Free Half-Price Homicide by Elaine Viets

daughter,” Helen echoed.
    But the doctor’s words were no comfort. She knew the truth.
     

Helen drifted out of her mother’s room like a sleepwalker. She wiped away a tear, then realized she had walked all the way through the Sunset Rest Home to the lobby. An old man snored softly on a fat sofa, a newspaper on his lap. Only the tropical fish saw Helen crying, and they were used to water.
    She picked up the dozing man’s paper and hid her face until she quit weeping. Helen didn’t like to cry, especially in public. She wouldn’t take the bus home until the tear storm stopped. Bus riders had their own troubles.
    Then she realized she didn’t need the bus. She was engaged. Phil, her fiancé, had begged Helen to let him drive her to the nursing home. She was too used to handling everything on her own. Helen stopped sniffling, opened her cell and called Phil.
    “I’ve been waiting to hear from you,” he said. “How’s your mom?”
    “Not good,” Helen said. “The doctor says she maybe has a few days left. She’s not in any pain, but that’s the only good news.”
    “I’m sorry she won’t recover,” Phil said. “Can I pick you up and take you to lunch?”
    “I definitely need a ride. But I’m not hungry,” Helen said.
    “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Phil said.
    While Helen waited, she called her sister, Kathy, in St. Louis and told her the news. Kathy was silent for a moment, then said, “This isn’t a surprise. Why do I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut?”
    “Me, too,” Helen said. “And Mom and I didn’t get along.” “I wish I could be there with you,” Kathy said. “But Tom can’t get more time off work and we can’t afford more plane tickets.” “I’ll send you the money,” Helen said. “You aren’t rich, either.”
    “No, but Phil and I can come up with enough for two plane tickets.”
    “Helen, if Mom were conscious, I’d be there,” Kathy said. “But she never woke up.”
    “No, she didn’t. Sometimes Mom opens her eyes, but it’s obvious nobody is home,” Helen said. “The doctor said it would be a miracle if she regained consciousness. She won’t be alone when she goes. I’ll be with her. Stay home with your family.”
    “Tommy Junior will take his grandmother’s death hard,” Kathy said. “Mom loves our kids and enjoys doing grandma things with them—making cookies, taking them to the park, letting them sleep over at her house.
    “The holidays were so much fun, until she married Lawn Boy Larry. That Grinch stole our Christmas. He didn’t like the kids making noise. He didn’t want a real tree because it would shed needles. Larry complained when Allison got cookie crumbs on the kitchen floor. He wouldn’t let Tommy play with his soccer ball in Mom’s backyard. Larry said my boy might break a window. He’s a mean man. I miss Mom. I didn’t always agree with her, but I miss her.”
    Kathy’s voice wavered and turned watery. “I’m not going to cry.”
    “You should,” Helen said. “She’s your mother. She was a good grandmother and she gave your children wonderful memories.”
    “I just hope Tommy fits into his best shirt and pants for the funeral,” Kathy said. “The boy is growing like a weed.” She let out a startled gasp and said, “Oh, no. I just realized Larry has the legal right to make Mom’s funeral arrangements.”
    “Didn’t Mom leave instructions?”
    “Sure,” Kathy said. “She wants her funeral at the parish church and she wants to be buried in the cemetery plot next to our father. Mom’s name and her birthday are already carved in their joint tombstone.”
    Helen shuddered. “That’s creepy. You feel like you have to die to fill in the blanks.”
    “Larry will know where to find Mom’s instructions,” Kathy said. “They’re in the envelope with her will. I’ll have to suck it up and tell him she’s dying. Larry doesn’t like me. He is afraid Mom will change her mind and leave everything to our