Death of the Family Recipe (A Scotti Fitzgerald Murder Mystery Book 3) (11 page)

Everybody took turns patting my tummy and had a baby name to share. While Ted and his five brothers were having a limbo contest, I caught up with my friends, Debbie, Donna and Peggy. Zelda did her Manny the Cuban imitation and had everybody rolling. This was no small family birthday party — it was more like having my own personal variety show. And I loved every minute of it.

Later on, I wandered back to my special room to admire it. I sat in the rocker and hugged the teddy bear, imagining I was holding my baby and singing her to sleep. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

Melinda appeared at the doorway and smiled. "It’s really something, isn’t it?"

I stood up and put the teddy bear back in his chair. "It’s unbelievable." I shook my head. "The kitchen is amazing." I pointed and laughed. "He even got a walk-in fridge in there." I looked around the room. "But this? Wow, just wow."

Melinda stepped into the room and put her hand on my shoulder. "He wanted you to have everything you need."

I smiled and hugged myself. "He’s everything I need."

Melinda chuckled and gave me the birthday gift I’d gotten for Ted and thought was still sitting on my dresser at home. "You didn’t think we’d forget this, did you?"

I giggled at the yellow stain on Melinda’s hand — a perfect match to my new kitchen walls. "I knew I smelled paint this morning."

She hugged me and backed out of the office, then Ted stepped in and took her place. I put my arms around his waist. "Baby you’ve outdone yourself. I’m speechless. Thank you." Shyly I offered him the gift. "Happy birthday. Not quite as fancy as yours, I’m afraid."

Slowly, Ted unwrapped the gift while I chewed on my thumb. When he saw the antique compass he smiled and lifted it out of the box gently. Then he read the inscription. "To Ted, My true north. All my love. Scotti." He stared at it a long time and then smiled at me. "It’s perfect."

He pulled me into his arms, then Zelda banged through the door and smirked. "You two will have plenty of time for that after the other surprise. Now, it’s time for cake."

I looked at Ted. "What other surprise?"

Zelda dragged us out to the patio where a huge chocolate sour cream sheet cake ablaze with candles awaited us. My eyes popped. "My God, how many candles are on that cake?"

"Twenty-nine for you and thirty-four for Ted," Zelda said proudly. She hip-bumped me. "Quit gawking and blow out the candles before somebody calls the Fire Department."

Together, Ted and I blew out the candles without losing our eyebrows and everybody cheered. As Melinda started cutting slabs of cake, Joe rolled up a cart with a mountain of presents on it. "Time for presents."

Ted and I gawked. I’d never seen so many presents in my life. My hands trembled so hard that Ted had to help me rip off paper and ribbon. Which Zelda, ever the environmentalist, made into nifty party hats. There were a few sentimental gifts — a pair of sapphire earrings from Melinda, that were once her mother’s. From Zelda and Eric we got a DVD of our courtship, including Ted’s proposal. Nobody admitted to filming any of it, but I didn’t care. It was really sweet and made me cry. Debbie gave me an engraved silver pie slicer that read, ‘to the best cheery pie maker ever.’ Peggy gave me a teacup for my collection. Ginny and her girls put together a photo album of Ted — starting with his baby pictures and going all the way through college.

Ted’s brothers gave us a bill for the labor on the kitchen remodel. And they gave Ted a spike-studded dog collar with a tag that read, "If lost, return to Scotti Fitzgerald. Or else!" Other highlights included his and her g-strings, coupons for beer-boarding, a marriage manual from the 1940’s — with highlighted portions, and adult diapers.

It was the best birthday of my life, and it was over too soon. Zelda wriggled out of my hug. "Okay, enough with the mush. Happy birthday, roomie." She eyed Ted. "And good luck to you, Teddy boy."

Ted smiled and said, "Goodnight Zelda McSmart-Ass."

Then we were alone, and Ted put his arms around me. "How’d you like your birthday party almost-wife?"

"Best birthday ever, almost-husband." I nudged him toward the kitchen. "But this mess won’t clean itself."

