Cadbury Creme Murder Read Free Page B

Regional, so I
wanted to talk to some people who knew her.”
     
    “Are
you a detective?”
     
    “No. 
Not exactly.  Well, not at all, really.  Unless you count amateur.”
     
    “If
a friend of Verna’s asked you to look into her death, then whatever your
credentials are, they’re good enough for me.”
    “Did
you know Verna well?”
     
    “Pretty
well.  We didn’t socialize outside of work or anything, but we always talked
every time she came to volunteer.  Tuesdays and Thursdays.  But I guess you
know that.”
     
    “What
kind of work did she do here?”
     
    “Anything
we needed.  She’d run to the cafeteria for us, or sit with a patient for us, or
just anything at all.”
     
    “Do
you have any idea why someone would want to kill her?”
     
    “None
at all.  Verna was the sweetest woman I ever met.  She really cared about all
the patients here.  She had her favorites, but she cared about everybody.”
     
    “Who
were her favorites?”
    “I
can’t give you any names.  But over the past few years, she became quite
attached to several of the patients.  Recently, she had one patient in
particular she would spend a lot of time with.  This patient had no one.  So
Verna would just sit with him when there was nothing else to do, even if he was
sleeping.  She said when he woke up, it meant a lot to him to know someone was
there.”
     
    “I
bet,” Heather said. 
     
    “When
he died—that was a few days ago—Verna was really upset.  She didn’t come in
that next Thursday.  Said she needed some time.  We thought she’d be in on
Tuesday, but…”  Kristen shrugged.
     
    “Did
Verna have any troubles while she was volunteering that you knew of?  Any
arguments with people, here or anywhere else?”
     
    The
nurse was already shaking her head.  “Not that I knew of.  Nobody could argue
with Verna.  She was too sweet.  She just wouldn’t engage.”
     
    “Did
people try to argue with her?”
     
    “Not
really.  Every now and then, a patient’s family member would get upset about
something and yell.  It happens.  They’re under a lot of stress.  Verna would
just listen, then talk to them, and somehow, it would always come out all
right.”
     
    “She
sounds like an amazing woman.”
     
    “She
was.”
     
    “Kristen,
thank you for your time,” Heather said.  “I appreciate it.”
     
    “You’re
welcome.  Good luck with finding out whodunit.  I hope you do.”
     
    “Thanks,”
Heather said, and turned to walk back the way she’d come.
    ***
     
    When
Heather got to Giovanni’s, the lunch crowd had thinned, and there were plenty
of parking spots.  She chose one and walked toward the door.
     
    This
was the site of her first date with Ryan.  He’d suggested coming here, and
she’d agreed, because she loved Italian food in general and Giovanni’s in
particular.  Heather paused in the foyer to allow her eyes to adjust from the
bright sunlight to the dimness of the restaurant.
    “One
today?” the black-clad hostess asked, grabbing one menu.
    “I’m
looking for someone,” she said, scanning the diners.  “Okay, I see him. 
Thanks.”
     
    As
she threaded her way through the tables toward him, Ryan stood up to greet
her.  He planted a chaste kiss on her cheek and waited until she was seated
before sitting back down himself. 
     
    “Have
you been waiting long?” she asked.
     
    “Only
a couple minutes.  I asked them to bring us ice water.”
     
    “Thanks,”
she said as the waiter arrived at their table with two glass of ice water, each
garnished with a slice of lemon.
    “Good
afternoon,” he said to Heather.  “My name’s Seth, and I’m going to be taking
care of you two this afternoon.  Can I bring you anything else?”
     
    “We’re
good.  Just give us a couple minutes to look over the menu,” Ryan said.
     
    “Not
a problem.  Take your time, and I’ll be back.”
     
    When
he had gone, Heather faced Ryan.  “How’s your day