Nancy?”
“Yes,” Judith said in a testy voice. “She was here
SUTURE SELF
165
and then she left. She couldn’t find your mother’s
worry beads.”
“Oh.” Bob Jr. looked forlorn. “Darn.”
Judith regretted her sharp tone. It wasn’t Bob Jr.’s
fault that she was in a bad mood. “I imagine Nancy
went off to search wherever else your mother had been
after she’d called on us.”
But Bob Jr. shook his head. “Mom wasn’t anywhere
else after we met her in this room. We went straight
down to the staff lounge.”
“What about before your mother came in here?” Judith asked, making an effort to be helpful.
Bob Jr. had moved closer to the bed, and appeared
as if he’d like to sit down. “Do you mind?” he asked,
pointing to the chair and panting a bit.
“Not at all,” Judith replied. “Do you feel ill?”
“Sometimes.” Bob Jr. sat down with a heavy sigh. “I
think Mom called on Mr. Kirby before she came to see
you and that other lady. I’ll check in there as soon as I
catch my breath. He’s close by, right?”
Judith nodded. “Next door.”
Bob Jr. also nodded, but didn’t speak.
“Have you been hurrying?” Judith asked, still feeling a need to make up for her previous curt manner.
Bob Jr. shook his head. “No. It’s my condition.”
“Oh?” Judith put on her most sympathetic expression. “Would it be rude to ask what that might be?”
“Yes.” The young man took a deep breath, then got
to his feet.
“I’m sorry,” Judith apologized. “I won’t pry anymore.” She paused, hoping that Bob Jr. might give her
a hint. But he just stood there, looking desolate. “How
is your mother doing with the funeral plans? It must be
very hard for her.”
166
Mary Daheim
“It is,” Bob Jr. said, very solemn. “Sometimes she
feels like she’s responsible for all these deaths.”
“Why is that?” Judith inquired.
“Because,” Bob Jr. said, “she thinks she was the vessel.” Anxiously, he looked over his shoulder, toward
the hallway. “I’ll check with Mr. Kirby now. I should
have done that first before coming in here. I know how
anxious my mother was to see him.”
Bob Randall Jr. made his exit, leaving Judith puzzled. And very curious.
ELEVEN
BOB JR. HAD scarcely been gone more than a few
seconds when Renie returned. “In the nick of time,”
she said. “I just met Bob Jr. going into Addison
Kirby’s room as I was leaving.” Renie stopped at the
end of Judith’s bed and peered at her cousin.
