such a thing."
Evvie raises an eyebrow. "You got a problem with that? What do you think—we're a nonprofit organization?"
May says, "This affects all the phases. Let everybody chip in."
"Hey," says Edna petulantly, "next time it could be you! If you live on the ground floor."
"Yeah," says Sarah. "What about doing it pro bony ?" Obviously they, too, watch the jargonfilled lawyer and cop shows.
"How about pro boner ?" Tessie screams with laughter.
"That's pro bono, " Evvie corrects, hiding a grin.
"Just go and catch him," demands May Levine, hands on hips.
"Oy," moans Bella, "more night work."
Well, I guess I have a new client. Pro boner.
15
A Funeral in Boca
I still don't get it," Evvie complains. "Why are we schlepping up to Boca? And why did I need to wear dark colors and stockings?"
She hasn't stopped questioning me since we started our drive up the AIA to Boca Raton.
"Can't you just enjoy a nice ride along the coast and not make a big deal about it?"
"No," she says. "I had a nice rummy tiles game set up for today that you made me cancel. Besides, enquiring minds want to know. And furthermore, why did we have to lie to the girls? Why couldn't they come along?"
"I gave them an assignment, didn't I? I asked them to go door-to-door in the other phases to find out if anybody would like to report on a Peeping Tom incident."
I think about Evvie when she was a kid. Always asking "Why?" No matter how many times I'd answer, there was another why . Even though I was only two years older, big sister was supposed to know everything.
"And besides," I say, "aren't you glad to have a day alone with me for a change?"
"Yeah, but I still would like to know why."
I smile. Good old dependable Ev. It used to drive me crazy when I was young, but now I really like her "enquiring mind."
Evvie pulls at her black cotton blouse, trying to blow air down her front. "Black makes you hotter and I'm sweating. Turn up the air."
"It's as 'up' as it goes."
"But why didn't you just tell them where we were headed?"
"All right already. It's because we're going to a funeral. And you know how they behave at cemeteries. Bella won't walk on the grave markers, Ida hates anything to do with death—"
"Wait a minute. Somebody died?"
"If one is attending a funeral, one might say that. But relax, it's nobody we know."
"Then why are we going?"
I sigh and turn off my Andrea Bocelli tape. Boy, do I love that guy's voice. "I intended to use the time on the trip to fill you in, but no—you have to know everything all at once. I'm filling you in now."
"Well, if you had just said so . . ."
"Shh, listen. When I had dinner the other night with Jack and Morrie, I opened my big mouth and said I thought those two women, the one in Boca and the one in West Palm Beach, were murdered."
"You're kidding."
"Don't comment. Those two women were both wealthy, both died unexpectedly of heart attacks. Less than a week apart? Too convenient."
She looks at me for a long moment. "You believe that?"
"I've no idea. It just popped out of my mouth. I really made a fool of myself, spinning theories like there might be a serial killer who hated rich women, or someone was killing them to work their way up the twenty-five-richest list."
Evvie ponders that for a moment. "Like Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets ?" Evvie relates everything to movies she's seen.
"I mean, it's possible, isn't it?" I ask her. "How come unexpected heart attacks? They weren't that old. They had plenty of dough to spend on keeping healthy. My money's on the ones who will be getting their money. Like their husbands."
Evvie's look is shrewd. "You can't just be happy finding cheating husbands and lost
Evvie raises an eyebrow. "You got a problem with that? What do you think—we're a nonprofit organization?"
May says, "This affects all the phases. Let everybody chip in."
"Hey," says Edna petulantly, "next time it could be you! If you live on the ground floor."
"Yeah," says Sarah. "What about doing it pro bony ?" Obviously they, too, watch the jargonfilled lawyer and cop shows.
"How about pro boner ?" Tessie screams with laughter.
"That's pro bono, " Evvie corrects, hiding a grin.
"Just go and catch him," demands May Levine, hands on hips.
"Oy," moans Bella, "more night work."
Well, I guess I have a new client. Pro boner.
15
A Funeral in Boca
I still don't get it," Evvie complains. "Why are we schlepping up to Boca? And why did I need to wear dark colors and stockings?"
She hasn't stopped questioning me since we started our drive up the AIA to Boca Raton.
"Can't you just enjoy a nice ride along the coast and not make a big deal about it?"
"No," she says. "I had a nice rummy tiles game set up for today that you made me cancel. Besides, enquiring minds want to know. And furthermore, why did we have to lie to the girls? Why couldn't they come along?"
"I gave them an assignment, didn't I? I asked them to go door-to-door in the other phases to find out if anybody would like to report on a Peeping Tom incident."
I think about Evvie when she was a kid. Always asking "Why?" No matter how many times I'd answer, there was another why . Even though I was only two years older, big sister was supposed to know everything.
"And besides," I say, "aren't you glad to have a day alone with me for a change?"
"Yeah, but I still would like to know why."
I smile. Good old dependable Ev. It used to drive me crazy when I was young, but now I really like her "enquiring mind."
Evvie pulls at her black cotton blouse, trying to blow air down her front. "Black makes you hotter and I'm sweating. Turn up the air."
"It's as 'up' as it goes."
"But why didn't you just tell them where we were headed?"
"All right already. It's because we're going to a funeral. And you know how they behave at cemeteries. Bella won't walk on the grave markers, Ida hates anything to do with death—"
"Wait a minute. Somebody died?"
"If one is attending a funeral, one might say that. But relax, it's nobody we know."
"Then why are we going?"
I sigh and turn off my Andrea Bocelli tape. Boy, do I love that guy's voice. "I intended to use the time on the trip to fill you in, but no—you have to know everything all at once. I'm filling you in now."
"Well, if you had just said so . . ."
"Shh, listen. When I had dinner the other night with Jack and Morrie, I opened my big mouth and said I thought those two women, the one in Boca and the one in West Palm Beach, were murdered."
"You're kidding."
"Don't comment. Those two women were both wealthy, both died unexpectedly of heart attacks. Less than a week apart? Too convenient."
She looks at me for a long moment. "You believe that?"
"I've no idea. It just popped out of my mouth. I really made a fool of myself, spinning theories like there might be a serial killer who hated rich women, or someone was killing them to work their way up the twenty-five-richest list."
Evvie ponders that for a moment. "Like Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets ?" Evvie relates everything to movies she's seen.
"I mean, it's possible, isn't it?" I ask her. "How come unexpected heart attacks? They weren't that old. They had plenty of dough to spend on keeping healthy. My money's on the ones who will be getting their money. Like their husbands."
Evvie's look is shrewd. "You can't just be happy finding cheating husbands and lost
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