something later.
None of the people walking in and out of the building was Ellie. However, when Hershel Neal walked into the building, Frida was happy to see a familiar face.
“Well, Frida, fancy seeing you here.” He smiled as he saw her. He was always such a gentleman.
“Hello, Hershel. Good to see you, too.” She smiled back.
“You look so sporty today. What a pretty color,” he said, admiring Frida’s pink sweat suit.
“Thank you.” She smiled, feeling flattered.
“So what brings you to the lobby today?” he asked.
“Well, I’ve had a bit of unfortunate circumstances this morning.”
“Nothing serious, I hope.”
“Oh, no,” Frida lied, not wanting to upset him. “I accidentally locked myself out of my apartment, and I’m waiting for Ellie’s daughter to come downtown.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Isn’t Ellie around?”
Frida tried not to make too much of where Ellie might be. Ellie never liked Hershel—though why, Frida could never understand, because he always seemed to have eyes for Ellie. She was even a little jealous and wished someone as handsome as Hershel might have eyes for her.
“Have you by any chance seen Ellie today?” Frida asked him.
“No,” he replied. “I did run into her granddaughters just a short while ago. The one in from Chicago, and of course Lucy.”
Lucy was going to have a lot of explaining to do, but Frida didn’t want to confuse Hershel any more by telling him that the other woman was no cousin.
“You know, Frida, as long as I’ve got you alone for a second, I wanted to talk to you about something, you know, since you’re Ellie’s closest friend.”
Frida gasped inwardly. Did he know something she didn’t? “Sure. What is it, Hershel?” Frida asked calmly.
“Well, I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve had a little crush on Ellie for some time now. I’d love to take her to a concertsometime. You know I’ve got tickets to the Kimmel Center. They’ve got some wonderful concerts coming up.”
“Oh, I don’t know if I should be the one you talk about this with,” Frida said, shying away. How could she tell him that Ellie wasn’t interested?
“If she needed a chaperone, I wouldn’t mind getting another ticket, if you’d like to come along.”
It was a marvelous idea. Frida always loved the Kimmel Center. Still, Ellie wouldn’t have liked Frida sticking her nose in this kind of business.
“Well, I’ll see if I can persuade Ellie, and I’ll get back to you.”
He placed his hand on Frida’s arm and smiled warmly. “That would be wonderful. Thank you Frida.” He continued to smile as he walked toward the elevators.
What was Ellie’s problem?
Frida went back to watching Ken, who was standing at the door contentedly watching the day go by. Suddenly his expression tensed. Frida knew exactly what he had just seen.
She got up and walked toward the door. The woman was more than a block away, but with that hard stomp, stomp, stomp in her step, it was impossible not to know who she was. As she got closer, Frida noticed she wasn’t wearing the usual large black bug-eyed glasses that practically covered her entire face. She was squinting into the sun. It must have been eighty degrees outside, and she was wearing black clothing from head to toe, long heavy gold chains around her neck, and big diamond rings on her fingers. Her hair, as usual, was held back tightly by a big black bow.
“Hi, Mrs. Sustamorn,” Ken called out to Barbara.
Frida got a hot flash. How would she explain what she wasdoing in the lobby? Frida watched as Ken put a fake smile on his face.
“Ken!” Barbara’s called out in her loud, nasal accent. Ken clenched his smile a notch tighter. “I’m looking for my mother. Have you seen her?”
“I haven’t, ma’am, but Mrs. Freedberg is right inside,” he told her as he stood at the open door.
A shadow darkened the room as Barbara stopped through the doorway. Spotting Frida standing in the middle of the
None of the people walking in and out of the building was Ellie. However, when Hershel Neal walked into the building, Frida was happy to see a familiar face.
“Well, Frida, fancy seeing you here.” He smiled as he saw her. He was always such a gentleman.
“Hello, Hershel. Good to see you, too.” She smiled back.
“You look so sporty today. What a pretty color,” he said, admiring Frida’s pink sweat suit.
“Thank you.” She smiled, feeling flattered.
“So what brings you to the lobby today?” he asked.
“Well, I’ve had a bit of unfortunate circumstances this morning.”
“Nothing serious, I hope.”
“Oh, no,” Frida lied, not wanting to upset him. “I accidentally locked myself out of my apartment, and I’m waiting for Ellie’s daughter to come downtown.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Isn’t Ellie around?”
Frida tried not to make too much of where Ellie might be. Ellie never liked Hershel—though why, Frida could never understand, because he always seemed to have eyes for Ellie. She was even a little jealous and wished someone as handsome as Hershel might have eyes for her.
“Have you by any chance seen Ellie today?” Frida asked him.
“No,” he replied. “I did run into her granddaughters just a short while ago. The one in from Chicago, and of course Lucy.”
Lucy was going to have a lot of explaining to do, but Frida didn’t want to confuse Hershel any more by telling him that the other woman was no cousin.
“You know, Frida, as long as I’ve got you alone for a second, I wanted to talk to you about something, you know, since you’re Ellie’s closest friend.”
Frida gasped inwardly. Did he know something she didn’t? “Sure. What is it, Hershel?” Frida asked calmly.
“Well, I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve had a little crush on Ellie for some time now. I’d love to take her to a concertsometime. You know I’ve got tickets to the Kimmel Center. They’ve got some wonderful concerts coming up.”
“Oh, I don’t know if I should be the one you talk about this with,” Frida said, shying away. How could she tell him that Ellie wasn’t interested?
“If she needed a chaperone, I wouldn’t mind getting another ticket, if you’d like to come along.”
It was a marvelous idea. Frida always loved the Kimmel Center. Still, Ellie wouldn’t have liked Frida sticking her nose in this kind of business.
“Well, I’ll see if I can persuade Ellie, and I’ll get back to you.”
He placed his hand on Frida’s arm and smiled warmly. “That would be wonderful. Thank you Frida.” He continued to smile as he walked toward the elevators.
What was Ellie’s problem?
Frida went back to watching Ken, who was standing at the door contentedly watching the day go by. Suddenly his expression tensed. Frida knew exactly what he had just seen.
She got up and walked toward the door. The woman was more than a block away, but with that hard stomp, stomp, stomp in her step, it was impossible not to know who she was. As she got closer, Frida noticed she wasn’t wearing the usual large black bug-eyed glasses that practically covered her entire face. She was squinting into the sun. It must have been eighty degrees outside, and she was wearing black clothing from head to toe, long heavy gold chains around her neck, and big diamond rings on her fingers. Her hair, as usual, was held back tightly by a big black bow.
“Hi, Mrs. Sustamorn,” Ken called out to Barbara.
Frida got a hot flash. How would she explain what she wasdoing in the lobby? Frida watched as Ken put a fake smile on his face.
“Ken!” Barbara’s called out in her loud, nasal accent. Ken clenched his smile a notch tighter. “I’m looking for my mother. Have you seen her?”
“I haven’t, ma’am, but Mrs. Freedberg is right inside,” he told her as he stood at the open door.
A shadow darkened the room as Barbara stopped through the doorway. Spotting Frida standing in the middle of the
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