A Deathly Rattle Read online

  And, that was just the beginning. I continued writing down what all I had to do, and I started to grow discontent. There was no way I was going to get it all done in one day, so I just put a star next to some of the more urgent items.

  As I studied my ever growing list my phone buzzed.

  I grabbed it and saw that I had text message from my best friend, Paula. Must meet for lunch – have exciting news!!!! I knew it must be truly exciting because Paula rarely used one explanation point in her texts let alone four.

  “Sweet,” I said, but then frowned. I’d been having so many aversions to… everything. It was so strange. I hadn’t had this problem with Laurie at all, but now I had to really watch what I eated. “Sounds good,” I spoke as I typed the words. “Where?”

  Lol – what can you eat?!?! Mexican?

  Even more explanation points.

  She must be really eager to talk to me about something, I thought, smirking.

  Definitely not Mexican,” I said as I typed.

  Chinese?

  “Nope.”

  That sub shop down the street from the salon?

  “Yikes. Last time I threw up in their bathroom sink!” I typing, shaking my head. The next text message came in.

  You pick where, preggers.

  I laughed and though about my options for a moment. Food was the biggest challenge of this pregnancy thus far. That and the carbon monoxide poisoning I’d experienced last month. But that had been a mild scare and the baby and I were being monitored for potential side effects

  Food, however, was an ever hour need!

  I held the phone at the ready to respond, but I couldn’t decide what kind of food I wanted.

  I was pretty sure I’d already had my sweet fix for the day, and then I recalled a really awesome café that served the best baked chicken and mushrooms – and suddenly, that new craving hit me like a ton of bricks.

  “City Café, please!” I texted her, and she replied with a smiley face emoji.

  “Meet me in 30 minutes,” she texted.

  I was already dressed and pretty much ready to go, but I needed to get Laurie out of her comfy house clothes and into something worthy of City Café. The café had a fancy French decor, so it wasn’t really a sweatpants kind of place.

  Although, my little girl was totally rocking those fluffy pink sweatpants. I changed her into an outfit my mom had recently bought her: a cutsie spring green dress and matching bow, complete with white stockings and little flats pink flats. It was so cute it was almost painful. I snapped a picture of her in and sent it to both my mom and to Jim.

  Somehow I managed to get Laurie into her carrier in record time, and before long I was out the door.

  Once outside, I spotted our neighbor /nanny, Kenny, out in his front yard. He was a seventeen-year-old musical prodigy, but today he was a regular teenager hanging out in his front yard, sitting in Adirondack chair, ooggle a blonde woman rushing down the street.

  Kenny spotted Laurie and I and picked up trombone, he blasted out an excited tune, that Laurie matched with a squeal.

  He laughed, then ran a through her is spiky, today dyed pink hair, and graced us with a wave.

  Laurie kicked her feet in delight and strained in my arms to reach him.

  “My goodness, she’s excited to see you,” I said, trying not to offended by how happy he made her. “Do you have plans tonight? Do you think you can watch Laurie again later?” I asked.

  “Another stakeout?” he questioned, and I nodded. “Same one?”

  “Same one, unfortunately. I missed the shot,” I said, and he shook his head and tried to hide his smile.

  “Shut up,” I said.

  Kenny laughed openly. “Do you need some help on the stakeout?”

  “You are not allowed to go with me. You’re more of a distraction than a help,” I teased.

  Laurie hand hooked onto Kenny’s shirt and she pulled at him screeching to be held. He offered her his hand and she wrapped her fingers around it and yanked.

  “Look at your pretty dress, little girl,” Kenny said. He turned to me and said, “I can watch this Laurie, no problem. She looks like a little dolly in this dress.”

  “Thanks, Kenny,” I said, just as a svelte woman jogger in tight pants turned our corner. Kenny immediately became distracted and took the opportunity to hightail it out of there. “See you later,” I said, unlocking my car.

  I hooked the carrier into the car seat; I loved the convenience of that thing. And, just like that, I was ready to go. I pulled out of the driveway, only having to turn back around before getting out of the neighborhood because I had forgotten the diaper bag out on the curb.

