Grime and Punishment

bedroom!”

Four

In all the years they'd been friends, Jane had never known Shelley to lose her cool. But on the phone she'd been shrill, nearly hysterical. As Jane raced across the driveways and into the Nowacks' kitchen door, Shelley met her, wringing her hands and looking like death. Her face could have been painted white.

“I can't have heard you right,' Jane panted. 'She's dead, Jane. It's horrible.'

“Did you call the police and an ambulance?'

“Not yet. An ambulance won't help her.'

“You don't know that, Shelley. It might be a heart attack or something. Maybe she just looks dead.'

“Jane, believe me—' Shelley turned away and put her hand over her mouth, retching.

Jane ran up the stairs, skidding to a halt just inside the door to the guest room. She suddenly realized what Shelley meant. The cleaning lady was lying sprawled beside the bed, just inside the doorway. Feet toward the door, face down, her head was turned sideways, and what Jane could see was sickening. The woman's skin was a mottled purple, her eyes bulged, and some? thing fat and purplish and repulsive was sticking out of her mouth. It took Jane a few seconds to realize it was the woman's tongue.

The vacuum cleaner cord was twisted savagely around her bruised throat.

Jane's stomach heaved and she dashed for the bathroom. She clung to the sink, steeling herself. Then she rinsed her mouth, slapped some cold water on her face, and — carefully not looking toward the guest room — started downstairs. She had to lean on the banister for support. Her knees were shaking so badly she nearly tumbled forward twice.

Shelley was at the bottom of the stairs, and they fell into each other's arms. 'Oh, my God, Shelley—' Jane whimpered. Shelley was crying. 'We have to call the police. They'll take care of — of everything.' She knew she was babbling, but she needed to say something.

“Oh, Jane…' Shelley moaned. 'Take care of it? This is too awful. How could something so terrible happen?'

“That's for the police to figure out,' Jane said. Since the normally bossy Shelley was on the verge of going to pieces, Jane felt the need to be confident. But her voice came out in a croaking manner that didn't sound like herself.

“Yes. Yes, you're right. I'll call,' Shelley said, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her elegant maroon suit. In other circumstances, Jane would have fainted from astonishment at seeing such a thing. Of course, in other circumstances, Shelley would never have done that.

“What shall I say?'

“I don't know,' Jane said, following her backto the kitchen. They were moving along like children, clinging to each other as if afraid to let go.

Shelley picked up the phone, then put it back down. 'I can't hear with that dishwasher going,' she said. She looked down at the little light indicating the cycle. She went even whiter than before. 'It's just on prewash. .' she said tonelessly.

“So what? Just cancel the cycle— My God, Shelley!' Jane said, suddenly realizing the implications of this. 'Did you start it before you found her?'

“No, she' — she gestured helplessly toward the stairs—'must have.'

“Then that means she's only been dead a few minutes. Whoever did it might still be here.”

They looked toward the family room, and suddenly the chairs and sofas became menacing — hiding places where murderers might be lurking. Jane grabbed Shelley's arm. 'We'll call from my house.'

“We shouldn't leave her. It doesn't seem decent.'

“Decent! Nothing about this is decent, Shelley Anyway, we can't do her any good now.”

Holding hands like terrified schoolgirls, they ran across the adjoining drives and into Jane's kitchen. Willard greeted them, then ran for cover, sensing that something was very wrong. After misdialing twice, Shelley finally managed to convey to the police that someone had been murdered in her house and that she was safely waiting at her neighbor's house. She gave her address and Jane's, and was barely through talk? ing when the faint wail of a siren sounded on the main thoroughfare a few blocks over.

They stood looking at each other. 'What do I do now?' Shelley asked.

“Nothing. Just wait. Want a cigarette?”

Shelley had quit nearly a year before, but accepted the offer with gratitude. 'You'll stay with me, won't you?' she said, coughing a little as she took the first drag.

“Yes, of course. I've got to take care of car pools.' In spite of the situation, the mother part of Jane was still working, consulting a mental file cabinet of everyday responsibilities. 'Mike will get himself home, and Katie is supposed to be staying for a pep rally and coming home with a friend. But Todd—”

Keeping an eye on Shelley, who looked shaky, she picked up the phone, thought for a minute, then dialed Dorothy Wallenberg's number.

“Dorothy! Thank goodness you're home. I need a couple favors. Something awful has happened. Shelley's cleaning lady has — has died. Yes, it's terrible. Yes, just now. I'll tell her you said that. Just at the moment, I'm the one who needs some help. Please, would you pick up Todd for me and take him home with you? And call everybody who's supposed to be coming tonight to the meeting at Shelley's house and tell them it's been canceled. No, I'm not sure—”

She glanced at Shelley, who had balanced the cigarette on the edge of the table and was leaning over with her head between her knees, breathing deeply. 'I can't ask her, Dorothy. Just call anybody you think might have been coming. I think Laura Stapler has a list of the committee members. Start with her. Thanks, Dorothy.”

Shelley stood up and went to the window, swaying slightly. The wail of the first siren stopped abruptly, and through Jane's kitchen window they could see that there was one officer sprinting around the far side of Shelley's house and another coming around the near corner. They had their guns drawn. Another, having apparently parked on the next street, vaulted nimbly over the back fence and headed, crouching, toward the basement door that opened out of the back of the house. Jane could hear at least two other sirens. 'Dorothy says if there's anything you need or want, just call her.”

Shelley turned away from the window, sat down, and pushed her hair back from her face. 'That's nice of her,' she said with mechanical courtesy.

Jane's phone rang and she answered curtly. 'Yes?'

“Jane! This is Mary Ellen. I just looked out the front window. What's wrong at Shelley's?'

“The cleaning lady's been killed. The killer may still be in the house.'

“Edith? Killed?'

“Yes — no, not Edith. It was a substitute. Somebody strangled her.'

“Oh, my God,' Mary Ellen said, sounding nearly as bad as Shelley did. 'What can I do? Is Shelley all right?'

“She's not hurt. You can't do anything. Just stay in the house until it's over. I'll talk to you later.”

Shelley was rummaging in the cabinet for Jane's jar of instant coffee. Meow jumped onto the counter to see what was going on that might provide nibbles for her. There was no sign of Willard. Probably hiding in the basement.Hands shaking, Jane turned on a burner and started some water boiling. They didn't speak. Jane had a strange nightmarish sense of reality and horror interwoven. Next door, a dead woman lay in the guest bedroom and police searched the house. Here, they were silently making coffee, as if that were a solution to something.

Shelley sat trembling at the table, sipping her coffee. Jane watched out the window. More emergency vehicles arrived, and somebody put up white-and-orange-striped sawhorses several doors down to stop traffic. Dear God, it would scare the kids to death if they came home and found the neighborhood seemingly under martial law. Todd would be at Dorothy's house, but Mike and Katie..

Hating to do it, Jane picked up the phone again and called her mother-in-law. 'Thelma? Jane. I can only talk a second. Something awful has happened next door and the police have the block cordoned off. No, I'm fine. I'm not in any danger. But I'm worried about Mike and Katie trying to come home and thinking something has happened to me. I can't get out. Would you please call their schools and order them to stay there until you or Ted can pick them