if she was the one who had unwittingly delivered the
drugs that killed Somosa and Fremont and maybe her
own husband?”
Renie frowned at Judith. “You mean in Randall’s
Wild Turkey or something that one of the other two
had brought in from outside?”
Judith nodded. “Somebody—maybe it was
Heather—mentioned that other patients besides us had
had food or beverages smuggled into the hospital.
180
Mary Daheim
Whoever got them for the patients may have conned
Margie into delivering the stuff. Maybe that’s where
the drugs were administered, rather than in the IVs.”
“Creepy,” Renie remarked as their luncheon trays
arrived.
sniffs. “What now, plastics?”
Judith, however, usually enjoyed what looked like
chicken-fried steak. She liked green noodles, too, and
lima beans. “I can eat it,” she said, taking a bite of the
chicken. “It’s not bad.”
Renie’s response was to heave her lunch, tray and
all, into the wastebasket. “Berfle,” she said in disgust.
“Where’s Mr. Mummy?”
“Coz,” Judith said with a scowl, “you’re not going to
order out again, are you?”
“Why not?” Renie said, picking up the phone. “Lots
of places are probably delivering today. They’ve
chained up.”
But Renie’s attempts proved futile. Even Bubba’s
Fried Chicken had decided to close for the duration.
“This town is full of scaredy-cats,” Renie declared.
“They’re too cowardly to go out in a little bit of snow.”
“You won’t drive in it,” Judith noted. “You never do.
Why should other people risk it?”
“Because they have hamburgers and french fries and
malted milks to deliver, that’s why,” Renie declared.
“Forget it,” Judith said, scooping up lima beans.
“You’re getting on my nerves.”
“So what am I going to eat for lunch?” Renie demanded.
“Dig some of it out of the wastebasket,” Judith said
with a shrug. “It’s clean.”
“I can’t eat that swill,” Renie said, pouting.
“Then get something out of your goodies bag,” Ju-SUTURE SELF
181
dith shot back. “Just put something in your mouth so
you’ll stop complaining.”
Renie rang her buzzer. In the five minutes that she
waited for a response, she didn’t say a word. Instead,
she drummed her fingernails on the side of the metal