  Kenny was standing in my driveway holding the bag, already pulling out his phone to call me by the time I pulled back up.

  I laughed at myself, rolling down the window as Kenny passed the bag to me. “Thanks,” I said. “I have pregnancy brain really bad this time around.”

  “Must be a boy,” Kenny said.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. You weren’t that way with Laurie. My mom always said she had a harder time with me while she was pregnant than with my older sister. And, my aunt always said the same thing about my cousins too. I just figured it’s one of those old wives’ tale, but if that baby you’re carrying turns out to be a boy, I’ll believe it. And you puked in my mom’s flower garden the other day, remember? I don’t recall you ever having such a hard time with Laurie.”

  “That’s true,” I said, tucking the diaper bag away in my passenger’s seat. “Well, it’s too early to know the sexes just yet, but I’ll let you know if your old wives’ tale proves true this time around.”

  Kenny waved goodbye to me, chucking at me for leaving the diaper bag in my driveway. On my way to the café, I set my Bluetooth to call Galigani. I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation in the slightest. Honestly, I was hoping he wouldn’t answer so that I could just leave a voicemail.

  No such luck.

  “Kate!” he boomed into the phone. “How did your sleuthing go last night? Did you get our money shot?”

  There was no way I was going to tell him exactly what happened. Even though Galigani was a friend, he was still my boss and I couldn’t have him thinking the pregnancy was making incompetent. “I didn’t get the shot,” I said, disappointment rattling my voice.

  “Don’t worry. It’s not easy,” Galigani said. “What happened? Did the guy ever show?”

  “He did,” I said, sighing. “Uh…I…I screwed up. I’m so sorry.”

  He let out a deep breath. “Well, no problem. Not yet, at least. Our client is leaving town for a couple of days to visit her mother. With that sort of freedom, we’re bound to bust the guy hanging out with his side chick. He’ll feel like there’s no way he’ll get caught with his wife out of town, so you’re bound to get the shot this time.”

  “Good,” I said. “I plan on doing another stakeout tonight.”

  “Way to be dedicated,” he said. “Just keep me posted. You’re still new at this, Kate. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”

  “Thanks,” I said before we both hung up the phone.

  I was still pretty upset with myself for screwing up the way I had.

  I can’t let this pregnancy get the better of me!

  When I’d been pregnant with Laurie, I’d felt like Superwoman. It had been such an easy-going pregnancy – a few hiccups along the way, of course, but nothing like this.

  I need to be better prepared!

  My goody bag for that night was going to have to be packed full of everything I could possibly crave – including those delicious brownies we still had tucked away in the fridge.

  Now, just don’t forget the bag!

  Before even pulling into the parking lot at the café, I was daydreaming about lunch. My mouth watered and my tummy rumbled. I was starving. That was pretty much the way I felt with Laurie too. Always hungry. />
  At least that was something I had expected rather than all this pregnancy brain and unbearable cravings. I spotted what looked like my mom’s van in the parking lot and parked next to it. I gazed out the window on my passenger’s side door, seeing the pink fuzzy dice hanging from her rearview mirror.

  I smiled, thinking it was just a fun coincidence that my mom had chosen this place for lunch today as well.

  I got Laurie out of her car seat and placed her in her little umbrella stroller, pushing her up towards the quaint little French café. I swear, I could smell that baked chicken and mushroom already. Someone else had ordered it, and my craving heightened. “Yummy…” I said, and Laurie giggled.

  Then I spotted my mom and Paula both sitting out on the patio together. I grinned.

  What are those two up to?

  “Hey!” I called to them, changing the direction I was pushing Laurie to meet them outside. Paula’s two kids were squirming next to her. The baby propped in a car seat and Danny mesmerized by my mom’s jangling bracelets. Paula was dressed in a pretty silk blouse with a spring floral print on it. She was flushed from exertion of attending to the kids.

  There was an empty chair waiting for me and a high chair for Laurie. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise, Mom. I didn’t know you were joining us.”

