“And got herself killed in the process?”
I shrugged.“What I still don’t understand is how the killer got the drop on her.She was so savvy.I mean, do you remember that time Vivienne followed the guy who was a big advertising executive for a corned beef empire—”
“What is a corned beef empire?”
“—and he lured her into the basement, and Vivienne used the lid from an old tin of corned beef to saw through her ropes—”
“Good God,” Bobby said.
“—and then she pushed him into the, uh, vat?Or whatever it’s called.And she got a lifetime supply of corned beef.I think it was a lifetime supply.It was a lot, anyway.”
“No.I can honestly say I don’t remember that.”
“It was on TV!I saw it at an impressionable age.You were probably outside playing Sports.”I made sure the capital S was audible.
Bobby took a second to catch up.And then he said, “Vivienne was a person.People make mistakes.And she’d been—I don’t know how to say it.Out of practice, I guess.I can’t imagine she was solving a lot of murders in prison.”
“Or eating much corned beef.”
“What?”
“I don’t know.Never mind, back on track.Okay, so the question is: who did Vivienne believe was the killer?God, it could be anyone.”
Bobby shook his head.“It can’t be someone random.It’s got to be someone who showed up in the original investigation, someone Vivienne considered but then dismissed.”
“So, who was part of the investigation the first time?That’s what we need to focus on.”
“Steven was,” a voice called from the other side of the curtain.It took me a minute to recognize AJ.
“Steven’s dead,” Thatcher said.“He doesn’t count.”
“He still counts,” AJ said.“He got in a huge argument with Robert Kessler during a panel.And that was the day before Kessler died.”
“What did he do?”Thatcher asked.“Knock himself out and roll down into the creek?”
“It could happen!That happens in literary mystery novels.They don’t ever catch the killer because the killer killed himself or the killer is already in prison or the killer died of natural causes.”
Bobby was pinching the bridge of his nose.
“What in the world is going on over there?”I snapped.“And how long have you been eavesdropping?”
Charlie giggled.“You and Detective Mai aretotallycouple goals.”
“Oh my God,” I said under my breath.
Bobby got up and reached for the privacy curtain.
“I didn’t say anything about—” I froze because what was the kid-friendly version ofspecial adult time?“I mean,youdidn’t say anything about—” I made a suggestive gesture with my hands.
“I don’t know what that means,” Bobby said as he pushed the curtain open.“And neither do you.”
Thatcher, AJ, and Charlie were staring at us: Thatcher arched his eyebrows at Bobby in a serious, manly fashion; AJ grimaced at all of us like we were idiots; and Charlie beamed at me over a copy ofDetectives and Dragons.(Book 8:Dwarven Deception.)
“Margaux Mendez was there too,” AJ said.“Remember?From the article?”
“Of course she was there,” I said.“She was Vivienne’s agent.”
“Yeah, but Margaux got cleared,” Thatcher said.“I still think it has to be this other author, Whitney Smith.”