Ted held me still. "It’ll keep until morning."

I nodded. "Okay, I won’t fight you on that one." I slid my arms around his neck. "Now what’s this other surprise Zee was taunting me about?"

Ted pulled me close. "You haven’t had enough surprises for one day?"

I pinched his butt. "You think I don’t know when you’re playing me?"

He got the pleased-sneaky look in his eyes and shrugged. "You said no kitchen, no move in, right?" I nodded. He pointed toward the kitchen. "And now you have a kitchen. An awesome kitchen, if I do say so myself."

I chuckled. "Yes, the most awesome kitchen ever. So this is your way of saying it’s time I moved in here?"

He kissed me. "This is my way of saying welcome home, baby."

I gaped. "But how?" I craned my neck. "Where is everything?"

Ted laughed. "I don’t have five brothers for nothing. And unlimited access to an impressive fleet of vehicles." He shrugged. "Do the math, honey." I looked around feeling a little lost. "That’s not a happy face."

"But I… Where are my clothes?"

"Upstairs, in the bedroom."

"My bathroom stuff…"

Upstairs in the bathroom, next to mine."

"My garden tools…"

"In the garage."

"My furniture, and my books, my candlesticks…"

"All here." He walked me down the hallway to the back room and opened the door. The room was filled with my furniture, and neatly stacked, labeled boxes. "I didn’t unpack anything because I knew you’d want to do that." He put his arm around my shoulders. "So, what do think?"

I stammered, "So I live here now? In your house?"

"In our house."

I stared at my things, nestled neatly in the room, still trying to compute the fact that I moved without being there. "What if I want to change something?"

He kissed the top of my head. "It’s your house, change anything you want."

I looked up at him. "Like change the curtains?" He nodded. "Replace the sofa? Paint the walls?" He nodded again. "Can I have a garden in the back yard?"

He put his arms around my waist and picked me up. "Yes." He kissed me. "Let me repeat — this is our house. Not my house. Our house. You do anything you want to it that makes you happy."

"Anything? Really?"

He put me down. "Except for my office. Hands off that. But the rest of the house is yours."

The idea was growing on me. I slid my arms around his neck. "Okay."

"Okay?"

I kissed him. "Okay, but remember you said I could do anything."

He laughed. "And I’ll probably live to regret it but go crazy baby."

We walked back toward the staircase, then I stopped. "What about Boomer?"

Ted nudged me up the stairs. "Boomer is staying with his Aunt Zelda until we get back from the honeymoon. Okay?"

I leaned against him as we walked up the stairs. "Okay."

We stopped at the bedroom door. "Anything else I can explain or do for you before we go to bed?"

I laughed. "Yeah, will you model the dog collar and g-string?"

<<>>

The gel Dr. Val squirted on my belly was cold but not as cold as the exam room. I lay on the exam table with Ted at my side. He squeezed my hand like a kid about to go on the big roller coaster. Val gave us her Lucy smile. "Are you two ready?"

"Yes, ma’am. Let’s do it."

Val flipped on the machine and smeared the gel with the probe. Ted and I stared at the monitor. "I see her. I see her heart beating. Look Ted, there she is." Entranced by the tiny human growing inside me I said, "I was right, huh Val? It’s a girl."

Val studied the monitor and rolled her tongue against her cheek. "Hmm."

We stared at the monitor harder. "What?" Val moved the probe a little left then a little right. She peered at the monitor and made doctor sounds. I craned my neck. "Is something wrong with the baby?"

"Just relax, honey," Ted said but squeezed my hand harder.

Val turned to us and grinned. She pointed to the monitor. "You see that?"

We looked. "What?"

Val tapped the screen. "That, right there?"

We leaned in closer – Ted practically laying across my lap. He pointed. "That?"

Val nodded and smiled. "Yup."

"What is it?" I asked.

Val chuckled. "It’s another baby."

We looked at her. We looked at each other. We looked at the monitor. Then I saw a second pulse on the screen and gasped. "Twins?"

Ted yelped. "What?"

