by Diana Orgain | Mar 31, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter one? From Motherhood is Murder Chapter One Continued… AT SEA Evelyn squeezed my elbow and flitted off to gather her husband. Jim pulled my chair out for me. “Coast Guard? What’s going on?” I asked. Jim’s lips formed a line. “I was at the bar getting a Bud, when the brunette—” “Sara, Miss No-Nonsense?” “No. The other one, the one with the . . . with the . . .” Jim waved his hands around. “Fluffy dress.” I nodded. “Margaret.” Margaret was wearing a ballet tutu. I wish I could say it looked as ridiculous as it sounded, but the truth was it looked fabulous. Margaret was supertall, pencil thin, and had shapely legs. She looked as if she could have stepped out of a children’s book—a cartoon char‐ acter with spindly spider legs and a ruffle at her waist. But the gold top and shoes added something indescribable to the outfit. Making the cartoon Olive Oyl look glamorous and runway-ish. “Yeah, Margaret,” Jim continued. “She ran up to us, looking a little dazed, and said Helene fell down the back staircase. Said she was unconscious—” “Unconscious?” I felt a shiver run down my spine. Jim pulled out my dining chair. “The captain asked if there was a doctor on board.” I sat down and let him push my chair in. We were the only ones at our table. Earlier, we had dined with all the parents from my new mothers’ group: Sara, Helene, Margaret, Evelyn, and their husbands. We had christened them: Sara was Miss No-Nonsense, Helene was Lean and Mean, Margaret was Tutu,...
by Diana Orgain | Mar 31, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Book One? From Motherhood is Murder Chapter One AT SEA To Do: 1.Buy diapers. 2.Make Laurie’s two-month check. 3.Find good “how to” book for PI business. 4. x Find dress for dinner cruise. 5. x Ask Mom to babysit. 6.Exercise. I STARED INTO THE BATHROOM MIRROR AND WONDERED HOW I’D FAILED to bring a hairbrush along on the San Francisco Bay dinner cruise. I ran my hands down the length of my mop, trying to tame the frizzies. If I put a little water on the problem, would it help or make it worse? The door to the restroom flew open. Sara, one of the moms from my new mommy group, appeared. She looked worse than I did. Her lipstick was smudged and her hair had the volume of a lion’s mane. “Oh my God! Kate! I didn’t know you were here.” She took a step back toward the door, then hesitated, looking like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She was so prim and proper at dinner. Probably doesn’t like to be seen 1looking so rumpled, but hey, if you can’t look bad in the ladies’ room, then there’s no safe haven. Sara ran her hands along the front of her black cocktail dress, which was wrinkled and wet, then squinted at her reflection. She jumped into action, grabbing a paper towel and fixing the smeared lipstick. “Your husband’s been looking everywhere for you. The captain’s called an ‘all hands on deck.’” “My hands, too?” I asked, wiggling my fingers under the faucet to activate the automatic water flow. Sara...
by Diana Orgain | Mar 30, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Bundle of Trouble Chapter Three Continued… RECOVERY/DISCOVERY Jim shrugged, then pinched the bridge of his nose. “All my life everyone has tried to help George. Growing up, my mom told me to take care of him. Your best friend for life, she always said. I did my best, but nothing was ever good enough for him. He always demanded more, giving nothing in return and managing to poison everything and everyone around him.” His face contorted in anger, then turned to sadness. “I didn’t want the joy of Laurie’s birth clouded over by news about George.” After a moment, he said, “I took down the guy’s phone number. I’ll call him when we’re home, make sure I’m really reaching the medical examiner’s office.” We sat in silence for a moment. I put my arms around him and pressed my cheek against his. I understood his desire to postpone bad news. As the sun came up, the room began to glow. I glanced at the clock and realized Laurie was due back at any minute. “Sorry I woke you,” I said. He stroked my hair. “Try not to worry about George. I’m doing it enough for the both of us. You focus on Laurie and on recovering.” <><><> THE DAY NURSE WHEELED IN OUR LITTLE BUNDLE, WRAPPED IN A PINK and blue striped swaddling blanket with a pink cap on her head. She looked like a tiny cherub with rosy cheeks. I noticed a scratch on her face. Laurie’s itty-bitty nails were extremely long. The nurse explained that...
