Dear Tressi [✓]

24

Mrs. Waldam stood slightly swaying, with her left hand still on the door knob. Her wispy black curls—with wide streaks of grey in them—were pulled back from either side of her heart shaped face with bobby pins. Her dark eyes were wide open; she stared fixedly at Igna Peren.

"The water's dripping. Call the plumber. The sink. The water's dripping," she murmured, not taking her eyes off the warden.

Igna approached Mrs. Waldam with deliberate and exaggerated slowness. Her manner reminded Tressi of someone approaching a wounded animal. She never broke eye contact as she moved closer. But since she wasn't looking down, her foot caught the edge of her desk and she stumbled forward. Both Des and Tressi shot out their hands to try and catch her, but she steadied herself grabbing on to the edge of her desk.

"The wrench!" Mrs. Waldam shouted suddenly. "Wrenches and spanners and screws. Everywhere on the floor. Lila will trip and fall!"

Igna spoke in a soothing voice, "That wasn't a wrench, Mrs. Waldam. It was just my desk. There's nothing on the floor. Will you come with me please? Let's go back to your room." She put her arm around the old woman's waist and gently nudged her towards the door.

"Mrs. Waldam?" Tressi called, moving to stand right in front of the old woman. "Do you recognise me? I'm Tressi. Tressi Sakit. Lila's friend," she said, enunciating each word clearly.

"Lila... Lila fell. Lila will trip. Move the wrench. The water's dripping. Will you call the plumber? The water's everywhere." Mrs. Waldam's eyes were glazed over and Tressi could tell that she didn't recognise her.

Watching her face fall, Igna said, "Please don't feel bad about it. She doesn't recognise anybody. She's under a lot of medication. She doesn't even know where she is."

She smiled kindly at Tressi, who tried to look like she accepted it. But in truth, her chest constricted at the sight. Mrs. Waldam didn't deserve this. Lila didn't deserve this.

Tressi stepped aside to let them pass, but they hadn't taken two steps forward, when Patty rushed into the room. She bent down holding her knees with both hands and breathed heavily through her mouth.

"S-sorry. M-Mrs. Peren. Wah-was in the bathroom. Didn't know she left," she panted.

She shrank back from the warden's steely glare. "Honestly, Patty. I've had it up to here with you. It's pure luck she came in here, and didn't wander out into the street. What are we supposed to say to the Lepoci's if we lost her? They've paid good money for us to take care of her and you'll have to answer to them. Please take her back to her room," she said, removing her hand from Mrs. Waldam's waist.

As Patty tried to put her own arm around her, Mrs. Waldam burst into tears. "I don't want to. L-Lila. Lila... call the p-plumber," she sobbed, struggling away from Patty. In response, Patty tried to pull her back tighter; the ensuing tussle ended with both of them on the floor. Tressi and Des took in the scene totally shocked.

"Patty!" Igna shrieked, outraged. She looked like she could have murdered Patty at that second.

All three of them stepped forward to help both the women off the floor. Igna and Des moved to Mrs. Waldam, while Tressi tried to help the forgotten assistant. Mrs. Waldam clutched Des as she got up. She grabbed onto his shirt with both her hands, "The water's dripping. Fix it. I'll pay you. Lila will be here soon. The sink is leaking. P-please, water's everywhere. Fix it. I'll pay you. P-please."

Des looked utterly bewildered. "Uh... Is there actually a problem with the sink? Would you like me to take a look at it?" he asked Igna.

"Oh, no, no, Mr. Gemira. It's already fixed. She's a... little out of touch with stuff. It's all taken care of. Let me just take her back to her room and I'll speak with you shortly." She took Mrs. Waldam by the elbow, but the old woman refused to budge.

Clutching Des more tightly, she screamed, "THE SINK IS LEAKING. I SAID I'LL PAY YOU. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?"

Des now looked completely terrified. Igna interjected quickly, "Mrs. Waldam, I'll ask him to fix it. Please let go of his shirt."

"H-he'll fix it?" Mrs. Waldam asked, tears still in her voice.

"Yes. He's just coming right up. Will you please come with me to your room? The sink will be all nice and ready soon," Igna said, taking her by the elbow once more.

"Let me, Mrs. Peren. I'll be very careful this time," Patty said eagerly stepping forward, desperately wanting to get back in Igna's good graces. But the warden didn't relinquish her grip on Mrs. Waldam. So she continued, "I'm sure you'll not want to keep these nice people waiting. I'll make sure she doesn't trip."

Igna looked hesitant, but she handed Mrs. Waldam over to Patty with a final warning to be extremely careful and turned to face the couple.

"Is she going to be okay?" Tressi asked as soon as Mrs. Waldam had left.

"Yes. She... needs medical attention. We aren't equipped to provide that here. So she's being shifted to a mental health facility this week."

"Oh god!" Tressi exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand. She hastily wiped the tears that were beginning to fall thick and fast, away from her cheeks.

Igna explained, "No, this really will be a good thing for her. She'll get proper medical attention and I'm sure her condition will improve a lot. She's gonna be fine, Tressi."

Tressi knew what she was saying was right. Besides, Dax had already told her this. So it wasn't like she was unaware of Mrs. Waldam's condition. But seeing it in person was so much worse than hearing about it. "She's really going to be okay?" Tressi asked, desperate for assurance.

Igna nodded. "Yes. In fact, we are having a get-together here tomorrow night. So that Mrs. Waldam can see her friends before she leaves for the facility. It would be great if you'd consider attending. Though she may not recognize anybody, it will still be good for her to know she's loved."

"We'll be there," replied Tressi.

"That's great! I'm sure Mrs. Sakit too, will be pleased to know you'll be there. I'll be sure to tell her when she returns."

"She's not here?" Des asked, startled.

"No. She had to go to Minty for a check-up. We don't have specialised diagnostic centres here in Lapec. But she'll be back in time for the get-together tomorrow."

There was nothing else to say. They thanked Mrs. Peren and left. The day had been a waste. They hadn't gotten any farther along towards solving Edda's murder.

"A party, huh?" Des asked, as they walked back to their car through the sprawling lawns of Rothan's.

"Don't get your hopes up," Tressi said darkly. "Parties in Lapec are never what you expect them to be."