“I’m coming with you. I’m not staying here by myself,” Melanie said.

“Of course not. You shouldn’t have been down here alone in the first place. This is a serious case. We should be taking more precautions. You can wait in my car. I don’t want you in the line of fire if I find this guy.”

Under other circumstances she would have protested, but now she was too shaken up. When she went after the Benson case like a demon, she’d never imagined the killer might train his sights on her.

18

MELANIE RUSHED INTO THE KITCHEN AND THREW her arms around Maya, who sat in her high chair smiling like the Cheshire cat, green muck dripping down her chin.

“You’re still up! Mommy missed you so much!” she cried, hugging her daughter close. Maya surveyed her domain as if not a thing was wrong in the world. But Slice was out there. Dan had done a floor-to-floor search back at the office and come up dead empty.

“Mel, not that that’s much of an outfit, but you’re about to ruin it,” Linda warned. She’d been gingerly administering pureed peas from two feet away in a futile attempt to protect her own clothes. As if on cue, Maya spit a fine green spray.

“Mi’ja, I told you, this is Versace!” Linda’s bracelets jangled as she deflected the neon green spatter away from her midriff-baring blouse, which showed off the ruby in her navel and the large butterfly tattoo spreading its wings across her lower back. She sported a diamond-encrusted choker bearing the legend BORICUA CHICA. Melanie envied her sister’s glam Puerto Rican style. Sometimes she wished she could be more out there herself, but she just wasn’t like that.

“I’m happy to see her, but why is she up? It’s past eleven! And why are you feeding her this late?” Melanie asked.

“Muy buenas tardes, Linda,” Linda said. “Muchas gracias for baby-sitting, Linda.”

Melanie caught a whiff of something and leaned down, sticking her nose under the high-chair tray.

“And she’s poopy!” she exclaimed indignantly, straightening back up.

“Ingrate! Remind me not to do you any more favors. Look what time it is! I’m gonna be late for my date with Alberto, and this is the thanks I get.”

“Wait a minute, Alberto? You mean Chester the Molester?”

“Did I call him that? Oops.”

“He’s almost sixty!”

“I decided I like older men.”

“Since when?”

“Since he promised to help me pitch my show idea. Listen to this: a makeover show! Me giving beauty and relationship advice. I’m calling it Muy Linda! Get it? It means ‘very pretty’ in Spanish.”

“Yes, thank you, I speak Spanish.”

“God, you are nasty tonight.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I should be more grateful. I am grateful. It’s just…I’m under so much stress lately.”

Linda held out her arms. “Ven aquí, chica.”

Melanie walked over and put her head down on Linda’s shoulder, burying her face in her sister’s perfumed dark hair. Linda patted Melanie’s back.

“Poor baby! Hey, who would’ve thought it would be you leaning on me? Some role reversal, huh?” In the roles they’d played since childhood, Linda was the popular, glamorous, wild sister, and Melanie the smart, sensible, together one.

“Could you try to sound a little less pleased about my life being messed up?” Melanie disentangled herself from Linda’s embrace.

“It’s nice to feel needed, that’s all. Hey, you really do look upset. Bad night?”

Melanie filled Linda in on the incident in the file room.

“Oh, my God!” Linda said. “You could have been killed.”

“Tell me about it! The FBI agent I’m working with said the same thing.”

They were both silent, thinking about that.

“So who’s the guy?” Linda asked after a moment.

“The killer?”

“No, the FBI agent. Were you two working late together?”

“Linda!”

“Aha, you’re blushing! I’m onto something, right? What an instinct!”

“Can’t you be serious for once?”

“I am serious. What’s more serious than you working late with a hot guy?”

“Who says he’s hot?”

“He’s not hot?”

Melanie rolled her eyes and walked over to the sink. She grabbed a piece of paper towel, wet it, and began swabbing Maya’s face.

“Yuck, how did it get in your hair? You need a bath, nena.” Melanie lifted Maya from her high chair and carried her to the changing table in her bedroom. Linda followed. Melanie undid the tabs on the diaper and scrutinized its contents.

“Why do you have to look at it?” Linda asked, making a face.

“It’s good to see their poop. That’s how you know they’re digesting okay. I wasn’t with her all day, so it makes me feel like I know what’s going on.” She wiped Maya’s bottom and shoved everything into the Diaper Genie.

“When it comes to dirty diapers, ignorance is bliss if you ask me,” Linda said.

Melanie carried Maya naked to the bathroom, Linda buzzing after her like a hungry bumblebee at a picnic. As Melanie poured Baby Magic under the running water, Linda closed the toilet-seat lid and sat down.

“So what about this guy? I always tell you everything.”

“I could have been killed, and this is what you’re concerned about.” Shaking her head, Melanie tested the temperature of the water, then lowered Maya’s squirming body carefully into the bath seat. She used a plastic cup to splash water over chubby, glistening limbs, eliciting gurgles of pleasure.

“He must be a loser, or you’d tell me. The real hotties never went for you anyway. You had the looks, but you refused to do yourself up. Like you were above it or something.”

Melanie knew Linda was baiting her, but she couldn’t help herself. A lifetime of competing with her flamboyant sister won out.

“He happens to be incredible.”

“¡Mami! So go for it!”

“¿Eres loca? I’m a mother. I can’t just go around having affairs!”

“Why not? Steve did.”

That stopped Melanie cold. Each time she was reminded of it, it hurt like new.

“You know I’m right,” Linda insisted, nodding her head. “Revenge is in order here. Show Steve he can’t walk all over you.”

“That’s a sick attitude. No wonder none of your relationships last more than two weeks.”

“Maybe my relationships don’t last because I don’t want them to. Marriage sucks. Mom and Papi were at each other’s throats. Steve cheated on you right after Maya was born. I mean, how low can you get? Not that I didn’t warn you. I saw through that guy from day one. Too smooth for his own good, I said. But you like that. Reminds you of Papi.”

“Shut up.”

“It’s true. Didn’t I tell you what a bad sign it was that Steve cheated on other girlfriends? You had this information when you married him, chica.”

“Those were girls he dated casually. No vows involved.”

“Vows, my ass. Once a sleazebag, always a sleazebag. But no, you were too into him to listen to any sense.”

“Linda, this is getting me mad.”

“Why are you sticking up for him? I don’t get it.”

“He’s my husband and the father of my child!”

“So? He didn’t respect that. Why should you?”

Melanie squeezed out the washcloth, not saying anything, her mouth setting into an angry line. She felt like an idiot leaping to Steve’s defense, the way he’d betrayed her. But Linda’s cynical attitude didn’t sit well either. Maybe she just didn’t want to believe that her marriage was over.

“Hey, it’s your life,” Linda said. “But give me one good reason for staying with this bozo.”

“One good reason? Maya! If it was just me, I would’ve served him with divorce papers by now. But what would that mean for her?” Melanie gently lathered Maya’s dark hair.

“So you’re not in love with him anymore?” Linda asked.

“I never said that.”

“You’re not sure, are you? You’re not sure whether you still love your husband.”