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She plucked a tissue from the box, patted her eyes, and blew her nose

“Must I?”

Conklin said, “I think it would be best Ityour memory Look, I’ll stay with you and you can lean on me”

“And then you’ll drive ht home?”

“I sure will I’ll even put the sirens on”

FORTY-EIGHT HOURS EARLIER

Chapter 1

Cindy Thomas, senior crih the front door of Susie’s Café She threaded her way through the raucous crowd in the front room, past the steel drum band and the crowded bar, and headed down the corridor to the back rooht dinner set

She saw an empty booth and a recently vacated table, and asked a busboy for help as she shoved the table up against the booth

“How ?” he asked her

“Six,” she told hio chicken That’s our favorite”

Four of the six were herself and her closest friends in the Women’s Murder Club

The other members were Lindsay Boxer, Homicide, SFPD; Claire Washburn, chief ht, the two additional seats would be for Lindsay’s husband, Joe Molinari, and Cindy’s own beloved fiancé, Rich Conklin Rich was also Lindsay’s partner on the job

It had been a joke when Cindy dubbed the four of theo, but the naathered at Susie’s, their clubhouse, in order to vent, brainstorm, and fill up on spicy Caribbean food and draft beer It was nice to go with the “don’t worry, be happy” flow every once in a while

Laughs were definitely on the ht