It had to be You

them awake and without knitting needles, crochet hooks, or yarn in their hands. She was wishing she’d imposed the same sanctions on them that the chief of police had made for the town reporter.
    Howard asked Betty, “Did you check on Mr. Connor after this boy left?“
    “Of course she did,“ Miss Twibell said.
    Betty’s face turned pink. “In fact, I didn’t. I’d been up all night checking on him and fell asleep on the sofa out here. I didn’t wake up until around a quarter of ten.“
    “I saw her sleeping when we got here a little after nine this morning,“ Lily said. “I tried not to disturb her.“
    “And at quarter of ten was she still sleeping?“ Howard asked.
    “I don’t know. Robert and I were probably still taking the laundry downstairs by that time. I’m not wearing a watch today.“
    “Neither am I,“ Robert said.
    “Did anyone else see the young man leave?“
    “I was in my own room,“ Miss Twibell said. “Putting on real shoes before Mrs. Connor’s visit.“
    “So were we. I mean, in our room,“ Miss Smith added.
    “And when did Mrs. Connor arrive?“ Howard asked.
    “On the dot of eleven,“ Miss Twibell said. “You could set your watch by her arrival.“
    “What did she do first?“
    “Walked into his room and started complaining that he was faking being asleep,“ Betty said. “Then she must have realized that the door was open and everybody could hear her and she slammed the door. But Miss Twibell and I could still faintly hear her spouting off at him about two of their farm workers quitting.“
    “And then...?”
    Miss Twibell said, “She burst out of the room and shouted that he wasn’t breathing. Betty and I ran into the room to find out that she was right. She was still sobbing up a storm, so I took her out here and talked sense to her.“
    “What kind of sense?“
    “That she needed to make funeral arrangements. That Dr. Polhemus had to sign the death certificate before Mr. Connor could be moved. She had to consult her husband’s attorney, if he had one, about a will, and to see whether her husband had specified where he wanted to be buried. Then she pulled herself together and quit crying. I urged her to go and start this process. I wanted her to leave before the body was taken away. It’s hard on a family member to see the body being wheeled off with a sheet over its face.“
    “Where were the rest of your patients and staff while this was going on?“
    “I didn’t really notice,“ Miss Twibell replied. “I think the Brewsters were in Miss Jones’s and Miss Smith’s room. I have no idea where Mr. Farleigh was. But probably outside. He’s usually outdoors, except sometimes in the dead of winter when he’s working in his greenhouse.”
    Howard rose from his chair and said, “That’s all I need from you folks right now. I need to go to my car and get my envelopes to take away the trinkets. I need to try to find out where the grandson is now. I’ll probably have to find a judge somewhere to order an autopsy, and someone to do it. I’ll be back by at least tomorrow. Maybe sooner. Everybody,“ he said, looking around with a fierce Indian look that usually scared people, “think hard about what you saw and heard today, or even in the past, that might be relevant.”
    Howard headed back to his office at the jail, where he could place a long-distance call. His real office was at the boardinghouse, but there were too many alert, snoopy ears there. On his way, he dropped Jack off at the newspaper office with further warnings to keep what he’d heard at the nursing home confidential for the time being.
    “You will keep in touch with me about the progress of the case though, won’t you? My promise will still hold until it’s resolved,“ Jack said, and Howard agreed.
    Once he reached the jailhouse, Howard consulted his list of phone numbers and rang the operator. Last November he had had cause to be in touch with the auditor in the state capital. He didn’t need an audit this time, but thought this man might help him again. He warned the telephone exchange girl to hang up as soon as he was connected.
    When the auditor answered the phone and he heard the click of the girl hanging up, Howard reminded him of their former conversations and said, “This time it’s probably out of your realm, but you might be able to put me in touch with the right person.“
    “Glad to help if I can,“ the man replied.
    “I have a body in a funeral parlor in