Bundle of Trouble(72)
I laughed. “She’s a baby.”
“I know. A crybaby. Except when Mommy’s around.”
I showed him for the umpteenth time how to put the baby carrier on. I must admit with the millions of snaps, straps, and hooks, it’s not the easiest process in the world to remember, but after you’ve done it a few times, it becomes second nature.
Jim put the carrier on, picked up Laurie, and snuggled her into it. She instantly laid her head against his heart. Within moments of Jim pacing back and forth, Laurie was asleep.
“Aw,” Jim said, “feels nice.”
“To hold her?”
“Yeah. When she’s quiet.”
I filled him in on my brunch at the country club. “And guess what?” Jim watched me expectantly. “I gave her my bill. The retainer, plus all my time so far at two hundred bones an hour. She didn’t balk at all.”
Jim leaned in and kissed me. “I’m very proud of you, honey.” He headed toward our bedroom.
I followed. “I’ll be proud when I figure out who did it.”
“Oh. Your mom called. Said her new boyfriend, Hank, told her that if someone’s been drinking, then as little as five pills of diaze . . . something or other—”
“Diazepam?”
“Yeah. That’s it. Five pills could bump someone off.” He placed Laurie in her bassinet and began to select a suit. “Do you know what that means?”
I felt a dull pain at the base of my neck. “Unfortunately, yes. It means Kiku had enough pills to kill Michelle.”
Jim pulled on tan slacks and a white dress shirt. “Honey, if you discover who the murderer is and it turns out it’s not the person you wanted it to be, you still have an obligation to tell Mrs. Avery.”
“But Kiku’s going to have a baby, and if she’s in jail . . .” I stopped myself short, suddenly emotional.
Jim hugged me. “You can’t stress yourself out about that. You have to be realistic. If she’s a murderer, then, obviously, she wouldn’t be a fit mother.”
He released me and studied my face.
“But I really like Kiku. She’s so nice. And it may turn out that Michelle committed suicide. Besides, Mrs. Avery only hired me—”
“Kate! You’re not that naïve. You have to be honest. With yourself and the authorities.”
“I know. I know. You’re right. I think the murders are linked, but I don’t think Kiku had a motive to kill Brad.”
“If Michelle was murdered, what would have been Kiku’s motive?” From the closet, Jim pulled out a gorgeous green tie with burgundy flecks. “This one okay?”
I nodded. “At one point, when I heard George was going over to Michelle’s at night and all, I thought they might be having an affair. Maybe Kiku thought the same thing. If she killed Brad, too, then she would have needed—”
Jim tightened his tie. “An accomplice?”
I nodded my agreement.
Jim pulled on a sports coat. “You can’t expect a pregnant woman to get rid of a body, can you?”
“I don’t want George to be responsible.”
Jim gave a sour laugh. “I’ve been wanting him to be responsible his whole life.”
“I meant . . .”
Jim’s face softened. “Whoever is responsible for these crimes needs to be held accountable.” He checked his hair in the mirror. “Regardless of his or her relationship to us. You need to do what’s right, Kate.”
I pressed my cheek against his. “You look incredibly sexy,” I whispered.
Jim wrapped his hands around my shoulders and pulled me close, kissing me deeply. I kissed him back as I undid his tie.
•CHAPTER TWENTY•
The Sixth Week—Muscle Control
The next morning at 5 A.M., I could hear Laurie shifting in her bassinet. I knew she’d be hungry soon.
I poked Jim. “Can you feed Laurie?”
He unglued one eye and looked at me. “How can I do that? I don’t have any boobs.”
“Mom bought us some formula bottles. They’re in the pantry. Can you give her one?”
“I thought you didn’t want to give her any formula.”
“Please just give her one,” I said.
“Yeah, yeah . . . sure,” he mumbled. He got up and returned with the formula. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
Laurie had begun to fuss.
“Jim, I’m exhausted. Can you please figure it out?”
Somehow, he managed to grasp that the only thing necessary was to uncap the premade formula and screw the nipple onto the bottle.
He picked Laurie up and placed her between us. She immediately started rooting at me and wailing even louder. As soon as Jim put the bottle in her mouth, she quieted down.