Nursing a Grudge is Murder (A Maternal Instincts Mystery) (3 page)

“UC? I thought you were going to California Pacific?”

Paula wailed again.

“Another contraction?” I asked.

She ignored my question. “Meet me at UC, not Cal Pacific. Our insurance changed. Don’t you ever listen—”

She continued to scold me but I covered the mouthpiece on the phone and addressed the dour man standing in front of me.

“Look,” I hissed. “I am
not
a food critic. My name is Kate Connolly. My friend is in labor and I have to meet her. Please run the charges on my card.”

Of course, I didn’t add that Jill was indeed a critic or the fact that if I’d been a critic I would have given the place the ultimate thumbs down.

The moms in the corner huffed past us with their silent, sleeping, perfect-angel babies. Laurie cried even louder and entwined her fingers in my hair. I yelped.

Mr. Sour grabbed the card from me and whipped around to hand it off to the waitress turned paparazzi.

“I don’t believe you. I’m going to splatter your picture all over the web,” she said as she turned on her heel.

My phone beeped as Jill’s call went into voicemail.

Darn it!

I rooted around the diaper bag and found a pacifier. Laurie kicked out her legs and arched her back when she saw it. I put it in her mouth and returned my attention to Paula. “I’ll meet you at UC.”

Although I had a baby in tow, UC seemed to be the place I needed to be anyway: while I took charge of Danny, I could follow up with Jill.

Paula let out a deep moan.

“Don’t drive. Take a cab!” I said.

She mumbled something.

“What?” I asked.

“Can you call me a cab?” she whimpered.

The waitress emerged from the back and slapped my credit card along with the printout onto the table.

“Yes,” I said to Paula and hung up.

I glared at the waitress and signed my name on the receipt. She snatched it from my hand, returning my glare.

I strapped the buckles on Laurie’s car seat.

There was no way she could squirm her way out now.

I dialed Yellow Cab and ordered one for Paula ASAP, then headed out.

Even though I was desperate to listen to Jill’s voicemail, I couldn’t stand the cafe one moment longer.

Once at my car, I secured Laurie’s portable car seat into the base, then hopped into the driver’s seat and dialed my voicemail.

Jill’s voice filled the line. “Kate. That guy isn’t following me, so there’s no need for you—”

There was a rustling sound, then a high pitched yelp from Jill.

The line went dead.

Chapter Three

I dialed Jill and got her voicemail. I pounded on my steering wheel and let out a few choice swear words.

Laurie made a noise from her car seat.

I adjusted the rearview mirror and studied Laurie in the Elmo mirror that was pinned to the backseat. “Sorry for the swearing, sweat pea.”

Laurie pointed at my reflection in her mirror and cooed.

I texted Jill.

R
U OK
? W
HERE R U
? I’
M ON MY WAY TO
UC
.

Then I dialed my hubby, Jim.

He picked up on the first ring. “Great news, honey. Ramon is here,” he said. He’s cooking up a storm—”

“What? Ramon? What’s he doing there?”

We’d met Ramon over the holidays when I’d been investigating the murder of a reporter. Ramon catered for the television station the victim had worked for.

“Cooking!”

My stomach growled. “Uh! Sorry I’m missing out. Hey listen, Paula’s in labor. David’s flight’s been delayed so I’m on my way to UC. Can you meet me there and pick up the kids?”

“Kids?”

“I have to watch Danny. He’s not allowed into the maternity ward and neither is our little jelly belly.”

“Oh,” Jim said. “Uh, the empanadas are nearly out of the oven and I— ”

“Empanadas? Come on, Jim. I can’t take—”

“Well, it’s not only the empanadas. I have a sales call scheduled this afternoon. I really worked for this one, so I’d hate to reschedule. Can I call your mom? Maybe she can—”

A sales call, my foot! I knew he intended to dig into Ramon's dish unabashedly. But, okay, just because I didn’t get to eat lunch didn’t mean he had to starve.

“Okay, call mom. If she can come, you can stay home and eat. And try not to burn your tongue.”

<><><>

I pulled into the UC Medical Center parking lot like a chicken with its head cut off. Thankfully, Laurie had fallen asleep on the ride and she gave me no problems as I released her car seat from its base and snapped it into the stroller.

