“Perhaps it has something to do with their need for confidentiality.”

“Bullshit!” Jennifer said, and then caught herself. “Pardon the language. I’m just getting progressively ticked off.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I raised two boys.”

“Maybe so, but most people don’t give women the same latitude. But getting back to CNN. Something very similar happened to me.” Jennifer went on to explain how she, too, had heard about her grandmother’s passing on CNN and had actually called both the healthcare company that had arranged everything and the hospital itself only to be reassured that her grandmother was doing fine. It was only later when she got a call back from the hospital by Mrs. Varini that she learned the truth and that her granny had indeed passed away.

“How bizarre! It sounds as if the right hand doesn’t talk to the left hand at the Queen Victoria.”

“I’m wondering if it might be worse than that,” Jennifer replied.

“Like what?”

Jennifer smiled, shook her head, and shrugged her shoulders all at the same time. “I haven’t the foggiest idea. Of course, we could just be suffering from grief-driven paranoia. I’m the first one to admit I’m far from my right mind with the shock of losing my best friend, mother, and grandmother—all at once. On top of that, I’m learning that jet lag is not for kids. I’m exhausted, but I can’t sleep. Maybe I’m not thinking so well, either. I mean, it could be that elective surgical deaths are so uncommon for the Queen Victoria that they don’t quite know how to handle it. After all, they didn’t even build mortuary facilities.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Pray that my friend Laurie Montgomery comes. If she doesn’t come, I truly don’t know what I’ll do. Meanwhile, this afternoon I’m going back to the hospital. I’m going to ask Mrs. Varini why she lied to me, and I’m going to make it absolutely clear, if I haven’t already, they are not to touch Granny. What about you? Would you like to have dinner tonight?”

“What a thoughtful invitation. Can I let you know later? I just don’t know where my emotions are going to be.”

“You can let me know whenever you like. It probably will have to be early. I think what’s going to happen is that I’ll just run out of gas and then sleep for twelve hours. But what are you going to do about the hospital? Are you just going to wait until your sons get here and let them make the decisions?”

“That is exactly what I am going to do.”