lord, do I have to do everything?” Casey gripped the hem of Krystal’s shirt and yanked it over her head.
“Now this I want to see.” Death suddenly appeared on the toilet tank, feet on the closed lid.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Casey said. “Give the woman some privacy.”
“Like you’re giving her, you mean?”
“She’s not exactly in her sex goddess state right now, so I don’t know what you’re even here for.”
“A few days of bad hygiene and grief doesn’t change anatomy, my friend.”
“I’m not your friend.” Casey concentrated on getting the rest of Krystal’s clothes off, trying not to smell the ripeness of her damp skin.
“I’m sorry about going into your room,” Krystal said.
“What?”
“The other night.” She leaned close and whispered. “I went in to see if I could find out your secrets.” She frowned. “You didn’t have any.”
Casey glanced at Death, but spoke to Krystal. “Was this just before you and Dylan came crashing into my office?”
“Dylan.” Krystal giggled. “Yes, I saw him just after…I was mad I couldn’t find anything good in your condo. He was…he’s so cute.” She got so distracted she almost fell over.
Casey kept her upright, glad to have the mystery solved of who’d snuck into her room. “Okay, Patterson, the water’s fine. Get in.”
Krystal looked at the shower curtain, and Casey swept it aside. “In.” She grabbed Krystal’s elbow and helped her step over the side of the tub before shutting the curtain. She found a towel under the sink, and gestured for Death to get off the toilet so she could set the towel on the lid. “Come get me if she faints or drowns or anything, okay?”
“What am I, your servant?”
“Yes.”
Death’s eyebrows rose.
Casey sighed. “Please?”
“Well, since you asked so nicely.”
Casey locked the apartment door behind her and ran down the stairs, getting to class just as the clock hit six.
“Okay, ladies! Let’s wake up!”
She blasted some loud music and put the class through the paces, until some of them had to stop, hands on their knees. Casey figured she’d better ease up, and spent the last twenty minutes on body shaping and abs. By the time seven rolled around, half of the women lay flat on their backs, staring at the ceiling.
“See you tomorrow. ” Casey jogged out of the room and back up the stairs to Krystal’s place. She used Krystal’s key to get in, only to find Death sitting on the couch with a nametag that said, SuperNanny: Behave or Die. The torn petition pages lay spread out on the couch, where Casey had left them.
“So I’ve been looking at the signatures I can see,” Death said. “I don’t recognize any of these names.”
“Where’s Krystal?”
“In bed. She got out of the shower after about twenty minutes, wrapped herself in a towel, and collapsed on top of her quilt.”
Casey went back to the bedroom. It was exactly as Death had said. Casey figured she should let Krystal sleep, but couldn’t see letting her lie there in a wet towel. She found a fluffy pink robe in the closet, rolled Krystal out of the towel, and covered her with the robe. Her hair was still wet, but there was nothing Casey could do about that, except put a dry towel under her head.
Casey went back to the living room and swiped up the torn petition pages, dropping onto the couch beside Death.
“See?” Death said. “All strangers.”
“That we know of. I’m not anywhere close to knowing the names of all the people in my classes.”
“But you know your personal training folks. And a few others.”
“Right.” Casey scanned the names, and saw that Death was right. Nobody she actually knew by name was on the list. A small but welcome development.
Casey jumped up.
Death jumped up, too. “What is it?”
“Krystal’s daughter that we saw in the folder. Have you seen any evidence of her?”
“Not in plain view.”
Casey took a quick look through Krystal’s desk, kitchen drawers, and bedroom, not worried about waking the snoring occupant. There were no photos, birth certificates, or anything that would say Krystal had had a baby.
“Not a crumb,” she said, back in the living room.
“She doesn’t want anything to do with a kid,” Death said. “It’s obvious. She wants to have fun and land a rich husband.”
“How do you know?”
“Come on, Casey. It’s what women like her do. You don’t hear her advertising her motherhood, do you? Guys like Dylan wouldn’t come anywhere near her if they knew she had a child. They’d be scared to death. Not that her having