"Walter, I DON"T think this will work. I think there will be too many people out there who know us," Ruby complained.
"Relax, Ruby. It'll work out just fine. You said yourself that you hardly ever go to Sheridan anymore," Walt replied.
"Yes, but I'm too young for that place," Ruby exclaimed.
"I know," Walt responded, giving careful thought to his next words. "But you're the closest in age. Clearly no one else here is a candidate for this."
"But…Walter!" Ruby pleaded.
Walt used one of his interview strategies. To signal an end to the discussion Walt got up from his chair and walked around his desk to stand beside Ruby. He put his arm around her and did his best to make her feel guilty.
"Ruby, please. You know I wouldn't normally pressure you in this way. But there have been all these thefts from the Sheridan Seniors' Villa. It's gotten out of control for them, and you know I owe the Sheriff there a big favour for all the help he gave us last fall when I was laid up." Walt thought back to that unpleasant month last fall when he had gotten pneumonia and was laid up at home.
Sheriff Dalton had covered a fair bit of the administrative chores, helping Ruby with the dreadful quarterly reports and also the budget projections for the new mayor. Thankfully idiot Sawyer was long gone. It had taken the new mayor some time to become oriented to some ASD procedures. Walt had spent almost a week in the hospital and then was forced to spend two weeks at home recuperating. Vic had been a big help, but he had also needed someone at Dalton's level to fill in with some of the tasks.
"I know, Walter, but…" Ruby had run out of excuses.
"It's ok, it won't be for long. Maybe a week, tops," Walt said. "We'll get you signed in and then you can snoop around, and help us catch the thief. There're worried that things might escalate from petty theft of watches and cameras to theft of drugs."
"When does my sentence begin? I'll need a few days to do some cooking for Bill. You know he'll starve without me," Ruby said with a sigh.
"How about next Monday? I'll set everything up with Dalton. He said his nephew could come and pick you up, so no one recognizes any of us at the home," Walt concluded.
The rest of the week passed quickly for Ruby, who scurried around the office, making arrangements and leaving a lot of post-it notes for the group to follow while she was away. She also scurried around at home, making casseroles and doing laundry for her husband Bill, who was self-declared as helpless without her. She secretly knew that Bill was quite capable on his own, but he played up the helpless role, she guessed, to show his love for her. Or at least his love for her cooking.
At the appointed hour on the following Monday morning, Sheriff Dalton's nephew Jeremy picked Ruby up and drove her to the Seniors' Villa in Sheridan.