The Baby Plan: A Cozy Mystery

by Kathi Daley

He smiled. “It does. Are you saying that you might be ready to discuss the idea of having a baby?”

  “I am. Not today, but soon. I’ve actually been thinking about it, and it’s not like we’re in our twenties any longer, so I guess if we want to have children, we should get to it.”

  “And you do? Want to have children?” Tony confirmed.

  “I think I do. We’ll need to consider how a baby might impact our lives, but I can see now that if we parent together, we will be able to make it work for all of us. I’m going to suggest we get through this week. We get Secret back to her mommy, we help Mike figure out who killed Anton, and we find out from Dad what in the heck is going on with Mom and Theo, but once we figure all of that out, then I think we should sit down and really talk it out. Maybe even come up with a plan. Like we did when we finally decided to get married.”

  He squeezed my hand. “I’d like that very much.”

  “I know we talked about a trip in the fall, so we’ll want to wait to really start trying until after that. And if I am going to get pregnant, I’ll need to modify my commitment at the shelter, so I’ll want to give Brady plenty of warning. We’ll need to look at that timeline as well. I figure I can still help out with the training, but during the actual pregnancy, I won’t be able to participate in rescues.”

  “It sounds like you really have been thinking about this,” Tony said.

  “I have. I want to get it right, and I figure that coming up with a plan might take some time.” I glanced out at the lake. “After watching what Mike and Bree went through, I can see that planning the exact time to be pregnant doesn’t always work out, but I suppose we can come up with a date where we plan to start trying and take it from there.”

  “You know how much I want a baby, but I also want you to be ready, so I’m willing to take things slow. I agree with your idea to wrap up all the stuff we seem to be involved in at the moment. Once we’re back to our normal routine, we can sit down and work it out.”

  Secret had started to fuss while we talked, so Tony got up and took her inside. As I cleared the breakfast dishes, I tried to imagine what it would really be like to have a baby. A full-time baby that we weren’t giving back at some point would definitely affect things. Tony and I had a good life. A flexible life. With a baby in tow, things would become more complicated.

  “Are you worried that our baby will have my father as a grandfather?” I asked Tony after he came back from settling Secret, even though it seemed as if Tony had already moved on from the subject.

  “Worried?”

  “He’s lived a life where constant danger has been part of his normal. I guess after the whole Theo thing, it occurred to me that maybe no one with any sort of relationship with Grant Thomas is really safe. Theo targeted Mom, but he could have targeted Mike or me just as easily. I mean, if you really think about it, even Ella and any other children Mike and Bree have, as well as any children we have, will always have to be looking over their shoulder.”

  “We have discussed this before,” Tony pointed out.

  “I know we have, but I guess it didn’t really hit me until we started talking about a real baby and not just a theoretical baby at some distant point down the road.”

  Tony took me into his arms. “I suspect if you ask anyone you know who is a parent, they will tell you that they are terrified about all the things that could potentially happen to their child. Yes, not every child has an international spy who has faked his death twice that we know of as a grandfather, but there are children who come into this world with other challenges already stacked against them. I think that if and when we decide to have children, we’ll just need to do it with open eyes. We can probably take steps to minimize the risk, but after that, we just need to do our best and pray that everything works out okay.”

  “It sounds scary,” I said.

  “Yes. I guess that bringing a baby into an uncertain world is scary. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”

  I wrapped my arms around Tony’s waist. “I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

  “I do, and I love you as well. Parenting isn’t always easy, but in the end, I think it’s worth it.”

  I needed to think about things before deciding if I agreed with that, but knowing how much Tony wanted children, I really hoped that I could find a way around the fear for our as-of-yet to be conceived child who was brewing in the back of my mind.

  Chapter 11

  Monday, May 24

  “Morning, Hap,” I greeted the following morning after beginning my route.

  “Tess, Tilly. It looks like another beautiful day.”