I wheeled the stroller to the hospital entrance and looked for mom. Instead, I saw my mom’s boyfriend, Galigani, who also happened to be my boss and mentor, approaching.

Galigani was tall and dark with a thick mustache. He’d retired from the San Francisco Police Department before I’d met him and started his own private investigation service. Under his guidance, I’d solved three crimes and had hopes of having a new career as a P.I.

“Hey, kid!” he said jovially.

“What are you doing here? It’s not your heart, is it?” I asked.

Three months prior, Galigani had undergone open-heart surgery.

He laughed. “If I keep hanging out with you and your mom, it might be. I’m here in lieu of Vera.”

“Why? Where is she?” I asked.

He placed a hand on his chest as though he were crestfallen. “I’m that disappointing?”

I leaned in to kiss his cheek. “No. I didn’t mean that. In fact, you’ll probably give me less lip than Mom.”

“Don’t count on it,” he said.

I pulled my phone out and checked the display. No word from either Paula or Jill.

“Come on. I need to get inside and check for my friends,” I said.

Galigani frowned. “I have to go inside? I thought I was just picking up the kids.”

I turned to him. “Are you afraid of the hospital?”

He looked at me like I was the dumbest person on the planet.

“Never mind,” I said. “Do you have a car seat in your car?”

He shook his head.

“How are you supposed to take the kids then?”

He stroked his mustache and asked. “They need car seats?”

I returned his ‘you’re the stupidest person I know’ look. Galigani simply looked back me, tilting his chin down so that he looked at me through his eyelashes. It was his best ‘I only have disdain for you’ look.

I whipped out my phone and sent a message first to Paula, then Jill and finally Jim.

Galigani continued to look at me. “Are you hoping that if you tap that thing long enough, car seats will appear out of thin air?”

“Funny,” I said, without looking up. “You can take my car.”

I dug into my diaper bag to retrieve my keys, while filling Galigani in on my lunch.

He frowned when I told him about Jill’s last message.

“Let’s check and see how her boyfriend, Perry, is doing. Maybe he’s here and she’s with him.”

“You want to go into the hospital with me?” I asked.

Before Galigani could answer, a yellow cab pulled up in front of us.

My mother burst out of the cab in true Vera style. She wore a blue and red striped knit cap that was somewhat reminiscent of a barber pole with a feather sticking out of it.

I hate to admit that I hesitated before saying the word, “Mom.”

Mom on the other hand didn’t hesitate at all. She gleefully yelled at us. “Hey, gang! I brought the lady of the hour.”

What was Mom doing in Paula’s cab?

Out of the cab jumped Danny, Paula’s two-year-old son, who pulled on mom’s arm and said, “Mommy’s stuck.”

A clodhopper attached to a very swollen ankle poked out of the cab and remained frozen in mid-air.

I left Laurie in her stroller with Galigani and motioned for Mom to take Danny to the curb.

I peeked inside the cab. Paula was in a semi-reclined position, wearing a flowered maternity smock and leggings, a hand on her protruding belly and a miserable expression on her face.

I smiled at her. “Need a little help?”

“Help, yes, but you can save the forced gaiety. I won’t be happy until this little sucker is out of my body!”

I grabbed her elbow and heaved her out. She was my best friend and I loved her like a sister. I knew her well enough to know that even if the contractions and labor pain were enough to put her in a bad mood, worse was having to suffer the maternity smocks and clodhoppers.

“You’re in the home stretch now,” I said encouragingly. “You’ll be back to your fashionable self in no time.”

Paula grimaced while Galigani secured a wheelchair.

Paula seated herself. “Ah. Thank you. Who said chivalry was dead?”

I paid the cabbie and joined my crew at the curb. Mom had already taken charge of the children. Danny clung to her leg while he fussed with the wrapper of a lollipop that she’d no doubt just given him, while Laurie squealed to be let out of the stroller.

“She was asleep,” I complained.

Mom laughed. “She’s a very smart girl. She knows when there’s excitement.”

“How did you end up in their cab?” Galigani asked Mom.

“Oh, I saw those dreadful rates for the parking garage, and there’s no way I was paying that! So, I had to hunt out a city spot.”

“She hailed us about five blocks ago,” Paula said.

