“Yes? Can I help you?”
Rachel took the lead, showing her badge and making introductions. “Agents Gift and Rivers,” she said. “We were hoping to speak with Elizabeth Foster. Are you a family member?”
“Oh, no, I’m Mrs. Foster’s caretaker. Jasmine O’Toole.”
“Is Mrs. Foster currently in?” Rachel asked. “We have some questions to ask her regarding Life Fulfilled and the process of getting on their list.”
“Well, I do know that she’s napping right now and between the three of us, I’d really prefer not to wake her. However, if you’re wanting to know about those specific things, I could help you. I sort of took over during that entire process.” She frowned a bit and gave them a soft, skeptical look. “Is that why you’re here? To talk about that whole mess?”
Jack grinned and said, “Well, it wasn’t. But if there was a mess of some kind, maybe we should hear about it.”
Jasmine nodded in understanding and stepped to the side to allow them in. She led them through a foyer that looked like something out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. There were plants in every available space, a cute coat rack, and an umbrella stand. The foyer flawlessly transitioned into a short hallway that emptied out into a den. Before they entered the den, a large kitchen opened up on the right and it was there that Jasmine led them.
“Can I get you some coffee or tea?” she asked.
“Coffee would be fantastic,” Jack said.
“Same for me,” Rachel said.
As Jasmine took mugs down and poured coffee from an expensive-looking coffee maker, Rachel got to the point. “To start off, we should tell you that the case we are working on may very well be related to the Life Fulfilled waiting list. Over the past few days, there have been two murders in the area and we’ve recently discovered that they were both names on that list.”
Jasmine paused mid-pour on the second mug. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “That’s awful.” She continued to fill the mug, a sour look on her face as a result of the news.
“Now, it’s just a working theory, but we can’t help but wonder if this murderer might be trying to shorten the waiting list for his own benefit. So we’re checking in on recent applicants for Life Fulfilled services.”
“However,” Jack said, “you mentioned a mess of some kind. What was that about?”
Jasmine brought over the coffees, bringing a small decorative bowl of sugar over as well. “Well, I wasn’t directly involved in it,” she said as she went to the fridge and got out a small bottle of creamer. “It was Mrs. Foster’s son, Charlie.”
“So what happened, exactly?” Rachel asked as she started doctoring up her coffee.
“From the way Mrs. Foster and a few folks down at the Life Fulfilled offices explain it, Charlie had no idea there would be a waiting list. He’d learned about their services online. He filled out the initial application and got a call within a few days. From what I was told, the face-to-face interview went remarkably well…until right at the end when they told him Mrs. Foster would be placed on their waiting list. At that point, he lost it. According to Mrs. Foster, it had been coming for a while. Taking care of her for so long and being fearful that she was going to die ate away at him. And right there in those offices, he just snapped.”
“Snapped how?” Jack asked.
“That depends on who you ask,” Jasmine said. “Mrs. Foster tells me that Charlie got to his feet and screamed a bit. He used some foul language and then walked out, pushing her right along in her wheelchair.”
“But Life Fulfilled has another version?” Rachel said.
“Yes. I’ve spoken with the manager and the woman who oversaw the face-to-face interview. They both say Charlie threw a chair and threatened to beat the brains out of the woman giving the interview—Beth Gantry, I think her name is. It got so heated that they called the police.”
“How long ago was this?” Rachel asked.
“Maybe two months…give or take a few days.”
“Were you working for Mrs. Foster at that time?”
“Not yet. I’d interviewed with Charlie and had gotten a call-back. I suppose you could say I was in sort of a training period when this all happened.”
“Were you surprised when you heard about the outburst?” Rachel asked. “Had you ever seen anything in him that made you think he might be prone to those kinds of actions?”
“I caught little glimmers of frustration here and there whenever he’d talk about the cost of medicine or how the insurance process was a bit too much, but nothing over the top.”
“I take it you got the job, correct?” Jack asked.
“I did.”
“And how often does Charlie come around?”