A Permanent Retirement — John Miles

The Timberdale Retirement Center in Norman, Oklahoma, wasn't a place where old people went to die. It was a community of vital senior citizens who played, partied, and well, did whatever seemed of interest. The staff was caring and concerned, ensuring that the quality of life was everything that might be expected...especially by the families footing the bills. For Laura Michaels, single mother and graduate student in sociology at the University of Oklahoma, her job at Timberdale was not only rewarding - if you discounted the center's manager, Mrs. Judith Epperman (who was in regular psychic contact with Cleopatra and, maybe, Queen Victoria) or social director Francie Blake, who insisted on pretending she was not aware of the fact that she was tall, strikingly blond, model-statuesque, and overwhelmingly sexy - but offered an opportunity to earn credit by running counseling sessions. Mrs. Epperman didn't approve. And no one approved of the discovery of Cora Chandler's body. Gave the center a bad name, upset the other residents, and didn't help at all in the planning of the next major social event of the season. That Maude Thuringer, a woman who loved a mystery and saw one in everything that happened, decided that Cora's death was by foul means, made things worse. Especially when Laura decided that Maude might just be right. Of course, things would be much easier if Maude hadn't decided that Laura was the prime suspect. And if Aaron Lassiter, the deputy sheriff, hadn't been quite so good-looking and just plain nice, and especially if Francie hadn't noticed that fact, too. And things would certainly have been easier if Laura hadn't been receiving those strange phone calls. Or been hit on the head. Or if the next body hadn't been found...