Thirteen Diamonds

was with Carol at Silver Acres, but when we called there we got Carol's voice mail.”
    “We called Tess' apartment, but she hadn't seen Gogi for an hour or so,” Sandra said. “So we decided to drive the route from Silver Acres to Dad's house. Fortunately, Silver Acres is almost on the way from my condo to Dad's place. We didn't see Gogi's car in the main parking lot there...”
    “Or Carol's car,” Mark cut in.
    “Then we drove directly to the farm and ran into Lillian and Carol on the road. It's a good thing you carry a cell phone, Gogi.”
    “Modern technology is sometimes useful,” I said, remembering that Carol had said the same thing about forging my signature. I was gratified that Sandra had been cooking a meal for Mark. Nowadays, if a woman sleeps with a man, it means little. But if a woman cooks for a man, it can mean a lot.
    “I still can't picture Carol as a murderer,” Albert said, shaking his head.
    I don't know whether Albert was more upset by the fact that Carol was a murderer or that she was two-timing him. She was in jail, without bail. Ellen had also been arrested, but she had already bailed herself out. Apparently, she wasn't a danger to the community. At least, she should be ejected from Silver Acres, like I was. In any case, I wasn’t planning to eat dinner with her any time soon.
    “One more question, Lil,” Tess said. “Why didn't Joe carry out the plan to kill you?”
    “Joe was going to kill me on orders from Carol because he was in love with her,” I explained. “So I put a doubt into his head; I told him a lie—I told him that Carol had slept with Albert.”
    “A lie?” Albert asked. Then he looked around the room and decided not to say any more. Instead, he said, “Well, Mother, now that you're back here I hope you're going to act more like a retired person.” But he said it somewhat defensively. After all, he had cooperated in getting me thrown out.
    “Cross my heart,” I said, making the motion, but of course I crossed my fingers also.
    Wesley poked his head in the open door and said, “May I come in?”
    I invited him to join us and introduced him to the people he didn't already know. When he had a cup of coffee in his hand he said, “I now have the proof that Carol was embezzling money. The figures she was feeding the bookkeeper don't match the actual bank balances.”
    “Joe may have gotten some of that money too,” I said.
    “Poor Joe,” Wesley said. “He was a good man. I think Carol corrupted him.”
    “He died for me,” I said, suddenly choked up. I almost added that in a vote between him and me I would have voted for him to live.
    “The Board will have to hire a new director now,” Tess said.
    “They're already working on that,” Wesley said. “And they have commissioned a complete audit of the books. It's about time.”  He turned to me. “I had to get Angie transferred to the skilled nursing building. I couldn't take care of her any longer. We don't know...how long she's going to last.”
    “Oh,” I said. I was always shocked to hear that one of the residents had deteriorated or died, even when I had expected it. “I'm sorry.”
    “So I don't have a dinner companion. Perhaps you and Tess would like to join me for dinner in the dining room once in a while.”
    I didn't say anything. Tess glared at me and said, “Of course we will.”
    Of course we will. Anyone who can manipulate numbers the way Wesley can isn't all bad.

APPENDIX
     
    SOLUTION TO THE “ODDBALL” PUZZLE
     
    Given: You have 12 balls that look identical and a balance scale. One of the balls is heavier or lighter than the others. In no more than three weighings on the balance scale, find the oddball and determine whether it is heavier or lighter than the others.
     
    Solution: Divide the 12 balls into three groups of four, A, B and C, and give each ball a number within each group. Weigh the four Group A balls against the four Group B balls. If this weighing is in balance, the oddball is in Group C. Go to V to continue. If this weighing is not in balance, note which group is heavier (and which lighter) and go to I.
     
I.               The oddball is in Group A or Group B. Set up a second weighing. On the side of the scale on which Group A was placed at the first weighing, place the following balls: A1, B2 and B3. On the other side of the scale place B1, A2 and C1. If this weighing is in balance, go to II. If the scale tilts the same way it did at the