Born In Death

“Don’t have the baby on my watch, Mavis,” Eve warned as she loaded her friend into her vehicle.

“I’m solid, don’t worry. Just a little tired. And I know I’m probably being a zero about the Tandy thing, but I can’t help it. She’s been like my knocked-up buddy for months now, and I talked to her just a couple days ago. It was all ‘I can’t wait till Saturday,’ and how she’d sprung for this new outfit for the shower. She wouldn’t have forgotten about it, Dallas.”

“Okay, so we’ll check on her. If she’s not home, we’ll talk to a couple of her neighbors. She went into baby mode, one of them probably knows.”

“Sure, sure. Could be she went to a different center for some reason. The midwives work at more than one. That’s probably it. Wow, she’s probably had her baby! Or she’s having it now.” Mavis began to rub her belly. “I might be up next.”

“Just not today, okay?” she slanted Mavis a leery eye. “Absolutely not today.”

“No way! I want time to play with all the gifts, and put all the little outfits away, and make it all abso perfect before little Roofus or Apricot come along.”

“Roofus? Apricot?”

“Just trying them out.”

Eve glanced at her friend. “My advice? Keep trying.”

12

AFTER SHE LED EVE TO TANDY’S APARTMENT door, Mavis shifted from foot to foot. “Gotta pee again. My bladder feels about the size of a chickpea lately, and what there is of it keeps getting kicked.”

“Just…think about something else.” Eve knocked. “Don’t bounce like that. It can’t possibly help, and you might shake something loose.”

“She’s not answering. I really, seriously, completely need to pee.”

Changing tactics, Eve turned and knocked on the door across the hall from Tandy’s. Moments later, the door cracked open to the security chain, and a woman peered out the crack suspiciously.

“What?”

“Hey, Ms. Pason! Remember me? I’m Tandy’s friend, Mavis.”

“Oh, yeah.” The eyes warmed fractionally. “You’re looking for Tandy?”

“Uh-huh. She missed my baby shower, and didn’t answer the ’link, so I was…Wow, Ms. Pason, I really have to pee.”

“’Course you do. Come on in and use the bathroom.” She unhooked the chain. “I don’t know you,” she said, pointing a finger at Eve.

“This is my friend, Dallas. She gave me the most magolicious baby shower today. I’ll be right back.”

Ms. Pason folded her arms as Mavis dashed off. “I don’t like letting strangers in.”

“I don’t blame you. I can wait in the hall.”

“It’s okay, this once, since you’re her friend. Tandy and Mavis are nice girls.”

“You seen Tandy lately?”

“Couple days ago, I guess. We left for work at the same time.”

“That would have been…”

“Wednesday, Thursday?” Ms. Pason shrugged. “One morning’s the same as the next. And I keep my nose out like I expect people to keep theirs out of mine.”

“Good policy.”

“Gosh, thanks, Ms. Pason.” Mavis beamed a smile when she came back in. “You’re a lifesaver. Did you maybe see Tandy today?”

“No. Couple days ago, like I told your friend here.”

“A couple days?” Mavis reached out, gripped Eve’s arm. “Dallas.”

“Stay calm. Anybody come see her since you saw her that morning?” Eve asked Ms. Pason.

“Didn’t notice. I keep – ”

“Your nose out, yeah.”

“Dallas, we need to go inside. We need to go into Tandy’s. You could use your master.”

“Master what?” Ms. Pason demanded. “You can’t just go around going into people’s homes.”

Eve pulled out her badge. “Yeah, I can.”

“You’re the police? Well, why didn’t you say so? You think something happened to that nice girl?”

“No,” Eve said quickly. “But since she’s not answering her ’links or her door, and you can’t remember seeing her today, it may be best to check her apartment. Maybe Mavis can wait here.”

“I’m going with you.” Mavis clung to Eve’s arm. “I want to go in, make sure.”

“Fine, fine.” And if Tandy objected to having her premises entered without a warrant or probable cause, it was just as well to have Mavis there to run interference.

Eve knocked again, then pulled out her master. “Tandy, if you’re in there it’s Dallas, and Mavis. We’re coming in.” She uncoded the locks, eased the door open.

The room was the same size as the one across the hall, which meant it felt claustrophobic. Tandy had it spruced up in soft colors with ruffled curtains at the single window. They were open so that a couple of live plants in white pots could soak up the winter sunlight.

On the table in front of a small sofa was a box wrapped in white paper with purple cows dancing over the surface. It was topped by a huge purple bow.

“See, that’s my gift.” Mavis pointed. “I told her how cute that paper was when I was in the baby store a few weeks ago. Tandy! Tandy! Are you all right?”

The place was empty – Eve could feel it – but she let Mavis go in.

No sign of struggle, she mused as she sca

“I’m going to check the bedroom. She’s using it for a nursery, too.” Mavis started for a door, but Eve moved past her, checked it herself.

The bed was neatly made, and beside it was a white cradle already dressed with blue sheets. A little stuffed lamb sat in it looking, to Eve’s mind, very out of place, and just a little creepy.

Why did people put farm animals in kids’ beds?

“She’s not here. And that’s her go-to-the-hospital bag.” Mavis pointed at a little tote standing next to the door.

Saying nothing, Eve moved into the bathroom. There was a white towel hanging over the shower rod. Bone dry.

As was the living room, the bedroom, the bathroom were spotless and organized. Spare would have been another word Eve would have chosen for it. Except for the baby gear, it didn’t seem as though Tandy was one for collecting things.

She had the basics, and coordinated them in a pleasing way, but there was none of the excess most people – and most women, to Eve’s mind – surrounded themselves with.

She moved back into the bedroom where Mavis stood hugging her elbows. “Dallas, I think – ”

“Don’t think yet. There’s no sign of trouble in here, so you take that as a good.” She moved to the closet, glanced through Tandy’s wardrobe. Spare again. The basics in nice fabrics and colors, and nearly all of them clothes for the very knocked-up. No coat – and there’d been no coat on the chrome rack beside the front door.

There was a purse, a brown one, hanging in the closet. But it was empty. Eve recalled Tandy had carried a huge black one the night they’d met.

“No sign of her coat, her purse. Every appearance that she went out, and just hasn’t gotten back yet.”

“Then why doesn’t she answer her pocket ’link? Why didn’t she show at the shower?”

“Okay. Good questions. We’re not done yet.”

And the fact was there was a little twinge at the base of Eve’s spine. Something was off here, but there was no point winding up Mavis any more than she already was.

Eve walked back into the living room where the pretty box sat waiting on the table. She moved to the window and the pair of leafy green plants. When she tested the soil she found them like the towel in the bath. Bone dry.

She turned toward the kitchen, a smaller box off the box of the living room. Counters were clean and uncluttered. There was a white bowl holding three red apples, a smaller bowl, a mug, a small glass, and a spoon left to drain beside the sink.

Breakfast dishes, Eve concluded. Cereal, she decided after a glance in the cupboards, juice and herbal tea or a decaffeinated coffee substitute.

Eve took out a couple of bottles of pills.

“Those are her supplements for the baby. Like vitamins.”

“Okay. She’s got service for four – plates, flatware. She do much entertaining?”