Free Formula for Murder by JUDITH MEHL

whatever you do to have a tray of drinks materialize because I think I need one to calm me down. Either that or I need pep pills to help me keep up with you.”
    Gerald laughed and excused himself. Having seen Katharine in action before, he was not surprised at her effect, but he wanted to get out of the crossfire quickly.
    Kat ignored Nick’s complaint and zeroed in on the one point, “What do you mean materialize? I merely take advantage as the waiters walk by. It’s all in where you stand.”
    “How come I never see them?”
    “Maybe you’re not looking in the right direction.”
    Nick arched his brow as he realized she was right. He’d been staring at her most of the time. He didn’t know whether to shake his head in disbelief or just go along for the ride, but he knew one thing, keeping up with Kat could become a full-time job.
     
    Kat stood in front of Louise’s desk and yawned with a discreetly placed hand over her mouth as she awaited the woman’s return from the inner room and for Nick to arrive. She turned and saw him watching her from the doorway. He yawned, too, but didn’t hesitate to comment. “Next time I’m this tired I want it to be because I had an unforgettable night!”
    Not sure how to handle that incendiary statement, she was glad Louise was within hearing, forestalling a response. Was that a come-on? No time to explore it now. Louise bustled in, juggling folders. She wore her usual sour look—the look that Kat knew took years to fine-tune. She understood Louise needed an outer core against all the power-seeking sycophants and that now it was just part of her appearance; her true motherly nature never changed.
    Louise shrieked with delight as Nick strolled in. She plopped the folders onto the desk as he gave her a bear hug. Kat’s murmur of surprise went unnoticed.
    “And why haven’t you been back to see me?”
    “Louise, they had me on my deathbed or I would have been here. How are you, beautiful?”
    The slender woman straightened out of the embrace, fluffed her tightly curled gray hair, and grimaced. “Go on with ya.”
    Kat couldn’t believe it. The completely literate well-bred woman, acting speechless and flustered before her eyes.
    Louise and Nick reminisced about the “good old days” when Nick was a student and was in to see the president on more than one occasion.
    “Nick kept coming forward with off-the-wall ideas for one project or another. None were simple; some required the power of the president,” Louise said in an aside to Kat. “Sometimes only the president could dissuade him.”
    When Louise asked, “What do you two want with me anyway?” Kat took over the questioning. Nick still seemed preoccupied with old home week. “We need information, Louise. Where else would we come?”
    Louise sat down at her desk and got her efficient look back in place. A backdrop of all the tomes and paraphernalia of the presidential office confirmed her authority. Kat knew Louise truly did have power. The question was, would she reveal any of her secrets to help with the investigation?
    “You know I can’t repeat most of what I know. Never did, never would.”
    “That’s O.K. We just need background information.”
    Nick questioned, “What really happened with the vandalism of the lab a year and a half ago? Was there something that didn’t get to the press?”
    Louise suppressed an unladylike snort. “You must mean the rumors of the stolen enzyme vial. I’ll tell you the truth right now. Nothing was ever proven. And no fingers were ever pointed at anyone in particular.” She looked up between her lashes. “Do you think that has something to do with Charlie? It wasn’t even his lab that was involved.”
    Nick waffled a little, avoiding a direct answer. “We’re not sure. Just trying to find links to almost anything right now. Could the professor involved have suspected Charlie of stealing the vial?”
    Louise glanced around as if to see if anyone was listening, even