Read Online Bad Hair Day 4 - Body Wave by Nancy J. Cohen - Free Book Online

steamy shower had been an ordeal she'd rather not repeat. Now she had a backache from the effort.

"Get me a clean nightshirt from my drawer," Miriam demanded, panting as she sat on the edge of her bed in a terry robe. Exertion had left her short of breath, and Marla feared harming her delicate state of health any further. Nonetheless, it wouldn't do the woman any good to lie in bed all day.

"How about putting on a slacks set? It should have warmed up outside by now. I'd like to take you out for some fresh air." Maybe she'd meet the other family members. One thing was certain: her investigation wouldn't get anywhere if they were confined to quarters.

"It's freezing out!" Miriam exclaimed. "Agnes said I'd catch pneumonia if I go outside in this weather."

"Oh, come on, we'll bundle you up. A change of scenery will be good for you."

"Who says? You can read to me until the news comes on TV."

"Listen, I'm in charge of you today, and we're at least going downstairs."

After dressing Miriam in warm clothing despite her protests, Marla fingered her thin hair. "You could use a soft perm, honey. Next time I come, we'll spruce you up. A couple of weeks later, we'll add a tint of color. It'll make you look ten years younger! Don't you ever visit with friends?"

Miriam gazed at her as though she were loony. "What friends? They're all gone. I'm just waiting to join them."

"No, you're not. You have spirit, Miriam. I'm surprised you're stuck in this room so much of the time."

"I may have my hearing, but I don't see so well. My bones ache, and it's only going to get worse. Agnes says I have to preserve my strength."

"Nonsense. You shouldn't stop living until you're dead."

"Like Kimberly?" The old woman's shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry, that was a thoughtless remark." Remembering she'd seen a wheelchair in the hallway, Marla retrieved it. "Let's go. You can tell me where Kim grew up. Was she raised in this house?"

After easing herself into the chair with Marla's help, Miriam slouched back. "No, Stella lived in Palm Beach while her husband was alive. After he died, she sold their house and moved back here. Kimberly was already grown. She had an apartment and worked in various jobs instead of going to college like I urged her. She wanted the easy way out."

"Like a rich husband?" Marla wheeled the old lady into the hallway and toward an elevator at one end.

Miriam grunted. "Kim was hoping to hold out until she was thirty, when she became eligible for a percentage of her trust fund. She found a way out, all right: it just wasn't the one she'd expected."

"Wasn't she happy with Stan? He must have provided the kind of life she wanted."

"Why, did you know him?"

_Whoops._ "Er, no, I just assumed he was a wealthy man."

They emerged on the first floor, and further explanation became unnecessary as a woman bustled forward. She was an attractive lady in her mid-fifties who wore her hair in a short, layered style with a reddish brown tint. Her slacks set in royal blue and black gave her matronly figure a sleek look.

"Stella, this is Marla Shore. She's filling in for Agnes," Miriam said.

"Nice to meet you." Stella's cocoa eyes flickered briefly in Marla's direction. "I'm on my way to the club," she said to her mother. "We're adding the finishing touches to our centerpieces for today's luncheon."

"Your girl isn't in the ground for a week yet, and you're on your way out the door! How can you be so heartless?"

Stella's eyes misted. "I sat shivah for three days. Kimberly would want me to continue my work."

"Work!" Miriam shrilled. "You're a grown woman, and you still play at arts and crafts. If you want to work, go help Morris at the company."

"I'm not interested in confining myself to an office," Stella said, enunciating each word.

"You don't have the brains!"

"And you don't understand what I like to do! You never have, and you never will!"

Marla shifted uncomfortably, feeling like an unseen observer to an