“That’s a lot of help,” Meredith murmured, tapping her pen. When she added RETIREMENT to the search, she came up with an unexpected link to a newspaper article.
Dr. Vasily Adamovich, a former professor of Russian studies at the University of Alaska in Anchorage, suffered a stroke yesterday at his home in Juneau. Dr. Adamovich is well known in academic circles for his prolific publishing schedule, but friends say he is a master gardener and can tell a mean ghost story. He retired from teaching in 1989 and volunteered frequently at his neighborhood library. He is recovering at a local hospital.
Meredith picked up the phone and dialed information. The operator had no listing for a Vasily Adamovich in Juneau. Disappointed, Meredith asked for the library’s number instead.
“There are several listings, ma’am. ”
“Give me all of them,” Meredith answered, making note of each branch’s phone number.
On the fourth call, she got lucky. “Hello,” she said. “I’m trying to find a Dr. Vasily Adamovich. ”
“Oh, Vasya,” the woman answered. “No one has called for him in a while, I’m sad to say. ”
“This is the library where he volunteered?”
“Two days a week for years. The high school kids loved him. ”
“I’m trying to reach him. . . . ”
“Last I heard he was in a nursing home. ”
“Do you know which one?”
“No. I’m sorry. I don’t, but . . . are you a friend of Vasya’s?”
“My mother is. She hasn’t spoken to him in a long time, though. ”
“You do know about the stroke?”
“Yes. ”
“I heard he was in pretty bad shape. He has difficulty speaking. ”
“Okay, well. Thank you for your help. ” Meredith hung up the phone.
Almost simultaneously, Daisy walked into her office.
“There’s a problem down in the warehouse. Nothing urgent, but Hector wants you to stop by sometime today if you can. If you’re too busy, I’m sure I can solve it for you. ”
“Yeah,” Meredith said, staring down at her notes. “Why don’t you do that?”
“And then I’ll go to Tahiti. ”
“Um. Okay. ”
“On the company credit card. ”
“Uh-huh. Thanks, Daisy. ”
Daisy crossed the room in a burst of energy and sat down in the chair opposite Meredith’s desk. “That’s it,” she said, crossing her arms. “Start talking. ”
Meredith looked up. Honestly, she was surprised. What had Daisy been saying? “What?”
“I just told you I was going to Tahiti on the company dime. ”
Meredith laughed. “So you’re saying I wasn’t listening. ”
“What’s going on?”