murdered.”
“Get on with it,” Judith said between clenched teeth.
“According to Margie, Bob had been an extremely
stern, demanding father,” Renie said. “The obituary the
family put together wasn’t too far off the mark. In consequence, the kids rebelled. Nancy has been fighting a
drug addiction and Bob Jr., who is gay, was tested for
HIV.”
“Good Lord!” Judith cried. “Those poor kids! And
poor Margie!”
Renie nodded. “It’s awful. But Bill didn’t know
what the results of the HIV test were because Margie
quit seeing him about that time. It seems that Bob Sr.
left quite a legacy—and it’s not in dollars and cents.”
“Not in common sense, either,” Judith murmured.
266
Mary Daheim
“He doesn’t seem to have been a very good father. I
guess he wasn’t much of a husband, either. Of course
you can’t blame him for everything. That is, children
can make choices. But to rebel, they often choose
the—” Judith stopped speaking as Margie Randall all
but pranced into the room.
“No matter what happens,” she said in a chipper
voice, “we don’t want to be glum, do we?”
“What?” Judith gasped.
“Life can be hard, so it’s not always easy to endure
what fate has in store for us,” Margie said, all smiles.
“Just tell me about Joe,” Judith said as apprehension
overcame her.
“I will,” Margie replied. “If you think you can take
it.”
Judith swallowed hard, and said she could.
SEVENTEEN
“I FOUND MR. FLYNN,” Margie Randall announced
with a triumphant expression.
“Oh!” Judith clenched her hands. “How is he?”
Margie simpered a bit. “Doing rather well,” she said
in a tone that indicated she was taking some of the
credit. “He’s expected to recover.”
Judith sagged against the pillows. “I’m so relieved! When can I see him?”
“Well . . .” Margie frowned, chin on hand, fingers
tapping her cheek. “That’s a different matter. He’s
not allowed visitors.”
“But,” Judith protested, “I’m not a visitor, I’m his
wife!”
Margie shook her head. “That doesn’t matter. Dr.
Van Boeck is back at work today, and he makes the
rules. I’m sure it’s all for your husband’s good. He
mustn’t be disturbed.”
