Chow Down (A Melanie Travis Mystery)

just about turned me into a selfless paragon of virtue. I’m damn near unrecognizable. Some days even I wonder what’s come over me. Has anyone else noticed that it’s friggin’ hot out here? Who besides me wants some lemonade? Davey?”
    “Yes, please.” He’d immediately sunk to the floor of the porch to sit beside Maggie. Now he was rolling a rubber ball back and forth to entertain her. Knowing Bertie, the toy probably belonged to Beagle.
    “I’ll help,” I said, stopping to latch a baby gate across the top of the steps as Bertie headed inside.
    She paused and looked back at Davey. “I’ll leave the door open and we’ll only be two rooms away. If you need us for any reason, just yell, okay?”
    “We can be back out here in five seconds if we need to,” I added.
    “Don’t worry,” said Davey, sounding very grown-up. “We’ll be fine.”
    “He’s great with her,” Bertie said as we walked through the house.
    “I know.” I heaved a windy sigh. “And we’re trying .”
    “I’m just mentioning . . .”
    “So is everybody else. It’s gotten to the point where I feel as though I ought to be sending out daily email updates to any and all interested parties.”
    “Great, can I get on that list?”
    “I’m kidding, Bertie!”
    “So was I.” She turned and peered at me. “Getting a little touchy, aren’t you?”
    “Maybe just a bit,” I admitted. “Let’s talk about something else.”
    “Name it.”
    “Lisa and Larry Kim.”
    “Can’t say that I didn’t expect that.” Bertie opened the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade. I got three glasses out of the cabinet and lined them up on the counter. “I read about what happened in this morning’s paper. The article made reference to the contest. I wondered if you were there.”
    “Not only there, but in the stairwell when he fell.”
    “You certainly know how to attract trouble.” Bertie held her hand over the spout and gave the pitcher a good shake. “Maybe you’re the one who ought to have a warning bell hung around your neck.”
    I’d always thought I was just unlucky. It had never occurred to me that I might be a jinx. Quickly I shook off the thought.
    “The article was a little vague on the specifics,” Bertie said. “It implied that the incident was a tragic accident. But since you’re asking questions, I’m guessing that you don’t agree?”
    “There was someone up on the landing with Larry right before he fell. Someone who ran away afterward, rather than staying and trying to help.”
    “I can see why you’re feeling suspicious, then. Where was Lisa while all this was happening?”
    “Larry had sent her outside. At least that’s what she told the police.”
    Bertie had filled the three glasses. I picked one up and lifted it to my lips. The lemonade was strong and tart. It tasted great.
    “I’ll run one of these out to Davey,” Bertie said. “If everything’s copacetic out there, we can let the kids entertain each other for a few minutes and talk in here.”
    Neither one of us had to mention that since the topic under discussion was murder, we would both rather that our children didn’t overhear.
    Three minutes later, Bertie was back. In the meantime I’d taken a seat at the kitchen table. “Everything okay?” I asked.
    “Perfect. Davey’s got Maggie in his lap and he’s reading her a book. The two of them looked so cute together that I grabbed the camera and sneaked a picture or two.”
    “I’ll want copies.”
    “I’m holding them hostage. Maybe I’ll bring one to your baby shower.”
    “I used to think you were a good influence on my brother,” I said. “Now I’m beginning to see it’s worked the other way around. He’s turned you into a fiend.”
    “That wasn’t Frank, that was motherhood. I just want everyone to experience the same maternal joys that I have.”
    “Stretch marks, sleepless nights, varicose veins . . . It’s no wonder I can’t wait.” I stopped abruptly. “I can’t believe you managed to get me back to that subject again.”
    Bertie laughed. “You’re the one who keeps digressing.”
    Maybe I was, I realized. These days it seemed like I had babies on the brain.
    “Back to the Kims,” I said firmly. “At the show last weekend, you said you knew them.”
    “It was more like I knew of them,” Bertie corrected. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends or anything, I know them as fellow competitors. They’re big into Yorkies and I’ve shown