The same one, I swear, who was asking me the same damn questions in the same flat, emotionless voice. She’d probably taken a course—Pacification 101: Dealing with the Distraught Customer. My fingernails dug into my palms as I fought the urge to scream. I wanted to scream until I ran out of breath...
Gail's blood. It seemed to be everywhere.Paul led me up to the bedroom and waited while I stripped. He wrapped me gently in a multicolored beach towel, hugged me for a long minute, kissed the top of my head, then stuffed the ruined slacks and sweater I had been wearing into a plastic garbage bag....
By the time I got to Annapolis my hair was dry, but my wool jacket smelled like wet dog. It would need a couple of trips to the dry cleaner before it could be restored to anything resembling its former glory. A quick look in the hall mirror only confirmed what I suspected: I not only smelled like...
Studies show that most seniors feel satisfied with their lives, despite having more illnesses or physical problems. However, when older adults do have depression, it may be overlooked because seniors may show different, less obvious symptoms. They may be less likely to experience or admit to feel...
to start cooking breakfast for a whole houseful of people is a real chore. It’s getting so I don’t mind eating porridge, but the next time one of the cameramen sashays into my kitchen with an Egg McMuffin, I’m going to kill him.’ Karen Gibbs, cook After Drew left, I couldn’t get back to sleep. I ...
Admiral Sir George Somers commanded the flagship, the Sea Venture, but en route there was a terrible storm and the ship was dashed against Bermuda’s treacherous reefs. The crew managed to get to land and so began Bermuda’s settlement.’ Theresa Airey, www.bermuda.com/visitors Needless to say, Geor...
What’s keeping them?” Paul squeezed my hand. “It’s been less than five minutes, Hannah. They’ll be here soon.” Less than five minutes. It had seemed like hours since Paul punched 911 into his cell phone, then dragged me out onto the veranda of Paradiso by the arm, insisting that I get some fresh ...
‘It does?’ ‘Adam’s apple,’ he said, touching his throat. ‘Women have them, too, but they’re far less prominent. Laurie wore the scarf to hide it.’ ‘Right,’ I said, feeling stupid. I took a few deep breaths. ‘OK,’ I continued. ‘Adam’s apples, I get. But how on earth did she hide . . . you know?’ ‘...
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, 1865 Saturday dawned sunny and warm, but the wind was piping up. With my morning coffee in hand, I stood on the porch and stared out at the white caps that were chasing from one shoreline to the other across the Sea of Abaco. ‘That’s a pretty good ...
Several maps of the spa had been tacked onto the back wall, along with a half dozen postmortem photographs of poor Claudia. Loose scraps of paper had been posted scattershot, certain items underlined in red, but Caroline couldn't read the words from where she was standing. Mounds of what looked t...
Connie sat across from me at my kitchen table with a half-eaten piece of apple pie in front of her. “You did what?” Her voice cut through the air like a saw hitting a nail.“I sent him a note.”“What kind of note?”“I got to thinking about that dumb movie I Know What You Did Last Summer.”She closed ...
It was my fault we were late. I spent ages looking for my jeans, the ones I had come close to ruining the day I discovered Katie’s body, until I remembered they were still in the dryer. Connie had dressed in a bathing suit and had thrown on over it the white shorts and striped top that made her l...
Then he said beneath where we were standing there were two brick and concrete air-raid shelters with steps leading down to them. The bodies were in those shelters and the steps had been blown up to seal them off.’ Ken Small, The Forgotten Dead, Bloomsbury, 1989, p.209 Eleanor Swindon’s ghost may ...
For a long while Paul lay awake beside me, trying out possible scenarios, but after a particularly lengthy lull in the conversation, followed by regular snuffling sounds, I turned my head to find that he’d drifted off to sleep. I’d thought Dorothy was my friend. We’d worked together, laughed toge...