Motherhood Is Murder

She didn?t seem to know anything.

I nodded. ?Can you tell me where you were on Tuesday morning??

?Tuesdays are Amanda?s swim class. We were at La Petite Grenouille.?

That would be easy to check.

I rapped on the doorframe. ?Okay. Thank you for your time.?

I proceed down the walkway toward my car. As I got in, I noticed she was watching me from the window.

Strange, but was she guilty?

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Swimming?

I stood at the front desk with Laurie in my arms and looked at the pools through the glass doors. There was a small wading pool and another larger pool complete with a covered yellow slide.

In the larger pool there seemed to be a toddler class going on. Only three children and one teenager with a bright pink swim cap on. The teenage instructor was assisting the kids to alternately swim through a tunnel. The children were swimming remarkably well given their age and looked adorable with tiny flippers on their feet.

In the wading pool were several moms holding their infants in their arms. They were following the instructions of another teenager, this one with auburn-colored hair. All the moms would hold the infants up in the air and duck them in the water at the same time.

I couldn?t hear anything through the glass doors, but every time the babies resurfaced, their mouths were shaped into giant O?s and I?m fairly certain they were screaming their little hearts out.

What about this was supposed to be good for them?

I turned Laurie toward the baby pool. ?Does that look fun to you? Do you want to do that??

Laurie pedaled her little feet.

?Is that a yes??

From the changing area a slim instructor with wet hair that was pulled back in a ponytail approached us.

?Are you here for the free trial class?? she asked.

?Actually, no.? I hesitated. ?I . . . uh . . . I wanted to sign up.? I smiled.

She frowned and stepped toward the desk. ?Are you on the wait list? Did we call you with an opening?? She flipped through a huge black book that was by the phone.

I eyed the book.

Did they mark the attendance there?

?No. I thought I?d just sign up.?

She frowned. ?You thought you would . . . right.? She closed the book with a loud thud. ?Why don?t you give me your name? Our wait list is quite long. We?ll call you if any classes are added.?

Still looking at the book, I said, ?Right. Or, you know, if anyone drops out or??

?Our students don?t generally drop out. Yes, there is the occasional one that moves or has, say, perhaps a medical issue, but frankly speaking, there?s not a lot of movement is the existing classes.?

I nodded.

?How old is your daughter?? she asked.

?She?s two months.?

?It?s a shame you didn?t sign up earlier. We have a mommy and me starting next week.? She glanced thoughtfully at the pool. ?Have you had a tour??

I shook my head. ?No, but??

She moved away from the desk. ?Come along then.?

She led me to the glass doors separating the reception area from the pools. I wished now that I?d brought Paula or Mom along. They would be able to snoop through the book while Laurie and I toured the facility.

As the instructor pushed open the door, the smell of chlorine hit me. I inhaled deeply; somehow the smell made me want to dive in.

I?ve never considered myself a swimmer, but why should my limitations become Laurie?s? Maybe lessons would be good for her.

The instructor told me how the water temperature of both pools was reminiscent of the womb, then recounted the benefits of swimming. By the time she was done, I really wanted a spot in the class.

Odd. I hadn?t thought about swimming in such a long time and now in the middle of November it seemed the thing to do.

She led me to the changing rooms. There was an open shower area and several bathroom stalls. Additionally, portable cribs and playpens were set up and scattered throughout the room. The mommy and me class had just