Gin Jones - Helen Binney 01 - A Dose of Death Read Online Free PDF

floor. It wasn’t exactly Melissa’s fault, even if it had caused Helen some bruising and a strained muscle as she struggled to get back to her feet.
    Melissa ‘s clumsiness had had more serious consequences than the noisy radio, but Helen was reluctant to mention it. Her nieces might consider the fall, in particular, as proof that she needed round-the clock care. The only thing worse than Melissa’s current visits was Melissa visiting even more often.
    Laura and Lily had left after lunch, unconvinced of Melissa’s evils, and Helen had braced herself for the next unscheduled visit from the nurse. Melissa apparently believed in a day of rest, and didn’t show up at the cottage on Sunday, but by Monday morning, the return of the nurse and her soda supplies was inevitable.
    Helen put her breakfast dishes into the dishwasher and then puttered around the cottage, tidying it up. Not that there was any real cleaning to do. The place was small enough that it didn ‘t require much maintenance, and a cleaning crew came in once a month to do the things that required mobility or strength.
    Finally, Helen tossed aside the dusting cloth, and headed over to her computer to view the pictures she ‘d taken yesterday. She opened the pictures folder to the first shot: Lily glaring into the camera.
    It made her smile, but it wasn ‘t a great picture. It wasn’t even a good one. She scrolled through the other shots, and they ranged from out-of-focus to mediocre. What was she doing wrong?
    She was still mulling it over when she heard a car in the driveway. A moment later, Melissa was pounding on the front door and shouting, “It’s me, Melissa. Come let me in. My hands are full.”
    Helen pushed herself onto her feet, only then realizing how long she ‘d been sitting there, poring over the photographs. Her joints had stiffened, and it took a few moments before she was ready to walk across the room. When she finally opened the door, Melissa brushed past her on the way to the refrigerator with the three six-packs she was carrying. The push sent Helen off-balance, and she grabbed the door, desperate to keep herself from falling over while Melissa was there to witness her weakness and make it more difficult to stand back up. Once she had her feet under her again, she considered heading on out the open door and down the front steps, but she still hadn’t found her walking cane. Besides, it was a little too chilly to sit outside for the duration of Melissa’s visit.
    Helen closed the door and returned to her desk. She ignored Melissa ‘s activities in the kitchen area, and tried to concentrate on the computer screen again. Maybe if Helen ignored her, she’d give up and go away.
    “ Nice pictures,” Melissa said, pointing at the thumbnails on the monitor. “Your nieces are very pretty.”
    They were pretty, but that hadn ‘t been what Helen wanted from the pictures. She’d wanted to capture the girls’ personalities, not just their superficial appearance.
    “ We need to talk,” Melissa said. “It took you a long time to answer the door just now. Are you all right?”
    “ I’m fine,” Helen said, keeping her focus on the screen. “I took my time, because I was hoping you’d leave if I didn’t answer you.”
    “ You know I’d never leave you,” Melissa said. “That’s not the problem. No, I think you had trouble opening the door. I think you need someone here for you all the time, not just during my brief visits.”
    Helen shook her head. Twenty years of dealing with her husband ‘s cronies had given her the ability to keep her voice calm, even when all she wanted to do was scream. The woman who was only doing her job, after all, not trying to make Helen angry. “That’s not necessary.”
    “ I’ll make the arrangements with your nieces.” Melissa retrieved the radio from under the kitchen sink, and carried it over to the desk. She plugged it in and tuned it to her usual talk station.
    Helen turned it off. “I