  “It really does look like the temperature is going to be about perfect,” I agreed, snagging a butterscotch candy from one of the jars of penny candy sitting on the counter after setting the pile of mail near where Hap was standing.

  “Did you have a nice weekend?”

  I smiled. “Actually, yes. Very nice.”

  “Did that paint Tony bought Saturday work out okay?”

  “It did. I used the bright robin’s egg blue and the deep sapphire blue for some outdoor furniture Tony and I bought at a yard sale last summer. It turned out really nice. I was thinking I might buy some bright red pillows to accent the pieces.”

  “I think that’d look right nice. Are you going to use the yellow for outdoor furniture as well?”

  I shook my head. “No. Tony and I decided to set up a guest nursery in the house for Baby Ella.”

  “Ah. The much-anticipated niece. I guess Bree’s due date is getting pretty close.”

  “Less than a month. I know that designating a room in our house as a nursery might seem extravagant to some, but I’m hoping to babysit often, and I suppose there will come a time at some distant point in the future when Tony and I decide to have our own little bundle of joy.”

  Hap picked up the pile of mail and started sorting through it. “That husband of yours is going to make a good father.”

  “Yes, he is,” I agreed. “Do you have outgoing mail today?”

  Hap reached beneath the counter and pulled out a small stack of envelopes. “Before you go, I wanted to ask if you’ve heard anything about Anton’s murder.”

  “Not really.” I slipped the outgoing mail into my mailbag. “I know Mike is working on it and that he’s had a few leads that really haven’t gone anywhere, but I’m sure he’ll keep at it until he identifies the killer. To tell you the truth, I’m having a hard time figuring out who would do such a thing.”

  Hap ran a hand through his thick white hair. “I know what you mean. Anton was a harmless sort. I can’t see anyone wanting him dead.”

  “I guess there might have been something going on we don’t know about. It seems like that’s often the case in these murder cases.” I slung my mailbag over my shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Enjoy the wonderful sunshine.”

  “You too, darlin’.”

  After I left Hap’s store, I headed to the material store, the donut shop, the hair salon, and the five and dime. I wanted to talk to Mike and was hoping to catch him in his office, but as I passed the police station, I noticed his truck wasn’t there, so I continued on. By the time I’d delivered mail to the rest of the block and circled back around, Mike’s truck was parked along the curb where he usually left it.

  “Morning, Frank,” I said after entering the small utilitarian office. I could already hear Leonard heading down the hallway.

  “Tess, Tilly.”

  “Is Mike here?” I asked as I greeted the energetic dog.

  “He’s in his office.”

  I handed Frank the mail and headed in that direction.

  “Morning, Mike,” I said, slipping my mailbag off my shoulder and taking a seat in the chair across the desk from my brother.

  “Tess. How was your weekend?”

  “Interesting. Tony got a call from Dad to let him know that whatever the mother of the baby we’ve been watching was helping out with has come to an end, and he’ll be
by to pick the baby up this week.”

  Mike raised a brow. “Really? I guess I’m happy for the baby and her mother. Did Dad say when he would be by?”

  “No. I think Dad might set it up when he calls in at eight o’clock tonight. He did warn Tony that this would be another quick call, so we should all be there and be ready if we want to participate.”

  “Knowing Dad, he’ll pop in, grab the kid, and be gone before we even know he’s been there.”

  “Probably,” I acknowledged. “Hopefully, we’ll learn more about what is going on during the call tonight. Do you and Bree want to come to dinner? We can chat beforehand since the call is set up for eight o’clock.”

  “I’ll check with Bree, but I suspect she’ll want to do that. She’s going to be sad to see Secret go, although I’m sure she’ll also be happy to hear that everything worked out and that mother and baby are going to be together again.”

  “Do you have outgoing mail?” I asked.

  “Check with Frank on your way out.”

  “Any news on the Anton Murphy case before I go?”

