She didn’t react to his admission of attempted trickery. Instead, she cocked her head to one side and appeared to be deep in thought. “Miss Miller is no longer a resident here. She left yesterday afternoon.” The woman spoke much more slowly, incorporating the event into her worldview.

Ted found he wasn’t surprised at all. He was still a step or two behind the opposition. “Who authorized her move?”

She drew herself up. He had maligned her personal integrity. “It was all quite regular. The gentlemen from the ambulette company came with a signed court order.” The words came faster this time.

He stopped himself from grinding his teeth. “Who gave the authorization?” A judge, obviously, but Ted wanted to see the name on the form. “May I get a copy?”

“That is not possible. Patient records are inviolate.” She was back at full throttle, consonants leapfrogging over vowels, syllables indicated rather than realized.

Lester rolled his eyes.

“Tell me this, then,” Ted said, slowing his own speech in hopes that doing so might have some effect on her. “Isn’t this all a bit unusual? Don’t you usually get notice well in advance?”

“One moment,” she said and turned and walked into an office, almost immediately reappearing with another woman. She rattled off an introduction, and this time Ted caught the essential information. This was the staff social worker, Mrs. Starkey. Or Stocky. Or possibly Sparkey or Spaaki.

She was a harried, frizzy-haired woman whom Ted guessed to be in her early sixties, and judging by the dark bags under her eyes and her well-gnawed lower lip, she was counting the days to retirement. The director left her in charge and strode back to the office.

“Barbara Miller was transferred to a full-service nursing facility out of state. The paperwork was all in order, but nevertheless, I would not have authorized the move if I did not think it was in my client’s best interest. Obviously.” She was firm but pleasant, and she spoke at a normal pace.

“Of course not,” Ted said. As long as she was talking, he thought he could take a direct approach. “Where did they take her?”

He’d misjudged her. “What was your association with Miss Miller?”

“I’ve already explained—” Ted began.

“Not to me,” she said, laying out the rules of engagement.

“Business partners. I’m concerned for her. We have competitors who would not refrain from trickery, or worse, to gain an advantage.”

“Nonsense. Barbara Miller could not be your business partner, because she has been judged to be incompetent to handle her affairs.”

“As of when?” This could invalidate the claim to the surplus money, leaving Ted with no legal standing. And no leverage.

“This week. I suggest you take your concerns to the county court.”