  “Well, we both have something exciting to tell you,” my mom said, practically shaking. She was dressed like a gypsy today. Not sure why, but my mom always did something kind of random with her wardrobe. She’s quite a character.

  “Oh, both of you?” I asked, trying to figure out what sort of secret Paula and my mother could possibly be sharing.

  The waitress and deposited a basket of breadsticks on the table, she took my drink order, and I immediately ordered lunch too. I couldn’t wait for that chicken and mushroom dish.

  Paula handed Danny a bread stick and Laurie pounded her fists on the demanding attention.

  “Yes, darling,” my mom said sweetly. “You too.” She handed Laurie a soft breadstick and, drool ran down her chin.

  Is my insatiable hunger running off on her, I wondered, as I wiped my own chin, hoping not to find it dry.

  Thankfully, I had not yet been reduced to a drooling fool, but I feared if my food didn’t arrive soon, I was in trouble.

  I turned to Paula and my mom. “Okay, ladies, so what’s the big news?” I asked. “You got me feeling anxious!”

  “You know Vicente’s play?” my mom asked, and I nodded.

  How could I forget?

  Vicente Domingo was another PI in San Francisco who’d snagged one of my most prized clients—a high profile criminal defense attorney—because they were first cousins.

  Vicente was also a playwright, and after helping me out on a case a couple of months ago, practically forced me to agree to a staged reading of his play. But somehow I wiggled out of it, claiming, of course, that I was too busy as a PI an full time mom to fuss with the theater.

  My mom, had eagerly stepped in and from what I gathered, Vicente was quite smitten with my mom performance.

  “Yeah, how’s it going?” I asked.

  “Great!” she exclaimed. “But, Paula’s the one with the exciting news on that front.”

  “Oh?” I asked, looking at Paula.

  “Your mom got me hired for designing the set!” Paula shrieked, and I squealed excitedly for her. Paula was an interior design by trade, but she’d had to set out of the business for a bit during her pregnancies and while living aboard from her husband’s job. Recently, she’d been slowly rebuilding her clientele.

  She was doing well for a startup, but it was still just a startup – so any job booking was something to celebrate.

  “You guys, that’s awesome!” I said. “Congratulations, Paula!”

  “The set looks amazing,” Mom said, winking. “Although, it’s still a work in progress, but I can see Paula’s vision coming to life, and it’s astounding.”

  “They are putting the final touches on the set as we speak,” Paula said. “When I left for lunch, they told me it should be about done by the time we get back. I was hoping you and your mom wanted to get a sneak peek of my work after lunch today?”

  “Absolutely!” I said. “I am so happy for you, Paula!”

  “A lot of people are going to see this play,” Paula said. “The tickets are already sold out, but don’t worry, I got you and Jim some tickets so that you can come see your mom perform.”

  “Already sold out?” I questioned. “We are talking about a play written by Vicente, right?”

  “Well, the concept sounds very exciting and intriguing,” my mom said. “But the play itself is… well… silly. It’s not supposed to be, but some of the one-liners are really corny. It’s supposed to be a drama, but it comes off a little cheesy at times. Even melodramatic.”

  “What’s the play about?” I asked just as the server arrived back with my drink.

  Food. I wanted food.

  Patience, Kate. Patience.

  “A small-town PI who is supposed to be working on a cheating husband case. Takes place in the Sierra Foothills. He winds up falling for the client, and the two of them get together and she mysteriously dies. Then, the PI has to leave town and hide out in the big city,” her mom said.

  “That does sound very dramatic. But the lines are cheesy?” I questioned.

  My mom then did a little southern drawl. “Oh, Vinnie, I just wanna run away! I don’t wanna be here no more! No more, Vinnie! Let’s just you and me go away together. Paint the town red. Spend a lifetime out in the big city where none of these hillbilly folk can bother us no more! Besides, I’m tired of listenin’ to all them crickets chirping away every night. I’d rather go to sleep to the sound of your breathing and the busy city outside my window!”

  I nearly spit my water out. “Oh, please tell me that’s not really one of your lines?”

