A Purse to Die For by Melodie Campbell, Cynthia St-Pierre

sign ' s meant to be humorous. "
    " But it is, " Carla insisted.
    " Some dumb-ass criminals out there, " Becki said, only to regret it so much she could kick herself.
    Inside, Detective Dumont was expecting them. He talked to them together first, then with Carla alone. When it was over, Carla hobbled out of Detective Dumont ' s office, her walking cast an obvious handicap.
    " You okay? " Becki asked.
    " Rather not talk about it. "
    And so Becki drove her home in what she hoped was companionable silence.
    Later, back in her guest bedroom at the house, Becki explained to Karl over the phone, " So you see, I ' m pretty much stuck here. "
    " Looks like it. "
    " Miss you. "
    " Miss you too . "
    " How much? " she asked, needing reassurance.
    " So much I gained five pounds. "
    " What? I ' m away for a week and you gain weight. You ' re supposed to pine away. "
    " Miss your healthy vegetarian cooking. "
    " You ' re teasing me now. "
    " Serious. Can hardly remember the last time I had one of your c hocolate p rotein s hakes for breakfast. "
    " Oh? "
    " Thank the Lord. "
    " Smarten up, Karl! "
    He laughed.
    " I ' ve got real trouble here. "
    " Sorry. How ' s Carla? "
    " Recovering. "
    " That ' s good. "
    " Nellie ' s glad to have her home, even if their reunion seemed awkward at first. "
    " Awkward? "
    " Took a while for Nellie to get used to the new Carla. I guess she looked pretty scary, what with the leg cast, the bandages and two black eyes. "
    " Goddamn Reggie! And we don ' t know the half of what he put her through. On average, a domestic victim experiences thirty-five assaults before ever calling the police. "
    " That ' s gross, Karl. "
    " As you know, sometimes we ' re not called soon enough. Or , hate to say it, we ' re not effective in protecting the victim. In Ontario alone, between 2002 and 2007, one-hundred forty-two women were murdered by their partner. "
    " That makes twenty-three women a year, Karl. "
    " Crazy, huh? "
    " You sure you got your figures straight? "
    " Unfortunately. "
    " This morning I was remembering our wedding. " She smiled. " Love you, Karl. "
    " Love you back… " Just before hanging up, she thought she heard him add, " …sweetheart. "
    After calling her half-sister, Anne, to see if their store, Beautiful Things, was still standing, then her friends, Kathleen and France, Becki brought all her dirty clothes down to the basement and threw them in the washing machine in one load. No separating the darks from the colours from the whites. No waiting for a full load in order be kind to the environment. Dire circumstances. But she did choose the cold water wash option.
    Then she joined Gina ' s just-arrived mom in Godmom ' s bedroom, of all places. Anna had announced earlier the least she could do for everyone while she was here was sort through her mother ' s closet and box up the clothes to give to Goodwill.
    " Hey, Anna, " Becki said.
    " Hello again, dear. "
    The song " My Favorite Things " tinkled in the air around them.
    " So can I help you now? " Becki asked.
    " No. Thank you. I ' ve managed to shoo you and everyone else away so far. Haven ' t been here to support you all up ' til now. Let me do this. "
    Although her tone was firm, Becki noticed Anna ' s hand holding the music box trembled. She sensed pending tears. Perhaps she ' d best give the woman more time to grieve. " I ' ll go make you tea to sip while you work. The other day I bought Crème Brûlée Rooibos , and it ' s delicious. "
    " Sure, love. "
    Several minutes later, Becki returned with a tray. On it a teapot, two cups and saucers—one set was the one she bought at the antique store—a strainer, a little pitcher of milk and a plate with several of the c hocolate c hip c ookies Carla baked yesterday. " I ' ll set it here for whenever you ' re ready, " she said and found a spot on the nightstand.
    " Does smell good, " Anna said. " What kind of tea did you say it was? Herbal? "
    " Yes. And it t astes l ike caramel. " Anna ' s skin looks