A Murder Misstery Aloft

Then my brothers took leave of my mother to go their separate ways, leaving her all alone on the sidewalk to wait for the limo to take her back to Winnetka. The thought of her returning to spend the night as a widow in that big, lonely house broke my heart, and without thinking I threw on my coat, grabbed my purse and raced out the door of the bakery. Running as fast as I could in my high heels, I made it to her limo just as it was about to pull away, and I pounded on the windshield with both firsts before my mother rolled down her window.

I will never forget the look on her stricken face when I stuck my head inside. "Mom, it's me," I said in a fierce whisper. "Please, let me in." Her eyes widened in recognition, the door opened, and I tumbled inside, falling into her arms before we both started bawling like babies. The chauffeur must have taken my suitcase and put it in the trunk before he closed the door and started driving towards the northern suburbs.

Somehow I found the presence of mind to press the switch raising the glass partition between us and the chauffeur. "Is it really you?" Mom asked through her tears. She took a tissue out of her purse and gently wiped my face. "Your mascara is a mess, Matthew."

I took the tissue from her and returned the favor. "So is yours, Mom," I said, and my woman's voice temporarily threw her. She sat back in her seat and took a long, hard look at me. What must she be thinking, I remember asking myself as I self-consciously tugged my dress down over my knees. She studied me from head to toe, shaking her head in wonder.

"At first I didn't know who you were," she said at last. "Then, when I realized that it was really you, I thought I was seeing a ghost. We all thought you were dead..." She started crying again. "I'm sorry, I've been through so much...."

Now it was my turn to try to comfort her. "Mom, I'm sorry I ran out on you like that. I didn't steal that money." How to tell her that I had, in fact, murdered the man who set me up? "I'm so sorry about Dad," I added quickly.