New Year's Eve Murder by Lee Harris

the opening of a homicide investigation? It was up to those of us who cared to pick up the ball and run with it.
    I wanted to talk to Susan’s father but I wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to me. I wanted Rachel to come up withsomething substantial to give us a direction. I wanted Jill Brady’s car to be found with Susan at the wheel, alive and well and pooh-poohing all her family’s worries. And I wanted to sleep through the night.
    â€”
    I didn’t get any of my wishes. Eddie woke me at two and again at six and we got our day underway. It was Saturday, and happily for all of us, Jack was home for the weekend. At eight-thirty, I answered the phone to find my friend and neighbor Melanie Gross at the other end.
    â€œMel, it’s so good to hear your voice. I feel like it’s been weeks since we talked.”
    â€œJust days. How’s it going? Eddie sleeping through the night yet?”
    â€œNot yet. Dr. Schwartz said to be patient. I’m trying. But I’m really tired.”
    â€œBuck up. If I lived through it twice, you can. I have half the metabolism you have. There were days I didn’t get dressed till five o’clock, and then only because some inner voice said I’d never make the Mommy Hall of Fame. Do you still have a sitter for when you go to see Dr. Campbell?”
    Dr. Campbell was my obstetrician, recommended by Mel. “Yes, Elsie’s on for that. I’ll nurse him and drop him off.”
    â€œChris,” Mel said in her most authoritative tone of voice, “you can leave a bottle once in a while. I promise you nothing terrible will happen. And it will give you seven glorious hours to yourself.”
    â€œIt certainly sounds inviting. And the way things are going, I’ll probably be doing it sooner rather than later. A friend of Arnold Gold’s disappeared the day before New Year’s Eve and nobody’s got any idea where she is.” I filled her in briefly.
    â€œI don’t like the sound of it, Chris. A pretty, youngwoman, alone somewhere in an old borrowed car that could have broken down. I get chills just thinking about it.”
    I hadn’t really considered the possibility that the car had broken down, but remembering what Jill had said about the age of the car and the battery trouble she’d had, it could easily have happened. We talked for a while. Having a conversation on a topic other than babies and diets and doctors’ appointments was absolutely invigorating. This dormant part of me was still there, awakening to the call. When I got off the phone, I may not have felt less tired, but I certainly felt more alive.
    Jack and I breakfasted together, more or less like the old days. “I’m going to have to call Kevin again,” I said, pouring more coffee for Jack while I stuck with skim milk. “He knew something was bothering Susan, but I’m not optimistic that he’ll tell me any more than he did yesterday. If he even knows more.”
    â€œWant me to handle it?”
    â€œOn your weekend off?”
    â€œWho’s watching the clock?”
    â€œI’d love it. You said you talked on your way to the precinct. Maybe if you can impress on him that strange things are going on—Susan borrowing a car so he wouldn’t know she was going somewhere—he’ll come around. Jack, how do we even know Kevin drove Susan to Brooklyn?”
    â€œWe don’t. But if he didn’t, what happened to Jill Brady’s car?”
    â€œRight. Good point.”
    â€œUnless, of course, he knew she was borrowing Jill’s car and after he did something unspeakable to Susan, he did something else to the car.”
    â€œIn which case we’ll never get anything out of him.”
    â€œLet me give it a try.”
    â€œOK.” I downed the remaining half glass of milk andtook a deep breath. I hadn’t developed a taste for the stuff and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t. “What