more traffic than ever.'
Jake leaned his rather squarish chin on a meaty fist. Eyeing his spatulate digits, I reflected that it was a good thing he hadn't chosen gynecology as a specialty. 'You may be right,' he said.
We finished our coffee drinks and shuffled out, squinting, to the hot, bright street. Through the window I saw Luce reach for the phone, but there wasn't anything we'd said that was a big secret.
Go for it, girl. Gossip on.
'I thought you said you weren't going to investigate Ariel's murder,' Meghan said, tying up an heirloom tomato plant with strips cut from old pantyhose.
I looked up from where I was sowing another section of slowbolt cilantro. 'Oh, for heaven's sake. I'm not investigating anything. Only checking with her roommate to find out where to send her art.'
'Sure you are.' She walked over to the large wicker basket on the ground between us. 'The zucchini plants are going nuts. I'm going to strip some of the blossoms.'
Yum. I'd been waiting for a chance to add squash blossoms to a light stir-fry, or stuff them with fresh mozzarella and chopped pumpkin seeds, dust them with chipotle chili powder and flour and fry them all golden and crispy.
Finished with the cilantro, I began harvesting the outer leaves of the lettuce. 'We have a ton of this red-leaf. How about wilted lettuce and stuffed squash blossoms with some grilled lamb tonight?'
'Now you're talking,' Meghan said. 'You should invite Barr over.
I sat back on my heels and let my fingers sift through the dirt at my feet. 'Oh, all right.'
It felt like Meghan was playing matchmaker, which was pretty weird since I'd dated the man in question for several months already.
She bent over the tumbling vines. 'Do you think she did it?'
'Who?'
Her look told me to stop being stupid. 'Chris.'
'I don't know. I doubt it. It sounds like she has an alibi.'
'So you went over there today?'
I nodded. 'I told you Barr asked me to keep my finger on the pulse of the CRAG crowd.'
'I knew you'd get involved one way or another.' She finished tying up another tomato plant and stood upright, stretching her back. 'At least you have permission from the police this time.'
Well, maybe not all the police. Robin would pop a vein if she knew Barr had asked for my help.
'I'm going to run over and talk to Ariel's roommate now, while I'm thinking about it;' I said.
One side of Meghan's mouth turned up. 'Okay. See you when you get back'
As I guided my little Toyota pickup down the street toward the address Ruth had given me, I pondered the exchange at Beans R Us. Irene-mousy little Irene-had been downright nasty at times. It was obvious she'd disliked Ariel intensely. Ruth had been uncharacteristically taciturn. Jake, on the other hand, had been vociferously insistent that Ariel's art was well taken care of. He seemed quite upset by her death. Oh, don't get me wrong; her murder was horrible. It was just that something about his reaction made me think it was a little more personal for him than even, for example, me-the woman who had actually found her body.
Lordy, what was the deal with the CRAG members? They were like a dysfunctional family. I bet they had a few dirty little secrets hidden away, too.
Blue and red lights flashed in my rearview mirror: a silver Impala, the 'undercover' prowler of the Cadyville police department. At least Barr had shown a little subtlety and kept the siren off.
The siren chirped.
Nice.
I wondered what he'd do if I didn't stop. Arrest me?
The siren chirped again.
Perhaps not the best time to find out. I turned onto a residential street and pulled over.
Barr got out. I stayed where I was and rolled down the window. Our conversation on the phone the night before had been short and slightly uncomfortable. When he stopped beside me, I silently offered my license and registration.
He ignored it. 'Are you still mad at me?'
Hmmm. 'I don't think so. Why, has something else happened?'
'I talked to my mother,' he said.
I raised my eyebrows.
'She said Hannah took a week off. My brother, clever bear that he is, told her about the money from my uncle.' He rolled his eyes. 'Randall, who's seven years younger than I am, by the way, has a bit of a crush on Hannah. Mom thinks he was trying to impress her.'
'So she's here for the whole week?' I asked.
He shook his head. 'No. I called her over at Horse Acres. Sent her packing in no uncertain terms.'
Wow. 'Really?'
'Really.'
'That seems kind of mean,' I said.
He grinned. 'I can call her back and tell her to stay. We could all go out for dinner, if you'd like.'
'Nah. That's okay.'
'Thought you might say that,' he said.
'Listen,' I said. 'I'm on my way to talk to Ariel's roommate about where to send her CRAG art. Do you know about Ariel's brother?'
He nodded. 'His address was in her things.'
Of course. I knew he and Robin would've already gone to Ariel's apartment, but I felt a little deflated anyway.
'His last name isn't Skylark?'
'Nope. Kaminski.'
'Ruth said Ariel changed her name,' I said.
'Apparently so.'
' why?
He lifted a shoulder. 'She liked the sound of Skylark better than Kaminski.'
'Did you learn anything else interesting?' I asked, a note of frustration creeping in.
'From the roommate? Not much.' He looked regretful. 'Robin, well…'
Ah.
'Come over for dinner tonight,' I said. 'We're having lamb.'
His eyes widened. 'Grilled?'
'Of course.'
'Count me in.'
'See you then.' I rolled up my window.
He placed his right hand against it, the pattern of his palm pressed against the glass. With one finger, I traced his love line. My eyes lifted and met his. I bit my lip.
We both smiled.
TEN
ARIEL HAD LIVED IN an apartment on the second floor of a lone twelve-plex on the corner of Maple and Pine. Someone had purchased and rehabbed the old building and painted it a sumptuous apricot with green and maroon trim. Planter boxes lining the tiny balcony railings dripped purple verbena, blood-red geraniums and lobelia in deep rich shades of sapphire. A rack in front supported a row of bikes. To the right, an expanse of asphalt hosted a series of compact and economy cars, most of them sporting parking stickers from the neighboring college. These were primarily digs for students, and nice digs at that.
I climbed the stairs, my sandals scuffing on the wooden steps, and rapped on the metal door with my knuckles. Rustling sounds came from inside, and then slowly the door opened.
'Yes?' A tall woman in her early twenties grinned down at me. Her hair was blue black, the kind that has to come out of a bottle, and it fell unfettered to a pair of impressive-and unharnessedbreasts. She was so tall I found myself staring straight at them. My face grew hot as I realized what I was doing, and I craned my neck up
