Free 5 Big Bunny Bump Off by Kathi Daley

are extra swimsuits in the guest room, if you want to take Hannah swimming. I suppose she can just wear her diaper.”
    “ That sounds like fun.”
    “Why the serious face?” Levi asked me after Ellie went off to greet Rob.
    “Do you want kids?”
    “Oh God, you’re pregnant.”
    “No , I’m not pregnant.”
    “Ellie is pregnant.” Levi paled.
    “No, as far as I know Ellie isn’t pregnant either. I was just curious whether you wanted kids. This is a baby shower, and babies are the main topic of conversation.”
    “No,” Levi answered decisively. “I don’t want kids.”
    “Ever?”
    Levi paused. “I don’t know . Ever is a long time, but I really can’t imagine myself with kids. How about you? Do you want kids?”
    “Not anytime soon.”
    “So why the intense look?”
    I glanced at Ellie as she greeted Rob and picked up Hannah.
    “Oh.” Levi sighed. “Are they . . . did she mention . . . do you think they’re getting serious?”
    “Honestly , I don’t know.” I turned to face my friend. “What I do know is that Ellie wants kids. My bet is that she wants a bunch, and she wants them soon. If you aren’t on the same page, you really need to move on to someone who is, even if she ends up single in the future. The two of you mean so much to me. I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”
    “Yeah .” Levi kissed the top of my head. “I hear you.”
    “Zoe !” Jeremy’s best friend, Spike, came up from behind us and hugged me. Spike is the lead singer in the heavy metal band Jeremy plays with. I actually have no idea what his real name is; everyone calls him Spike because of the spikes in his hair, the dog collar he wears, and the various parts of his body, which are really uncomfortable-looking piercings. “Killer party.”
    “I’m glad you could come. I haven’t seen you around much lately.”
    “Band had a gig. Jeremy had to drop out with all the hullabaloo with the twit and the kid, but I wanted to come by and show my support.” Spike spoke with a really bad British accent that tended to flow between British, American, and something totally indefinable, but I was pretty sure he was born and raised in New Jersey.
    “Well , I’m glad you were in town and could make it.” I hadn’t been aware that Jeremy had quit the band he’d been a part of ever since I’d known him, but they did travel quite a bit, so it made sense that he’d need to take a step back with the addition of a baby in his life.
    “Been a bit of an upset since we’ve been gone,” Spike commented.
    “Upset?” I asked.
    “Heard about the bloke who whacked the banker. Didn’t figure him for a killer.”
    “Doug Barton? ” Half the time Spike’s tendency to speak in half sentences left me wondering exactly what he was talking about. “You know Doug Barton?”
    “Did some business with the guy,” Spike confirmed.
    “What kind of business?” I found myself asking.
    “H elped me invest a few pounds. Did a right nice job. Hate to see the guy rotting in a cell for something he didn’t do.”
    “You think he’s innocent?”
    “Dude wasn’t a bounder like his boss, although I guess he had a reason to whack the guy. Still, I don’t figure he has the stones to do it. My money is on the neighbor.”
    “Neighbor?”
    “Pansy with the lawsuit. Might want to check it out.”
    “Did you mention this to Salinger?” I wondered.
    “Don’t talk to coppers. Where is the loo in this pad?”
    “Around the corner to the left.”
    I watched as Spike walked away. He really was a strange man, but Jeremy seemed to like him. I wasn’t certain why he’d brought up the murder investigation to me, unless Jeremy had suggested he speak with me if he had information he wanted to share. He wasn’t wrong in assuming that Salinger wouldn’t give him the time of day. Maybe I’d ask Zak to do a little digging on the Internet to see if he could find out anything about this supposed lawsuit.
     
    “That was some party,” I