  “It is,” Paula said, smirking. “I had the pleasure of listening to everyone run lines the other day while I was working on the set.”

  “That’s hilarious,” I said, my giggle. “Poor Vicente… wait… Vinnie… is the character based off him?”

  “I don’t think so,” my mom said.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. I mean, he’s a nice guy and everything, but he does love himself so,” Paula said, chuckling.

  “I know what you mean,” I agreed.

  Mom shrugged. “Well, maybe the character was inspired by himself a little, but he’s told me the story is just a story. No truth to it.”

  Interesting. Very interesting. Vicente Domingo has always been a bit of a question mark to me. I’d been meaning to look into him a bit more.

  Finally, our food arrived, and I couldn’t concentrate on much else until I’d wolfed down the entire serving.

  Chapter Three

  After lunch, we caravanned over to the theater. On the drive, Laurie giggled and did her cutsie baby babble, putting me in an unusually chirpy mood.

  We pulled up into the back-parking lot of the theater and I parked next to Paula and my mom who’d ridden there together.

  I scurried out of the driver’s seat to get Laurie out of her car seat. As soon as I pulled her out, she went straight for my earring.

  “Ack!” I yelped, taking hold of her tiny wrist. “Sweetie, no – no!” I said, and my mom hurried over to step in to my aid.

  “Yeah, I never wear earrings anymore,” Paula said as she locked up her car.

  “Laurie, let go of your mommy’s earring!” my mom said, laughing a little too hard at my uncomfortable misfortune.

  “I suppose I should know better by now,” I groaned as my mom wiggled my earring and the lower half of my ear free of my daughter’s tight grasp. I passed Laurie off to my mom so I could rub my tender earlobe, then remove my earrings altogether. I tossed them into my front seat cup holders, as Laurie squealed and giggled about what she’d just done.

  “You little stinker,” I said to Laur
a.

  Paula pointed to her teal necklace. “Check this out,” she said. “Definitely going to snag you one of these for your next baby shower.”

  “What? A plastic necklace?” I asked.

  “It’s a teether,” Paula said, taking Laurie from my mom. Laurie went straight for it, biting and drooling all over Paula. “They’re super cute; I even wear them when I don’t have my little ones with me. They’re stylish necklaces made out of safe teething materials. So, you can still get a little dressed up without having to worry about little ones snapping the chain on your nice jewelry.”

  “Don’t think that would work in an earring form,” I said, still rubbing my sore earlobe. “I swear, she just tried to rip my whole ear off!”

  “That’s not even close to the worse thing she’ll ever do to you,” my mom said, laughing. “Glad mine’s grown up now so that I can just be grandma.” She patted my head and strutted toward the theater.

  I got out Laurie’s stroller, and Paula pass her back to me so I could strap her in securely. From the back of the stroller I nabbed a box of baby wipes and handed one to Paula to rid her necklace of my child’s slobber.

  Paula laughed, and removed the necklace. She handing it down to Laurie who eagerly reach for it her eyes wide. “Tell you what, you just take that one,” Paula said. “I have plenty at home. Laurie seems to like it anyways.”

  Paula pulled her children out of her mini-van and securely fastened them in to her double stroller. Both were sound asleep.

  “How do you do that?” I asked.

  She laughed. “I’m a baby whispered don’t you know?”

  “I guess,” I said pushing Laurie toward the theater’s back exit.

  Paula giggled. “I also put the heater on super high in the car and play this new agey meditation tape on the stereo, the fall asleep in record time, but I have to be careful or it puts me to sleep too.”

  We chuckled together as we strolled our little ones through the back door of the theater. “So, let’s see this super awesome set I’ve heard so much about,” I said.

  Paula grinned as we entered the back of the building near the actor’s green rooms, and I hear a number of voices – they seemed to be running lines. I peered into the green room, and sure enough there was a handful of actors running through lines while waiting on their director. Upon seeing my mom, a few of them hop up excitedly, requesting she run lines with them. “Easy there, everyone,” my mom said. “Give me five minutes. I’m about to give my daughter the grand tour.”