Motherhood Is Murder

?Umm, they don?t really hurt all that much . . .?

He looked upset.

?Doctor, what do you think happened to Helene the other night? It was all so sudden.?

He paled. ?I don?t know.?

?It?s strange, though, isn?t it? You were with her when she died, weren?t you?? I tested.

He took a step back and swallowed. ?Unfortunate set of circumstances.? He turned his back on me and steadied himself by putting his hands on the small set of drawers. ?Shall we schedule you for the prescription orthotics??

He waited for my reply with his back to me.

He was as uncomfortable speaking to me as I had been with Inspector McNearny.

?What do you think was the cause of death??

He whipped around, his face set in stone. ?I?m not the medical examiner. Look, are you here about your feet or something else??

I let my feet dangle and furrowed my brows. ?What else would I be here about??

?What are all these questions about? Are you investigating me??

?Why would I??

He self-consciously smoothed down his shirt and shifted his eyes around the room. He took a breath. ?Right. Have Joan schedule you for a follow-up.?

CHAPTER TWELVE

Keeping Up

To Do:

1. Talk to Miss No-Nonsense.

2. Get manicure.

3. Order turkey.

4. When?s Paula coming home?

5. Build up milk supply?pump, pump, pump!!!

The following day, I decided to pop in on Sara. She hadn?t returned my phone calls and I was starting to get antsy about her.

Was she avoiding me?

I packed Laurie into the car and headed to Jordan Park, which was down the street from California Pacific Hospital, where Laurie was born. This same hospital had also been the initial meeting place for Roo amp; You members, since they had all given birth to their first children and taken classes there, too. Well, all of them except Helene.

And what about these home births?

I had a hard enough time keeping my place clean; now I imagined the mess of a home birth. Blood, placenta, and goo on the baby. Good Lord. Why on earth would anyone want to do that?

Well, now, no reason to be critical. I?m sure people had their reasons?it just simply wasn?t for me.

Jordan Park is a beautiful neighborhood but lacks parking like most of San Francisco. I circled around and was surprised to see Margaret in front of her house watering the lawn. I double-parked, rolled down my window, and called to her.

She looked up, startled, then waved at me to wait a moment. She put down the hose, rushed to her garage to turn off the water, then came over to my car.

She was wearing a slip dress that accentuated her slimness, making her look as if the wind could blow her over. In contrast to the whimsical look of the dress, she had on clunky green mules that seemed to ground her. To combat the weather she had on a wool scarf and hat, although I can never understand how people don?t freeze with bare arms and legs.

She rested her hands on my car and leaned in. ?Have you found anything out??

?Not much, Margaret. I followed Alan the other day. He came directly home. Didn?t stop anywhere. Do you think he?s still having the affair??

?It?s strange. I know. He?s been coming home on time lately and is seemingly more interested in me and the kids. I?m not buying it, though. He?s only doing that because I confronted him. I think he?s trying to get me off my guard. I can?t trust him, Kate.?

?Are you going to stay with your mom for a while??

Her face conveyed a sudden sadness. ?Yes, I?m leaving with the kids tomorrow. I haven?t told Alan, though.?

Another car rolled down the street and had to maneuver around me.

?Is it okay if I park in your driveway? I?d like to ask Sara a few things.?

Margaret looked annoyed. She crossed her bare arms in front of herself and rubbed them. ?Sara? What do you need to see her about??

?Well, I?m trying to get to the bottom of what happened to Helene.?