A Taste of Death (Maggie Olenski Series) by Mary Ellen Hughes Page A
Authors: Mary Ellen Hughes
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ski lethargy. Why not do it now, she thought, and possibly get directions to another computer place at the same time? She climbed over the snow bank at the side of the road and crossed the street.
The bell over the door tinkled lightly when Maggie walked in, and Elizabeth looked up from the rear of the small shop and smiled. She stood at a table of books, clipboard in hand, wearing a soft looking peach-colored sweater and brown skirt that complimented her coloring. Her light brown hair curled gently onto her shoulders.
"You're Dyna's friend , Maggie, aren't you? Welcome to my little shop," she said.
"Thank you. I was so glad to see you open this early," Maggie said. S he loosened her jacket and shivered as a few snowflakes slid from her collar onto her neck.
"It's a beautiful day to be out if you like snow, ” Elizabeth said, “ but still cold. Come over here and warm up with some tea." Elizabeth indicated a small table in the corner with two chairs and a large tea pot, evidently kept there for the comfort of her customers. She poured out a delicious-smelling spicy tea for Maggie, then a cup for herself, and sat down with her in the second chair.
"Business is slow at this time of day, but I've been doing inventory. I'm glad to take a break."
Maggie looked around. It was a small shop, but it made the most of its space. Besides the welcoming aroma of the tea, there were quaint touches here and there, such as a stuffed Peter Rabbit sitting on top of the children's books section, and a bowl of wooden vegetables tucked in the middle of the cookbooks. A black cat peeked out from the shelves of the mysteries. Maggie had to look twice to be sure it wasn't real.
"Dyna told me about the book you're writing. How is it going?"
Maggie winced. "It's not, I'm afraid. I seem to be setting myself up for ways to postpone starting on it." She told Elizabeth about her laptop's missing power adapter and her futile search so far to find another one.
"If you keep going up Main Street and take a right onto Hudson, you'll find O'Connell's. If they don't have what you need, I'm sure they can help you to get it."
"Terrific! Once I finally begin working, it shouldn't take me too long to put the manuscript together. It's mostly a matter of putting all my notes and ideas into plain English."
"When it's published I'll display your book prominently in the window."
"I'd like that. Perhaps with a compass or calculator next to it?"
"How about notepaper and pencils?"
"That would be even better. Maybe the book should come with them, to encourage working out the puzzles."
Elizabeth smiled. "I'll be eager to try them."
Maggie looked at her. "You know, you're the first woman I've talked to in a long while who hasn't claimed to be just terrible at math."
Elizabeth laughed. "I guess that's going out of fashion, finally. Even the talking Barbie dolls aren't allowed to say they hate math. I never got higher than high school trig, but I always enjoyed math, liked the challenge of it." She looked pensive for a moment. "Maybe I would have majored in it, or at least minored, if I'd gone to college."
Maggie sensed a tone of wistfulness. "Something kept you from going?"
"Well, yes." Elizabeth smiled. "My mother wasn't well by the time I finished high school. She had raised me alone after my dad died when I was three, and she had a bad heart. I couldn't see letting her keep on working so that I could go on to school, and nobody was offering me full scholarships, so I got a job, and eventually became manager of this store. There are living quarters attached, and it was a good arrangement, especially as Mom got worse. I could run over whenever she needed me. She died last June."
"I'm so sorry."
Elizabeth smiled her thanks, but her eyes looked tired and sad. It would be a while yet, Maggie saw, before she was over her mother's death.
"I love the way you've fixed up the shop," Maggie said to change to a more cheerful su bject .
"Thanks. I try to switch the
The bell over the door tinkled lightly when Maggie walked in, and Elizabeth looked up from the rear of the small shop and smiled. She stood at a table of books, clipboard in hand, wearing a soft looking peach-colored sweater and brown skirt that complimented her coloring. Her light brown hair curled gently onto her shoulders.
"You're Dyna's friend , Maggie, aren't you? Welcome to my little shop," she said.
"Thank you. I was so glad to see you open this early," Maggie said. S he loosened her jacket and shivered as a few snowflakes slid from her collar onto her neck.
"It's a beautiful day to be out if you like snow, ” Elizabeth said, “ but still cold. Come over here and warm up with some tea." Elizabeth indicated a small table in the corner with two chairs and a large tea pot, evidently kept there for the comfort of her customers. She poured out a delicious-smelling spicy tea for Maggie, then a cup for herself, and sat down with her in the second chair.
"Business is slow at this time of day, but I've been doing inventory. I'm glad to take a break."
Maggie looked around. It was a small shop, but it made the most of its space. Besides the welcoming aroma of the tea, there were quaint touches here and there, such as a stuffed Peter Rabbit sitting on top of the children's books section, and a bowl of wooden vegetables tucked in the middle of the cookbooks. A black cat peeked out from the shelves of the mysteries. Maggie had to look twice to be sure it wasn't real.
"Dyna told me about the book you're writing. How is it going?"
Maggie winced. "It's not, I'm afraid. I seem to be setting myself up for ways to postpone starting on it." She told Elizabeth about her laptop's missing power adapter and her futile search so far to find another one.
"If you keep going up Main Street and take a right onto Hudson, you'll find O'Connell's. If they don't have what you need, I'm sure they can help you to get it."
"Terrific! Once I finally begin working, it shouldn't take me too long to put the manuscript together. It's mostly a matter of putting all my notes and ideas into plain English."
"When it's published I'll display your book prominently in the window."
"I'd like that. Perhaps with a compass or calculator next to it?"
"How about notepaper and pencils?"
"That would be even better. Maybe the book should come with them, to encourage working out the puzzles."
Elizabeth smiled. "I'll be eager to try them."
Maggie looked at her. "You know, you're the first woman I've talked to in a long while who hasn't claimed to be just terrible at math."
Elizabeth laughed. "I guess that's going out of fashion, finally. Even the talking Barbie dolls aren't allowed to say they hate math. I never got higher than high school trig, but I always enjoyed math, liked the challenge of it." She looked pensive for a moment. "Maybe I would have majored in it, or at least minored, if I'd gone to college."
Maggie sensed a tone of wistfulness. "Something kept you from going?"
"Well, yes." Elizabeth smiled. "My mother wasn't well by the time I finished high school. She had raised me alone after my dad died when I was three, and she had a bad heart. I couldn't see letting her keep on working so that I could go on to school, and nobody was offering me full scholarships, so I got a job, and eventually became manager of this store. There are living quarters attached, and it was a good arrangement, especially as Mom got worse. I could run over whenever she needed me. She died last June."
"I'm so sorry."
Elizabeth smiled her thanks, but her eyes looked tired and sad. It would be a while yet, Maggie saw, before she was over her mother's death.
"I love the way you've fixed up the shop," Maggie said to change to a more cheerful su bject .
"Thanks. I try to switch the
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