The Children's Corner

Chapter 2

In the rare moment when both twins are napping, Kate pads into Rick's office. Circling his neck with her arms, she checks out his laptop screen. "What are you doing?"

"Writing an outline for a children's division at Black Pawn. Do you remember me telling you I thought it would be great to put out books like the one Bambi lent us to convince Lily that the twins wouldn't break you? Some other members of the Authors' Consortium agreed. So they asked me to put together a proposal."

"Don't you have enough to do with writing the new series of Derrick Storm novellas?"

"Maybe not as much as I might. The writer who kept my work at the movie studio from being a complete disaster, Liz Halpern, finally got fired for her competence. She's looking for a new gig. Liz is totally familiar with Derrick Storm. So I thought I might pull a Patterson and pick up a co-writer. The beancounters we still have at Black Pawn are OK with that as long as whatever she gets paid comes out of my projected royalties. And you know I don't really need the money, but she does."

"Is she going to write from L.A.?" Kate wonders.

"Probably not. As expensive as it is to live in L.A., on average, the Big Apple is about eight percent more. But I thought if I could get Liz one of those tiny apartments like Meryl has, she actually might end up saving a few bucks. And right now, she shares an apartment with three roommates. So even a tiny space of her own would be an improvement, especially if she wants a place to write. And it would be easy for us to collaborate without having to Skype or go with that new one, Zoom."

Rick can hear the edge in Kate's tone as she replies. "Sounds like it would be very convenient for the two of you to get together."

He grins up at her. "You're jealous! After seeing me covered in baby spit and about to fall over, that's so adorable. But set your mind at rest. Liz is gay. And she just broke up with her significant other. I know one of the editors at Black Pawn is of a like bent. So she and Liz might get along. And I also thought we might introduce the new arrival to Detective Karpowski. From the last gossip I picked up from Ryan, she's on her own."

Kate's eyebrows shoot skyward. "Introduce her, how? You're not planning to throw a party, are you?"

"We could try to convince the guests that the twins screaming in unison is a cut from a new heavy metal band. But," Rick continues, unsuccessfully suppressing a chortle at his own joke, "I was actually considering a poker game. We usually have those few precious hours after we put Jake and Reese down after supper and before they wake up for their late-night feeding."

"When we're usually too exhausted to do much ourselves except veg out."

"We could nap in shifts that day to store up some Zs," Rick goes on, unfazed. "I heard Liz plays a good game, and as I recall, so does Karpowski. We could invite Ryan and Esposito to fill out the crew. And if the twins or Lily need something, we could take turns. Anyway, we won't have to worry about any of that until after Liz arrives. And you've been wrapping your mind around the puzzle Lanie dropped in our laps."

"I've been trying to. But until Lanie establishes the C.O.D. or hears from someone who knew the victim, I'm dead in the water."

Rick checks the time on his screen. "If I'm not mistaken, it's about the time of day that Lanie snuggles up to an extra-large Jamba Juice. Maybe she'll have something to share."

As if on cue, Kate's cellphone emits Lanie's ring. "Girlfriend, I finally heard something about the body from the club. I got a call from Transylvania, can you believe that? It's like a story Rick would make up for Halloween. But part of one of the families with adermatoglyphia settled there, and some members have strange superstitions. Not vampires, Rick, if you're listening. About 20 years ago, a story went around how one of the women had given birth to a baby that was cursed. The rumors said it had more to do with the pink or blue blanket question than the fingerprints. But if there was a child, it disappeared. As far as anyone ever found, there was no official record of the birth. But if that child somehow made it to the U.S., it would have been the same age as the body I autopsied."

"How about Lorne or C.S.U?" Kate asked. "Did they come up with anything?"

"Both of them did. C.S.U. identified a toxin extracted from a plant native to Eastern Europe. And Lorne found a build-up of the same poison in the deceased's organs. Kate, the thing is, if someone had just dropped the stuff in a drink, the victim would have been immediately violently ill. It would never have made it to her bloodstream or her organs. So someone had to feed it to her a little at a time until it reached lethal levels."

"So she knew her killer!" Kate and Rick exclaim in concert.

"Or was around him for at least a month," Lanie replies. "And since the death is now officially a homicide, Ryan and Esposito are on it. And Sully's going to be helping them out."

"What are you calling the victim?" Rick interjects. "Did you flip a coin between Jane and John Doe?"

"So you are listening, Rick," Lanie notes. "We're going with Jan Doe."

"Suitably gender-neutral," Rick observes. "And how are the boys proposing to track Jan's killer?"

Lanie draws noisily on her Jamba Juice. "That's their problem, not mine. But Lorne thinks the medical aspects of the case might make an interesting paper. We're going to co-author it."

"Lot of that going around," Kate mutters. "Thanks, Lanie. Are you coming by to see your honorary nephews later?"

Kate can hear her friend's smile through the phone. "Wouldn't miss it. See you then."

"The boys will be scrubbing all the video from the bar to see who was hanging around Jan Doe," Kate figures as she shoves her phone back in her pocket. "And they'll be questioning the staff and the patrons too."

"And you wish you could be in on some of the interviews," Rick assumes.

"I do," Kate admits.

"Well, there might be a way to pursue an investigation between baby duties," Rick suggests. "Eastern Europe is rife with legends. Fortunately, from my research, Transylvania is also a magnet for folklorists and anyone else who loves a good yarn. So if there are no official records of the baby who could have become Jan Doe, perhaps there are unofficial ones. I believe there's a professor at Hudson U. who is into that type of oral history. Alexis can probably get you a name and number. Do you want me to call her?"

"No, you're working – or you were before Lanie called. I'll touch base with Alexis." A yowl bursts from the baby monitor. "After I see what's going on with Jake and Reese."

"Need a hand?" Rick offers.

Kate points at the baby monitor. "If I do, you'll hear about it loud and clear."