  Mike nodded. “I was able to pull DNA from both sets of dishes. One bowl, glass, and spoon clearly belonged to Anton, and the other belonged to a male visitor. I don’t know who yet, but at least I’ve eliminated about half the pool of potential suspects.”

  “Do you think this male visitor had anything to do with Anton’s death?”

  Mike shrugged. “At this point, I have no idea. There were no signs of a struggle inside Anton’s home, yet it does look as if he was taken from his home since his car is still in the garage. Right now, I’m working under the assumption that Anton knew his killer and willingly went with him. The two may even have planned to head out on the boat, and whatever went down occurred after they were already on the water.”

  “Why would anyone go out on the water that late in the day?”

  “People do,” Mike answered. “We don’t actually know what time Anton ate the chili. It could have even been an afternoon meal.”

  I nibbled on my bottom lip. “If Anton left willingly, I wonder why he left the pot of chili on the stove. Why not put the leftovers in the refrigerator?”

  “Maybe the chili in the pot was too hot to put away when he left, so he figured he’d just deal with the leftovers when he got back from wherever it was he went after he ate.”

  I supposed it could have happened that way. “Did you have Frank re-interview the neighbors?”

  “He did, and no one claims to have seen anything. The lots are large in the part of town where Anton lived, so there aren’t any close neighbors, but it does seem like someone would have seen a car in the drive.”

  “I suppose that most folks wouldn’t necessarily take notice of a neighbor having a visitor, especially if that particular neighbor tended to have company frequently. Did you talk to the guys who work down at the marina?”

  Mike nodded. “No one remembered seeing Anton heading out on a boat. It’s possible that whoever Anton went out with headed out after the guys who work in the marina left for the day. It’s also possible that the boat Anton was dumped from is kept at one of the private docks in the area. Since almost every lakeside landowner has their own dock, there are a lot of places other than the marina to tie up.”

  “Yeah. I can see that it’s likely that no one saw Anton board a boat. Did Anton get any calls the day he died?”

  “There were no calls to or from the landline in Anton’s home on the day Anton died or the two days prior. Three days before that, there was a call from the landline to the community bank. I’m following up on that. As for a cell, Anton didn’t have one registered in his name. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have one of those unregistered pay-as-you-go phones. In fact, knowing Anton, who was pretty old fashioned and liked to keep things simple, I’d say that it’s likely he chose not to mess around with a phone contract.”

  “Yeah. I could totally see Anton going the pay-as-you-go route,” I agreed. “Maybe the phone is still around somewhere. He may not have had it on him when he died. I guess you must have searched the house.”

  “The guys from the county did, but I guess Frank and I can take another look. I’m not sure if the guys the county sent over really dug around or if they simply walked through looking for something obvious to jump out at them.”

  I glanced at the clock on the wall. “I really need to get going. I’ll call Tony and tell him to expect you and Bree for dinner. I’ll be home by six o’clock. The call is at eight o’clock. If you guys can make it around six o’clock, that will give us two hours to prepare a list of questions we’d like to have answered just in case we’re allotted time to ask our questions, which knowing Dad, isn’t a given.”

  After I picked up the outgoing mail from Frank, Tilly and I headed down the street. I stopped at Hattie’s Bakeshop and the yogurt shop, and then I crossed the street to Sisters’ Diner. I wondered how Mom was doing with the desertion of her new boyfriend, who I knew had actually been detained and probably tortured by Dad, but who she thought had simply up and left her.

  “Morning, Mom,” I said after entering the diner. It was somewhat busier this morning than it had been the last couple of times I’d been by, but I guess it was closer to lunchtime as well.

  “Morning, Tess, Tilly. How was your weekend?”

  “Nice. How was yours?”

  “Lonely.”

  I set the mail on the counter. I felt bad for Mom. She was definitely the sort to be unlucky at love. While I knew that what she was looking for was a companion to settle down with, it seemed she usually gravitated to younger men who were only looking for a good time rather than men who were looking to enter into a relationship. This meant that Mom was often either high on the endorphins created by a new love interest or devastated by the grief caused by the man who’d just left her. In this case, Theo didn’t actually leave, but even if Dad hadn’t grabbed him, chances are he would have left eventually. I was tempted to invite her out to the house but knew I couldn’t do that until after Dad picked up the baby.

