Patricia Rockwell - Essie Cobb 03 - Valentined by Patricia Rockwell

Author:Patricia Rockwell [Rockwell, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery: Cozy - Humor - Senior Sleuths - Illinois
ISBN: 0984840265
Publisher: Cozy Cat Press
Published: 2012-05-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

“Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke”

—Lynda Barry

The women did their best to try to talk some sense into Essie, but she was resolute. After promising her friends that she would be careful, the group disbanded, being careful to exit Essie’s apartment discreetly, one at a time into an empty hallway.

When she was finally alone, Essie was attacked not by fear but by hunger. She suddenly realized that during the hubbub with the police and her friends’ arrival, she had missed lunch in the dining hall. Her stomach was now growling ferociously and it was still hours before dinner.

She rolled over to her small kitchen to see if there was anything in her refrigerator that she could munch on. Inside she saw mostly empty shelves. There was a shriveled up apple in the fruit bin. I’d better get rid of that, she thought. Far in the back on the lowest shelf she saw a package of something wrapped neatly in aluminum foil. Now how long has that been in there? she wondered. As Essie virtually never ate anything in her own room and always ate her meals in the dining hall, it was a miracle that there was anything in her refrigerator at all. She closed the door in annoyance and reached up over the handle bars of her walker to the cupboard doors. On the middle shelf, she found an old box of cereal. Reading the label, she discovered that this brand included nuts.

“Super squirrels! Nuts!” she cried. “Nuts are protein. Just what I need.” She ripped open the top of the box and reached inside for a handful. Gulping down the flakes and tiny nut bits, she soon felt the gnawing in her stomach subside. She grabbed her water glass from the sink and swallowed a full glass of water to wash it all down.

“Probably the quickest lunch I’ve ever consumed,” she said aloud. “This will certainly make me appreciate the food in the dining hall more.” Feeling full, she made a quick stop in her bathroom before heading out into the Happy Haven hallway. She realized that she hadn’t given a great deal of thought as to how she would handle it, but she felt it was important to make clear to her fellow residents and to the staff that nothing had changed; she still had the valentine, and she was excited to learn who her secret admirer was.

She pushed her walker down the hallway, through the family room, and into the lobby. It was early afternoon and Happy Haven was busy with residents and guests milling about. Phyllis was manning the front desk as usual. Several other staff members, including Sue Barber and Violet Hendrickson, were behind the desk looking through files in the small office immediately behind the front desk. Two men entered the main door carrying a sofa. Essie assumed that either one of the residents had ordered new furniture or someone was moving in. When someone moved in, it typically meant that a resident had moved out.

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