suffocated. Maybe Bill was dead.
But Renie shook her head. “No,” she finally croaked, struggling to crawl out of the small, cramped space. “Where’s my drink?”
“You dropped it in the sink,” Joe replied, giving Renie a hand. “The glass isn’t broken. I’ll make you another.”
“Make it strong,” Renie said, then got to her feet and half fell into one of the kitchen chairs. “After all these years…” Her voice trailed off.
Judith sat down next to Renie. “Coz, if you don’t tell us what’s happening, I’m going to have to shake you.”
“I’m already shaken,” Renie replied. “Down to my toes.”
Joe gave Renie her drink, then reverted to his role as detective. “Bill told you something. Therefore, he must be alive and telephoning. Bill doesn’t like talking on the phone. Thus, he must’ve had urgent news. Come on, what was it? Something about your mother?”
Judith’s aunt Deb was the same age as Gertrude. She, too, was in frail health and had been virtually confined to a wheelchair for many years. Judith knew that it wouldn’t be surprising if Renie’s mother had…
But Renie was shaking her head. “No,” she said after taking a deep swallow from her glass. “It’s our kids. It’s why they made dinner. They thought I’d be there, along with Bill.”
Joe frowned. “Your kids? All three of them?”
“All three of them,” Renie replied after another quick quaff. “Tom, Anne, and Tony.”
“What about them?” Judith asked, beginning to calm down. If the Jones offspring could make dinner, they must be in one piece.
Renie set the glass down and wrung her hands.“They’re getting married. All three. I think I’ll faint.” She put her face down on the table.
“They’re getting married ?” Judith cried. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am.” Renie’s voice was muffled.
“Why, that’s wonderful!” Judith beamed at Joe. “It’s what you hoped for, dreamed of, wanted to…”
Renie’s head jerked up. “But it’s such a shock. I don’t know any of these people they’re marrying. Our kids have had romances that went on and on and on, then they all broke up at one time or another. But these…future in-laws…are strangers. What if they’re crazy or wanted by the police or… poor ?” Renie wrapped her hands around her neck and made a strangling gesture.
“Oh, good heavens!” Judith exclaimed. “Don’t be such a snob! Why, when Mike and Kristin got engaged I never cared for one minute if she or her family had a dime.”
“Mike had a job,” Renie pointed out. “This is different. This is…” She swigged down the rest of her drink and stood up. “I have to go home. Poor Bill. Poor me. Good-bye.” Grabbing her jacket on the way out, Renie dashed off into the rainy night.
“I hope she’s okay to drive,” Judith said with a worried expression.
“She only had one serious drink,” Joe responded. “She’ll be fine.” He patted Judith’s shoulder. “Hey, can I do anything to help with dinner?”
“Oh!” Judith jumped up. “Arlene did everything for us. I just need to heat the rolls.”
“Sounds good,” Joe said. “I’ll wander out to peek in on the guests.”
Judith clapped a hand to her head. In all the excitement over Renie, she had forgotten about the proposal to hire Joe as a private detective.
“Joe,” she said with her back to the oven, “wait. Bruno Zepf wants to hire you.”
Joe’s round face was puzzled. “Me? Why? Didn’t they bring their own security?”
“If they did, they’re at the Cascadia,” Judith replied. “I mean, they’d want their own people for the premiere and the costume ball, right?”
Joe gave a nod. “So they want me to watch out for them while they’re here?”
“Sort of,” Judith hedged. “They also want you to find out what happened to their thousand-dollar truffles.”
“Good God!” Joe paused, taking notice of Judith’s jittery movements with the oven door. “What did
But Renie shook her head. “No,” she finally croaked, struggling to crawl out of the small, cramped space. “Where’s my drink?”
“You dropped it in the sink,” Joe replied, giving Renie a hand. “The glass isn’t broken. I’ll make you another.”
“Make it strong,” Renie said, then got to her feet and half fell into one of the kitchen chairs. “After all these years…” Her voice trailed off.
Judith sat down next to Renie. “Coz, if you don’t tell us what’s happening, I’m going to have to shake you.”
“I’m already shaken,” Renie replied. “Down to my toes.”
Joe gave Renie her drink, then reverted to his role as detective. “Bill told you something. Therefore, he must be alive and telephoning. Bill doesn’t like talking on the phone. Thus, he must’ve had urgent news. Come on, what was it? Something about your mother?”
Judith’s aunt Deb was the same age as Gertrude. She, too, was in frail health and had been virtually confined to a wheelchair for many years. Judith knew that it wouldn’t be surprising if Renie’s mother had…
But Renie was shaking her head. “No,” she said after taking a deep swallow from her glass. “It’s our kids. It’s why they made dinner. They thought I’d be there, along with Bill.”
Joe frowned. “Your kids? All three of them?”
“All three of them,” Renie replied after another quick quaff. “Tom, Anne, and Tony.”
“What about them?” Judith asked, beginning to calm down. If the Jones offspring could make dinner, they must be in one piece.
Renie set the glass down and wrung her hands.“They’re getting married. All three. I think I’ll faint.” She put her face down on the table.
“They’re getting married ?” Judith cried. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I am.” Renie’s voice was muffled.
“Why, that’s wonderful!” Judith beamed at Joe. “It’s what you hoped for, dreamed of, wanted to…”
Renie’s head jerked up. “But it’s such a shock. I don’t know any of these people they’re marrying. Our kids have had romances that went on and on and on, then they all broke up at one time or another. But these…future in-laws…are strangers. What if they’re crazy or wanted by the police or… poor ?” Renie wrapped her hands around her neck and made a strangling gesture.
“Oh, good heavens!” Judith exclaimed. “Don’t be such a snob! Why, when Mike and Kristin got engaged I never cared for one minute if she or her family had a dime.”
“Mike had a job,” Renie pointed out. “This is different. This is…” She swigged down the rest of her drink and stood up. “I have to go home. Poor Bill. Poor me. Good-bye.” Grabbing her jacket on the way out, Renie dashed off into the rainy night.
“I hope she’s okay to drive,” Judith said with a worried expression.
“She only had one serious drink,” Joe responded. “She’ll be fine.” He patted Judith’s shoulder. “Hey, can I do anything to help with dinner?”
“Oh!” Judith jumped up. “Arlene did everything for us. I just need to heat the rolls.”
“Sounds good,” Joe said. “I’ll wander out to peek in on the guests.”
Judith clapped a hand to her head. In all the excitement over Renie, she had forgotten about the proposal to hire Joe as a private detective.
“Joe,” she said with her back to the oven, “wait. Bruno Zepf wants to hire you.”
Joe’s round face was puzzled. “Me? Why? Didn’t they bring their own security?”
“If they did, they’re at the Cascadia,” Judith replied. “I mean, they’d want their own people for the premiere and the costume ball, right?”
Joe gave a nod. “So they want me to watch out for them while they’re here?”
“Sort of,” Judith hedged. “They also want you to find out what happened to their thousand-dollar truffles.”
“Good God!” Joe paused, taking notice of Judith’s jittery movements with the oven door. “What did
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