couldn’t believe it when we saw it on a TV show about
Hollywood. Millions of dollars. And we were practically on food stamps. After all those years—thirty-one,
to be exact—that son of a bitch uses Pa’s book to make
himself even more rich and famous.”
“You never forgave Bruno, did you?” Judith asked
quietly.
Meg shook her head decisively. “Never. How could
I? He ruined my life, he destroyed my future,
“Cancer,” Judith repeated. “You have cancer, don’t
you?”
Meg’s body jerked in the chair. “How do you
know?”
“I found a piece of label from a prescription bottle
in Bruno’s room the morning after he died,” Judith
said. “It was for thalidomide. If it wasn’t for Bruno and
it wasn’t for Walt, then it had to be for you. I’d heard
that the drug was being used again, this time for cancer patients. Thalidomide has proved effective in retarding end-stage cancers. I think that scrap of label
was dropped when you were exploring the upstairs.
You didn’t notice because you were too busy destroying Angela’s costume and putting the rubber spider in
Bruno’s bed.”
Meg’s gaze dropped along with her shoulders. “That
medicine helps. But it doesn’t cure. I’ve got blood cancer. Multiple myeloma, if you want to put a fancy
name to it.”
“I’m so sorry,” Judith said, feeling as if she had to
apologize for too many tragedies in Meg’s life. “When
you learned Bruno was premiering his movie here in
town, it must have come as a shock to discover that he
and his company were registered at the same B&B
you’d chosen.”
“Not really,” Meg said on a weary sigh. “It figured.
Our first trip in twenty-five years, and somehow Bruno
managed to foul it up for us. I guess that was the last
straw. It was right after that when I found out about the
cancer.”
The damp air seemed to seep into Judith’s skin; she
felt faintly chilled. The ticking of the schoolhouse
clock sounded unnaturally loud in her ears. For all she
knew, Meg had a gun in her purse. It seemed heavy,
judging from the way Meg held it. Judith braced her-
self before asking the next question. “Did you intend to
kill Bruno?”
Meg smirked before speaking. “Of course I did. I’d
wished him dead every day of my life. But then I saw
him again, after so many years.” She looked away and
