Birthday Party Murder Read Online Free Page B

reached for the phone, intending to call the police, when a surge of grief hit him. He’d missed his chance to tell Sherman how much he appreciated all he’d done for him.

Chapter Four
    â€œY ou can fight the aging process!” promised the perky little blonde on the TV screen. Perfectly proportioned and perfectly tanned, she bared her perfect white teeth in a perfect smile and nodded, making her perfectly bleached blond curls bounce.
    â€œIs she for real?” asked Sara. Lucy’s thirteen-year-old daughter was lounging on the sofa with an open bag of M&Ms on her stomach.
    Zoe, who was in second grade, was perched in front of the family computer, playing an action game. Lucy’s older kids, Toby and Elizabeth, were away at college.
    â€œI’m not looking for a relationship here,” panted Lucy, straining to follow a complicated combination of steps. “I just want to lose ten pounds.”
    Lucy was dressed in an old pair of leggings, so old the seams were splitting, and one of Bill’s T-shirts. On the TV screen, Debbie was dressed in an orange bikini, only a shade brighter than her orange skin.
    â€œYou can lose those last ten pounds!” exhorted Video Debbie, making Lucy wonder if the TV was really a two-way communication device. Maybe Debbie could read her mind. “But losing weight is only one reason to exercise. Exercise is good for you! It helps fight heart disease, it keeps you limber, and it acts as a mental filter. Exercise makes you happy!”
    â€œAre you happy, Mom?” asked Sara, popping an M&M into her mouth.
    â€œI’m trying,” panted Lucy, tripping over her feet as she attempted to execute a grapevine step.
    â€œDon’t stop!” cautioned Debbie. “I’ll be right back for your Tummy Tune-up!”
    Lucy reached for her water bottle, and attempted to march in place while she tilted back her head and drank. Water spilled down her chin.
    â€œWay to go, Mom,” observed Sara.
    â€œListen, this is harder than you think. Especially when you’ve worked all day and you’re tired.” Lucy paused. “How does she do it? How does she talk? I can hardly breathe.”
    â€œShe’s in shape,” said Sara. “You’re not.”
    â€œThanks for the encouragement,” said Lucy, painfully lowering herself to the floor for tummy crunches.
    â€œThis is our toning segment,” said Debbie, who had perched her round little bottom on an exercise mat that was color-coordinated to complement her bikini. “Our goal here is to condition our muscles, while keeping our heart rate up. Let’s begin. Now I want you to lower yourself vertebra by vertebra—but not all the way! Hold it, hold it; now bring yourself back up. Feel that?” Debbie pointed to her flat tummy with a perfectly manicured finger. “I certainly can!”
    â€œUhhh,” said Lucy, collapsing onto the floor. A sympathetic shriek rose from the computer.
    Debbie was now bringing her knees to her chin and then extending her legs, toes pointed. It looked easy. “You want your legs to float, to be weightless,” she advised.
    Lucy raised her head, drew her knees in and then extended them. A horrible howl escaped her lips as her legs thunked to the floor.
    â€œAre you okay, Mom?” Zoe turned her head in concern.
    â€œI think I pulled something,” gasped Lucy, clutching her abdomen and moaning.
    On the screen, Debbie was bicycling her legs. “Don’t stop! It’s worth it, I promise you.”
    Lucy rolled onto her side, curled in a fetal position.
    â€œNow she’s doing yoga,” said Sara, helpfully informative.
    On the screen, Debbie had twisted her legs into a lotus position.
    â€œI know I can’t do that.”
    â€œYou can do it,” said Debbie. “Start by sitting with your legs crossed and with time, you’ll be able to do more.”
    Lucy sat Indian-style, rubbing her