The morning passed slowly. Ruby, being a diligent detective, had already roamed about the complex several times, looking for clues and suspicious characters. She carried a stained tea towel with her, and had her small digital camera hidden in the front pocket of her hoodie, ready for action. She lingered in the laundry room, pretending to look for some spot cleaner for her tea towel. She opened cupboards and checked lint traps for clues. She heard voices in the hallway and leaned near the doorway to listen in. Although nothing viable revealed itself, she had filled quite a few pages in her little notebook with notes and theories, eager to discuss these with Vic.

Ruby was feeling a bit lonely and wished that Vic's visit would come sooner. Ruby was also worried. Another theft occurred while she was in residence. A very elderly gentleman experiencing dementia appeared to have lost his wallet. A thorough search was launched with no results. Since the man seldom left the residence and his wallet was typically only stored in his night stand drawer, the only conclusion that anyone could make, was that the wallet had been stolen.

Vic finally came to see her auntie. Ruby walked her around the complex, giving her a tour of the facilities. They encountered a number of residents along the way. "Holy shit, Ruby. This place is full of old farts," Vic exclaimed in a rather loud voice. Then she saw Ruby scowl at her. "Oops," Vic said in response, hoping she hadn't hurt anyone's feelings. "Had better use my inside voice," Vic said in apology to Ruby.

"Vic, please. Remember that I have to live with these people," Ruby said, NOT amused by Vic's coarse language. Ruby wasn't truly mad at Vic, rather she felt that Vic should remember to behave as a professional and a public servant, even if she was pretending to be Ruby's niece and not a cop.

They wandered back to Ruby's room. Since they had privacy and were under no real time pressure, Vic and her Aunt Doreen/Ruby had a heart-to-heart discussion about aging. Vic was a bit surprised to learn that Ruby was 66 and that sadly, Alzheimer's disease had made an appearance in her family tree. Ruby was a bit worried about that. Vic was saddened at the thought that one day Ruby would retire from the ASD.

Vic, a bit ashamed of herself, admitted to Ruby that she didn't feel particularly close to her parents, although she had felt a closeness with her mom for a time before she left Philly. Although Vic felt that Sean was a nice man and had a reasonably successful career, she felt that her parents did not approve of her marriage. And they had certainly not been pleased by her recent divorce. Her dad had always felt distant, as though his interests were with his police brethren rather than with his own family. He had strayed twice from his wife when Vic and her brothers were in their teens. Vic's mom never forgave him for that, and yet she had remained married to him. Vic suspected her mom may have had an affair of her own once, but it was never discussed. Thus Vic had developed a somewhat skewed vision of marriage. She was never able to figure out why her dad was unfaithful, nor why her mom stayed with him. She was privately a bit fearful that her failed marriage with Sean was, in part, a result of her upbringing and her parents' influence.

Vic vowed to make more of an effort to communicate with her folks, her mom in particular. As well, she made a mental note to be a little more supportive of Ruby and Bill, in case they needed anything as they aged. Sure, they had family nearby, but Vic had grown very fond of Ruby, who was like a second mother to her. It would be nice to be more helpful. Gradually Vic sensed that she was putting down roots in Wyoming and it was beginning to feel good. In a number of ways, she felt closer to the folks she met through her work at the ASD, than she did with her own family back in Philadelphia.

The conversation about family wound down and they began to chat about the recent crimes. Vic wanted to see the man's room and to try and interview him about the missing wallet, but it seemed risky. She didn't want to blow her cover. It still had to be determined whether the wallet was really stolen, or whether it been misplaced. Maybe Vic could coach Ruby in interviewing techniques. Or at least offer some help with a line of questioning.

"Ruby, could you find a way to ask him where he normally kept his wallet? Maybe you could ask him for advice for yourself, like where's a good place for me to lock up my valuables," Vic offered. "Does the fellow have any family? Maybe a son or daughter was keeping the wallet safe with them off site," Vic speculated. "Could you ask if anything else was missing from his room, like a camera or cel phone?"

