Murder on Lenox Hill by Victoria Thompson

wanted the girl permanently. Soon she’d have to start the legal process.
    Sarah sat for a few more minutes, savoring the thought of finally becoming a mother and feeling remarkably content and slightly drowsy when the sound of someone ringing her doorbell startled her back to the present. With a smile, Sarah rose from her chair, thinking it was probably Mrs. Ellsworth, returning to fulfill her own prophecy. Or perhaps it was a frantic father-to-be, summoning her to attend his wife. But the silhouette she saw through the frosted glass of her door wasn’t Mrs. Ellsworth’s, although it was familiar, and Sarah’s smile broadened.
    She was still smiling when she opened the door. “Malloy,” she said by way of greeting. “Do you need some help on a case?”
    Malloy’s expression had been carefully neutral, but her question surprised him into almost smiling. She saw the flicker of it in his dark eyes before he caught himself. “No, I thought I’d stop by to see if you needed any help delivering babies,” he replied, deadpan, delighting her.
    â€œThen come inside so I can start your instructions,” she said, more pleased than she cared to admit to see him on her doorstep. She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed his company.
    Before he had even cleared the doorway, Aggie and Maeve were coming down the stairs to greet him. Both had fond memories of him from the mission.
    â€œWe knew you were coming, Mr. Malloy,” Maeve announced. “Aggie dropped a spoon.”
    â€œA spoon ?” Malloy repeated, giving Sarah a puzzled glance.
    â€œMrs. Ellsworth,” she offered in explanation.
    Malloy nodded in perfect understanding.
    â€œDidn’t you bring Brian?” Maeve asked. Sarah had once taken the girls to visit Malloy’s son, which they had all enjoyed.
    â€œNot today,” Malloy said, and something in his tone warned Sarah he wasn’t making a social call. Since he would probably cut off his own foot before willingly involving her in another murder investigation, what other business could have brought him here? She felt a small frisson of alarm.
    Malloy was picking Aggie up in response to her silent demands. “How do you like living here with Mrs. Brandt, Aggie?” he asked.
    Aggie didn’t answer, of course, but she smiled hugely.
    â€œIs Maeve taking good care of you?”
    Aggie nodded.
    â€œMaeve is an excellent helper,” Sarah reported, making the girl blush.
    She shrugged modestly. “I like it here. Would you like a piece of cake, Mr. Malloy? We made it just for you.”
    Malloy raised his eyebrows skeptically. “You shouldn’t tell fibs,” he teased her. “You didn’t know I was coming.”
    â€œYes, we did, because Aggie dropped the spoon,” she reminded him smugly.
    The girls induced Malloy to accompany them to the kitchen and sample the cake, which he declared delicious, and Sarah made some coffee. He wasn’t used to socializing with young girls, but he managed to keep them amused. Sarah watched him in growing admiration. He truly was a remarkable man.
    When everyone had eaten and thoroughly spoiled their suppers, Sarah sent the girls back upstairs so she could talk to Malloy in private. Or rather, so he could talk to her and tell her why he’d come.
    When they were alone, neither spoke for several minutes. Sarah was surprised at this awkwardness between them, after all they’d been through together, but suddenly, his presence seemed somehow too real in the close confines of her kitchen. She couldn’t stop herself from recalling some of the more intimate moments of their relationship, moments when it seemed they might pass that invisible barrier from friendship to something more. Yet here they sat, still friends and not even comfortable with that, if Sarah’s tingling nerves and Malloy’s unease were any indication.
    â€œHow have you been?” she said to break