'Intuition? Feeling? What do you want me to say? You don't have any facts. You think that Nora Cahill was blackmailing Alphonse Santini, but you have no proof. And without that fundamental fact, Quill, the rest of the motive falls apart. Why would he kill Dorset? I admit that the videotape you said you saw - '
'I did see it.'
'I know you did. But who is a jury going to believe? You can't convict a man of a capital crime on hearsay, Quill.'
'But I have proof. Or at least I think I have proof. I didn't get a chance to tell you everything last night...'
He smiled. She blushed, then went on, 'But I took some disks from Nora's apartment.'
'Quill.' He stopped himself, then said with obvious patience, 'I won't talk to you about breaking and entering. You know all about that already. But I have told you about the importance of the chain of evidence. And if you've entered the victim's apartment unlawfully and gathered it unlawfully...'
'Stop.' Quill held up her hand. 'I know all that. I told the H. O. W. members last night that if they found anything not to touch it, but to call you first.'
Myles grabbed his forehead with both hands, in a gesture reminiscent of Meg. 'You sent thirty women from a feminist organization careening through this Inn looking for evidence against Alphonse Santini?'
'The wedding is tomorrow. Then, he'll be gone. I feel awful about poor Claire. And I'm worried about Tutti.'
Myles shut his eyes for a moment. 'You don't have to worry about Tutti.'
'Why not?'
'I'll let you know after I call New York this morning. I'd like to know something right now, though. Was it the H. O. W. search that kicked off the riot?'
'It wasn't exactly a riot,' Quill said a little guiltily. 'They didn't find anything, anyway. They all went home to nurse their bruises after that snowball fight. And besides, Myles, you're forgetting the hard drive.'
'The hard drive?' He shook his head, 'We're talking about you breaking into Nora's apartment again? You mean the hard drive for Nora's PC?'
'Yes! You have her laptop in custody, or whatever, don't you?'
'Yeah. It's been entered into evidence. We do.'
'And her laptop was collected in a proper and legal way, wasn't it? Almost every newer PC backs up files automatically. There's bound to be a copy of whatever is on those disks in Nora's hard drive, So it doesn't matter if you can't submit the disks in evidence. You've got the hard drive. All the disks will do is give us the right kind of lead. I hope. They aren't labeled.'
He rubbed his chin. 'Hmm. You might be right. You still have the disks?'
'Right in my purse. And I can use John's PC to go through them. If you don't mind.'
'I don't mind. I've got two murders to solve.' He raised an eyebrow, 'And I need all the help I can get. But first, I need a shave.'
Quill kicked the covers off and jumped out of bed, 'Last one in the shower's an unemployed sheriff.'
'Eleven-thirty,' said Meg. 'I thought you two were never coming down.'
'Don't be vulgar.' Quill settled onto the stool at the butcher block counter and raised her cheek for Myles. He bent down and kissed her. Meg beamed.
'You two want some lunch?'
'He's off to apply a rubber hose to Joseph Greenwald,' Quill said. 'But I'd love some lunch.'
'I'll get something at Marge's later,' said Myles. He left, and the kitchen seemed suddenly empty.
'Crab cheese soup?' Meg asked.
'Sounds great. The dining room booked for lunch?' Meg glanced at the agenda posted on the wall. 'Most of the wedding party's out skiing.'
'Not Tutti,' said Quill, alarmed.
'No, not Tutti. She and Doreen and Elaine are in your office hassling the florist about the flower delivery. The senator and one of the aides - it's either Frank or Marlon or Ed - are still upstairs making phone calls. Which is a lot better,' Meg said cheerfully, 'than any of them hassling me about the reception. Claire and the bridesmaids and the groomsmen are out skiing. There's a plot afoot to make Claire drunk, so she can actually go through with the wedding. Or maybe the plot's to make the senator drunk. Either way, nobody innocent's going to get hurt, if the nuptials do come off.'
'Meg,' Quill protested. 'This is a tragedy shaping up. You're not being very kind.'
'It's a tragedy all right,' Meg said tartly, 'but not the kind you think.' She ladled a portion of the crab soup into a small crock and set it in front of Quill. 'How sure are you that the senator's behind these murders?'
'Who else could it be?'
'Lots of people. Maybe this Joe Greenwald. Maybe...'
'Maybe who?'
'Maybe Tutti.'
Quill put her spoon down. 'That's ridiculous.'
'Is it? Maybe she's setting Al up. Wouldn't you try to get him out of the way if he was going to marry your
