About nine, she said. We'll have to tear this whole place apart."
    "I'll take care of my room," Ann said. "Last time she was in there, I swear she went through everything I owned."
    "Well, I'm sure Maxine wouldn't do that. Besides, I already told her to do the floors in there and take down the drapes. I can't turn around and tell her the opposite."
    "Don't worry about it. I'll tell her myself."
    "Don't you hurt her feelings," Ori warned.
    "All I'm going to do is tell her I'll clean my own room."
    "What do you have against the woman? She's always liked you."
    Royce stirred irritably. "Goddamn it, Ori. There's such a thing as privacy. If she doesn't want Maxine in her room, then so be it. Keep her out of my room, too, while you're at it. I feel the same way Ann does."
    "Well, pardon me, I'm sure!" Ori snorted.
    Ann seemed surprised by Royce's support, but she didn't dare comment. I'd seen his loyalties alter inexplicably, but there didn't seem to be any pattern to the shift. As a result, she was often caught up short or in some way made to look foolish.
    Ori was now annoyed and her face was set with stubbornness. She lapsed into silence. Ann studied her dinner plate. I was casting about desperately for a reason to excuse myself.
    Royce focused on me. "Who'd you talk to today?"
    I hate being quizzed at the table. It's one of the reasons I choose to eat alone. I mentioned my conversation with Daisy and the brief interview with the dentist. I was detailing some of the background information I'd picked up on Jean when he cut me off.
    "Waste of time," he said. I paused, losing my train of thought. "That isn't clear."
    "I'm not paying you to talk to that pansy of a dentist."
    "Then I'll do it on my own time," I said. "Man's an idiot. Never had a thing to do with Jean. Wouldn't give her the time of day.