"I left him alone for an hour; he told me to go. He said that he was going to sleep. That I didn't need to keep tabs on him," Karen said.

"Uh huh," I said.

"He told me that he really didn't need twenty-four-hour care. His doctor even said I needn't be here all the time. I just, I have been a part of the family for so long. I raised all his children. I was with him when his wife died. I, he, I mean..." Karen looked at me with pleading eyes.

"You had a special relationship?" I offered.

"Yes. Yes. I loved him." A tear spilled down Karen's cheek.

I put an arm around her shoulder. "I am so sorry."

"I don't understand. He was fine when I left. We had gotten out for a walk around the park. We'd even stopped for lunch. It was really one of his better days," Karen said between sobs.

Karen continued, "It doesn't make sense. I had to run to the grocery store before it closed. He likes their organic dates and their peaches. It's just right around the corner by the park."

"The Sunshine Market?"

"Why, yes, you know the store?"

"My folks own it," I said.

"He just loves your store." Karen sucked in a breath. "I mean loved. It seems surreal that I am talking about him in the past tense."

"After my dad was killed, I still caught myself talking about him in present tense."

"I just don't know how I'm going to make it through this."

"It'd be great if there were a pill or a spell of some sort that could wipe away all the pain and grief. Right?"

Karen nodded as she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

"I can't tell you how many times I catch myself wanting to talk to him, or entering the store thinking that I'd see him in his yellow ap.r.o.n stocking produce." I felt the tug at my heart.

"Can I be frank with you?"

"Sure."

"Losing the one you love, well, it sucks."

I let out a giggle. "Yes, it does."

The doorbell rang.

Karen reached for my hand. "Thank you, Catherine, for listening to me. I am sorry I spilled my sorry sob story on you."

I held her hand for a second. "No problem."

"Please, excuse me." Karen left to answer the door. "You are welcome to stay. There are food and beverages in the kitchen. Please help yourself."

"Thanks."

Deciding it was time to leave, I retrieved the sympathy card from my purse and set it on top of the pile of papers on the sideboard.

As I turned, my purse knocked down the stack, scattering it to the ground. I knelt down to pick up the sprawling mess.

I gathered cards, letters, newspapers, and magazines addressed to Micky Zwick or resident. One part of yesterday's newspaper was folded over. Opening the fold, I saw it was the crossword puzzle.

My breath caught in my chest as I read the purple inked squares that said, "Got You."

THE END.

Afterword.

Thank you so much for reading DYING FOR DINNER ROLLS. If you enjoyed this story, please do me a huge favor. Go back to Amazon.com and please leave an honest review. It only takes a couple of minutes and will help me a great deal.

Thank you again!

Lois.

Additional Works by Lois Lavrisa.

LIQUID LIES (Mystery, Thriller, Suspense).

Kindle Top 100 Bestseller.

One dead body, two girls with a secret in the Kindle Bestselling mystery thriller LIQUID LIES. What happens when a night of celebration turns deadly?

To find out, CLICK HERE to purchase your copy.

"A fast paced *who done it' full of twists and turns-a winner!"

Rita Herron, Bestselling Award winning author.

Additional Works by Lois Lavrisa.

CHRISTMAS CORPSE CAPER (Short Story Mystery Suspense).

A Prequel to LIQUID LIES.

One Christmas Eve. One missing body. Too much Mayhem in the short story mystery suspense CHRISTMAS CORPSE CAPER, a prequel to LIQUID LIES.

To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.

"Halfway through his apprenticeship at the Kincaid funeral home, Mark Stevens is spending his first night alone at work. It turns out to be an eventful night, complete with strange noises, disappearing bodies, hidden jewels and finally a date with the colleague he has had a crush on since fifth grade. This was a great short story." Somi, Amazon Reviewer.

PICTURE NOT PERFECT (Short Story/YA Mystery Romance).

Volume One of Thomson Twins Tales.

Chubby Chicks Club Spinoff.

She loves me? She loves me not? Find out in the young adult mystery romance short story PICTURE NOT PERFECT.

To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.

"Who wouldn't love this story about a guy working at an ice cream joint solely to earn enough cash to take his girlfriend to prom? A modern fairytale that offers a wonderful morale of the story."

Usako, Good Reads Reviewer.

TURNABOUT TWIST (Short Story/YA Romance) Volume Two of Thomson Twins Tales Chubby Chicks Club Spinoff Can a vampire and a superhero save this young couple's relationship? Find out in this romantic short story TURNABOUT TWIST.

To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.

"Wow I loved this YA short story! Well written with fun characters and a unique entertaining plotline-I thoroughly enjoyed it!"

Patricia Mason, Bestselling Award winning author.

TREAT OR TRICK (Short Story/YA Suspense) Volume Three of Thomson Twins Tales Chubby Chicks Club Spinoff It's a game of Cat and Mouse in the short story TREAT OR TRICK.

To purchase your copy, CLICK HERE.

"I'm a fan of Ms. Lavrisa's first novel, LIQUID LIES, so was pleased to see she's introducing new characters for what I hope will be yet more entertaining, contemporary stories."

D. Shea, Amazon Reviewer.

"Set in Savannah Georgia, this quirky little tale is big on fun!"

Patricia Mason, Award winning bestselling author.

DYING FOR DINNER ROLLS: Book One (Cozy Southern Mystery) "Chubby Chicks Club" Mystery Series Summer 2013 Dinner gets deadly. THE CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB are a rag tag group of Savannah Georgia friends who find themselves investigating a club member's mysterious death, with time running out for them to find the killer before the killer finds them.

MURDEROUS m.u.f.fINS: Book Two (Cozy Southern Mystery) "Chubby Chicks Club" Mystery Series Arriving Winter 2013 Singing pop songs can be fatal. In Murderous m.u.f.fins, Bezu finds one of her tenants dead. The murder weapon? m.u.f.fins. Book Two in THE CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB mystery will keep you guessing who done it.

KILLING WITH KINGS: Book Three (Cozy Southern Mystery) "Chubby Chicks Club" Mystery Series Arriving Spring 2014 High stakes poker can kill you. In Killing with Kings, Jose's monthly poker game ends up with someone dead, and fingers point to Jose as the murderer. Jose stands to lose everything if he does not find the true killer. Enlisting the help of his CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB means he also has to reveal who he really is, and that in and of itself could be career suicide.

HOMICIDE BY HAMLET: Book Four (Cozy Southern Mystery) "Chubby Chicks Club" Mystery Series Arriving Summer 2014 Shakespeare causes murder on the set. Annie Mae finds herself knee deep in a theatrical nightmare as her opposing acting professor ends up crushed under scenery-scenery that Annie Mae created. Which leads her to be the number one suspect. Even her friends in THE CHUBBY CHICKS CLUB begin to believe that Annie Mae committed the crime, but did she?

Five Fun Facts about Lois Lavrisa

1. She was a professional NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls (1985/1986 season).

2. Being organized gives her the illusion of having control (yeah right, with four kids).

3. Secretly, she wants to be a beach b.u.m. Okay, now it's not a secret.

4. If someone hired her to travel the world and write about it a her suitcase is already packed.

5. She gave birth to her first two children in Sweden with a midwife -sans epidurals. Birthed the last two in the USA -blissfully numb with pain meds*.

Lois Lavrisa is an Amazon Kindle Bestselling, Award Winning Author who writes "Mysteries with a Twist."

When not writing, she juggles her packed schedule, as well as that of her four children, while desperately trying to squeeze in a date night with her husband. Lois daydreams of peace and quiet by the beach armed only with a gla.s.s of Riesling and a great book.