and sex—aren’t enough. I want to make somebody happy.
And I want one of those little people to rock in my arms.”
She gave Judith an embarrassed, rueful look. “Have I made
a complete fool of myself or should I go on?”
All her life, Judith had been accustomed to people opening
up to her. Maybe it was her sympathetic face, her friendly
manner, or her innate understanding of human nature.
Whatever the reason, she was never surprised when virtual
strangers unburdened themselves.
“If it hadn’t been for my son,” Judith said grimly, “I’d have
probably poisoned my first husband in the first five years of
our marriage.” She slapped a hand to her mouth. “I don’t
really mean that,” Judith added lamely.
Margo uttered a truncated laugh. “Life’s tough. I thought
I was tough. I’m not. I found that out this weekend, but I
have to pretend.”
“We all do,” Judith said, opening one of the double ovens.
“Tell me—who do you think is the killer?”
“Oh, God.” Margo held her head. “I’ve tried to figure it
out, especially now that Ward is dead. How did anybody—any of
“Good point.” Judith began lining up the game hens in a
big roasting pan. “After you and Russell took the liquor
bottles to the lobby, what did you do next?”
Margo removed the last four game hens from the microwave. “I’ve thought about that. When Russell and I got
to the lobby, Frank and Nadia had gone to check out the
conference rooms. Ava came out of the library and asked if
I’d go to the restroom with her, but I didn’t need to, and
just then Nadia came back and said she’d go if I’d stay
with Frank. I tracked him down and we checked the mikes
and rearranged the chairs and then we came back to the
lobby. Max was there, wondering what had happened to
Ward. I honestly don’t remember what the others were doing.”
Judith did, having gone over the scene with Renie. “How
long was Frank alone in the conference room?” Judith asked.
Margo spread her hands. “A minute? Two minutes?”
“Oh.” Judith was disappointed. Something Margo had said
suddenly struck her. “If Ava was going to the restroom, where
was Gene? They’d been in the library together.”
“Gene?” Margo looked blank. “I don’t know. I didn’t see
him after I came back from the basement.”
basement with Gene. They’d been gone an awfully long time.
“Let’s see how my cousin and Gene are doing,” Judith said,
trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice.
But just as the two women headed for the stairs, Renie
and Gene appeared, wrestling with a large and cumbersome
contraption.
“We found it,” Renie announced, short of breath. “It was
