A Quiche Before Dying

crawl. When she met his gaze, his didn’t falter. She looked away first. Grady was nervously tapping his pencil on the arms on his chair. Desiree was sitting at the back of the room, away from everyone else, and frowning at the blackboard as if there were something written there so faintly, she could hardly make it out. Naomi was struggling with the zipper on her purse as if closing it were of enormous importance, and Ruth was trying to help her, making little nervous, darting motions with her hands. Jane noticed that Cecily was humming under her breath, something she only did when she was very nervous, and even Shelley looked frightened.
    Missy had just begun speaking again when the back door of the room opened. Jane didn’t even notice at first, then she became aware of everyone craning to look back. She turned.
    Mel was standing in the doorway.
    Missy’s lecture faltered to a stop. “Yes, can I help you, Detective VanDyne?“
    “No. Please continue. I’m afraid I might have to ask you all to stay a little longer than usual.“
“Why is that? What are you doing here?“
    “I’m waiting for some information. When it arrives, you’ll be free to leave,“ he said.
    All but one of us, Jane thought.
    He pulled a chair over by the doorway and sat down.
    Jane glanced around the room. There was the illusion of guilt on every face. They were all perplexed and alarmed.
    Missy continued, her voice trembling. “Very well. If you’ll get out the manuscripts, I’d like to go over each one briefly. First, I’ll give my own comments and evaluations, then I’d like to know what impressions you had as you read them.”
    Everyone tried gamely to pretend that VanDyne wasn’t at the back of the room, watching and listening. But their responses were feeble and disjointed.
    The door opened again, bumping against VanDyne’s chair. He moved it, and a uniformed woman officer handed him a white envelope. He thanked her, opened the envelope, and nodded. All illusion of a normal class was abandoned. Bob Neufield slammed his briefcase shut and glared at VanDyne. Grady got up and went to the front of the room to stand behind Missy’s chair. Desiree Loftus leaned back and closed her eyes. Ruth and Naomi were holding hands. Cecily laid her hand on Jane’s arm. Shelley was fidgeting with the lid of her pen, making a faint, frantic clicking sound.
    Mel came into the middle of the room, in the aisle between the chairs. “I’m afraid I’m here to arrest the person whose name is on this birth certificate, the person who was born in captivity in the Philippines... Maxine Harbinger.”
    There was a moment of confused silence, quick, puzzled glances. Then Ruth Rogers stood up briskly, ruffles bouncing. “There’s no need to make a fuss, Officer. I’m Maxine Ruth Harbinger.“
    “No, ma’am. You’re not,“ VanDyne said softly. Ruth stared at him.
    “You can’t save your sister,“ he went on very gently. “Not from the law—or from anything else.”
    Naomi Smith slowly got up and came to stand by her sister. She was normally a sickly, pale color. Now she was as white as death. “I’m sorry, Ruth. But you know I had to do it. I’d have happily killed her in the town square at high noon—with pride!—except I wanted to spare you. She killed our mother, Ruth. She had to be punished. You know that. It was necessary. It was right. Everything that happened to me after that was her fault. If we’d just had our mother—”
    She was shaking, and near collapse. Ruth put her arm around her sister to support her and wept, “But the maid, Naomi. You almost killed the maid. You were too young to remember her, but she helped us in the prison camp after Mother died. She protected us from the guards and smuggled food in to us. She’s the only reason we survived. And you almost killed her. That wasn’t right.”
    Naomi was crying now, too. “But I didn’t mean to, Ruth! Nobody else should have been hurt. It was only for that evil woman that killed our mother. You know I wouldn’t harm anyone else for the world.”
    Ruth put both arms around her sister, in love and in physical support. Naomi was crumbling. Ruth looked over her shoulder and met Jane’s eyes. “I know, Naomi. I know. Now, let’s go with the police and explain it to them.“
     

21
     
    “Mom!“ Katie called from the living room. “Mike and Todd are being repulsive again! They’re such dweebs!“
    “It’s their nature,“ Jane called back from the dining