The Sixes

meet you under these circumstances,” she told him.

“Same here,” Dan said, stepping into the house. In his other hand Phoebe saw that he was carrying a large bag of dog supplies. He set the bag down and passed the chihuahua to Phoebe. As she took Ginger into her arms, she felt the dog’s body suddenly soften.

“We couldn’t get into my Uncle Ed’s house, so everything’s brand-new. Oh, and there’s food in the bag. Any luck finding a home for her yet?”

“Not yet, but someone affiliated with the school is bound to want her.” She could feel the dog’s little snout pressed into her chest.

“She sure seems to like you,” Dan said. “She never did seem very comfortable with me and my wife.”

“Thank you,” Phoebe said. “And again, I’m sorry for your loss.”

As soon as he left, Phoebe pulled Ginger back and looked into her eyes. “You’ve had a tough time, haven’t you, little girl?” Phoebe whispered to her. “I promise to take good care of you.”

For the next few hours, she tried to acclimate Ginger to her new situation. She showed her around the house, filled the bowls with food and water, and took her for a walk up and down the street. But as much as Phoebe attempted to focus on Ginger, her thoughts were constantly torn back to Duncan, to the idea that he might be a killer.

She tried Wesley twice more but didn’t reach him. She also called Jen Imbibio. She’d given the girl twenty- four hours to produce information, and it was time to confront her.

“Did you learn anything yet?” Phoebe asked when Jen answered.

“Uh, no. I just can’t come right out and ask about the circles. I have to, you know, wait for the right moment.”

“What about Fortuna?”

“Um, no, not yet. Not exactly.”

Phoebe’s heart skipped.

“Which is it, Jen?” Phoebe demanded. “Not yet or not exactly? Because not exactly suggests you found something.”

“I don’t have anything, you know, uh, specific. But I said something to the girl, the one in charge, and she got this kind of funny smile. Like she knew what I meant. But I can’t be sure.”

Phoebe fought to rein in her emotions.

“Did you find out anything?” Jen asked, filling the silence. “I mean, about the murder, that Blair didn’t do it.”

“I’m working on it, Jen,” Phoebe said. “But it’s a two-way street. I need some real answers from you, okay? I’ll call you tomorrow, and I expect to hear something.”

“Okay,” the girl muttered.

Phoebe walked Ginger once more, trying to tamp down her mounting anxiety. When she returned, she called Duncan, knowing he’d now be at class. There was no way she could stay with him again until she figured out the truth.

“Hi, it’s me,” she said to his voice mail. “I’m sorry, but I have to bail tonight. Glenda needs me for something important, and I’m going to bunk down at her house. I’ll—I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

And then what do I say tomorrow, she wondered in despair, when I still don’t have any answers?

At four she promised Ginger she would return shortly and, with her coat draped around her and a pashmina for extra warmth, she headed out on foot. She’d never been to the soccer field, but she knew where all the playing fields were—on the northern part of campus, west of the Grove and the science center. She entered the college through the western gate and walked north. Several of the playing fields were occupied—there were girls swinging hockey sticks on the one nearest to her, and football practice just beyond that. Farther down, she was pretty sure, was the soccer game—there was a fair number of people watching. Phoebe picked up her pace, eager to connect with Glenda. The ground was still soggy from the rain, and Phoebe felt her boots becoming damp. Though the pashmina helped her body stay warm, the wind was strong, and before long her face felt raw.

She spotted Glenda almost immediately along the sidelines of the field, towering above the crowd in her red coat. As Phoebe made her way in that direction, Glenda seemed to sense her presence and looked over. She waved and broke away from the people who’d congregated around her. As she reached Phoebe, her smile faded.

“What’s happened now?” Glenda asked. She had obviously read Phoebe’s face.

“The news just keeps getting better and better,” Phoebe said. She spilled what she’d learned—that it was Duncan, not Tom, who’d been on the committee with Lily. Glenda flung her head back, grimacing.

“Oh, wow. You’re sure?”

“That’s the information in the computer. Of course, I have no proof they had an affair.”

“Are you in love with him, Fee?”

Phoebe shrugged mournfully. “Not in love yet, fortunately,” she said. “But in like, definitely. And it’s not just that he might have had an affair with Lily. But what else might have happened.”

The wind whipped Phoebe’s hair in front of her face, and she yanked the strands away, tucking them behind her ears.

“I need to ask you a question, G,” Phoebe said. “When I first told you about me and Duncan, you paused a beat. Why?”

Glenda looked off, gathering her words. The wind was playing havoc with her hair, too, and she smoothed it down distractedly with her hands.

“Not because I’d heard anything bad about him,” she replied. “Of course I would have told you that. And look, the guy has a stellar reputation here. Not only do the kids like him, but he’s published terrific papers. But when his wife was sick—well, there were rumors that his attention was diverted elsewhere.”

“With a student?” Phoebe demanded.

“No,” Glenda said. “Again, I would have told you something like that. I heard it was with someone in town. Look, people cheat every day, and maybe he just needed a way to cope with his wife’s illness. But then there was the creepy way she died.”

“You think he might have killed her?” Phoebe asked, her voice catching.

“Well, I didn’t at the time. And I didn’t five minutes ago. I just thought it was, like I said, creepy. But now you’ve got my mind racing.”

“I feel like puking,” Phoebe said.

“Should we tell the police?” Glenda asked.

“No,” Phoebe said sharply. “Sorry—I just don’t want to cast any suspicion on him with the cops until I have more information.”

Behind them the crowd noise began to swell from a hum to a light roar and then finally jubilant cheering as a goal was obviously scored. Instinctively the two women turned their heads toward the field. As Phoebe’s eyes ran over the scene, she saw that Rachel, the girl from her class, the one she spotted walking with Jen, was sitting on the players’ bench.

“I’d better be getting back,” Glenda said.

“That girl with the blond hair who’s on the bench,” Phoebe said. “Her name’s Rachel Blunt. Do you know anything about her?”

“Just that she’s out for a few days with an injury. Why?”

“She may be—look, I’ll fill you in later. I’m still in information-gathering mode.”

“Phoebe, please be careful.”

“I will. Before I go, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.” Mentally Phoebe gritted her teeth and described her trip to Glenda’s house yesterday, and what she’d overheard Mark say.

Glenda shook her head in disgust. “Do you think it was a woman?”

“If it was, he didn’t seem all that friendly,” Phoebe said. “I remember you told me that he once had that problem with online gambling. I’ve been wondering if that’s what it is, that what he needed to deliver to the person was money.”

“What a bastard. Of all the times for him to be pulling this.”

Phoebe hugged Glenda with just her left arm. “I’ll call you later. Let me know if I can do anything at all,” she