Motherhood Is Murder

And what did it all matter anyway? Bruce had hired the slickest attorney in town, one who thought the truth was overrated, and now I was working for him!

So much for my hopes as a media darling.

I felt nauseous. I had to leave. Get Paula out of here, as far away from that murderer as possible.

Adrenaline surged within me, causing my hands to shake even further.

I jammed the printout back into the envelope and secured it in place under the dish. I left the bedroom and returned to the living room just as Paula and Bruce were descending the staircase.

“That view is spectacular!” Paula said enthusiastically.

I headed straight for the front door and tugged it open. “Come on, let’s go.”

Bruce stopped short and looked at me. “Is everything all right, Kate?”

“Uh . . . yeah. My husband called. I gotta run.” I reached out and put my hand on Paula’s waist. Doing what I could to mask the shaking, I ushered her out the door.

She gave me a knowing look and kept moving.

I crossed the threshold of the doorway and jerked it closed behind me. Paula and I darted down the three flights of steps and pushed through the main condo doors on the first level, squinting into the low November sunlight.

Neither of us spoke until we were inside my car.

“What did you find?” Paula asked, slamming the car door shut.

I started the engine. “Nothing really. It just hit me all of a sudden. It’s him. I know he did it. I just have to prove it.”

I pulled into traffic and nearly collided with a yellow VW bug.

“Hey!” Paula screeched, clutching the dashboard.

My hands were still shaking. “Sorry,” I said.

“Want me to drive?” Paula asked.

“No. I’m fine.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll focus and get you home safe. Promise.”

I dropped Paula off and phoned Jim. I didn’t want to be on the phone while driving. I was obviously too keyed up to be safe.

Jim said the only thing worth mentioning was that Laurie had briefly woken up and given him a “scary-eyed” look. Other than that, she was still back asleep in her blue bouncy chair.

I caught him up on my snooping and told him I was going to stop by Galigani’s to brainstorm.

I pulled up to Galigani’s and rang the bell.

Galigani answered the door. “Hey, kid. Glad you stopped by. I got some more info for ya.”

Mom appeared in the doorway behind him and peeked at me over his shoulder.

“Kate, you’re completely white. What kind of trouble did you find now?” Mom asked.

They ushered me into the house. We ended up in Galigani’s kitchen, where he was making Mom some homemade osso bucco for dinner.

As the smell of garlic and onions frying in olive oil permeated the kitchen, I absently wondering if Mom’s other beau, Hank, could cook.

I recounted for them my search of Bruce’s place and my suspicions about his not wanting to go through with the adoption.

“I freaked myself out so bad being there and I didn’t want to put Paula in any danger. So we ran out as fast as we could,” I finished.

“Well,” Galigani said. “It’s never a bad idea to flee the scene if you’re getting any kind of signal about danger.”

Mom nodded and rubbed my back. “Do you want something warm to drink? Tea?”

“Tea?” Galigani chuckled. “How about a brandy?”

I declined. “What information do you have for me?”

Galigani stirred the onions, a delicious sizzling and popping sound filling the room. “I heard from Jones, the tox report is in. Helene was killed with a lethal dose of fentanyl. Celia was exposed to fentanyl but did not absorb a lethal dose and your results—”

I cleared my throat as loudly as I could and launched myself up from the table. Galigani, who was standing by the stovetop, immediately stopped talking and stared at me.

I hadn’t told Mom about Laurie’s and my hospital stay.

Mom squinted at us. “What about Kate’s results?”

“Kate’s results . . . in that report . . .” Galigani turned his back to Mom, stirred the onions, and winked at me. “The one you were preparing for Gary . . . I’d say . . . Oh, Vera!” He pulled the pan away from the flame. “I need some wine to add to this . . . would you mind? In the dining room above the china cabinet, there’s a nice selection of red. Why don’t you pick one?”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Stop pretending, the both of you!” She harrumphed, stomping into the dining room. “I know when I’m not wanted.”

As soon as the swinging door closed behind Mom, Galigani whispered, “Negative. Nothing in your system and Laurie was clear, too.”

Although I had suspected this, I found myself clapping my hand to my chest in relief and collapsing back into the chair with a sigh.

Galigani nodded and placed the pan back over the flame. “Curious, though, that Celia’s dosage wasn’t lethal, isn’t it?”

“What do you think it means?” I asked.

“Either a botched attempt or a warning? Not sure.”

I arrived home in a panic. I’d been gone five hours and it felt like a lifetime. I ran upstairs and found Jim on the computer and the house eerily silent.

“Where’s Laurie?” I asked.

“Hi, honey,” Jim said, absently kissing me.

“Where’s my little rose petal?” I demanded, trying to keep hysteria out of my voice.

“Oh, in her bouncy chair.”

“Still? She was there when I called you hours ago.” I ran to the living room, where we had been housing the bouncy chair. It was set to vibrate and Laurie looked like she was in a deep peaceful sleep.

“How long has she been sleeping?” I asked.

Jim shrugged. “Dunno. Since you left?”

“What! I’ve been gone five hours. Haven’t you fed her?”

Jim looked dumbstruck. “That long? Hmmm.” He glanced around the room looking for an answer.

“Well? Did you feed her?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Jim, she won’t sleep at all tonight.” I rushed to Laurie’s bouncy chair and pulled her out of it. She startled for a moment, then resumed sleeping.

Jim stared at me. “Really? Are you sure you’re supposed to wake her? If she was hungry, wouldn’t she wake up on her own?”

I shrugged. Nothing seemed to work. If I let her sleep through the day, she would be awake all night.

But then wouldn’t she be awake all night anyway?

I tried to nurse her but she stayed snoozing. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I pulled out the dreaded breast pump and finally felt some relief. Six ounces later I was exhausted.

As soon as I cleaned the pump, capped the bottles, and placed them in the fridge, Laurie woke up screaming and howling.

Great. Just great!