Suture Self : A Bed-and-breakfast Mystery

bed and almost drove Judith nuts.

Heather Chinn showed up before Judith could

threaten to throttle Renie. “What can we do for you?”

she asked in her pert voice.

“ ‘We’?” Renie retorted. “I don’t see anybody but

you. And you can get me a big ham sandwich, preferably with Havarti cheese and maybe a nice sweet

pickle. I don’t care much for dills. They’re too sour,

except for the ones my sister-in-law makes.”

“Excuse me?” said Heather, her almond eyes wide.

“What became of your lunch?”

Renie tapped a finger against her cheek. “What be-

came of my lunch? Let me think. It came, but it didn’t

be a lunch. That is, it was not edible.” She pointed to

the small grinning doll that rested next to the Kleenex

box on the nightstand. “I wouldn’t feed that swill to

Archie.”

“That’s a shame,” Heather said with a tilt of her

head. “I see Mrs. Flynn found it edible. She’s almost

finished. How was the lime Jell-O, Mrs. Flynn?”

“Um . . .” Judith gazed at the small green puddle that

was left on her plate. Lime was not her favorite flavor,

but that wasn’t the hospital’s fault. “It was . . . fine.”

“Jell-O, huh?” said Renie. “I thought it was a dead

frog.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for the evening meal,

Mrs. Jones,” Heather said, at her most pleasant. “I

don’t think you’ll starve. Aren’t you just a teensy bit

squirrel-like?”

182

Mary Daheim

“Are you referring to my teeth? ” Renie asked, looking outraged. “Are you making fun of my overbite because my parents couldn’t afford braces?”

Heather’s eyes grew even wider. “Goodness, no. I’d

never do such a thing. You have very nice teeth.

They’re just . . . sizable. I meant your little stash of

treats in that rather large grocery bag on the other side

of the bed.”

“Oh, that.” Renie attempted to look innocent.

But Judith seized the moment. “Don’t be too hard on

my cousin,” she said. “She’s always had a lot of allergies and is used to providing her own food. I suspect

that many patients do that.”

“Well,” Heather said, “some, of course. But your

cousin—all of our patients—are asked to put down any

allergies when they fill out the admitting forms. That’s

so the dieticians can avoid foods that may cause an allergic reaction. I’m sure you both filled out those sections.” Heather cast a sly glance in Renie’s direction.

Renie was still pouting.

“I understand,” Judith said. “But it’s a funny thing

about illness. You get certain cravings. One time after