"Sure, Vic. I'll find a way to ask about that. I think I sat near the fellow at dinner last night and we exchanged a few pleasantries. So shouldn't be that difficult to strike up a conversation with him."

Although it seemed a bit bold, Ruby asked Vic if she thought that she could be trained and authorized to take fingerprints, starting with the laundry room. Vic was amused by the thought – she pictured Ruby holding a magnifying glass, like Sherlock Holmes. Vic thought that it may not be possible, but she said she could check with Walt. Vic was totally impressed when Ruby showed her the meticulous notes she had been keeping about her observations at the facility.

A little later on, when Ruby stepped out for a few minutes to have her blood pressure checked at the drop-in clinic, Vic thought she would wander around a bit. Ruby didn't have high blood pressure, but they both thought it would be another opportunity for Ruby to snoop around the facility. As Vic walked past the front desk towards the dining room, she heard an outbreak of loud voices coming from further down the hall. Her heart raced as she walked quickly towards the area where the noise was coming from. It sounded like a heated argument.

All of a sudden, Vic was tackled and violently pushed into the wall. She hit her shoulder and the side of her face on the railing that was fastened to the wall. She was shocked at the force behind the tackle. The effect had been amplified because Vic had been caught off guard. She had no time to plant her feet or put her hand out to stop her momentum. She huddled there for a moment, crouched on her knees, in pain. "Holy Hannah," she thought. "At an old folks' home, no less. These people are all a hundred years older than me," she thought.

She felt a warm hand on her back and a gentle voice reassuring her, "Vic, dear, are you alright." It was Ruby/Aunt Doreen to the rescue.

After a moment, Vic managed to catch her breath. "I think so," she gasped, feeling pain on her left side where she was tackled, as well as pain on her right side from hitting the wall. "I didn't even see who it was."

Ruby was entering the hallway when Vic was attacked. All Ruby had managed to see was the back end of a tall man, moving quickly down the hallway, past Vic. He appeared to be wearing a brown cardigan, and was heading for the stairwell at the end of the hallway. Although Ruby didn't see his face, she somehow sensed that he was much younger than any of the residents.

Thankfully, Don the Administrator had responded quickly to the commotion. He was horrified to see an injured Vic on the floor. He had not been introduced to her yet, but had speculated that she was one of Walt's deputies. He asked if Vic felt well enough to move. She leaned on his outstretched arm, and rose gingerly. "My name is Don. Are you alright?" he asked with concern in his voice. Vic rubbed her bruised shoulder, while Ruby looked at her forehead and face.

"Don, this is Victoria, my niece. She works for my friend Walter," Ruby explained, winking at Don, who immediately understood the context.

"Victoria, I'm so sorry. Can I take you to our nurse's station?"

"No need, thanks Don." Vic declined the offer. "I'm ok, just a little bruised. It happened so fast."

"Vic, dear. Let's go to my room and get you some ice," Ruby suggested, now quite worried about Vic.

"I'll get a couple of ice packs and will join you ladies in a flash," said Don.

Vic walked down the hallway, with Ruby's arm around her. Vic was touched by Ruby's loving concern. "I'm ok, really, Ruby, just have a bruise or two. I wonder what the hell that was all about?" she said, referring to Don's odd behaviour.

In the privacy of Ruby's room, Vic pulled her arm out of her shirt to let Ruby take a look at her right shoulder. A purple bruise was forming on her upper arm. An angry looking purple welt was rising on the right side of her face, below her eye.

"Ouch, that hurts." Vic winced at Ruby's ministrations, but appreciated the concern.

"Vic, we should really call Walt about this," Ruby said. "I wonder if it's some kind of warning. Could it be that someone thinks we are getting close to the thief?"

Vic marvelled at Ruby's deductive processes. "Yeah, the thought had occurred to me," whispered Vic with a slight smile on her face. They had left Ruby's door open and they were speaking quietly because they both knew that Don would be coming soon. Vic rubbed her sore shoulder.

Just then, Don appeared at the door with two small plastic ice packs. They were the kind typically found in better quality first aid kits. Small and flexible, they were effective at reducing swelling and pain. Don squeezed the packs until the chemicals inside mixed together and created the freezing effect.