by Diana Orgain | Mar 30, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Bundle of Trouble Chapter Three RECOVERY/DISCOVERY We were moved to a bright recovery room with a view of Saint Ignatius Church. Jim slouched in a corner of the room on a hospital cot. Mom had left for the day, ticketless. It was only 5 P.M., but felt much later. I held my sleeping pumpernickel in my arms. I was told that newborns mainly sleep the first week. It’s difficult to wake them even to nurse. Right now sleep sounded great. Jim and I were exhausted. “I wish I had space in this stupid hospital bed for you,” I said, raising the bed slightly, then lowering it again. Who could ever get comfortable in one of these? “Don’t worry, honey, I’m fine,” Jim grumbled from the corner cot. “I miss you way over there.” He stood, stretched, and hobbled over to me, his legs cramped from a long night of worry and catnapping on a bad cot. “Let me hold her awhile.” I handed the baby to him. He settled himself against the windowsill and admired her. “Hope for the next generation.” I knew, of course, that his remark was connected to George. But I didn’t have the energy to think about that. “I need to sleep awhile, honey . . .” I was already drifting off when I felt the covers being tucked against my chin. “Take care of Laurie,” I mumbled. “Is that her name?” “If you like it,” I said, drifting to sleep. “I do. Get some rest. I promise to take good care of...
by Diana Orgain | Mar 29, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter one? From Bundle of Trouble Chapter Two pt. 2 Delivery Mom patted my hand. “Well, that’s normal. Everything is going to be fine. When did your labor start?” “Around nine last night. Didn’t you get our messages? Jim must have called at least three times. Where were you?” Mom settled herself in the chair next to my bed. “I was at Sylvia’s. She had a dinner party. There was a lady there who wanted to take home some leftover crackers. Can you imagine? They had sat out all night on an hors d’oeuvres plate. And she wanted to take them home!” Mom knew me too well. She was making small talk, trying to distract me from thinking thoughts full of doom and gloom. It was working. I was actually laughing. I peered over at Jim. His eyes were closed, a grimace on his face. He wasn’t listening to Mom. He was stressed out. Mom followed my gaze. “Now, what’s happened with George?” Jim flinched. “Let’s not go there, Mom. We got a phone call, right, Kate? Just a call—” I clutched Mom’s hand. “Not just a call! It was a call from the medical examiner. They found a body in the bay and George’s bags on the pier.” Mom eyes turned into saucers and she gasped. “We don’t really know anything yet,” Jim said. “Let’s not get all melodramatic.” Mom and I exchanged looks. “Everything will be fine, you’ll see.” She gave my hand a squeeze, then released it and folded her hands into her lap. An awkward silence descended over us. Just then the...
by Diana Orgain | Mar 26, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter one? From Bundle of Trouble Chapter Two Delivery After checking into the hospital and spending several hours in “observation,” we were finally moved to our own labor and delivery room. “When can I get the epidural?” I asked the nurse escorting us. “I’ll call the anesthesiologist now,” she said, leaving the room. Jim plopped himself onto the recliner in the corner and picked up the remote control. “Hey, I’m having contractions here . . . they’re starting to get strong. Aren’t you supposed to be breathing with me?” “Right,” he nodded, flipping through the channels. “He he he, ha ha ha,” he said in an unconvincing rendition of Lamaze breathing. “Jim!” “Hmmm?” “I need your help now.” His eyebrows furrowed. “No TV?” “Get me the epi . . . oooh.” He pressed the mute button. I sighed and gave in to the contractions. GRAB YOUR COPY OF BUNDLE OF TROUBLE HERE 7Another hour passed before the anesthesiologist walked in. I was horrified to see that he looked all of about seventeen. “Sorry to make you wait,” he said. “There was an emergency Csection.” “I’m just glad you’re here now,” Jim said. The anesthesiologist laughed. “How are we doing?” “She’s doing great, really great,” Jim said. I would have told him to shut up, but that would have taken more energy than I had. Was this teeny bopper qualified to put a fifteeninch needle in my spine? What exactly could go wrong with the epidural? I was about to chicken out when the nurse rushed in. “Oh, here you are,” she said to the anesthesiologist. “Let’s...
