The Icing on the Corpse by Mary Jane Maffini Page B

if you all wait downstairs.”
    Mombourquette likes to give the orders. He opened his mouth.
    â€œKeep in mind, it's best for Lindsay,” I told the crowd.
    â€œGet these people out of here, Camilla,” he said.
    I chose not to argue with him. I had my own reasons for wanting them out of the room.
    â€œShe's probably fine. My guess is she took a couple of sleeping pills to get her through the night, and she's in a deep sleep. But we'd better find out. We won't do her any good here. She might even panic if she wakes up to a scene from Lethal Weapon,.”
    â€œRight.” Merv wasn't moving. I figured he meant everyone else could leave.
    â€œWhy doesn't somebody put on coffee? We can all use it,” I said.
    â€œI'll do that.” Elaine whacked her knee on the door on her way out.
    â€œAlvin, can you give her a hand?”
    Lindsay's eyelids fluttered but remained closed. “Merv, can you help Mrs. Parnell down the stairs?”
    â€œI'm staying here.”
    â€œDon't argue. And that goes double for you, Mrs. P.”
    I reached over and checked Lindsay's pulse again. It gave me something to do. Lindsay issued a small hopeful sigh. Her colour seemed healthy. Cream, not white.
    â€œSo what's happening?” I whispered to McCracken. “Any leads on Benning?”
    Mombourquette raised an eyebrow at McCracken. McCracken shook his head. I studied them.
    â€œDon't worry about me, boys, I have all the time in the world. I wish I could say the same for Lindsay here. But take your time, no need to get off your butts and put Benning back where you should have kept him in the first place.”
    Okay, so I couldn't really blame them for Benning's rampage. But when you wake up kissing Alvin's foot, it gets your day off to a bad start.
    â€œYou haven't heard?” Mombourquette snorted, and McCracken fired him a warning glance.
    â€œHeard what?”
    â€œWe found him.”
    â€œAnd he's back where he belongs?”
    â€œYou could say that.” Even at the best of times, I find Mombourquette's smirk hard to take.
    â€œLennie,” McCracken growled.
    â€œYou might say we have him on ice.” Light twinkled off Mombourquette's pointed incisors.
    â€œCareful, Len.”
    â€œHigh time, if you don't mind me saying so. I hope you can keep him behind bars this time.”
    â€œCamilla.” McCracken doesn't usually call me by name, but this wedding thing had softened his brain.
    â€œForever would not be too long.”
    â€œHe'll have forever.” Mombourquette's tail twitched with amusement. A slight movement from the bed distracted me. Lindsay's eyes opened wide. “And then some,” Mombourquette said.
    â€œI guess you haven't turned on your radio,” McCracken said.

    They all thundered back up the stairs and crowded into her room as soon as Lindsay began to sob.
    â€œC'mon, folks, give the lady some air.” McCracken pushed us all back into the hallway, closed the bedroom door and stood guard.
    I thought Merv would punch him out, with Alvin's assistance. I hoped this unholy alliance would not endure past the immediate emotional situation.
    â€œWhat have you done to that girl?” Mrs. Parnell pulled herself up to her full height, slightly more than Mombourquette's. She raised her steel-tipped cane, to steady herself I suppose, and accidentally brought it down on his instep.
    Lucky for us the paramedics arrived.

Ten
    E laine screamed. When she stopped screaming, she said, “No, I refuse to believe it.”
    â€œPlease.” I put a soothing hand on her shoulder. “We don't all have to get hysterical.” She jumped away.
    It had taken the better part of an hour to get the paramedics out of the house, to make sure Lindsay was safe and sleeping and to get the rest of the circus downstairs where it belonged. Mombourquette stayed, but you can't have everything.
    And Elaine, of all the unlikely people, kept screaming. “Easy for