humbly. “You’ll be put up at a lovely B&B which will
be convenient to everything. Ms. Heffelman will contact you in a day or two with the specifics.”
“Well, darn it all anyway,” Mrs. Kidd said with a
Midwestern twang. “We so enjoyed your place. How is
your mother? Edgar and I thought she was a real doll.”
A voodoo doll perhaps, Judith thought. “Mother’s
fine,” she said aloud. “Of course her memory is sometimes iffy.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Kidd said in a quiet voice. “Edgar’s
mother is like that, too. So sad. My own dear mother
passed away last winter.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Judith said.
Alice Kidd acknowledged the expression of sympathy, then paused. “You’re certain we’ll be staying in as
nice a B&B as yours?”
“Definitely,” Judith declared. Ingrid wouldn’t let her
down. She’d better not. An inferior establishment
wouldn’t be a credit to Judith or to the association Ingrid guarded like a military sentry. “Maybe even
nicer.”
“I doubt that,” Mrs. Kidd said as if she meant it.
“You’re very kind,” Judith responded. “We’ll be in
touch.”
Next she dialed the number of Walt and Meg Izard
in Riceville, Iowa. A frazzled-sounding woman answered the phone.
“Mrs. Izard?” Judith inquired.
“Yeah, right. Who is this? We’re watching TV.”
“I’m sorry,” Judith said, then identified herself as
the owner of Hillside Manor.
“What’s that?” Mrs. Izard snapped. “A rest home?
Forget it.”
“Wait!” Judith cried, certain that Meg Izard was
about to slam down the receiver. “I own the bed-andbreakfast you’re staying at in October. The nights of
the twenty-ninth, thirtieth, and thirty-first. I’m afraid
there’s been a change.”
“A change?” Meg Izard sounded perplexed. “In
what? The dates? We can’t change. We’re celebrating
our twenty-fifth anniversary.”
“The change affects your lodgings,” Judith explained. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to accommodate
you that weekend.”
“Why not?” Meg’s voice had again turned harsh.
“You got the Queen of England staying there?”
“Not exactly,” Judith replied. “I’ve had to rearrange
my schedule. Unfortunately, there’s a movie crew
coming for a big premiere.”
“Movies!” Meg exclaimed. “Who’d pay five dollars
to see a movie when they can watch it on TV a year
later? Who cares? We like our sitcoms better anyway.