Val nodded and grinned big. "Yup. Twins. How about that, Scotti. You got one bum ovary and the other one is working overtime." She patted the monitor. "I haven’t delivered twins for a while. This will be cool."

Val and Ted fist-bumped. "How about that papa, two for the price of one."

Ted and I stared at the little two pulses on the monitor screen. I turned to Ted and whispered, "Are you ready for this?"

Tears welled in his eyes, and he nodded. "You betcha."

On Tuesday morning, as we headed for the Foothill station house, Zelda asked, "So are you going to tell me about the sonogram or do I have to beat it out of you?"

Ted and I agreed to wait to break the news about the twins, so I said, "It’s a girl and she’s healthy." Though Val wasn’t absolutely sure and wouldn’t be until we did a later sonogram, her guess was we were having one of each — a boy and a girl. I was dying to tell Zelda, but her big mouth gave me the restraint I needed. "Pretty cute for a peanut."

Zelda nodded, pleased. "A girl, huh? You were right." She snickered. "Let’s hope she gets Ted’s hair though."

Zelda downshifted and slowed as we neared the station house and I said, "But we’re not telling anybody. Just close friends and family. So don’t blab to Daniels or Davis. After the wedding and I start showing, I’ll tell them."

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It’s just a baby, not the plague."

When we pulled up, a throng of plain clothes, uniforms and admins waited for us like we were rock stars. Smiling and waving their travel mugs, a line formed before I opened the service window. I saw Daniels, but he hung back until the crowd thinned to step up to the window. "Scotti Fitzgerald, what sweet delights do you have for me today?"

I handed him a tall coffee with extra cream and sugar. "Chocolate sour cream cupcakes, apple tartlets and a blueberry muffin for Davis." I looked over his shoulder. "Where is she?"

Daniels smirked. "At her desk with her feet up. Swollen ankles or some such. Good thing we haven’t chased any perps lately." He wiggled his fingers. "Give it."

I passed the bag of goodies to him. "She’s getting pretty big huh? When’s she due?"

"March." He bit into a cupcake and groaned. "These things should be illegal." He grabbed a stack of napkins from the shelf and wiped his big mouth. "The woman is either spawning a herd or she’s hatching a linebacker."

I rubbed my belly without thinking. "Some women show early. Isn’t her husband a big guy? Could be a big baby."

Daniels nodded. "Yeah Jimmy’s a big dude, but not as big as Ted." He eyed me. "When you get knocked up, you better pray your kids take after you. Otherwise that delivery room scene ain’t gonna be pretty."

I smirked. "You’re such sensitive soul, Daniels. How ever do you manage to handle the stress of police work?"

Daniels scowled and muttered. "Speaking of police work, you really working the Atkinson case?"

I reared back. "Who told you that?" Daniels rolled his eyes. "I can’t discuss it with you. We’re on opposite sides of the fence on this one."

Daniels shook his head. "Never thought I’d see the day that you went to the dark side."

I muttered, "And here I thought everyone was innocent until proven guilty."

Daniels sneered. "We’ve got him dead to rights."

I leaned down and quietly said, "If it’s such a slam-dunk, why no deal or confession? Cops make mistakes and arrest the wrong people sometimes, right?"

Daniels glared because once upon a time, he arrested me for a crime I didn’t commit. "You going to throw that in my face forever?"

"Only if you keep getting it wrong."

He smiled and stepped back. "Okay Scotti, we’ll be seeing you. I’ll be looking for an invite to that fancy wedding of yours."

I pretend-smiled and waved. "You bet, Daniels." Then I locked up the back and got in the cab with Zelda. "Okay, let’s roll."

Zelda looked in her side mirror. "What was that all about?"

"He’s giving me grief about Atkinson."

Zelda pulled out, then did a u-turn toward Foothill. "What a putz." She jerked her head toward the glove box. "That reminds me, Joe gave me a DVD for you."

I popped the box and took out the DVD. "Oh right, the Atkinson interview." Making a face, I put it in my bag. "Yay, can’t wait to watch it."