Dead Man Docking - Mary Daheim [10]
Judith was tempted to ask if it bothered Oscar, but kept quiet and wished her cousin would get to the point. “So what’s the bottom line?”
“Well—Bill was tempted to go to Lorenzo’s apartment to prove he was right about Oscar, but he realized that wouldn’t be proper protocol,” Renie explained. “So he let the medics take over, and now Bill’s gone up to Bayview Hospital’s psychiatric ward. I imagine Bill and Oscar will go to the cafeteria for something to eat while the MDs check out Lorenzo. The problem is,” she went on, sounding worried, “Oscar hates hospitals. It’s too bad I didn’t take Archie to Bill, too.”
Judith didn’t want Renie to get started on Archie, the small cheerful doll. She had had to put up with that bit of fantasy when the cousins were both in the hospital for separate surgeries. Archie had a tiny suitcase that accompanied him when he stayed with any member of the Jones family who was hospitalized. The worst of it was that the three Jones children all believed in Oscar, Archie, and another small doll named Cleo who was a foulmouthed Oakland Raiders fan. Judith felt that the entire family had too much imagination—or they really were nuts.
“There must be a reason you’re telling me all this,” Judith said.
“Of course!” Renie sounded irked. “I already mentioned I had good news for you. There’s no way Bill can leave town with Lorenzo in such a precarious emotional state.” She paused and sneezed a couple of times. “Sorry—it’s March, and my allergies are bothering me.”
“Mine, too,” Judith said impatiently. “Are you trying to tell me that I’m supposed to fill in for Bill?”
“Yes! Aren’t you excited?”
Judith wasn’t. Not yet. It seemed too good to be true. Indeed, panic began to engulf her. “Aren’t you—we—scheduled to leave the day after tomorrow?”
“That’s right,” Renie agreed. “I told you to be prepared. Have you checked with Carl and Arlene?”
“No,” Judith admitted. “I haven’t mentioned the possibility to Joe, and he’s not here.” She felt frazzled. The cruise was like a mirage, appearing and disappearing.
“Then get hopping,” Renie commanded. “You’ll have to shop, too, and buy some vintage clothes for the thirties theme.”
“Really…I don’t know…Oh, dear…” Judith never liked making decisions, especially on the spot. “Can I sleep on it?”
Renie sneezed again before she replied. “No. If you tell me tomorrow you’re not going, then I’m in a pickle. I couldn’t ask anybody else because they’d have less than twenty-four hours’ notice.” She paused. “Okay, let’s do it this way. You’re worn out, you look like bird doo, and you’re coming with me.”
“You haven’t seen my hair,” Judith countered in a feeble voice.
“I expect to see it on the way to the airport. I’m hanging up now.”
“No! Wait!” Renie was right. Judith desperately needed a break. “At least give me time to tell Joe.”
“Good. Now get organized.”
“I will. I’ll call Joe and the Rankerses. I think I’ve got enough of what might pass for cruise wear. In fact, there’s a trunk in the basement with old clothes Mother refuses to let me throw out.” She hesitated, calculating what else needed to be done. “If Carl and Arlene can’t take over for me, I’ll ask the state B&B association. They have temporary innkeepers on call. And…by the way, where is the cruise going?”
“Atiu.”
“Gesundheit.” Judith repeated the question. “Where are we going?”
“I told you—Atiu, Pukapuka, Rarotonga, several stops in the Cook Islands. Read a map.”
“I’ll have to,” Judith said. “I’ve never heard of any of them—except for the Cook Islands themselves, of course.”
“They’re due south of Hawaii,” Renie said. “I wish they were closer to Guam. Then I could rendezvous with Tom and Cathleen.”
The Joneses’ elder son and his wife had moved to Guam after their wedding. Cathleen worked as an optician in a Catholic medical clinic and Tom taught European history at the university. Once again, Judith thanked her lucky stars that Mike and his family were so close.
Happily, Arlene and