  “Maybe we can do something together next weekend,” I offered, figuring that if the baby was still at the house, I could take Mom to breakfast or something, but it sort of sounded like Secret would be gone by then.

  “I’d like that. It’s been a while since the two of us spent time together just talking, and I do want to talk to you about the boat.”

  “What about the boat?” I asked.

  “I’m thinking about giving it to Mike. I certainly don’t want or need a boat, and I know Tony has enough money to buy a boat if he wants one, but I thought Mike and Bree might enjoy it.”

  “I think Mike would be thrilled to have a boat. You know how much he loves to fish.”

  Mom smiled a sad little smile. “That’s what I figured. I just didn’t want to give your brother such an expensive gift without talking to you about it first. You know how I like to try to keep things even between my children.”

  Mom had always had a thing about equality in gifts. If she spent a hundred dollars on my Christmas gift, then she’d spend the same amount on Mike’s and vice versa. “I’m fine with you giving the boat to Mike unless you can return it.”

  She shook her head. “The boat was launched, and there are more than ten hours on the meter, so I can’t return it as new. There isn’t anything wrong with it, so I don’t have a defect to use as a reason to return it either. The dealership offered to rebuy it as a used model, or I can sell it to a private buyer, but I’ll lose quite a bit of money on it if I do that. I was going to run an ad anyway, but then I realized that Mike might really enjoy it.”

  “He will enjoy it. I think giving it to him is a wonderful idea.” I paused. “You said the boat has more than ten hours on it.”

  She nodded. “I didn’t even know Theo had launched it. We were going to do it together, but according to the man from the boat dealership, not only was the boat launched Sunday, but it was driven Sunday and then again Monday. I guess there
are actually more than fifteen hours on the meter, which seems like a lot for two days, although I didn’t see Theo at all on either Sunday or Monday except for when he briefly stopped by the diner Monday, so I suppose he might have been out on the lake.” She lowered her eyes. “I just don’t understand why he didn’t tell me he was going to launch it. He knew I wasn’t a fan of the water, but we did have plans for a champagne toast when we launched.”

  Suddenly, Mom, who was actually quite youthful for her age, looked old.

  “Let’s plan a surprise party for Mike,” I said. “We’ll all meet at the marina and have a big party on the boat to christen her. We don’t have to take her out. We can just sit there at the marina, and everyone except Bree can have a glass of champagne to toast Mike’s gift. Think how happy he’ll be when you tell him you’re giving it to him.”

  Mom smiled. “I love that idea. When can we do it?”

  “Maybe this weekend. I’ll talk to Tony about it. We might want to bring Bree in on the secret as well. Let me talk to everyone, and then we can talk again.”

  Mom hugged me. “Thanks, Tess. You always know how to make me feel better.”

  After I left the diner, I headed back to Mike’s office. It seemed interesting to me that Theo had put a significant number of hours on the boat on both Sunday and Monday, and then Anton had turned up dead on the beach Tuesday morning. I doubted Mike had gone over Mom’s boat to look for evidence, but I suddenly had the feeling that doing that just might lead to one of those ever-elusive clues we were missing.

  Chapter 12

  By the time I got home that evening, Tony had Secret bathed and dressed in her bunny jammies. Dinner was in the oven, and he had wine uncorked and ready to pour. After kissing him hello and giving the baby a peck on the cheek, I headed upstairs to change out of my uniform and wash up a bit. Handling mail all day was a dirty job, and most evenings, I liked to shower before I settled in for the evening.

  “Hi, sweetie.” I picked up the baby, who smiled at me after I entered the room. I really was going to miss her when she was gone. “Did you have fun with Tony today?”