Born in Death (In Death #23)(56)

When it wound down and thinned out, and there’d been no catastrophes, no emergency child-birthing procedures, and happy faces all around, Eve figured she’d scored a winner.

She also figured on dumping herself into a hot jet tub with a double bellini until she was comatose.

“The guys are heading back,” Peabody announced. “They’re going to load up your haul, Mavis. Leonardo, McNab, and I will get it all up to your apartment.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Trina told her. The beauty consultant had her hair in a complicated pattern of braids and curls today, and in showy magenta. She turned her eyes on Eve. “You’re due for a treatment.”

“Don’t start on me. I’m riding on alcohol and sugar.”

“You did good. You get a break. Sit down, Mav, take a load off.”

“I’m too juiced. I can hardly wait till Leonardo gets a load of all this stuff. It was the best of the best, Dallas. And now I’ve got to ask you for something else.”

“We forgot something?” She glanced around. “There can’t be another baby item left in Manhattan.”

“No, it’s about Tandy. She’s still not answering. It’s like hours now, and I keep seeing her in her apartment, in labor. I want to go by. Would you come with me. Please?”

“You’ve had a really big day,” Trina reminded her. “You should go on home and rest.”

“I just can’t, not until I make sure she’s okay. She doesn’t really have anybody. And I…I’ve got so much of everything.”

Sensing a new jag, Eve stepped in. “Sure, no big. We’ll run by there, and I’ll take you on home after.”

Which meant a long delay in becoming comatose, but it got her out of hauling presents out of the house. Of course, it meant she was now solely responsible for a tired, emotional, churned-up pregnant woman.

“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?”