After finishing his homework on Monday night, Arnold turned on his computer. This was the time he normally brushed his teeth, but that could wait. Right now, he wanted to do some research on Pragma Senior Living.
The first thing he typed into the search box was "Pragma Senior Living lawsuit." He wasn't hoping that someone got hurt there—that would, of course, be horribly selfish—but if anyone did get hurt due to negligence, Arnold wanted to know about it.
He couldn't find any relevant results, but he knew that many lawsuits didn't make the news. He found a website with countless court case filings and docket sheets, but he didn't know enough about laws to know if any relevant documents might not be available to read.
Then Arnold searched, "Pragma Senior Living reviews." Even if Pragma wasn't causing any injuries, he wondered if anyone complained about pests. Bed bugs, roaches, termites, mice—any of those would make Grandpa reconsider.
Some of the website URLs seemed shady, so Arnold only went to a popular review site. There were only a few reviews for Pragma, and none of the posters gave less than four stars. One five star review read:
My dad LOVES Pragma Senior Living! He enjoys the meals and fishing trips, and the staff has always been friendly and accommodating. I sleep well at night knowing that my dad is happy and safe.
Arnold wondered if this reviewer's father had been happy and safe at home. Maybe Arnold's grandpa wasn't always happy—and he once broke his hip by falling down some steps—but it wasn't like Grandpa was living alone. And even though Pragma was apparently safe, there was no sure-fire way to prevent any accident. The building could burn down while Arnold was at school!
So could Sunset Arms, Arnold realized. That was something that always made him anxious, every time he heard a fire truck while in class. Hearing an ambulance caused the same feeling—feeling like his heart was about to explode as an invisible force constricted his breathing. But since he had a habit of daydreaming, his peers probably thought he was just doing that.
Now I have to worry about two buildings. How long would it take for someone to call the school if one of his grandparents got hurt at Pragma?
Arnold's door opened, and Stella stepped inside. "What's wrong, sweetie? You haven't brushed your teeth yet."
Arnold closed the review website and got up from his chair. "Sorry, Mom. I'll brush right now."
Stella looked at Arnold's computer, but said nothing.
When Arnold returned after brushing his teeth, he found that his mother had turned off his computer. He considered turning it back on, but couldn't think of many other searches he could do. Maybe Pragma Senior Living controversy? But what if a controversy didn't make the news, or was kept confidential and off the internet?
He suddenly had a wild idea, but not only could it end up backfiring, he wasn't sure if Helga would even agree to it. He certainly couldn't ask her now, by calling Big Bob's store tonight. His mind would go blank if Helga's dad answered, and Bob would probably scold Arnold for calling this late.
I'll ask her tomorrow, Arnold decided.
"You know," Arnold said, as he and Helga hung out during recess the next day, "if it had even the slightest chance of working, I'd ask you to go undercover at Pragma. You know, for info. To get dirt on the management."
"Identity fraud?" Helga looked surprised. "You'd ask me to pretend my grandma lives there?"
"Well...yeah," Arnold said. "Except I don't want you to go to juvie."
"Uh, yeah, we've been through this before! All you ever do is worry about juvie. Well, and Pragma."
Arnold didn't know how to respond to that.
"Are you worried that Pragma is unethical?" Helga said. "I'm sure Phil can figure that out on his own. I don't think they're like, murdering people. The longer he lives, the more money they make."
"I'm more concerned that they won't tell me if Grandma or Grandpa get seriously hurt." Arnold looked down at his shoes. "I mean, they...might not call the school."
Helga shrugged. "You can always ask them to."