cup of coffee.
“So far,” Judith replied. “I think they were out very
late.” She then recounted the incidents with both the
real and the fake spiders. “Bruno certainly is superstitious.”
“Typical,” Joe remarked. “Bill once said that Hollywood types were like gamblers. It makes sense. People
who make movies are gamblers.”
An hour passed before Judith heard anyone stirring
upstairs. Finally, Winifred Best appeared, her thin face
drawn.
“Very black coffee, please. With heated rusk.”
Judith didn’t recall that rusk had been on the list of
required grocery items. Still, Winifred wasn’t the first
guest to ask for rusk instead of toast. With considerable
effort, she got down on her knees and foraged in the
cupboard next to the sink.
“Ah!” she exclaimed. “Here it is.” She got up
slowly, which was fortunate because the temperamen-
tal cupboard door had swung out on its own. Judith hit
her head, but not very hard. Muffling a curse, she
looked around for Joe, then remembered that he’d
gone to the garage to tinker with his beloved MG.
“This coffee isn’t strong enough,” Winifred announced from the dining-room table. “Please make another pot, and double the amount.”
Winifred Best wasn’t the first demanding guest that
Hillside Manor had ever hosted, so Judith calmly put a
percolator on the stove. She kept reminding herself
that the current visitors were no worse than many she’d
had stay at the B&B. It just seemed that this bunch was
a wide-screen version in Dolby sound.
Moments later the rusk had been warmed in the
oven. Judith brought it out to the dining-room table.
“Has Mr. Zepf recovered from his latest fright?” she
inquired.
“Yes,” Winifred responded, giving the rusk a suspicious look, “though the rubber spider was a bit much.”
“Do you know who put it in Mr. Zepf’s bed?”
Winifred shot Judith a withering glance. “I do not.
Was it you?”
Judith recoiled. “Of course not! Why would I do
such a thing?”
“Because,” Winifred said with ice in her voice, “no
one else would dare.”
“Well, I certainly didn’t do it,” Judith huffed. “Nor
would anyone else around here. In fact, my husband
and I are the only residents in the house.”
“As you say.” Winifred took a small bite of rusk.
“The coffee will be ready shortly,” Judith said in
stilted tones.
“I should hope so,” Winifred said. “Rusk is hard to
