was that he was throwing up. Not that she blamed him.
A sudden gust of wind roared over the house. She
heard a garbage-can lid rattle, roll, and clank outside.
She knew that Joe must be swearing a blue streak.
“Mr. Zepf,” she called softly, moving down the hallway. “Can I help you?”
Bruno didn’t move. His robes sagged around him
and the headpiece was askew. Judith moved closer. She
couldn’t see his face above the sink.
Then, as she reached the kitchen table, she realized
that Bruno’s face was in the standing water from the
plugged-up drain.
“Mr. Zepf!” she cried, fear seizing her like an iron
clamp. She lurched at him, shaking his arm. “Mr.
Zepf!” she cried again.
Bruno Zepf slumped farther into the sink, his burly
upper body carrying him forward. With trembling fingers, Judith searched for a pulse. There was none. She
felt faint, but kept shaking Bruno’s arm. Then she noticed that the broken cupboard door was wide open.
And above the sink, suspended from the single light
fixture, was a big black spider.
SEVEN
JUDITH DIDN’T HEAR Joe come running down the
hallway. She was aware of his presence only when
he grabbed her by the shoulders and gently but
firmly pushed her out of the way.
“Call 911,” he ordered in a calm but emphatic
voice. “I’ll try to resuscitate him.”
A flicker of hope sparked in Judith’s breast.
“He’s alive?”
Joe didn’t reply. He hauled Bruno onto the floor
and started CPR. Judith couldn’t remember where
she’d put the phone. She finally buzzed the receiver
from its base and heard it beep from the opposite
kitchen counter.
How could she explain that a man might have
drowned in the kitchen? Not a swimming pool, not
a bathtub, not a hot tub, but a kitchen sink. Fumbling with the buttons on the phone, Judith felt
giddy. She wouldn’t give the details. She was afraid
to, for fear of becoming hysterical. Or worse yet,
disbelieved.
Finally she got a grip on her composure and informed the operator that there was a man near death.
Or already there, Judith thought dismally. Help was
required immediately. The operator told her to stand
by, someone should arrive at Hillside Manor in just a
few minutes.
“But,” Judith said in amazement, “I haven’t given
