The Medical Examiner (Women's Murder Club 16.50)

Chapter 16

Cindy was at Lindsay and Joe’s apartment Tuesday morning, drying Martha after their walk had gotten drowned out by an unexpected drenching rain.

Martha shook herself off, causing Cindy to shriek, “No!”

Martha, excited by her friend’s response, put her paws on Cindy’s shoulders and licked her face.

Cindy couldn’t help laughing. Martha was showing good progress with her injury if she was already this mobile. That made Cindy pretty proud to have helped out her friend in need.

“What now, Miss Martha?” she lovingly asked the dog. “Are both of us going to have to get into a hot shower? Hmmmm? You know I have to wear these clothes to work.”

Martha woofed. Cindy laughed again and said, “Copy that, Big Girl. Breakfast is coming right up.”

Cindy was dumping dog food into a bowl when, of course, the phone rang. It was just like the other morning, only this time it really was Lindsay.

“Are you checking up on me?” Cindy teased.

“Of course not. Well, maybe I am, but just a little. Put Martha on the phone for me.”

“Sure thing. Here ya go.”

Cindy put the receiver near Martha’s face as the dog gobbled down her beef stew with supplements. She could hear Lindsay talking to her dog, who stopped eating long enough to lick the phone. Cindy cracked up.

“I’m totally grossed out,” she said to Lindsay. “By the way, it’s not just raining here, it’s a certified downpour. Your dog is wet. The phone is wet. I’m wet. And I’m about to rifle through your closet so I don’t have to go to work in an outfit that’s completely soaked.”

Lindsay told her, “Go ahead. Be my guest. And take a selfie so I can see how my size ten clothing fits your itty-bitty size-four bod.”

“Great idea. So, how’s the vacation going?”

Lindsay’s voice was as light as fluffy clouds in a blue sky. She told Cindy about their lovely room, the pleasure of “waking up with Joe and not having one damned thing to do. I’m eating actual meals at real tables.”

Cindy laughed. “That’s amazing. Take a selfie of that.”

Lindsay asked if she was missing anything back home, and Cindy had the Joan Murphy story racked up and ready to roll. But at the last second, she held it back. Lindsay was with her hubby, and their baby was with Lindsay’s sister. For the first time in a while, her friends were enjoying a nice hotel and room service. Lindsay deserved a clean break while she was on vacation.

“As far as I can tell, life goes on without you, Linds.”

Lindsay laughed. Then she promptly told her to shut up and informed her friend that she was going back to bed.

They exchanged love-yous and hung up, and then Cindy picked up where she left off with her chores. It was funny how, even though she had known Martha forever, she felt her feelings toward the fluffy dog had deepened while taking care of her. This doggy was changing from just a typical cute dog to a close friend.

Cindy had been fighting Richie on the subject of having kids for a couple of years now. She wasn’t ready for them. Yet he’d been ready since before he’d even met Cindy. At one point, the two of them had actually broken up over this very issue. Thank God they had been able to get past their differences and get back together.

Even though Cindy hadn’t changed her position.

Still, being responsible for this old dog made Cindy think she might have some tiny maternal instinct inside her after all.

She threw the wet towels into the wash, left her shoes in the bathtub, and found a pair of Lindsay’s sneakers in her closet. They were big, but they almost fit her. Then she dried her hair, and when her blond curls had sprung back into shape, she located a trench coat with a belt in the back of Lindsay’s closet. She tried it on and decided it would work well enough.

Before she left the apartment, she called the girls and put them on a conference call.

“Lunch, anyone?”

Claire and Yuki were both in.

Chapter 17

Claire stripped off her gown, mask, and gloves. She told her crew that she was going out for a quick lunch and that she would be back in an hour.