“He’s waiting outside the door. I didn’t think you’d want him in here.”

“Baloney! At this stage of the game, do you think it matters? Call him in here. Let him sit here on the bed with us while we talk. I miss having an animal. When my last dog died it was so heartbreaking, I swore I would never get another one. I swear, I grieved more over the loss of that animal than I did for any of my six husbands.”

Cady whistled. Atlas got up, looked around, then walked into the room, where he stood by Cady’s side. “C’mon, boy, Lola said you could get up on the bed. Easy now.”

The shepherd moved backward and leaped forward, to land gracefully at the foot of the bed. He eyed the frail-looking woman before he bellied up to her chest. Lola stretched out a bony hand and patted his head. The dog whimpered and laid his head on her shoulder. “He knows. It’s uncanny the way dogs know when someone is ill and not long for this world. I’ve watched him in the ten days that you’ve been here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog as protective and devoted as this one. I’ve had many dogs over the years, you know, so I know what I’m talking about.” She continued to stroke the dog’s big head. “He comes in here in the middle of the night. You didn’t know that, did you?”

Cady shook her head.

“Oh, yes, we talk for hours. I never sleep. I doze from time to time. Well, I talked, and he listened. He’s a real good listener. I think he understood everything I told him. If he didn’t, it doesn’t matter. Now, let’s get to it. In the top drawer of my secretary is a yellow folder. I so love the color yellow. When I’m buried, I want my casket covered with sunflowers. Bring the folder here, Cady.”

Cady was so choked up she didn’t trust herself to speak. She brought the folder over to the bed and handed it to her grandmother. Lola stopped petting Atlas long enough to shake out a single sheet of paper. While she made a pretense of scanning the contents Cady knew she had memorized, Cady looked around the haremlike suite of rooms.

World-traveled as she was, Lola obviously liked all things with a Middle Eastern flavor. There were Persian rugs, silk wall hangings, sheets that were more lace than material, and a coverlet with brilliant peacocks in the center. The ornate tables and bric-a-brac, along with huge brass containers that contained lush green plants, were the only concession to Western decor. Lengths of delicate silk fell from golden rods over the windows. A huge round ottoman in a zebra print filled one whole corner, and a waist-high brass horse filled another. The smell of incense permeated the air. The scent was not unpleasant.