The Groaning Board

just catch a glimpse of
Micklynn working in the big open kitchen.
    No sign of Bill Veeder.
    But Mort Hornberg was there, sans Poppy, his arm draped intimately over the shoulders of an attractive man-boy with
a peach-shaped dancer’s derriere. And Smith in something white and beaded had
just arrived with Twoey. Oh, goody, more tall people.
    A metal staircase led to the roof and
the beautiful people were going up and down in a steady stream.
    Snatches of conversations surrounded
her. “Candy... in the greenhouse...”
    The greenhouse? She made her way up
the stairs.
    “You shouldn’t have come. If she sees
you—” A.T. stood with her back to the staircase talking to Ellen and a grungy
young man with crucifix earrings and long, greasy black hair.
    They were talking about Minnie.
    “She won’t see us. She’s busy
cooking,” Ellen said.
    Not Minnie, Micklynn.
    “Are you going up or down, little
girl? And can I do it with you?” The man was sliding his hand up Wetzon’s leg.
She stepped back and ground her heel into his shoe.
    He yelled, “Ow!”
    “Oh, excuse me,” she said. But she’d
lost her anonymity.
    “How nice you look, Wetzon,” A.T.
said. “You know Ellen, don’t you? And this is her school friend Todd Cameron.”
    “Is there really a greenhouse up
here?” Wetzon asked, after the obligatory handshakes. Todd shook hands like a
limp puppy.
    “Yes,” A.T. said. “Ellen dear, why
don’t you show Wetzon around? Ellen works here with Hem’s gardener. She loves
it, don’t you, dear?”
    “I love it,” Ellen repeated, with a
polite smile. “I have a green thumb.” She looked bored.
    “Just as well,” A.T. said cheerfully.
“I kill anything I try to grow.”
    “You don’t have to be my guide,
Ellen,” Wetzon said. “I’ll look around myself.”
    “No, I insist,” A.T. said. She
telegraphed a meaningful look to Ellen.
    The roof, surrounded by a four-foot
parapet, was spacious. Finished as a terrace, it had a slate floor and stylish
outdoor furniture. All around were the roofs of similar warehouse buildings,
about the same height.
    Bill Veeder was a no-show.
    Four men came out of the greenhouse,
their voices boisterous. “It’s on the table in the back,” one told Wetzon.
    “This way,” Ellen said. She entered
the greenhouse and held the door for Wetzon and Todd, who had as yet not spoken
a word. Within the greenhouse the scents were legion—spicy, cloying, musty,
earthy.
    “I see a lot of herbs,” Wetzon said.
“Are they for The Groaning Board?”
    “No, not these. They’re Min’s.
They’re for her Chinese banquets.”
    Todd had the jiggles and they were
getting more pronounced. “Let’s get a toot,” he said.
    Ellen smiled and steered Wetzon over
to the roses. “He’s just kidding. Is there anything else you’d like to see?”
    “I understand you knew Sheila
Gelber.” Ellen started. “I wanted to ask you about her.”
    A thud, then a thump interrupted
them. It didn’t take a genius to see Todd had kicked over a pot of flowering
plants.
    “Oh, Todd,” Ellen said. “You’re such
a klutz.” She picked up a trowel, crouched, and deftly replaced the dislodged
plant.
    “Sheila Gelber,” Wetzon prompted.
    “Miss Gelber was a wonderful
teacher,” Ellen said. “I’m sorry she’s dead.” She rose and dusted off her
hands. “Do youl still need me?”
    “You know she was poisoned.” I
    “Come on,” Todd said, a strain of
urgency in his voice.! Ellen stiffened. “No, I didn’t know. Who would do suchl
a terrible thing?” I
    “I thought you might have an idea.
Micklynn made the muffins that killed Sheila.”
    Ellen looked shocked. She took a step
backward as if Wetzon had threatened her. “Oh, God, the fight.”
    “Fight?”
    “I shouldn’t... Micklynn’s been good
to me. She took, me in... I... uh...“
    Wetzon waited. She knew the rest
would come.
    “Miss Gelber and Micklynn were
testing recipes for a book they were talking about writing together. It was
Miss; Gelber’s idea and I think Micklynn was going to do it with-: out her.”
    “I’m outa here.” Todd left the
greenhouse, practically on the run. Ellen gave a little shrug, a little smile,
then followed.
    Wetzon watched Ellen and Todd until
they disappeared down the stairs. Someone was making a speech, and people were
laughing. She walked down an aisle of ferns; overhead were hanging pots,
spilling ivy over their sides.
    A man and two women sauntered past
her and out of the