Final Appeal by Joanne Fluke Page B

she never dated. Doris had a theory about that. Since Toni’s mother had died when she was quite young, no one had taught her feminine wiles. All Toni really needed was a couple of lessons on how to catch a man, and she’d be just fine. It was a good thing Doris was around to teach her.
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    As he sat at the table, enjoying his coffee, Michael decided that even instant tasted great. Caffeine had been restricted at Oakdale, and coffee and tea were forbidden fare for patients. He could understand that sort of restriction if there were medical reasons, but it was depressing to wake up to a gloomy day at the hospital without something hot and comforting to drink for breakfast. Cold juice or cold milk as the first beverage in the morning just wasn’t right. Why hadn’t they thought to serve decaffeinated coffee? Or even hot chocolate? He felt it would give the patients a lift.
    The unfamiliar caffeine gave Michael’s system a real jolt, and he decided to make himself useful. The paper from the pickles made the whole kitchen smell like the inside of a deli. It was a nice smell, but normal people carried out their garbage every day. If he remembered correctly, he’d passed an incinerator slot by the elevator door when he’d come in last night.
    The metal door was there, right where he’d remembered it. Michael dropped his bag inside and listened to it slide down the tube and hit the hopper in the basement. He was about to close the door when someone shouted.
    â€œHello, there!”
    Michael turned to see a plump blond woman dressed in a blinding yellow warm-up suit. She was smiling, and he smiled back. Then he noticed the woman who was with her, and his smile widened. The second woman was gorgeous. She was much younger, and she had long red hair. Not even the baggy grey sweatsuit she was wearing could hide her delectable shape.
    â€œNew tenant?”
    Michael nodded. He didn’t trust his voice. The older woman had asked the question, but Michael couldn’t seem to stop staring at her companion, who was jogging in place.
    Her whole body was jiggling, and it took an effort to tear his eyes away from certain parts of her anatomy. He guessed that was because he hadn’t seen a woman in anything other than a white’s nurse’s uniform for years. Everyone wore uniforms at Oakdale, even the maintenance people. It was a convenient way to set the staff apart from the patients.
    â€œYou’re in 301?”
    Michael nodded again. The younger woman was wearing a perfume he thought he recognized. Channel No. 5? No, that wasn’t right, but whatever it was, it certainly made him feel very short of breath. The women on the staff at Oakdale hadn’t worn perfume. It was against the rules.
    â€œYou must be the strong silent type, Right?”
    Michael nodded for the third time, and the older woman laughed.
    â€œWell, you may not be much on conversation, but at least you jog. Good shoes, those Reeboks. And I like your warm-up suit. It’s that new lightweight material isn’t it? I like a man who’s serious about his workouts. Most of the people in this building think that physical fitness mean driving to pick up their pizza instead of having it delivered. Were you looking for the track?”
    Michael nodded again. He really couldn’t force out a word with the younger woman so close.
    â€œThere’s one two blocks from here, but they haven’t resurfaced it in years. I’ll show you our personal two-mile circuit instead. My name is Doris Evans, from 408. And this is Antonia Novak, apartment 305. You can call her Toni. Now, what do we call you?”
    â€œMike, My name is Mike Kruger.” Michael gave the name on the phony identification Stan had provided.
    â€œNice. I like it. Michael means ‘honorable’ in Hebrew. Of course, you probably already knew that. Most people know what their name means. Mine means ‘sea goddess’ in