Dead Man Docking - Mary Daheim [7]
“Because,” Renie said with a big sigh, “if Bill can stop him, he’ll have to do some serious counseling, which means he can’t go with me on the cruise. That’s why I advised Bill to let him take a dive.”
“That’s callous,” Judith declared.
“He’s getting tired of yelling through that megaphone,” Renie retorted. She uttered an audible sigh. “I know, you’re right. But I thought I’d tell you now, because if Bill can’t go on the cruise with me, how about taking his place?”
Judith made a face. “You know that isn’t going to happen.”
“Probably not,” Renie acknowledged, “but this guy won’t talk to anybody but Bill. He never has. Bill’s managed to dissuade him from suicide several times. The toughest one was when this patient put weights on his legs and tried to jump into the deep end of the swimming pool at the downtown YMCA. He actually injured himself on that one.”
“How?”
“He was so agitated that he didn’t notice the pool had been drained. Just in case, be prepared to come along with me.”
I should be so lucky, Judith thought to herself after she’d hung up.
Or, as events unfolded, unlucky.
TWO
JUDITH STARED IN the mirror at her new hair color and grimaced. “Did I say I wanted to be a redhead?”
Ginger added a few finishing touches to her client’s coiffure. “It’s not red, Judith. It’s a very deep auburn with gold highlights. I think you look fabulous. The perm will loosen up in a few days, giving you just the right amount of wave. And I think cutting your hair just below your ears does wonders for your face.”
Judith knew what Ginger meant: A long face, especially with a weight loss, made her look older.
“Really,” Ginger said, gazing at Judith’s image in the mirror, “your skin tone changes over time. Even if you’d kept your natural color like your cousin Serena has, it wouldn’t suit your complexion. Besides, the lighting in here isn’t natural. Color is exaggerated. I’m not kidding when I say you look at least five years younger. See what Joe thinks. I’ll bet you a free eyebrow waxing that he’s going to love it.”
Judith was dubious. When she got home around two, Joe was gone. Phyliss Rackley dropped her mop when she saw Judith come in the back door.
“Jezebel!” she cried. “You’ve turned into a shameless hussy!”
For Judith, that was a positive reaction. “You think so, Phyliss?”
Phyliss waved a hand in front of her face, as if she could make Judith disappear. “Have you become a temptress? Poor Mr. Flynn!”
Judith’s self-confidence was growing by the second. “Really?”
Phyliss nodded so hard that her gray curls bobbed up and down. “He won’t let you out of the house, mark my words.”
“Hmm.” Judith forced herself not to smile. Ginger must be right.
For the rest of the afternoon, Judith felt her spirits lift. She was further cheered when a late reservation came in from a couple whose flight to Hong Kong had been canceled. By the time Joe got home around six, she couldn’t wait for his reaction.
But there was none. Joe came in the back door, shouted at his wife, who was taking the guests’ canapés out of the oven, and announced he had to change and leave immediately for a second shift on his stakeout. He raced up the back stairs without seeing Judith. He left the same way while she was chatting with the couple that hadn’t been able to leave for Hong Kong. Her spirits began to slide again.
Renie phoned just as the guests left for their evening rounds. “I tried to call you earlier,” she said, “but you weren’t around, and I didn’t leave a message. I wanted to let you know that Bill’s making progress. He’d talked his patient down to the sixteenth floor. A few minutes ago, Bill got him down to twelve.”
“Super,” Judith said without much enthusiasm. “Is that good news or bad news?”
“Good,” Renie replied, sounding puzzled. “The guy’s still alive, and Bill doesn’t have to stand on the roof and yell through the megaphone anymore. It was windy and cold up there.”
“Bill must be exhausted,” Judith noted. “Isn’t he used to taking an afternoon nap with Oscar?”
“I drove Oscar downtown this afternoon,” Renie replied, referring