and onion and cream cheese and capers? That should
give me some strength.”
“Gee,” Judith said as the waitress trotted off, “I’m
glad you’re not hungry.”
“I’m not.” Renie sighed. “But I can’t allow myself
to become frail. Now tell me what’s going on at the
B&B.”
Judith complied, relating the rubber-spider incident
as well as the quarrel between Dade Costello and
Chips Madigan.
“Chips?” Renie said. “He doesn’t seem like a
fighter.”
“He’s tougher than he looks,” Judith said. “He has
to be, to deal with all those inflated egos when he’s directing a movie.”
Renie tipped her head to one side in a gesture of assent. “Could you catch any of the exchange between
Chips and Dade?”
“Not much,” Judith admitted. “It sounded as if they
might be arguing about the script. They disagreed
about something or other. Maybe interpretation?
Would that make sense?”
“Yes,” Renie said slowly, “it could. Dade told me
“He told me the same thing.” Judith paused as the
salads arrived and the waitress sprinkled black pepper
over them. “Have you ever heard of it?”
“No,” Renie replied, attacking a plump pink prawn.
“I got the impression it was published years ago.”
“The concept for the movie sounds kind of weird,”
Judith said, “though I’m no film expert.”
Renie nodded. “I thought so, too. But I guess we’d
have to see it first. Bruno Zepf is a remarkable filmmaker. Remember his last movie,
“I remember when it came out,” Judith said, savoring the tangy dressing on her salad. “But I didn’t see
it.”
“Neither did I,” Renie responded, buttering a slice
of Irish soda bread. “I heard it was a big hit, though,
and I think the critics liked it. It was about the terrible
flu epidemic of 1918, with imagery of the Black
Death. Or so Bill told me. He watched it on video one
night while I was at a baby shower for one of Anne’s
girlfriends.” Renie’s face fell. “Oh, gosh—do you suppose I’ll end up being a grandmother after all?”
“Why so glum?” Judith queried as the rest of their
order arrived. “I thought you envied my status.”
“I did. I do.” Renie sprinkled salt and pepper on her
bowl of chowder, then broke up a handful of water
