good. My favorite is the one with shrimp.”
Judith sampled a bite from the mound that was primarily white. “This
SUTURE SELF
293
Renie followed her cousin’s lead. “It could also be
library paste. Oddly, I used to like library paste when I
was a kid. Sometimes I’d ask to be kept in for recess
just so I could be alone and eat the paste.”
“You also ate erasers, as I recall,” Judith said, trying
the mostly green salad next. “If you could eat stuff that
really wasn’t edible, why can’t you eat hospital food?”
She swallowed the mouthful of green and let out a startled cry. “Mrrff! That’s not very good.” Judith choked
twice before she could get whatever it was down into
her digestive tract.
“I refuse to try the red stuff,” Renie declared. “I’m
sure it has tomato aspic in it. I hate tomato aspic. These
so-called salads should be taken out and shot. Maybe
they’re wholesome, possibly even nutritious, but to
me, they’re an insult. I’m personally offended by being
forced to consider this ersatz meal as food.”
Judith gazed inquiringly at Renie. “For once, I almost wish you’d say all that nonsense again.”
“Huh?” Renie looked surprised.
“I think,” Judith said deliberately, “you may have
just enlightened me as to the killer’s identity.”
NINETEEN
RENIE WAS AMAZED by Judith’s theory. She was even
more astonished by the alleged motive. “What,” she
asked in an awestruck voice, “are you going to do
about it? You have absolutely no evidence.”
“That’s the problem,” Judith said, looking worried. “Not to mention that the whole thing’s so crazy
I can’t be absolutely sure. If only Joe had seen who
attacked him.”
“DNA,” Renie put in. “There’s got to be some
trace of the killer in our car.”
“That doesn’t prove that person was the killer,”
Judith pointed out.
“You’re right.” Renie scowled at the salad
mounds on her plate, then dumped them in the
wastebasket. “I’m thinking, honest.”
Judith set the luncheon tray aside and picked up
the phone. “I’m not going to eat this slop, so I’ll call
Woody instead.”
Woody was about to leave for the hospital to see
Joe. Although he tried to sound enthusiastic about
Judith’s idea, a note of skepticism lingered in his
mellow voice. “I’ll certainly have the Joneses’
Camry checked out. Don’t let Bill drive it anywhere
until we’ve finished.”
