Nancy's lips formed a tight, pale line.
"And we had a few ideas who those men were. One of them, Pete, admitted that he and Aunt June were an item. But Dr. Morgan and Virgil didn't give away anything. And there was another rumor that Nancy and Aunt June were vying for the same man. Love, betrayal, and jealousy are very solid motives for murder. People have been murdered for less."
Nancy didn't say a word, but Pete looked at her curiously and puffed up like a peacock.
"But I never found any evidence that Dr. Morgan or Virgil were suitors. In fact, I think they were surprised just now to hear that. And that strikes me as odd since this is such a small town. If there's a rumor, everyone has heard it."
Pete nudged Nancy and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, probably assuming that he was the man Nancy allegedly wanted. She ignored him. Murl, sitting on the other side of her, took her hand in his. She smiled at him gratefully.
"In fact, I don't think Pete and Aunt June were dating at all. I think he wanted me to think that so that maybe I'd give him some inkling on my thoughts.
"Which leads to the next rumor that Aunt June had a treasure hidden in the house."
People around the room nodded, indicating that this was a rumor they'd heard.
"You see, no one here seemed to know what she did for a living. They did know that she had a lot of money, that she was an orphan with a huge inheritance. Basil even thought she was a socialite from San Francisco."
A few people leaned forward eagerly.
"She was wealthy. And since she was a bit eccentric, it wouldn't be unthinkable that she had valuables in the form of jewels, art, or gold hidden somewhere on the property.
"As a matter of fact, soon after I got here, Nigel had an insane offer from an anonymous client who wanted to buy the house and all of its contents, sight unseen. So maybe the treasure rumor was true. But was she murdered for it?"
I paused for dramatic effect and because I was thirsty. Why didn't I have a bottle of wine handy? Rex took one look at me and ran to the kitchen. He returned with a glass of water.
The bastard.
"Thank you," I said before taking a sip.
"What is the treasure?" Murl asked.
"So it's true?" Virgil asked.
"Actually, it is true. And I have it. But you can't see it." I wasn't talking about the jewels. I'd decided to leave them out of my monologue. I had something better.
"Why not?" Basil blurted out.
"Because it's classified."
Pete Oroner asked, "What does that mean?"
"Aunt June was independently wealthy. She travelled the world and wined and dined with celebrities and world leaders. She'd be gone for long stretches, mostly in the 1960s and 70s, because she had a job after all."
I allowed a dramatic pause before adding, "Aunt June was a spy."
I waited for this to sink in. It took a few moments, as there were the usual eyes bulging, audible swallowing, and questioning looks.
"She was CIA?" Sheriff Ted asked.
"No, but I thought that too. In fact, since I'm not related to her at all, I had wondered if she'd left everything to me because, in her mind, I'd followed in her footsteps. She wasn't CIA. She was NSA."
"She travelled the world," Jared mused. "Was the treasure stolen art?"
"Nope. It was something much harder to value but no less precious. Her treasure was secrets. Dirt. Blackmailable material."
Many in the room looked at the photos on the walls with renewed interest.
"She was blackmailing celebrities and world leaders?" Hal seemed impressed.
I shook my head. "No. I don't think she ever wanted to use her intel against anyone. They were simply her treasures for her to revisit, recalling her former life as a badass."
Betty stepped forward. "Like me. They call me Badass Betty."
"No," I said quietly, "we don't."
Virgil spoke up for the first time. "And you can't tell us what they were?"
"I can't. The NSA does a certain kind of spying, specifically in how they get intelligence. They don't necessarily do fieldwork. They collect information by listening in, taking pictures, and so on. And because she worked there, I had to turn all of that over to the authorities. They locked it all down. No one will ever know what she had. Well, except for me." And Rex. And Kelly. But I didn't want anyone pressing them for details. So for now, it was just me. If my best friend and husband felt left out, they didn't show it.
"So why was she murdered?" Tommy Maplethorpe asked.
"There were the rumors of love and jealousy. The statement on your website saying the fraud got what she deserved. The possibility of treasure. All of those seemed legit. And there was one other angle to explore.
"That Aunt June was running against Nigel for mayor. That she wanted to sell her house to developers to create a riverside resort. Did Nigel kill her so that he would remain mayor? Is that why there was the absurd offer for the house?"
Everyone waited with bated breath as Rex excused himself and went outside. Within seconds, he reappeared and gave me the thumbs-up. Everything was in place.
"I do believe that Aunt June had a love interest. But it wasn't those three men. In fact, it wasn't any man." This part was tricky for me. I hated sharing the information, but I needed to do so in order to explain. "Aunt June had, at one time, been in a relationship."
"With who?" Pete asked.
I shook my head. "That's not my news to tell."
"It was me." Nancy stood up. "I was Aunt June's girlfriend."
All eyes pivoted to the woman, who sat back and blew out a breath she'd probably been holding since 1995.
Basil stood up and applauded. "Yeah! You go, girl!"
"We were seeing each other," Nancy admitted wearily as Murl's eyes bulged from his head. "We