Ruby eased Vic onto the small couch and made her sit still. Ruby held one of the ice packs on Vic's shoulder while Vic applied the other one to her face. "To be safe, don't keep the ice on for more than ten minutes and then take a break. You actually might want to put the ice pack in a cloth or sock to protect your skin. Maybe go through one or two cycles of icing, but no more," instructed Don. "Take a break from the ice and then you can reapply more later on today."

Vic assured Don that she would be ok. She was no stranger to injuries on the job, or the proper application of ice packs. "Of course, Don, I have to report this to Walt. He'll want to see any video footage you might have." Vic saw a strange expression flash across Don's face as she spoke. She wondered what THAT meant.

Vic offered none of her private theories or comments to Don. "Thanks, Don. I'll be ok. My auntie here will attend to me and I'll be heading out soon. Thanks for your help."

Don headed back to his office, presumably to look at the video footage and to make an incident report. Once Don was out of ear shot, Ruby closed and locked her door.

Vic lay back on the couch and closed her eyes for a moment. Ruby took the ice pack from Vic and sat there beside her, worried. Ruby kept her hand on Vic's leg the whole time. "Do you want an aspirin, honey? Or a shot of whiskey?" Ruby asked. Vic laughed and said "BOTH!" Vic wondered how much of a private booze stash Ruby had on hand. "Ruby, I'm ok, really. Just a bit sore. And surprised. You noticed that Don was behaving a bit strangely didn't you?"

"Yup. I wonder if we'll really be able to view any video footage he has," Ruby speculated. She squinted her eyes a bit, obviously mulling over her observations, which almost made Vic laugh. She thought with admiration, that Ruby may be an unfulfilled detective. They continued to speculate about Don, not sure whether he was acting a bit strangely because Vic had been attacked at his facility, or whether it was because he may have something to hide about the recent thefts. Or the attack.

Ruby couldn't wait any longer. Vic, feeling a tiny bit smothered by Ruby's constant fussing, felt the need to retreat for a moment of privacy. While Vic was in hiding in the bathroom, Ruby called Walt and informed him of the attack on Vic. She could tell by Walt's rapid breathing over the phone, that he was upset. He demanded to speak to Vic. "Just a sec, she's in the bathroom. Vic, honey, Walt wants to speak to you," Ruby said through the bathroom door.

Vic opened the door and reached for the phone which Ruby held in her outstretched hand. "Um…hi Walt."

"Vic, are you ok," Walt practically shouted into the phone. "Ruby told me that you'd been attacked. Do you want me to come over there and pick you up? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Vic rolled her eyes, a little annoyed, but of course Walt couldn't see that through the phone. "I'm ok, Walt. Really, it's nothing but a couple of bruises. I'll be fine. Here's Ruby again." Vic ended the phone call. She didn't really want to chat with Walt. She just wanted to be left alone now. She had had enough. She loved the fact that these people really cared about her, but she was also very independent and now wanted to retreat to nurse her wounds by herself.

Ruby frowned at Vic, puzzled by her behaviour. She could see Vic reaching for her jacket, making preparations to leave. "Walter, I'll call you back in a few minutes. Looks like Vic's ready to head home."

Vic gave Ruby a hug goodbye and made a rather painful drive back to Durant. On the way home, she phoned Ferg to ask him to meet her down on the street where they normally parked their vehicles. She asked him to bring the keys to her truck. Back in Durant, Vic and Ferg exchanged Vic's truck key for Ferg's Trans Am key. Ferg was shocked at the bruise on Vic's face. With a gentleness that surprised Vic, Ferg caressed her face with a look of concern. He was not sure why Vic had made him swear that he would NOT say anything to Walt about Vic's return home to Durant.

"It's ok, Ferg. I just want to go home. Ruby made a big fuss over me back there. I'm fine." She thanked Ferg and dragged herself home. "I'll send you a text later, ok. Don't worry. A couple of beer and I'll be fine." She laughed aloud, although didn't fool Ferg by that. He could tell she was really hurting, but sort of understood her need to go into hiding.