Chapter 4: A Visit with MomVelma had scared Khaled so much that he let me off early, opposed to making me stay late like he did most days. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I actually had enough time to stop by Pine Shade Retirement Homes. I parked my mustang across the street from the building, knowing that most of the residents needed to be as close to the front door as possible, and dodged traffic to sprint across the road.
The normal secretary was sitting at the register desk, the one with dark skin and a sweet smile. She waved me through as soon as I walked in the door, “Long day?”
“You know it,” I said breathlessly, “What about you?”
“Always,” She smiled before returning to her computer screen.
I made my way down the same bleak, monochrome hallway that I’ve been wal
