Read Online A Quiche Before Dying by Jill Churchill - Free Book Online
Authors: Jill Churchill
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she were a badly behaved child.
“You’ll blind yourselves. It’ll serve you right,“ Mrs. Pryce said. Her glare had turned to a squint and she was shivering uncontrollably.
Ruth Rogers had risen from her chair; she put one hand on Mrs. Pryce’s forehead and grabbed her wrist with the other. Mrs. Pryce struggled. “Take your hands off me! How dare you touch me, you disgusting woman!”
Ruth hung on, looking at Missy. “She’s feverish and her pulse is very fast.“
“I’ll call an ambulance,“ Missy said, coming around the desk and racing from the room.
Jane looked at her mother. “Is there anything we should do?“
“Let’s clear a path for the medics.”
Mrs. Pryce was still raving and trying to get away from Ruth, who was keeping her firmly in her chair. Ruth’s frail sister, Naomi, was helping to hang on to the elderly woman, who was showing surprising strength. Jane, Shelley, and Cecily started pushing the chairs to the side of the room, making a wide aisle. Desiree Loftus, looking terrified, got up and started helping them. Bob Neufield was standing back, looking like a military guard who was under orders not to react.
They could already hear the sirens. “Here, let’s get out of the way,“ Grady said, and with Bob Neufield’s help, started pushing everybody except Ruth and Naomi toward the door. The women started snatching up their belongings and going into the hallway.
Jane was nearly run over by three ambulance attendants as she left. She slipped past them and leaned against the hallway wall. “I need some fresh air,“ she said, feeling woozy.
Cecily grabbed her arm and steered her up the stairway and toward the exit. Just as they reached the foyer and front double door of the city hall, one of the doors was yanked open, nearly spilling them outside.
“Jane! Are you all right?“ Mel VanDyne said, steadying her.
She looked up. “Just a tad faint. What are you doing here?“
“I was in the station doing some work when the call came in about a woman down in the basement of the city hall. I was afraid—well, I’m glad you’re okay. What happened?“
“An old lady in our class had a stroke or a fit or something. It was horrible.“ She took a deep breath and looked at him. “It’s nice to see you again,“ she added, aware that it wasn’t a particularly appropriate thing to say. Still, he looked even better than she’d remembered him, and he looked especially good when he was showing concern for her. He was a remarkably handsome man, even more so than she’d remembered. Why was it that men tended to improve with age and women tended to unravel? Jane wondered.
Cecily cleared her throat pointedly.
“Oh, sorry. Mother, this is Mel VanDyne. Mel, my mother, Cecily Grant.“
“Now I see where you get your looks,“ Mel said, grinning. It was a hokey, clichéd thing to say, but he carried it off. “I’m glad to meet you, Mrs. Grant.“
“Hadn’t you better go downstairs?“ Jane said.
“No, I’m just a spectator. Nothing suspicious about this, is there?“
“Nothing at all,“ Cecily said. “Just a very mean elderly lady going to meet her maker—and probably tell him just what he’s done wrong with the world.”
They perched in a row on the edge of a flower box by the doors. The red lights of the ambulance were streaking blindingly around the parking lot, making all of them and the building turn red every few seconds. Another police car pulled up, and the officers nodded to VanDyne as they went into the building. A moment later, Ruth and Naomi came out the door, with Shelley just behind. Naomi had her hand out as if longing to stabilize herself against her sturdy, competent sister.
“How is she?“ Jane asked.
“Dead,“ Shelley said bluntly. “At least she went out completely in character. Oh, it’s Detective VanDyne, isn’t it? Nice to see you again.“
“How are you, Mrs. Nowack? And what do you mean about going out in character?“
“She was a
“You’ll blind yourselves. It’ll serve you right,“ Mrs. Pryce said. Her glare had turned to a squint and she was shivering uncontrollably.
Ruth Rogers had risen from her chair; she put one hand on Mrs. Pryce’s forehead and grabbed her wrist with the other. Mrs. Pryce struggled. “Take your hands off me! How dare you touch me, you disgusting woman!”
Ruth hung on, looking at Missy. “She’s feverish and her pulse is very fast.“
“I’ll call an ambulance,“ Missy said, coming around the desk and racing from the room.
Jane looked at her mother. “Is there anything we should do?“
“Let’s clear a path for the medics.”
Mrs. Pryce was still raving and trying to get away from Ruth, who was keeping her firmly in her chair. Ruth’s frail sister, Naomi, was helping to hang on to the elderly woman, who was showing surprising strength. Jane, Shelley, and Cecily started pushing the chairs to the side of the room, making a wide aisle. Desiree Loftus, looking terrified, got up and started helping them. Bob Neufield was standing back, looking like a military guard who was under orders not to react.
They could already hear the sirens. “Here, let’s get out of the way,“ Grady said, and with Bob Neufield’s help, started pushing everybody except Ruth and Naomi toward the door. The women started snatching up their belongings and going into the hallway.
Jane was nearly run over by three ambulance attendants as she left. She slipped past them and leaned against the hallway wall. “I need some fresh air,“ she said, feeling woozy.
Cecily grabbed her arm and steered her up the stairway and toward the exit. Just as they reached the foyer and front double door of the city hall, one of the doors was yanked open, nearly spilling them outside.
“Jane! Are you all right?“ Mel VanDyne said, steadying her.
She looked up. “Just a tad faint. What are you doing here?“
“I was in the station doing some work when the call came in about a woman down in the basement of the city hall. I was afraid—well, I’m glad you’re okay. What happened?“
“An old lady in our class had a stroke or a fit or something. It was horrible.“ She took a deep breath and looked at him. “It’s nice to see you again,“ she added, aware that it wasn’t a particularly appropriate thing to say. Still, he looked even better than she’d remembered him, and he looked especially good when he was showing concern for her. He was a remarkably handsome man, even more so than she’d remembered. Why was it that men tended to improve with age and women tended to unravel? Jane wondered.
Cecily cleared her throat pointedly.
“Oh, sorry. Mother, this is Mel VanDyne. Mel, my mother, Cecily Grant.“
“Now I see where you get your looks,“ Mel said, grinning. It was a hokey, clichéd thing to say, but he carried it off. “I’m glad to meet you, Mrs. Grant.“
“Hadn’t you better go downstairs?“ Jane said.
“No, I’m just a spectator. Nothing suspicious about this, is there?“
“Nothing at all,“ Cecily said. “Just a very mean elderly lady going to meet her maker—and probably tell him just what he’s done wrong with the world.”
They perched in a row on the edge of a flower box by the doors. The red lights of the ambulance were streaking blindingly around the parking lot, making all of them and the building turn red every few seconds. Another police car pulled up, and the officers nodded to VanDyne as they went into the building. A moment later, Ruth and Naomi came out the door, with Shelley just behind. Naomi had her hand out as if longing to stabilize herself against her sturdy, competent sister.
“How is she?“ Jane asked.
“Dead,“ Shelley said bluntly. “At least she went out completely in character. Oh, it’s Detective VanDyne, isn’t it? Nice to see you again.“
“How are you, Mrs. Nowack? And what do you mean about going out in character?“
“She was a
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