Galigani handed Mom my keys. “Are you taking the kids, then? I’m going to help Kate out with a few things.”

Mom’s eyes flashed with excitement. “A new investigation?”

“Labor here, people,” Paula howled.

I gave Mom directions to where I’d parked and wheeled Paula into the hospital.

Galigani and I agreed that while I stayed with Paula, he would poke around and see if he could get any information on Jill’s boyfriend.

<><><>

After the hospital checked Paula into an observation room, the first words out of her mouth were, “When can I get the epidural?”

The nurse, a small blonde who looked not a day older than 12, said sweetly, “Oh, we need to see how far along you are before we can even get you admitted to Labor and Delivery.” She tapped at a computer monitor then said, “I’ll be back in flash. I just need to get you set up in our system.”

Paula smiled sweetly back to the nurse, but as soon as she left the room Paula let out a stream of profanity that someone suffering from Tourette Syndrome would envy. She finished with, “I want the stupid, stupid, stupid epidural now.”

“Hey,” I said, rubbing her shoulder. “They’ll get it to you soon.”

She let out a series of deep moans that frightened even me.

Another nurse peeked into our room and asked cheerfully, “Everything all right in here?”

Paula replied quickly, “Oh, yes. Thank you. My friend rubbed my shoulder and I feel better already.”

I frowned. The mere presence of the nurse had calmed Paula down.

The nurse proceeded to complete her check of Paula, including attaching as many monitors as possible. Neither Paula nor that baby would make a move or take a breath that wasn’t accounted for.

While the nurse worked, Paula had a contraction but breathed right through it. No moans, no swearing, no yelling. But as soon as the nurse left, satisfied that Paula was progressing as expected, Paula let out another scream.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“It's another contraction, dummy,” she said.

I cringed. “Sorry.”

The blonde nurse returned to check on Paula’s IV, which again turned Paula into an angel. When the nurse left, Paula began to moan as if she’d been stabbed.

I squeezed her hand. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Don’t touch me,” she said.

“How come you’re all nice to the nurses and mean to me?” I asked.

“I don’t know them,” Paula said.

I laughed. “Okay. I’m the punching bag until David gets here, huh?”

My phone went off and I crossed the room to get my purse.

Paula asked, “What are you doing?”

“Checking my phone. When you called I was at lunch with Jill—”

“You can’t check your phone now. I’m in labor! You’re supposed to be my support!”

I grimaced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that—”

She moaned again.

“You want to watch some TV?” I asked.

Paula stared at me. “Watch some TV?”

“You know, to distract you a bit.”

“Punching you in the nose might distract me.”

“In your condition, I think I can take you,” I said.

She didn’t laugh though, instead she moaned again, only this time deeper and longer as if possessed. I crossed to the door.

When she recovered from the contraction enough to speak, Paula asked, “Where are you going?”

“Nowhere. I’m looking for a nurse, hoping one will come in soon to check on you so you’ll be nice to me again.”

Paula’s face softened for a moment. “Sorry, Kate. You know I love you.”

She was overtaken by another contraction and I called the nurse. “I think things are speeding up in here. Maybe it’s time to move us to Labor and Delivery?” I said on the intercom.

A nurse came in to evaluate Paula. While Paula was distracted I checked my phone. Galigani had left me a voicemail and I itched to check it.

If I left the room, certainly Paula would notice.

“I’m just going to use the restroom,” I lied.

Paula moaned softly and glared at me. In the glare I could definitely tell she was calling me on my lie. The nurse stroked Paula’s forehead and she seemed temporarily soothed with the acknowledgement of the pain.

I escaped into the private bath that was attached to her room. I quickly dialed voicemail and listened to Galigani.

“Hey kid. I haven’t heard anything about your friend Jill, but I have news on the accident victim. It ain’t good. Call me.”

I dialed Galigani, and when he answered I ran the tap water to mask my voice.

“Hey,” I whispered. “What’s happened to Perry? What room is he in? Can we go see him?”

“He was DOA, kid.”

I gasped. “Oh no.”

“Yeah, terrible. The Coast Guard picked him up,” Galigani said. “They’re releasing him to the medical examiner. Do you think there’s any reason for me to try and flag the case?”